LeBron James is ready for the NBA Finals, win or lose

Finally, the NBA Finals are here and most fans already feel they know what the result will be.

June 19th, 2016. On this day the Cleveland Cavaliers proved the NBA world wrong and won the 2016 NBA Finals after being down 3-1 against the Golden State Warriors.

Being doubted by millions of fans may have fueled the Cavaliers to push themselves passed the Warriors that series.

On Thursday, the 2018 NBA Finals began, which also happens to be the fourth consecutive time these two teams will meet.

Once again, many are doubting LeBron James and the Cavaliers. Although there is a very fair argument as to why they are doubted to win this series against the Warriors, LeBron is ready and hopefully, the rest of his team is as well.

After losing the 2017 NBA Finals in five games, LeBron stated: “I left everything on the floor all five games”. He sure did, and he’s going to have to do it all over again if the Cavaliers stand a chance.

While mentioning chances, the reason Las Vegas oddsmakers are favoring the Warriors so heavily is due to the fact that they are a juggernaut of a team.

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Four All-Stars, one team. Two of them, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant, arguably being the top two and three players in the world. The Cavaliers, on the other hand, have LeBron and maybe a healthy Kevin Love. Not to mention the rest of the team has been beyond inconsistent.

However, here’s the reality of how dominant LeBron is. Fans and even some non-fans of his understanding that if he is on your team, you have a chance of winning. Even if the chance is slim, there’s still some glimpse of hope.

Unfortunately for Cavalier fans, hope can only get you so far. The Cavaliers must be consistent and reliable. If at any point you begin to see a pattern of open three-pointers being missed, begin to worry.

Think about what we just witnessed in-game seven of the Houston Rockets/Warriors series.

Missed three-pointers are bad but missed three-pointers followed by the Warriors transition offense which could result in three points on the other end is really bad.

I believe in order for the Cavaliers to keep this game close, the defense will have to be the priority.

The Warriors operate by dropping an avalanche of points so fast it disrupts an opposing team’s confidence.

If that can be controlled in some way, then it’s a good start for the Cavaliers. A tall task to say the least.

LeBron’s Legacy

This Warriors team could arguably be the greatest team assembled. Does that mean LeBron gets a pass if they lose? No. However, it doesn’t take away from his legacy. It obviously also doesn’t add to it.

If in some incredible way LeBron and the rest of the Cavaliers win, many may say he is the greatest to ever play the game of basketball. Some say he is already the greatest to ever play. Some will never say it, but that’s an article for another day.

In other words, he has a lot to gain but not much to lose. The biggest thing impacted will be his Finals record, which currently stands at 3-5.

Regardless, LeBron will continue to dominate the league. He may be 33-years-old but even he himself said, “I’m only as old as I feel”.

In order to remain the best and adjust to the workings of father time, he may need to alter his game, or maybe even take his talents elsewhere.

For LeBron to continue to carry the load he does now into his later years, the toll it would take on his body could be a very negative one.

It’s hard to blame the guy if he leaves for a team that doesn’t require him to average triple-doubles in the Finals for a fighting chance to win.

Just because he can carry a team to the NBA Finals doesn’t mean he wants to.

Time will tell if LeBron decides to take his talents elsewhere but for now his focus is solely on this series.

As it should be.