LeBron James vs. Kevin Durant playoff history: Revisting Thunder-Heat matchup, iconic Warriors-Cavaliers rivalries in finals

James had yet to scale the NBA's mountaintop, suffering defeats in each of his first two Finals. His third trip to the Finals proved fruitful; the Heat swept aside the Thunder in five games, fueled by James, who captured the first of three Finals MVPs.

2017 NBA Finals

Draped in new colors, James and Durant jousted once more beneath the NBA Finals logo. James and the Cavaliers had bested the Warriors one season earlier, vanquishing Golden State via an epic 3-1 comeback.

In lieu of their shocking defeat, the Warriors retooled, adding Durant -- a one-time MVP -- to their ranks. The addition worked a charm; Cleveland huffed and puffed against its mighty opposition, taking the series to six games. But Durant and Co. was too strong, lifting the Larry O'Brien Trophy amid a tempest of confetti. It was Durant's first NBA title. It wouldn't be his last.

2018 NBA Finals

One year later, James and Durant found themselves in the same place: jostling for gold and glory at the NBA Finals. James' side was far less daunting this time around; Kyrie Irving was gone, having been dealt to the Celtics during the offseason.

The Dubs, meanwhile, were helmed by Durant, Stephen Curry and Draymond Green. James authored up a Game 1 masterpiece, producing 51 points, eight rebounds and eight assists to bring the Cavaliers on the brink of a series-opening win. But J.R. Smith forgot to shoot the ball in the waning moments of regulation, sending the match into overtime. Durant and the Dubs went to work in the final frame, tallying 17 points en route to a double-digit win.

The series never got any closer; Golden State dismantled Cleveland across four games as Durant waltzed to his second-straight Finals MVP.

LeBron James vs. Kevin Durant playoff stats

Here's a look at how James and Durant's postseason marks compare to one another.

Both James and Durant have tended to produce elevated performances in postseason play, seeing their per-game averages rise across the board. They rank sixth and fourth all-time in scoring average among players to play in at least 50 playoff games. James is one of the most prolific playmakers in postseason history, tallying nearly 2,100 assists -- the second-highest tally in NBA history. Predictably, he also leads the way in playoff points, recording nearly 8,300 -- more than 2,300 more than second-place Michael Jordan.

Durant, meanwhile, places inside the top-10 in postseason scoring (4,985 as of April 16).

As far as head-to-head playoff matchups are concerned, both James and Durant have flexed their might, posting near identical scoring clips. Here's a look at their head-to-head stats in postseason play.

As expected, James' body of production is more well-rounded than Durant's. Both have enjoyed glistening displays against one another, although James has been slightly more successful than his opposite number over the years.

Nevertheless, Durant has hoisted gold more times than James when they've matched up with one another.