Storyline: We love comparisons in sports–in the NBA especially. When you compare LeBron to the all-time greats you’ll find that more is expected of him than from many of the others. Written by Ritij Kapoor, Arlington, VA
On the week when yet another NBA Championship will be decided we once again revisit a conversation about LeBron James’ legacy, the four-time NBA MVP and two-time NBA Champion.
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Win … and we talk about how many more championships he will win, how he compares to Jordan, and where he ranks among the all-time greats.
Lose … and we scrutinize his every possession, question him, and contemplate options regarding his impending free agency.
Let’s assume the latter, given the reality that the Cavs have to win two more times–once back in Oakland–to win the crown. With a Finals loss, LeBron will drop to 2-5 in NBA finals and he will have lost three straight. He will have an NBA Finals record of 14-24.
Should he receive blame? Yes. Is his window of opportunity closing? Absolutely. Will his legacy fade with yet another Finals loss? Maybe. In sports, and moreso in the NBA, we love to compare. Magic/Bird, Wilt/Russell, LeBron/MJ—the debates go on.
How easily we forget the 30/10/7 averages LeBron put up during the 2012 postseason. The infamous 45/15 game he had in Boston Garden. Or the often forgotten 40 point, 18 rebound, 9 assist performance he had in Indiana that prevented the Pacers from taking a commanding 3-1 lead (with an injured Chris Bosh watching).
The 2-5 record will follow and haunt James. The critics will question his clutch gene. The Cleveland fans will eagerly await until next June.
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But losses shouldn’t define him. Jerry West went 1-8 in NBA Finals and West is known as “Mr. Clutch.” No one will remember Kobe’s 6 for 24 performances in Game 7 of the 2010 Finals, the fact that Jordan’s Bulls won 55 games the season after he retired, or how Magic Johnson was drafted by a team with the game’s all-time scoring leader.
LeBron’s task is more difficult: win in a city that has not won in 52 years. Win with a team that could not win 55 games without him, let alone make a postseason appearance. Win with a team without defensive prowess. No one will bring up how Magic had Pat Reilly or Jordan had Phil Jackson. But the reality is that LeBron is breaking in a rookie head coach.
Four MVPs, two championships, and six straight NBA Finals are great enough, but the legacy is incomplete without the monumental task of bringing a title to Cleveland.
Anything short will render his greatness incomplete.
