King James Gospel
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Why LeBron’s Finals record is a poor reflection of his all-time status

By Quenton S. Albertie

CLEVELAND, OH - JUNE 08: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers sits on the bench late in the game against the Golden State Warriors during Game Four of the 2018 NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena on June 8, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - JUNE 08: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers sits on the bench late in the game against the Golden State Warriors during Game Four of the 2018 NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena on June 8, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /
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LeBron James now owns a 3-6 record in the NBA Finals but it’s a poor representation of where he stands all-time.

Legacy, for LeBron James, is a loaded word. Having always been compared to the iconic Michael Jordan, considered by many to be the greatest player of all-time, LeBron’s legacy has never been some standalone construct, free to stand out without the schema of what makes a player a “winner” the backdrop.

On many levels, this competition is healthy. It has helped inspire, challenge and mold LeBron into the player he is today. However, when determining what LeBron’s legacy is, his battle against a mythological version of Jordan — not the one who played basketball and won six rings because of the collection of talent on his team but who slayed dragons and did it all by himself — is not.

For some reason, when splitting hairs between Jordan and LeBron’s talent level, rings are counted. Despite a NBA championship being the only team accomplishment in the NBA (besides Division and Conference champion banners) and the inconsistency with using the “RINGZ” argument, this is the argument used to discredit LeBron’s greatness.

Now make no mistake, I’m an unabashed LeBron apologist. Nonetheless, consider this:

Hall of Fame center Wilt Chamberlain (2-4 in the NBA Finals) is considered the most dominant force of his time, much like LeBron. However, Chamberlain ran into a formidable foe in the Bill Russell-led Boston Celtics, a balanced squad whose two-way dominance allowed them to win eleven rings from the 1956-1957 season to the 1968-1969 season.

Despite his individual dominance, Chamberlain would only win one ring during the Celtics dynasty (1967 NBA Finals).

Fellow Hall of Famers Jerry West (1-8 in the NBA Finals) and “Big Game” Elgin Baylor (0-7 in the NBA Finals) would have the unfortunate fate or running into the Celtics buzzsaw as well.

West wouldn’t win a ring until after the Celtics dynasty was over. Wilt was on West’s 1972 NBA title team as well.

While Baylor is considered one of the greatest small forwards in league history, his talent is often largely unheard of nowadays, not solely because he failed to win a ring but because he was never a league MVP.

West is the silhouette for the NBA’s official and iconic logo, yet his name is skipped over on all-time lists because he was never named as the league MVP (West is, however, the only player in team history to win Finals MVP in a series that his team lost).

Only Wilt, whose records, statistical marvels, rings, two MVPs and the fervor which those who watched him spoke of his dominance is given consideration for a top-five spot of all-time.

Russell, who won three more MVPs and nine more rings (11-1 in the NBA Finals) than Wilt, is rarely considered the better overall player though because it’s widely recognized he was part of a dynasty, a team-based concept.

LeBron owns quite a few records, is a walking statistic marvel, has three rings, four MVPs, his own rabid fan base and he’s considered a top-two player of all-time by most.

However, when comparison LeBron and Jordan, what makes them conversation different?

Jordan has one more MVP, three more rings, a Defensive Player of the year award and an impeccable Finals record (6-0) but do the accolades make him better than LeBron? Considering the collection of talent and coaching he had around him and based purely on skillset and their career production, no.

So what separates Wilt, Jordan and LeBron?

The level of competition or number of teams and thus the amount of talent in the league matters in Wilt’s case. However, there is no question he was the most dominant force in the NBA and had a dynamic, multifaceted game.

Jordan has a significant advantage over both in their Finals victories and win percentage. A complete player and fearless competitor, he is the most beloved player in NBA history.

LeBron has shown his dominance largely through illustrating his mastery of the game; climbing multiple leaderboards and his many statistical marvels — this is where he finds his advantage.

Then if you start looking at his Finals record, his last three losses were far from an indictment of his play. His teams were simply overmatched, much like 2007 and 2015.

If you discount his first two years making it to the Finals (2007 and 2011), LeBron has averaged 30.5 points,10.7 rebounds and 8.0 assists per game over the last seven Finals (39 games).

Jordan averaged 33.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game in the Finals (35 games).

Of course, this article isn’t meant to debate LeBron vs. Jordan but it does seek the truth.

That said, the truth is that LeBron is one of the most celebrated superstars but also the most criticized superstars and he’s held to a standard that seems to always undermine his achievements, no matter how great.

The truth is that the best teams win rings.

Related Story: LeBron James’ top playoff moments

*All stats gathered from www.basketball-reference.com