Fulfilling the Promise
In his second tour in Cleveland, he slowed down a bit physically. He even apologized for his lack of dunks early in the 2014-15 season. But he achieved cerebral mastery at this stage. His main partners this time were Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love. They were perfect teammates as inside-and-out scorers, allowing James to have some of his top years as a set-up man.
James was smarter than ever. He had his highest percentage of attempts at the rim in his last three seasons in Cleveland. On top of that, his highest Playoff output in assist percentage was in his 15th season (2017-18). Yet, he wasn’t the same level of defender. His last year making the All-Defensive team was his final in Miami.
His top display of basketball IQ is arguably the 2015 Finals, a series the Wine and Gold lost.
Love was out since Game 4 against the Boston Celtics in the first round because Kelly Olynyk separated his shoulder on a dirty play. And Irving broke his left kneecap in overtime of the Finals opener.
James then carried the Cavs to two straight wins, taking the lead in the series against the NBA’s best squad, led by the MVP Stephen Curry. He controlled everything for the Cavs in a combined 96 minutes, with his next-best teammates being Timofey Mozgov, Matthew Dellavedova, J.R. Smith, and Tristan Thompson. Those four make a collection of nice role players but they couldn’t come close to matching the All-Star firepower of Irving and Love.
The Warriors won the next three, but James’ performance in that series has caused Cavaliers fans to wonder throughout the years, what could’ve been if the team was whole?
His magnum opus was recorded as a veteran Cavalier a year later after going down 3-1 in the series against the Warriors. Fans of the team can forever extend gratitude to Draymond Green for losing his cool in Game 4, causing his suspension three nights later. It opened avenues for James and Irving to punish the Warriors.
In Game 7 at Oracle Arena, James had one of one the signature plays of the night—chasing down Andre Iguodala and pinning his layup to the glass. Then Irving splashed a triple over Curry, taking the lead for the Cavs. These mental souvenirs are unerasable.
Shifting tides
Kevin Durant, who at that time was the second-best player in the world, signed with the Warriors that summer. The Finals featured a trilogy, but the defending champs couldn’t match their foes.
Irving then bolted via trade to the Boston Celtics. And James, through multiple team reshufflings and following the departure of general manager David Griffin, led the Cavaliers to its fourth Finals in a row.
James and Co. were swept. The reality was that it was two stars against four, but those who lived in that series will never forget Game 1.
DeRozan said on the Club 520 podcast that James “controlled everything from top to bottom.” That's exactly what happened on May 31, 2018.
His jumper was on fire, and he dissected coverages with passing and plowed through them with his dribble. It was about to be the biggest upset win in the Finals since Allen Iverson took over Staples Center in Game 1 in 2001, earning a victory for the Philadelphia 76ers.
It wasn’t meant to be. George Hill missed his last freebie as the game was tied with 4.7 seconds left, and J.R. Smith recovered it, unaware of time and score. Next, the Warriors outscored them by 10 in overtime.
After four wonderful years, James left again nearly two months later for the Los Angeles Lakers.
In four years with the Heat, James logged 10,257 points through the regular season and Playoffs. His postseason averages are 26.9 points on a 59.8 true shooting percentage, with 8.4 rebounds and 5.7 assists.
He scored 10,360 digits in his last four campaigns in Cleveland. His Playoff averages include 30.8 points on a 58.5 true shooting percentage, with 9.7 rebounds and 8.2 assists.
While James may not have been the same specimen in Cleveland for the second tour, he was a more complete offensive player and his IQ was higher than in Miami. But there’s no wrong answer as to which version was better. LeBron was a defensive menace with the Heat and that counts for a lot.
“That mother****** was impossible to beat,” DeRozan said.
Not quite. Apart from instances early in his career, it had to be when the opponent had an overwhelming advantage. In the end, Lebron James' first and second Cleveland stints solidified him as the greatest player in Cleveland Cavaliers history and brought the city an end to a 54-year championship drought.