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At the start of the Eastern Conference Finals, if someone had bet their bottom dollar, I'd have taken all of it against LeBron going to the NBA finals for the eighth successive time. The last time he wasn't in the finals, a bunch of things was different, some of which just seems unbelievable. But that's how time passes... fast! And this week, there has been a lot of chatter about the eternal GOAT debate and let me just put in my two cents.
I wasn't WOKE enough to watch MJ in action, I grew up on Shaq making every center in the NBA reconsider their life choices. I was told that Kobe is the next coming of MJ, I was often given lectures on the reason Tim Duncan is the biggest non-superstar superstar in the NBA.
But LeBron is someone who I have seen do special things ever since I started my love affair watching the OKC duo of Westbrook and Durant strut their stuff on the court, in 2011. Granted, it was after his early days where he could jump right out the gym, take the famed Detroit Pistons out of the playoffs single-handedly, or do some of these things.
But these are examples you could see while browsing YouTube or while you're watching your favorite sitcom but still feel you need a mobile screen for interrupted watching.
What LeBron has done this year, after the loss of Kyrie and the addition of a veritable who's who of decent players, is amazing. LeBron has been the difference maker for the Cavaliers, and that statement could win the Understatement of the Year at the annual 'Statement of the Year' awards.
Now I'm going to do something that most people who analyze a player never do. I'm going to throw some numbers your way of Lebron's, purely out of context, but contexted (sic) later on.
33.9 points per game, shooting at a clip of 54.5% from the field, over the course of 18 grueling playoff games is something else. But having to do that purely to ensure that your team has even a small chance of winning is monumental. Let's take another look at the crazy 2018 playoffs for the King.
Round one
Untested but hungry as a pack of hyenas, and led by soon-to-be Most Improved Player of the Year, Victor Oladipo. Indiana came out of the blocks, ready to bite, gorge, and feast on the BAD Cavs. After the reversal in game 1, Lebron ensured such defeats won't continue and ended the Pacers' hopes in seven games. Looking back, pound-for-pound, Indiana gave the Cavaliers the most trouble. They were absolutely not scared, even having the chance to end the series in 6 (James' Block/whatever else you want to call it), or in game 7 where I was praying that the Pacers win (they didn't).
Round two
Watching the Raptors collapse, after having worked all year round to get the #1 seed in the East was fun, at the least. The 'We The North' chants were going on a little too loudly, especially for a team which had not shown any promise in the playoffs for the past three years. But this was supposed to be their year, finally, a saying usually heard by me on my Podcast, Ball is Bae referencing the Oklahoma City Thunder (#ThunderUp). Just the thought of Lebron had them shivering and trying to make strategic moves to upset the Cavs. END Result: 4-0
Round three
The Celtics were the toast of the NBA, after the 76ers of #TrustTheProcess fame. The Celtics had the young guns, surrounded by old Celtics who knew what to do, coached by someone who should have won Coach of the Year but didn't. Adding to that was the fact that Boston had home court advantage, and after games 1 and 2, all the experts had written the Cavs off. Boston was the team which knew what to do once they stepped on the court and it clearly showed. The other thing it clearly showed was how youth, full of swagger and belief has to come to terms with the fact that you don't always play at home and are assured those advantages. The Cavs came back to draw it 2-2 and then 3-3, and then handed the Celtics their first home loss in this post-season, and headed to their fourth consecutive Finals appearance.
Nobody had given them a chance to beat Toronto, in fact, people had already written obituaries for a NEW KING IN THE EAST, but alas, matches aren't won on articles online, much less radio shows and podcasts.
The King lives on, and while I don't see a long series if the Warriors win, the simple fact that neither audacious youth, nor the #1 seed, nor TEAM Game could manage to beat a handicapped Lebron in his 15th season in the NBA.
Neither MJ nor Kobe was this dominant with the pieces Lebron has.
LONG LIVE THE 👑
So where does King James rate on the GOAT list after all? Have your say. Leave a comment below.
