Cleveland Cavaliers: LeBron James Cannot Afford Another NBA Finals Loss
The Cleveland Cavaliers are headed to their fourth straight NBA Finals with LeBron James leading the way. While that’s incredible in itself, it’s also worth noting that LeBron is heading to his eight straight Finals appearance. This is a feat that Michael Jodan, Kobe Bryant, nor Tim Duncan has been able to do. With those milestones, many have begun to call LeBron James the GOAT. But can he really be the greatest if he continues to fail his team?
The argument for LeBron being the GOAT titles is not the only thing to consider. But how is that the case when Jordan is mentioned, the first thing to come out of people’s mouths is that he went 6-0 in the Finals. So why does LeBron get a pass? That’s easy. When your Finals record is 3-5, they have to ignore that and focus elsewhere. I can understand that but what I don’t get is if a player is considered the GOAT, shouldn’t winning be one of, if not the MAIN ingredient?
If LeBron is the leader everyone is making him out to be then why would anyone be willing to follow a player who has lost 5 of 8 in the Finals? You really think Jordan or Kobe would have stood for this? It’s not all on his shoulders, but then again, it is. When you enter the league with the self-proclaimed title of ‘The Chosen One’ or ‘King James’, you already have that bullseye on your back. So far, LeBron has been an outstanding player throughout his career. However, the Finals have been his kryptonite. A 3-5 record. That’s nothing to be proud of no matter how many times you make it.
So what happens if the Cleveland Cavaliers should fall to the Golden State Warriors for the third time in four years? That will give Stephen Curry that same amount of championships LeBron has. Should we start calling Curry the GOAT then? I mean, if you run into the same team for four straight years and only have one title to show for it, that means that team is better than yours and their leader did a better job of leading them to victory. What player did a better job of leading a team over the Chicago Bulls when Jordan was leading the charge? What players wanted it more than Kobe or Duncan during their reign? So why did LeBron let Dirk Nowitzki beat him? Duncan beat him twice and Curry two times already. What does that really say about his leadership?
But then you will get the LeBron followers who will say “well, look at his team, they aren’t as loaded as the others”. Hmmm. That Dallas Mavericks team wasn’t loaded. Hell, that Miami Heat team LeBron was on had three All-Stars and they still lost, the same with his Cavs teams. But yet, LeBron’s GOAT status gets a pass. So what if the Warriors are loaded. That is a team built from the ground up (before Kevin Durant).
LeBron James Is Not Ready To Be Crowned GOAT
The super team era came to light when LeBron and Chris Bosh joined Dwyane Wade in Miami. Now, he’s getting a taste of his own medicine. The only difference is, that the Warriors and their super team have handled their business while LeBron has continued to lose. If the Cleveland Cavaliers can somehow pull off the upset and win with this bunch here, then we have to carve out a spot for him with the elite. But if he wins and then happens to repeat with the same bunch then and only then can we really say he deserves the title of GOAT.
If LeBron James limps away from this Finals with a 3-6 record, all GOAT talk must stop. It’s just embarrassing to the game and the great players who have come and won before him. There’s no denying his talent level. Before it’s all said and done, LeBron James will be the leading scoring in NBA history. But players play this game for legacy and championships. Another NBA Finals loss and his is trash forever.
Mark has been covering Sports and Entertainment for the past six years. His work has been featured on Bleacher Report, ESPN, Fox Sports, Teen Vogue, and many other websites.
