NBA Finals
Photo courtesy of Keith Allison's Flickr page - Stephen Curry: https://www.flickr.com/photos/keithallison/5493668904
Creative Commons License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/
Photo courtesy of Keith Allison's Flickr Page - LeBron James: https://www.flickr.com/photos/keithallison/15662939969
Creative Commons License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/
It's official now.
For the fourth year in a row, the Golden State Warriors will meet the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals.
It seemed like a very remarkable feat the first time that I saw a North American professional sports franchise qualify for the championship round four years in a row. That was the New York Yankees, from 1998 until 2001. They won the first three, then lost the last World Series, to the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Then, a few years back, LeBron James left Cleveland (remember that?) and became the villain of the NBA when he took his talents to South Beach (actually, the Heat do not play at South Beach, but whatever). Miami already had superstar talent, of course, and Dwayne Wade had already led the Miami Heat to an NBA championship. Still, the Heat were obviously a strong team, qualifying for the NBA Finals four straight seasons. They were upset in the first Finals against Dallas, then won the next two, before losing a hard fought series to the San Antonio Spurs.
Now, to his credit, LeBron has brought a second franchise to four straight NBA Finals, and this makes it eight straight NBA Finals appearances for him. A lot of people now are making the argument that he is better than Michael Jordan, and I will have something to say about that a little later.
First, however, we must talk about the Golden State Warriors, because the Cavaliers are not the only team to have made it to the NBA Finals in the last four straight years. The Warriors went 67-15 in 2014-15, then had that amazing 73-9 season in 2015-16, although they actually fell short of the NBA title that year. But then last season, another 67-15 season, and they closed out Cleveland in five games, in a convincing championship win.
Here we are with chapter four of this NBA Finals rivalry. An instant classic, it seems, eh?
The thing is, you could kind of see this coming. It was fascinating to see the Golden State Warriors rise to prominence in 2015, and take the title against Cleveland in the Finals. Then, the Cavs got their revenge the next year against that record shattering Warriors team, denying them a shot at immortality, at history, as the winningest championship team in NBA history. It seemed that everyone was expecting a rematch last season, and that was exactly what we got. But with Golden State having added Kevin Durant, most people kind of expected the Warriors to win it all, which they did rather convincingly. It never felt like the Cavaliers were really in that series.
Somehow, it felt like a fourth meeting was not by chance. No, once again, this was what many people, myself included, expected. Truth be told, I was a bit surprised that the Boston Celtics and the Houston Rockets were actually able to push these two championship teams as far as they did.
The Warriors have just so many weapons at their disposal, that they have to be considered the deepest, most talented team in the NBA. When healthy, they simply seem impossible to beat. They looked a bit vulnerable when star Stephen Curry was out with an injury. But right now, with Curry back, and with Kevin Durant healthy and hitting those dagger in the heart shots like he did last night, and with Klay Thompson adding still more explosiveness and depth, and Draymond Green lending the team a physical presence, it just makes it very difficult to see how they can be beaten. I would hate to have to rely on any team, even the Cavs, actually finding a way to beat this team four times in seven game series. Sure, the Houston Rockets came close, and for a while there, after they took a 3-2 series lead, it looked like they were indeed going to do it. But you knew the Warriors were not done, and sure enough, they got the job done when they needed to. They blew Houston out in Game 6, and then dominated when they needed to in Game 7 to take yet another Western Conference title.
Now, back to the debate that always seems to pop up, about whether or not "King" LeBron James has earned the right to claim that he has surpassed Michael Jordan as the greatest player in NBA history?
Well, no, I do not agree. It took years for Jordan to get a team around him to contend for a championship. Unlike LeBron, he did not go away from Chicago when it seemed like they never could find a way to do it, to get past Detroit, which is what LeBron did (as well as Shaq, by the way). Jordan stayed with the Bulls, until they got good. Very good. When the Bulls finally did get past the Pistons to earn their first ever NBA Finals appearance, they were ready. Once Jordan was at his peak, the Bulls also were at their peak. And Jordan sparked that team to overcome all odds and all challenges. They got past Detroit, then after dropping the opening game against the Lakers, they swept the rest of the series to take their first title, largely off of Jordan's dominance. The Bulls dominated the next season, going 68-14, and battled their way through a tough seven game series against the very physical Knicks, and ultimately went back to the NBA Finals, once again dominating, this time against the Portland Trailblazers. They did it again the following season, overcoming an 0-2 series deficit to the Knicks to win the Eastern Conference, and then beating down Charles Barkley and the Phoenix Suns in the NBA Finals.
We all know that Jordan retired for a couple of years there, and when he returned in the spring of 1995, he was not yet at his best. This accounted for Chicago's being bounced out of the playoffs by the red hot and rising Orlando Magic. But clearly, the Bulls were ready by the 1995-96 season, as they went on to win a then record 72 games, a threshold that nobody at the time knew would be possible. Some teams had come close, but none had done it until those Bulls, which meant that they broke new ground. They dominated the Eastern Conference, and then beat the loaded 64-18 Seattle Supersonics in the NBA Finals. Chicago just missed another 70 win season in 1996-97, but they again dominated the Eastern Conference playoffs, and then had a tough series against the also loaded 64-18 Utah Jazz in the NBA Finals, but ultimately won that. The Bulls were not as dominant in 1997-98, and this time, they had to overcome a very tough, seven game series challenge against the Indiana Pacers, but they survived. Once again, they faced the Utah Jazz, and once again, they survived a tough challenge to win the Finals in six.
Jordan and the Bulls won six title in a span of eight years. During that time, the Bulls had regular seasons when they went 68-14, 72-10, and 69-13. Only two teams were able to challenge the Bulls strongly enough to push them to seven game series, and yet the Bulls ultimately won both of those series nevertheless. Chicago was tested by some great teams, teams that were capable of winning the NBA crown themselves, had it not been for the Bulls. The Pistons had won the two previous championships, and still were loaded, when the Bulls finally got the better of them. The Lakers had done it recently when they met the Bulls in 1991, yet they presented little challenge to the Bulls in that series. The Trailblazers came very close to winning it all a couple of times, and were a great team in their own right, but they, too, fell short. Both the New York Knicks and the Phoenix Suns were arguably capable of winning the title in 1993, but the Bulls denied them both in six. Then in 1996, no one could compete with the Bulls dominance, although in a more normal season, a team of the caliber that the Seattle Supersonics had that season would likely have won that NBA championship. The Utah Jazz had a damn solid team, both in 1997 and 1998, and were almost capable of wining the title even while facing the Bulls. Like with Seattle, in a more normal year (which is to say, one when Jordan and the Bulls were not so dominant), the Jazz would have surely won the title. But the Bulls denied them. And Chicago also denied the 1998 Indiana Pacers, who were extremely good and disciplined, and almost toppled the Bulls in that seven game series. They might have gone on to win the NBA title, but again, the Bulls denied them. Those teams included incredible talents like Magic Johnson, Clyde Drexler, Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, Shawn Kemp, Gary Payton, Karl Malone, John Stockton, and Reggie Miller - all incredible players in their own right. Among them, only one, Magic Johnson, managed to win any NBA titles, but he did that before Jordan and the Bulls were at their peak. Those guys were among the best players that the NBA has ever seen, yet they were all denied by Michael Jordan and the Bulls, every single time.
At his best, LeBron James never enjoyed anywhere near the level of dominance that Jordan and his Bulls reached. The very best season for him was when the Heat went 66-16 in 2012-13, and won the NBA title. Obviously, that is great, but the Bulls enjoyed three seasons where they were better. The championship season that he enjoyed in Cleveland, the Cavs finished the regular season at 57-25, and I do not believe that the Cavs had to face the level of talent that the Bulls did in the Eastern Conference in the nineties, with teams like the Pistons, the Knicks, the Pacers, and the Magic. Most importantly, snce LeBron broke through and qualified for his first NBA Finals, which is a mark when I think it can be argued that he was truly an elite and serious title contender, several teams have won multiple NBA titles, often at LeBron's expense. The San Antonio Spurs beat him in the NBA Finals - twice. Golden State beat him in the NBA Finals - twice. The Lakers never beat him in the NBA Finals, yet they also won the title - twice. During Jordan and the Bulls run in the nineties, only one team won NBA Championships other than the Bulls, and most people feel that you have to add an asterisk, because those were the two years when Jordan was retired, and when he came back late in 1995, he clearly was not at his best yet. When he was, the number of teams that managed to break through is even more daunting: zero. Nobody. No teams managed to beat Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls once they reached their peak. Maybe that would have changed had Jordan and the Bulls stayed together for the 1998-99 season. Maybe. But by that point, they had earned six championship rings, and were regarded by many as the greatest team ever.
LeBron won three titles with two different teams. He specifically joined Miami so that he could win some rings, and they were indeed impressive. Yet, while they were in the NBA Finals for four straight seasons, they won two championships, while being favored in all four Finals series. when he had the most talented team in the league, LeBron still managed to win two rings in four seasons at Miami. LeBron won three rings overall in his career, yet few people would argue that any of those teams rank among the very best in NBA history. Most people feel that the Bulls at the peak of their nineties dynasty, specifically, would have beaten them, and it is hard to even argue that.
Chicago dominated at a time when they had to go through some great teams just in the Eastern conference. From Detroit in the early nineties to the New York Knicks, Indiana, and Orlando, they had some seriously tough and talented teams to get through. By contrast, LeBron had a weak and watered down cluster of teams to deal with to qualify for the NBA Finals each year that he made it there.
That is why I cannot buy into any arguments that LeBron is better than Jordan. Because better means more dominant, but there is absolutely no doubt in my mind who dominated his era more. Quite literally, I do not know anyone who was old enough to remember those Bulls of the nineties, who thinks that LeBron is better or more dominant, and there is a reason for that. In the nineties, there was Jordan, and then a couple of notches down, came everyone else. With LeBron, you saw some other players seeming to dominate the league at different times, from Kobe Bryant out in Los Angeles, to Tim Duncan out in San Antonio, and finally to Stephen Curry and now Kevin Durant out in Golden State. Had Jordan been around, or someone of Jordan's caliber, and his obvious hunger and will to win, I think those guys would have been silenced, one way or the other. LeBron was unable to silence them.
In fact, I suspect that LeBron James will fall short in this NBA Finals series, as well. All of that talent out in Golden State? Too much. My suspicion is that the Golden State Warriors will win the NBA crown, and establish themselves as the dominant dynasty of the present NBA era. And if that happens, then on LeBron's watch, Golden State will have become a dynasty specifically against LeBron at his peak.
Yet, even if they do not, even if Cleveland somehow manages to win, the arguments as to who is the best are likely just about over, and not in LeBron's favor. After all, Jordan played in an era that was much tougher defensively. You can make the argument that LeBron would not have been able to do as much as he did offensively during such an era. Conversely, just imagine how much Jordan would have been able to average in terms of points, playing in an era that is as friendly to offenses as the NBA has become since.
So, I am not saying that LeBron is not one of the most dominant players in NBA history. But I would argue that he is not the most dominant, and not even close to the most dominant. That is reserved for Jordan. Eight straight NBA Finals or not, LeBron did not, could not, impose his will as convincingly as Jordan did at his peak. Jordan dominated on both offense and defense. His defensive game was not as well known or remembered, but it was also a huge asset for those Bulls. And as solid as LeBron might be, I am picking Golden State to win the NBA title again, and I believe that the Warriors are officially favored, as well.
That, too, should tell you something.
The Warriors have just so many weapons at their disposal, that they have to be considered the deepest, most talented team in the NBA. When healthy, they simply seem impossible to beat. They looked a bit vulnerable when star Stephen Curry was out with an injury. But right now, with Curry back, and with Kevin Durant healthy and hitting those dagger in the heart shots like he did last night, and with Klay Thompson adding still more explosiveness and depth, and Draymond Green lending the team a physical presence, it just makes it very difficult to see how they can be beaten. I would hate to have to rely on any team, even the Cavs, actually finding a way to beat this team four times in seven game series. Sure, the Houston Rockets came close, and for a while there, after they took a 3-2 series lead, it looked like they were indeed going to do it. But you knew the Warriors were not done, and sure enough, they got the job done when they needed to. They blew Houston out in Game 6, and then dominated when they needed to in Game 7 to take yet another Western Conference title.
Now, back to the debate that always seems to pop up, about whether or not "King" LeBron James has earned the right to claim that he has surpassed Michael Jordan as the greatest player in NBA history?
Well, no, I do not agree. It took years for Jordan to get a team around him to contend for a championship. Unlike LeBron, he did not go away from Chicago when it seemed like they never could find a way to do it, to get past Detroit, which is what LeBron did (as well as Shaq, by the way). Jordan stayed with the Bulls, until they got good. Very good. When the Bulls finally did get past the Pistons to earn their first ever NBA Finals appearance, they were ready. Once Jordan was at his peak, the Bulls also were at their peak. And Jordan sparked that team to overcome all odds and all challenges. They got past Detroit, then after dropping the opening game against the Lakers, they swept the rest of the series to take their first title, largely off of Jordan's dominance. The Bulls dominated the next season, going 68-14, and battled their way through a tough seven game series against the very physical Knicks, and ultimately went back to the NBA Finals, once again dominating, this time against the Portland Trailblazers. They did it again the following season, overcoming an 0-2 series deficit to the Knicks to win the Eastern Conference, and then beating down Charles Barkley and the Phoenix Suns in the NBA Finals.
We all know that Jordan retired for a couple of years there, and when he returned in the spring of 1995, he was not yet at his best. This accounted for Chicago's being bounced out of the playoffs by the red hot and rising Orlando Magic. But clearly, the Bulls were ready by the 1995-96 season, as they went on to win a then record 72 games, a threshold that nobody at the time knew would be possible. Some teams had come close, but none had done it until those Bulls, which meant that they broke new ground. They dominated the Eastern Conference, and then beat the loaded 64-18 Seattle Supersonics in the NBA Finals. Chicago just missed another 70 win season in 1996-97, but they again dominated the Eastern Conference playoffs, and then had a tough series against the also loaded 64-18 Utah Jazz in the NBA Finals, but ultimately won that. The Bulls were not as dominant in 1997-98, and this time, they had to overcome a very tough, seven game series challenge against the Indiana Pacers, but they survived. Once again, they faced the Utah Jazz, and once again, they survived a tough challenge to win the Finals in six.
Jordan and the Bulls won six title in a span of eight years. During that time, the Bulls had regular seasons when they went 68-14, 72-10, and 69-13. Only two teams were able to challenge the Bulls strongly enough to push them to seven game series, and yet the Bulls ultimately won both of those series nevertheless. Chicago was tested by some great teams, teams that were capable of winning the NBA crown themselves, had it not been for the Bulls. The Pistons had won the two previous championships, and still were loaded, when the Bulls finally got the better of them. The Lakers had done it recently when they met the Bulls in 1991, yet they presented little challenge to the Bulls in that series. The Trailblazers came very close to winning it all a couple of times, and were a great team in their own right, but they, too, fell short. Both the New York Knicks and the Phoenix Suns were arguably capable of winning the title in 1993, but the Bulls denied them both in six. Then in 1996, no one could compete with the Bulls dominance, although in a more normal season, a team of the caliber that the Seattle Supersonics had that season would likely have won that NBA championship. The Utah Jazz had a damn solid team, both in 1997 and 1998, and were almost capable of wining the title even while facing the Bulls. Like with Seattle, in a more normal year (which is to say, one when Jordan and the Bulls were not so dominant), the Jazz would have surely won the title. But the Bulls denied them. And Chicago also denied the 1998 Indiana Pacers, who were extremely good and disciplined, and almost toppled the Bulls in that seven game series. They might have gone on to win the NBA title, but again, the Bulls denied them. Those teams included incredible talents like Magic Johnson, Clyde Drexler, Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, Shawn Kemp, Gary Payton, Karl Malone, John Stockton, and Reggie Miller - all incredible players in their own right. Among them, only one, Magic Johnson, managed to win any NBA titles, but he did that before Jordan and the Bulls were at their peak. Those guys were among the best players that the NBA has ever seen, yet they were all denied by Michael Jordan and the Bulls, every single time.
At his best, LeBron James never enjoyed anywhere near the level of dominance that Jordan and his Bulls reached. The very best season for him was when the Heat went 66-16 in 2012-13, and won the NBA title. Obviously, that is great, but the Bulls enjoyed three seasons where they were better. The championship season that he enjoyed in Cleveland, the Cavs finished the regular season at 57-25, and I do not believe that the Cavs had to face the level of talent that the Bulls did in the Eastern Conference in the nineties, with teams like the Pistons, the Knicks, the Pacers, and the Magic. Most importantly, snce LeBron broke through and qualified for his first NBA Finals, which is a mark when I think it can be argued that he was truly an elite and serious title contender, several teams have won multiple NBA titles, often at LeBron's expense. The San Antonio Spurs beat him in the NBA Finals - twice. Golden State beat him in the NBA Finals - twice. The Lakers never beat him in the NBA Finals, yet they also won the title - twice. During Jordan and the Bulls run in the nineties, only one team won NBA Championships other than the Bulls, and most people feel that you have to add an asterisk, because those were the two years when Jordan was retired, and when he came back late in 1995, he clearly was not at his best yet. When he was, the number of teams that managed to break through is even more daunting: zero. Nobody. No teams managed to beat Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls once they reached their peak. Maybe that would have changed had Jordan and the Bulls stayed together for the 1998-99 season. Maybe. But by that point, they had earned six championship rings, and were regarded by many as the greatest team ever.
LeBron won three titles with two different teams. He specifically joined Miami so that he could win some rings, and they were indeed impressive. Yet, while they were in the NBA Finals for four straight seasons, they won two championships, while being favored in all four Finals series. when he had the most talented team in the league, LeBron still managed to win two rings in four seasons at Miami. LeBron won three rings overall in his career, yet few people would argue that any of those teams rank among the very best in NBA history. Most people feel that the Bulls at the peak of their nineties dynasty, specifically, would have beaten them, and it is hard to even argue that.
Chicago dominated at a time when they had to go through some great teams just in the Eastern conference. From Detroit in the early nineties to the New York Knicks, Indiana, and Orlando, they had some seriously tough and talented teams to get through. By contrast, LeBron had a weak and watered down cluster of teams to deal with to qualify for the NBA Finals each year that he made it there.
That is why I cannot buy into any arguments that LeBron is better than Jordan. Because better means more dominant, but there is absolutely no doubt in my mind who dominated his era more. Quite literally, I do not know anyone who was old enough to remember those Bulls of the nineties, who thinks that LeBron is better or more dominant, and there is a reason for that. In the nineties, there was Jordan, and then a couple of notches down, came everyone else. With LeBron, you saw some other players seeming to dominate the league at different times, from Kobe Bryant out in Los Angeles, to Tim Duncan out in San Antonio, and finally to Stephen Curry and now Kevin Durant out in Golden State. Had Jordan been around, or someone of Jordan's caliber, and his obvious hunger and will to win, I think those guys would have been silenced, one way or the other. LeBron was unable to silence them.
In fact, I suspect that LeBron James will fall short in this NBA Finals series, as well. All of that talent out in Golden State? Too much. My suspicion is that the Golden State Warriors will win the NBA crown, and establish themselves as the dominant dynasty of the present NBA era. And if that happens, then on LeBron's watch, Golden State will have become a dynasty specifically against LeBron at his peak.
Yet, even if they do not, even if Cleveland somehow manages to win, the arguments as to who is the best are likely just about over, and not in LeBron's favor. After all, Jordan played in an era that was much tougher defensively. You can make the argument that LeBron would not have been able to do as much as he did offensively during such an era. Conversely, just imagine how much Jordan would have been able to average in terms of points, playing in an era that is as friendly to offenses as the NBA has become since.
So, I am not saying that LeBron is not one of the most dominant players in NBA history. But I would argue that he is not the most dominant, and not even close to the most dominant. That is reserved for Jordan. Eight straight NBA Finals or not, LeBron did not, could not, impose his will as convincingly as Jordan did at his peak. Jordan dominated on both offense and defense. His defensive game was not as well known or remembered, but it was also a huge asset for those Bulls. And as solid as LeBron might be, I am picking Golden State to win the NBA title again, and I believe that the Warriors are officially favored, as well.
That, too, should tell you something.
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