Lebron James — The Test Of His Unrivaled Legacy Begins Here
Lebron James may very well be the final successor to the Post Jordan Era, a namesake, which may not be matched for quite some time, but the latest test to his legacy may prove to be the most trying one.
Statistically teams with a game one victory in the NBA Finals have won the series 7/10 times. With Game One already played and lost, the Cleveland Cavaliers begin the 2018 NBA finals on the back foot. Without home court advantage and Game two on the horizon, Lebron and his merry men are 1 1/2 games behind, the test is not of his leadership, he has proven to be that leader, pulling down the stops when his team has needed him the most, winning 3-championships, from his 8 tries.
Now in his 9th NBA Finals appearance, Lebron may very well be the Greatest Player to, “Dawn a pair of basketball shoes,” a catchphrase made famous by Michael Jordan and his PR team, it only speaks of the height of his achievements thus far. Only the sixth player to have ever achieved a milestone of this caliber, 8 NBA Finals Appearances in a row is simply no mean feat, but the latest question in his ever appreciating brand is can and will he be able to do it on his own?
With super teams like the Miami Heat, featuring players such as Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh and Ray Allen, it is no wonder he managed to lead them to victory on two occasions, ousting the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs in 2012 and 2013, respectively. It wasn’t until 2016 did he get another taste of NBA Glory, defeating the the 73–9 Golden State Warriors in 7 games after going 3–1 down in the first four games. Testament to his greatness, beating a team with the winning-est regular season win-loss percentage in NBA history, proved just another test for Lebron James and his return to the Red & Gold of the Cleveland faithful.
So why is this the biggest test yet? Well, coming of a lackluster season, finishing a disappointing fourth in the conference, Lebron and the Cavaliers began an uphill climb into and through the 2018 NBA Playoffs, dropping just 5 games on their way to the NBA Finals. Its gut check time.
With perimeter shooters being the answer against a young and hungry Boston Celtics in the Conference Finals Kevin Love and Kyle Korver proved to be the turning point in the deciding Game 7, which the Cavs won easily.
So here it is… Lebron will never be as great as Mike. How could he? Upstart ball player coming out of highschool and one failed attempt at an NBA championship after another, where Michael manages to finish a perfect six for six, James needs seasoned, experienced all-stars before he reaches the end of the road less traveled, an NBA Championship.
The truth is, yes, though very impressive in Highschool and on the stat sheet playing professional ball, Lebron does need that push, he does need that mentorship, which he would only have found being the strong charismatic personality that he is. He may not have always been right when making decisions with the Miami Heat, but he did manage two rings, and against worthy opponents I might add.
What he does from here doesn’t matter. The result of the 2018 NBA Finals does not matter, he has proved his worth as a leader and a human being. What is important is that he leads a Kevin Love-less Cleveland Basketball Team to a respectable end. Hell, I’ll put my money on it… 6 games or bust!
