Let's Talk About LeBron
As topics go, I love writing and discussing the NBA, and more-so, basketball in general, so you would think I would love talking about somebody as gifted as LeBron. You couldn’t be more wrong.
See, my issue with LeBron doesn't actually have much to do with LeBron. I think he is on a short list of all time great players (which I plan on doing my list of all time player at some point), and his talent and skill are undeniable. He is a savant on the highest level, and watching him play will almost always produce those moments that turn you into Smokey and Craig.
He really is that good, and those who deny it are hating, plain and simple. I am willing to recognize greatness when I see it, and I can clearly see one of the best basketball players in action every night, wearing number 23 for the Purple and Gold.
So, what’s my damn issue, you ask?
Glad I have your attention, because I’m about to tell you. I can recognize greatness, and still be objective about the reality of what’s going on, and I feel like that’s where a LOT of LeBron fans get off at the exit. Any criticism of LeBron is automatically met with the standard line of “Nigga, you hating” comments, such as:
““So what is LeBron doesn’t have six rings, or six Finals, MVPs, that doesn’t mean he isn’t better than Jordan.
He had to work with so much less than anyone else in NBA history, so why not just give him the GOAT?
He beat the best team ever, so how could he not be the GOAT?
Bro, just admit he is great, and leave it there.”
There are others, but I chose to stop there, because just typing that was pissing me off.
Look.
LeBron is great, but let me break down a couple of things to all the Lebron lovers out there (and there are a LOT.)
DISCLAIMER: I am a diehard Jordan fan, but I do not have bias embedded deep in my soul like others do about MJ. I base him being the greatest on what he actually did, who he did it against, and how dominant he was in doing it.
LeBron has as many losses in the Finals as some people have appearances, which to some may seem like a good thing, because their argument is “at least he made it there in order to lose.” Fair point, but after he lost, you can not count that as a positive, because HE LOST! I don't care about any of his stats during those losses, nor do I care about how impressive he looked in defeat, because he lost. In order to prove my point, let me ask a question: In the year that Steph Curry won the only unanimous MVP, who can name the rest of the top 5 contenders for the MVP that year, without looking it up?
Didn’t think so. The point of that is, while stats mean something in the moment, winning is much more important, and nobody really toils to remember the second place finishers and beyond, unless they were worth it. Yes, LeBron made 8 straight Finals, which is pretty amazing, but he only came out of that run with three rings (look, three rings is impressive, but when you factor in the 5 Finals losses in that run, you have to admit that it’s a disappointment.)
To put it perspective even more for you, do you know who has the most Finals losses in history?
That would happen to be Jerry West, with eight. Second is Elgin Baylor with 7, and then there’s LeBron with 6. This is significant because you don’t hear people singing Jerry West’s praises for making it to 9 Finals, because he lost too many for it to be smart to praise him for that. If LeBron keeps reaching the Finals and losing, he’s in danger of being looked at like that, because as any competitor would know, it doesn’t matter what your stats look like, as long as you get the win.
Some may argue that he wasn’t the favorite in most of his matchups against his foes in the Finals. He’s been the underdog, a man that carried his teams to the Finals time and time again. I would say that that is nonsense as well, because being the favorite does not automatically mean you’re going to win. Golden State found that out during their 73 win Finals run. Just because the betting community and those “experts” pick you to win doesn’t mean that you’re going to. Ask the 2004 Lakers, or the 2011 Heat (a team LeBron was on,) or the 2019 Warriors. Being the favorite just puts even more pressure on you to get it done. Some teams do, some teams don’t.
“But Phil, he CARRIED teams on his back to the Finals.”
The only teams he really carried are the teams after Kyrie left, which was the only year the Cavs team really shouldn’t have made it. The Heat years he had Wade, Bosh, and everyone else who made up that team. Then he came back to Cleveland, and Kyrie and Love helped him get there until they were both hurt, then he couldn’t do it by himself. Next year they beat the Warriors. Then, with basically the same team, they were obliterated by the Warriors with KD. Kyrie left, and now is when you can say that he started carrying teams. That year, he really put the Cavs on his back and took them to the Finals. One year. That’s it.
And his first year with the Lakers wasn’t anything spectacular, either. He got his numbers, but they didn’t equal wins like they have in the past, so what did they actually mean? 27-8-8. doesn’t mean much when your team is .500, and him being hurt isn’t anyone’s fault, not even his. He just couldn’t drag this team to the playoffs like he could in the past, due to him having more competition in the Western Conference. Can’t drag teams to the Finals when there’s legit teams standing in your way. This year, with help, they have the best record in the Western Conference, and LeBron looks like the superstar who got the rest he needed to come back wrecking the league. However, who they haven’t beat says a lot about what they could be facing when the playoffs come. With or without Paul George, the Lakers have not beat the Clippers, who are standing directly in their path to a championship. Until they beat them, and convincingly, I’m not high on them making the Finals.
The Jordan vs LeBron argument will happen in another post, but I wanted to get my feelings out on LeBron, and why I’m not putting him over Jordan, and why his fans make poor cases for him.