Kerr: LeBron's Finals streak one of the greatest feats ever

Getting to the NBA Finals once is no easy task, let alone six times in a row, as LeBron James has done between stints with the Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers.

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr knows just how formidable a foe James can be in The Finals, after watching Cleveland snatch victory from the jaws of defeat to become the 2015-16 champions.

Winning the title the year before, and then following that up with a 73-win regular season only to fall to the Cavs, took a lot out of the Warriors. And that journey makes Kerr appreciate James' success even more.

"The toll was more emotional than anything," Kerr said Friday, according to ESPN's J.A. Adande. "Over time, that stuff adds up. That's why LeBron going to The Finals six straight years is, to me, one of the great accomplishments of all time. Like, how many guys have done that. Maybe Bill Russell was the last guy. I know Michael (Jordan) didn't do it because he took a couple of years off. Larry Bird, Magic never did it. ...

"Six is incredible."

The Boston Celtics advanced to The Finals every year from 1959-1966 with Russell in tow. Since then, no one but James has come close to matching that level of consistency, although he only has three rings to show for it.

Based on Kerr's praise, that shouldn't diminish what The King has accomplished. If history is any indication, he'll be back in The Finals once again this upcoming season, perhaps setting up the rubber match with the Warriors to break their 1-1 tie.

Never before in NBA history have the same two teams squared off in The Finals three years in a row. By all indications, that will no longer be the case come June.