The NBA Finals have come and gone. We've all had a moment to let it sink in. What is there to say? That Golden State Warriors squad is something special. Twice now in the last three years we've witnessed GS take down the Cavs and what many people consider to be the GOAT of the NBA.
The GOAT, huh? 3-5 in the finals. Now that's a statement. Making 7 straight finals appearances is amazing, but losing 4 of those seven is also amazing. But he played against 4 hall of famers!! ... 4 hall of famers??? Let's just slow down with that shit.
I'll give you KD and Steph, but Draymond? Dude has played in two all-star games, been on the all-defensive team twice, and never been on a 1st-team all NBA. That's a hall of famer? Not in my eyes. And Klay? A three-time all-star and two-time 3rd team all NBA member. Yeah, that's a Hall of Famer. Right. Lebron's sidekicks, Kryie and Love have similar credentials. So if GS has 4 HOFs, then the Cavs have 3. No excuses.
But wait. Lebron has played against so many Hall of Famers in the finals. MJ only played against a few! Okay, Lebron has squared off with KD twice, Steph three times, Duncan three times, and Dirk once. MJ went head-to-head with Magic, Drexler, Barkley, Payton, Malone twice, and Stockton twice. But let's also look at the playoff opponents.
Lebron has taken down people like Gilbert Arenas, Caron Butler, Chauncy Billups, Rasheed Wallace, Andre Igoudala, Elton Brand, Rajon Rondo, Luol Deng, Derrick Rose, Carmelo, Monta Ellis, Ben Gordon, Joe Johnson, Paul George, Paul Milsap, Al Horford, Kyle Lowry, Paul Pierce, and Isaiah Thomas. Not a bad list at all. But Jordan took down the best of his era. Including: Ewing, John Starks, Isiah Thomas, Mark Price, Dominique Wilkins, Tim Hardaway, Alonzo Mourning, Penny Hardaway, Shaq, Ben Wallace, Mutombo, Sam Cassell, and Reggie Miller, to name a few.
Oh, but Jordan lost in the first round! Lebron never did that. Yeah, well, MJ never lost in the finals; and he damn sure never got swept. But what about the stats? Post-season records: Most points in a game: Jordan. Most made field goals in a game: Jordan. Most consecutive field goals in a row: Jordan. Most points/field goals made in a 5-game series: Jordan. Field goals made in a 6-game series: Jordan. Highest points per game average in post-season career: Jordan. Most 50 point post-season games: Jordan. 40 point games: Jordan. 30 point games: Jordan. Only player to score 15 + in every post-season game: Jordan. Consecutive 50 point games: Jordan. Most consecutive 10 point and 20 point games: Jordan. And the list goes on and on... Now for James: Most turnovers in post-season history, and most career points in the post-season (he's about 200 points ahead of Jordan with about 40 more games played). Lebron did just pass MJ for 3rd on the all-time finals scoring record; though he has also played in 45 games, while Jordan only played in 35. Let's not forget that MJ never went to a game 7 in the finals, Lebron has twice.
What about the teammates? But Jordan had Pippen! And Rodman! True. And James had Wade. And Bosh. And Kryie. And Love. You can easily argue that Lebron played with more hall-of-famers than Jordan did (let's not forget LJ's time playing with Shaq -- though they didn't make the finals). Pippen never led a team to the finals, neither did Rodman. Wade has. Wade is likely the most talented teammate that Jordan or James ever had.
Some people say it's about more than just the rings. And I agree. But the ultimate benchmark of greatness is determined by the post-season. Let's compare Tom Brady. The majority of football fans say Brady is the GOAT at quarterback in the NFL. But Brady has arguably only been the best quarterback in the league twice his whole career. Statistically, he's played second-fiddle to guys like Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Ben Roethlisburger, and Aaron Rodgers throughout his career. Brady has played since 2000 and has won two MVP awards. Since then, 7 other QB's have won the MVP, including Rodgers winning 2 and Manning winning 5. So why is he considered the GOAT? 5 rings. Rings matter. Winning matters. Championships conquer all.
You may wonder why I haven't mentioned Kobe. Well, the majority of GOAT talk include MJ and LJ. Although, if you ask me, James is third on the all-time list behind the two names I just mentioned.
The title of GOAT is subjective. It's an opinion. Everyone has one. But those that think Lebron is the GOAT need to wake up and join team Jordan.
Call me wrong. Call me crazy. I just call it how I see it. #NailedIt
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