NBA Finals: Comparing These Cavs to the ’07 Version

May 26, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) reacts on the bench during the fourth quarter against the Atlanta Hawks in game four of the Eastern Conference Finals of the NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

LeBron James

LeBron versus LeBron, 8 years a part. The Cavs superstar is a far different player than he was in ’07. He is still an athletic freak, just not as much. He is still a great defender, just not as often. Besides that he is much wiser, better shooter and more in control of the game than he was in his 1st go around in the NBA Finals. In ’07 he couldn’t figure out how to beat the Spurs defense and struggled, understandably so, trusting his teammates. Not so in 2015.

Advantage: ’15 LBJ. He can break down the defense and find open shooters, he understands angles better and is a far better shooter than he was, though this post season hasn’t shown it. He also added a post game which was not around in ’07.

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