Cavs lose 2-4 in the 2015 NBA finals..Or was it LeBron James who lost 2-4?! Whatever your beef is with this man, please help me to truly understand it? For personal opinion reason, I've come to the conclusion that I like this man and I consider myself a LeBron supporter, but not a die hard fan.
Now before I go on my rant, I want to say congrats to the Warriors and all their fans (none of which are my friends so please stay away from claiming them now). It was their year and everything lined up perfectly for a 105-97 victory against the Cavs while being on the road. To make it to the NBA Finals and win a team must be healthy, playing great at the right time and also a bit of luck. In my opinion, the Warriors had everything going for them. The Warriors got a bit of help from the Clippers and then from Houston, their players stayed away from injury and they had productivity coming off the bench in times where Curry and Thompson had to sit out. You cant ask for a more fined blueprint when it comes to winning a title.
Now regarding the man we call LeBron James, a man who has been the focal point of meritocracy and even ridicule for "not living up to the legends who came before him". Point blank period, this wasn't his year! Watching the NBA finals, this man has literally put his team on his back and it clearly shows in his stats: 36 ppg, 13 rebounds and 9 assists while playing 46 mpg. A man whose team unfortunately lost it's main supporting cast (forward Kevin Love to a shoulder injury in Rd 1, guard Kyrie Irving to a bruised kneecap and center Anderson Varejao to an Achilles Tendon tear back in December). These were guys that were constantly called on to produce whether or not LeBron was on the court, and that they did. Listening to James' post conference after Tuesday's Finals loss, it seemed to me that he already knew how much the odds were stacked against him and the team, but he still pushed forward willingly. This man was one assist away from yet another triple double in the NBA Finals, (32 pts 18 rbs and 9 ast) but yet he's being ridiculed for "not doing enough".
Now yes, I admit that at points, James' poor shooting only added to the Cavs' issues. On the other hand, there were also times where the look of frustration on James' face was needed. Numerous times where he had to dribble down the shot clock as his teammates stared at him to make something happen, that's not a supporting cast! Now I must admit, Mozgov and Thompson stepped up at times and Dellavedova's 20 game 2 was needed, but I constantly found myself asking "where was JR Smith and Iman Sumpert?! A player like LeBron, not matter how big and strong he may be, can only do but so much. By game 4 & 5, it was obvious to see the exhaustion setting in on The King. And since everyone is mentioning stats, James definitely had the individual stats to prove that what he was doing was able to give the Cavs a 2-1 lead over the Warriors at one point. (Let's not forget)
Now the part that's going to cause some controversy...And I welcome it, but please read the stats before responding.
LeBron has a 2-4 NBS Finals record; a record that has as many losses as Jordan, Kobe and Bird combined. If you take a look at ESPN's Power index you can see how low most of James' "supporting cast" has been ranked in comparison to previous NBA teams' playoff runs. This year, the Warrior were ranked third in playoff rankings for best supporting cast, and it proved itself in the Finals. Given James' supporting cast and the fact that the all stars on his team were either injured or non-existent in the Finals, he was still able to lead his team to two victories against the Warriors, a feat within itself. Looking at stats and rankings, the 2015 Cavs shouldn't have won a game, let alone two against the Warriors. So give the man his props..Take it from me, a Carmelo and Kevin Durant fan (who both don't even have rings).
Now I open the floor to you all, you want to talk numbers, then let's go. Sports stats is my thing, so please entertain me.
