The Warriors Have Cemented LeBron’s Legacy
With the Cleveland Cavaliers down 3-1 in the NBA Finals, the Golden State Warriors are on the brink of their second title in three years. If their form holds, the Warriors may be considered one of the greatest teams of all time. But, strangely, their success and very existence is the part of one LeBron James.
On June 19th, 2016, the Cleveland Cavaliers won the NBA championship. It was the first championship in franchise history, and it was the third in the career of LeBron James. The Cavaliers clawed back from a 3-1 deficit in order to win the title and did so in enemy territory.
A number of factors played into the Cavs’ winning the NBA championship last season. Nearly all of them involve LeBron James.
James averaged 29.7 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 8.9 assists, winning Finals MVP. He scored 41 points in Game 5, the first game of the comeback effort. Perhaps most importantly, he blocked Andre Iguodala’s layup late in the 4th quarter of Game 7 to preserve a tie. This gave Kyrie Irving the opportunity to make the game-winning shot.
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LeBron’s efforts last season were arguably the most heroic of his entire career. He led a team most considered outmatched and overwhelmed to an improbable victory. But unfortunately, those efforts may also be his downfall.
The KD effect
Kevin Durant’s decision to come to Golden State has tipped the scales in the Cavaliers-Warriors rivalry, and also the balance of power in the league. The Warriors are currently 15-1 in this year’s postseason, the best start of all time.
Durant is currently averaging 34 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists per game in these Finals, and will likely win MVP should Golden State win the series. His presence has turned what was once an intense rivalry into complete and utter domination.
In a strange twist of fate, LeBron James is the catalyst for this taking place.
After Draymond Green struck James in the groin in Game 4 of the Finals last year, he was suspended for Game 5. The Warriors were never able to recover from losing one of their best players and lost the next three games.
On June 19th, the same night the Cavaliers clinched the championship in Oakland, Draymond Green made an attempt to atone for his mistake. As the Cavs celebrated on the Oracle Arena floor and in the locker room, something equally as important was happening outside the arena.
According to ESPN’s Zach Lowe, Green called Kevin Durant in order to recruit him to the Warriors on that very night.
Here’s what Draymond had to say about it:
"Green hung up, stayed in the parking lot, and made another call — to Durant. “That was my very next call,” Green said. Two weeks later, Durant signed a maximum contract that put him in a Golden State uniform for at least one season, with several more seasons likely to come.“If we win the championship, I’m like 99 percent sure we don’t get him,” Green said. “There are silver linings to everything.”"
In my opinion, despite the Cavaliers trailing in this series, that fact cements LeBron’s legacy. James was so dominant in the Finals that a 73-win team needed to recruit one of the league’s best players in order to have a chance to beat him. The first ever unanimous MVP, Stephen Curry, was not enough. Draymond Green and Klay Thompson, All-Stars and potential Hall of Fame talents, were not enough.
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One man made the greatest team of all time feel the need to make that kind of drastic improvement.