To some basketball fans, there is no metric more important than that of the championship ring. Because how can a player be great without a title to show for it? Such thinking is reductive, of course; a million and one things have to go right to build a dynasty or win a ring, and much of that calculus is out of an individual player's hands.
Still, though, it's true that a win in the Finals is the quickest way to build your professional legacy. You are forever an NBA champion, no matter what happens—and it's hard to argue with that.
