For LeBron James, this playoff run can add legitimacy to his legacy

For some, LeBron James’ streak of Finals appearances is an amazing accomplishment. For others, it represents a weak Eastern Conference. These playoffs will settle that debate.

Losing is tough. Not just for the person taking the loss, but for the people trying to make sense of what the loss means. We tend to make sweeping declarations based on an outcome, rather than what took place on the path to the outcome. That’s been an issue regarding LeBron James legacy for years.

John Paxson makes a three, now Charles Barkley isn’t a winner. David Tyree catches a football with his helmet, now the Patriots aren’t the greatest football team of all time.

It’s the nature of the business. Especially when the highest-paid personalities covering sports are the ones with a penchant for hyperbole.

No player is a victim of this more than James. When you zoom out a little bit, you notice an incredible level of success.

James has won three of the last six NBA championships. That’s right, dating back to 2012, James has hoisted the trophy half of the time!

This is an incredible accomplishment, especially when you consider he was playing in the same league as Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, Steph Curry, James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Anthony Davis, Chris Paul, Tim Duncan and Kobe Bryant.

We don’t hold other players to this standard.

Kobe was first-team All-NBA in 2011 and 2012 — at the peak of his powers — and lost in the second round twice. In fact, he only managed to win one game combined in those two series. Do we ever hold that against Kobe? No.

But with James, what do we incessantly hear?

Finals record.

At 3-5 in his career, he has frequently lost in the Finals. As a result, his seven consecutive conference championships are inexplicably viewed as a weakness.

Now, I view this as James’ most amazing accomplishment. But to some, it is viewed as a stroke of good fortune. The Eastern Conference is not as daunting as the West.

For the record, there is some truth to that point. James has been the favorite in every single Eastern Conference playoff series since coming to Miami. Yet, he has been the underdog in six of his eight Finals appearances.

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More simply put, he’s won the East seven times in a row. But he was supposed to win the East each of those years. Then he would face a Western Conference team that was perceived as a superior team by the folks in Vegas.

Credit should still be given to James for handling that business even as a favorite. But his status as a favorite has left room for detractors to gain footing in the weakness of the conference.

This year finally represents an opportunity for Lebron to add a sense of legitimacy to his seven-year conquest.

The departure of Kyrie Irving has left James with a less-than-impressive supporting cast.

The rise of Ben Simmons, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Demar DeRozan and Victor Oladipo has left Cleveland with an unprecedented gauntlet standing in the way of their quest for the Finals.

With exception of their matchup with Indiana — where they’ll be a clear favorite — the odds for Cleveland will essentially be a coin flip in each successive series.

As it currently stands, it appears the Cavaliers will face Toronto in the second round (a 59-win one seed), and Philadelphia — a team with two of the top-15 players in basketball — in the conference finals.

If James — with journeyman Jeff Green as the Cavs’ third-best player — passes those tests and makes it to an eighth consecutive NBA Finals, it will prove that his lengthy dominance was a product of his greatness rather than a product of his competition.

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Essentially, James has yet another chance to silence his doubters. There is no blaming the “weak East” this time.