What does this finals performance mean for Lebron's overall legacy? Lebron did everything he could do to give this team a chance to win but it wasn't close to enough. Could Kobe win two games in the finals with the same roster? Could Michael? We can never really know. Lebron may not be the best ever but he is certainly the most unique player I've ever seen. I personally see this performance as a push for him. Next year will be key.
Grading Lebron
- Thread starter coolcat9lives
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It is about the same as his 07 finals...carried a mediocre team to the finals. The only difference is he is a better player now and the 2015 Warriors are not as good or as EXPERIENCED as that 07 Spurs team IMO.
Honestly Lebron just reminds me of Magic for you younger guys who never watched magic play. Both guys could play any position on the floor and handle it very well for being as big as they are. Lebron is def more athletic but magic played on much stronger teams and didn't have to do it all. Over all I'd say that Lebron is def the better of the 2. Back then their wasn't as many nba teams so their was a much higher concentration of good players on each team than their is now. Also if you couldn't play then you weren't drawing a check.
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Lebron is the best player on the planet.
He's a top-5 all-time player.
Sometimes, things just don't work out in the finals.
This season, losing Irving, Love, and Verajao REALLY hurt.
Put those guys in the lineup, and they take care of the Warriors easy.
Tough break for an incredible player.
He's a top-5 all-time player.
Sometimes, things just don't work out in the finals.
This season, losing Irving, Love, and Verajao REALLY hurt.
Put those guys in the lineup, and they take care of the Warriors easy.
Tough break for an incredible player.
Lebron is one of the best players today. No doubt. However, todays' game isn't the same as it was as it was in the late 80's early 90's.
Haha Lebron had no support. To get to finals was feat with this team. shoulda kept wiggins imo
Lebron gets an A- IMO
Lebron gets an A- IMO
Yes should have kept Wiggins. However every time his teammates play bad it's "Lebron can't do it with these scrubs." However after Game 3, everyone was fawning over how good this Cavs team was and how they were shutting the Warriors down.
It's BS.
This team was 21-20 at the midpoint of the season. Making the Finals, alone, was a pretty damn good achievement. The Warriors were the healthier deeper team. Lebron took them to GS and won game two there. The Warriors lost 2 games in the regular season at home. Lebron had a great finals with his team's 2nd and 3rd best options out due to injury. They lost Varejao in December.
He's the best player on the planet. He did all he could do, undermanned, to win the title and the other team was just simply better. He certainly didn't hurt himself with 35.6 points ,15 rebs, and 8.8 assists. I don't recall Jordan playing many playoff games without Scottie Pippen when they were winning all those titles.
A- sounds pretty good. I also agree with the push because it's pretty hard to elevate yourself above best player on the planet.
He's the best player on the planet. He did all he could do, undermanned, to win the title and the other team was just simply better. He certainly didn't hurt himself with 35.6 points ,15 rebs, and 8.8 assists. I don't recall Jordan playing many playoff games without Scottie Pippen when they were winning all those titles.
A- sounds pretty good. I also agree with the push because it's pretty hard to elevate yourself above best player on the planet.
You're making stuff up now. Anyone who even entertained the idea that Cleveland could win knew it would be a result of a Herculean effort by LeBron. He took a team that will be looked at very favorably by history to six games all by himself. This shouldn't effect his legacy at all because it's another instance of him dragging an underwhelming roster to the Finals and losing to a superior team.
There's been so many players over the years that have drug their teams to the finals. Can you name them...I'm guessing no. Due to they are forgotten.
The truly greats won.
Name a player who got a team as bad as this to the Finals and won against a team as good as GS. I'll be waiting.
He already has a better resumè than both of those guys. He's a top 10 player all time period.
I've been adamant that LeBron is not as good as Jordan and I still think that. However this particular Finals loss should not be held against him. In fact I'd say it's more of a testament to his legacy than a mark on it. No matter how good you are, basketball is still a team sport. And LeBron's was absolutely decimated.
He did everything he could do as a player. He carried a team of role players, has-beens, and cast-offs to Game 6 of the finals.
However he sucks as a general manager. 2 number ones for one year of Love, playing a obviously hurt Irving, knowing they had no interior defense and doing nothing about it won't win GM of the year.
Paying the big bucks to the big three leaves no cap space for the other 10. High risk vs high reward.
They crapped out. Couldn't have happened to a nicer owner like D. Gilbert.
Personally I like the model of the Spurs, OKC, and Warriors where you build through the draft.
However he sucks as a general manager. 2 number ones for one year of Love, playing a obviously hurt Irving, knowing they had no interior defense and doing nothing about it won't win GM of the year.
Paying the big bucks to the big three leaves no cap space for the other 10. High risk vs high reward.
They crapped out. Couldn't have happened to a nicer owner like D. Gilbert.
Personally I like the model of the Spurs, OKC, and Warriors where you build through the draft.
The Lebron hate/dislike that some hold is mind-boggling. I don't care how you feel about the guy personally. He's simply the best player on the planet and no one else in the NBA would have taken this team to game 6 of the finals this year. Trying to say this series hurts his legacy is idiotic and nothing less.
Love or hate Lebron James, the fact remains that his success rate in the NBA finals is Wilt-esque.
Never been a LeBron fan...never will..most people on this board only like him cuz Lebron and Cal for some strange reason have a relationship. ...the play in game 4 with his bad theater of flopping into photographer was last straw for me...dont tell me that wasnt an act....im dure he didnt want to get stitches but he went into baseline on his own...terrible looking
Are you serious? Come on man don't allow your dislike for someone cloud your vision and judgment that bad lol. Lebron gets less special treatment from the refs than any other superstar in the league. They literally foul him every drive and hardly gets called due to his size and strength. What he done during this years playoffs was amazing especially considering the help he had and the 2 of their top 3 players being out. He carried this team this year in the playoffs.
Anyone with eyes that's an honest person and not just looking to dog somebody could see that LeBron was the best all around player in the Finals. Cleveland was running a mash unit out there barely going 7 deep. That might work in college, but that isn't going to get it done in the NBA Finals most years. But keep believing what y'all want to believe.
Love Lebron or hate him, I think we can all agree he owes his abilities to ancient aliens.
LeBron gets an A and any other grade from anyone else other than an A is a joke.
What also is a joke is when you compare Andre Iguodolas stats against LeBrons and then know Andre won MVP. I am all for you have to be a winner to get MVP, but this was unusual considering LeBrons effort and stats. Even if you don't give it to LeBron you give it to Steph Curry who brought them back and kept them ahead at crucial times in every game they won. Not to a guy who shot 30% from the free throw line.
What also is a joke is when you compare Andre Iguodolas stats against LeBrons and then know Andre won MVP. I am all for you have to be a winner to get MVP, but this was unusual considering LeBrons effort and stats. Even if you don't give it to LeBron you give it to Steph Curry who brought them back and kept them ahead at crucial times in every game they won. Not to a guy who shot 30% from the free throw line.
One thing that goes overlooked is Lebron's coaches. The players next to him is a fair statement but great players like Lebron make those guys better too. However Lebron can not overcome bad coaching and Blatt is bad.
At some point Lebron is going to have to realize he must hit the block. Sure he is solid shooting from outside but he is 6'9 270, hit the damn block and become more efficient scoring the ball. Allow your team to get some wings(which they had in Wiggins) to help and become a post player that can shoot.
At some point Lebron is going to have to realize he must hit the block. Sure he is solid shooting from outside but he is 6'9 270, hit the damn block and become more efficient scoring the ball. Allow your team to get some wings(which they had in Wiggins) to help and become a post player that can shoot.
He hit the block all series. He put Barnes, Thompson and Green in the rim on a regular basis. When they switched Iggy onto him it made those post touches harder and Lebron less efficient. That's when Lebron could have benefitted from having Kyrie or Kevin Love. A second or third option that can make a shot when called upon. The Cavs had no shot making from their role players this series.
He didn't say he didn't get fouled. He said after he got fouled he dove at a 90 degree angle to land on the photographers. He didn't plan on landing on a camera but he did plan to land in the photographers pit.
I read his post and he never said anything about what you said. He said he flopped which by looking at the replay several times there is no way to determine that. It was a hard foul and the momentum carried him out of bounds. Now picking one play whether he flopped or not and not picking out the many others that players do every game played is crazy.
Well he can't force his teammates to make a shot and can't force them to stop turning over the ball. Cavs only consistently played 7 players. When LeBron wasn't on the floor, five of them shot 0-21.
That Lakers roster was trash outside of Kobe and Shaq though.A.I. 2001 vs. lakers....game 1
