KING OF THE CASTLE AGAIN
LeBron’s body of work — taking teams to 10 Finals with four titles — deserves to be celebrated as much as other past league greats
When Michael Jordan was in the final season of the Bulls’ run, now and then famously labeled “The Last Dance,” we knew to not just watch but to cherish our view of greatness. We took mental snapshots to remember that time, not knowing that amidst a life-changing pandemic decades later we would get a 10-part documentary to remind us.
Legends are often seen most clearly in hindsight, but we knew then what we should know now.
Before the arguments, before shouting cable shows and social media certainty framed by the GOAT debate, LeBron James should be appreciated the same way we knew to celebrate Jordan.
If it were not already obvious, James more than cemented his place in NBA history when he led the Lakers to the championship Sunday with a win over Miami to end an unprecedented season.
He also reminded that as much as the ’60s belonged to Bill Russell and the Celtics, the ’80s to the rivalry of Magic Johnson’s Lakers and Larry Bird’s Lakers and the ’90s were about Jordan’s Bulls, we are in the LeBron James era and it is as worthy to be valued and appreciated as any that preceded it.
Yet, there have been those that would seek to find ways to diminish what he has done and continues to do, still reigning as the league’s best player in his 17th season. We saw that again when he was magnificent in Game 5 on Friday, made the right play but lost because a wide-open teammate that he set up missed the shot.
Finding fault in obvious greatness, like receiving a pot of gold and complaining about tarnish on the pot, could be just life in the times in which he plays. But it has always felt like something more than that.
Perhaps he is subjected to the Wilt Chamberlain treatment. No one roots for Goliath and in his way, James is the giant in the 2020 version of the game with
size and strength that often seems unfair.
There could be lingering hard feelings from “The Decision” and the “not one, not two, not three …” spectacle. There are those that seek to benefit from being shamelessly contrarian.
Mostly, there has seemed to be a reluctance to fully appreciate James’ place in the hierarchy because it has been viewed as a comparison with Jordan.
That says a great deal about Jordan’s greatness and unrivaled impact. It should not detract from what, to use the term from another part of James’ career now long ago, we are witnessing.
There are those that will never consider a running back to be greater than Jim Brown. Not Earl Campbell. Not Walter Payton. Not Barry Sanders or Emmitt
Smith.
To many, Muhammad Ali in his prime will always be the greatest boxer of all time.
Jordan earned that sort of unshakable acclaim. That is not a reason to find fault with the dominant player of his time. With four championships, with 10 Finals appearances, with four Finals MVPs (the only player to win it with three different teams) and with time to add to his collections, James is unquestionably in that stratosphere.
Taking teams to 10 Finals is an enormous achievement, even if — and perhaps more so — because some of those teams were not good enough to take the title.
The pressure he faced is not necessarily part of the equation when comparing accomplishments with the select few in his
club of elites. But it is undeniable and part of his story. No one ever, not Moses Malone, not Kobe Bryant, not Kevin Garnett, jumped to the NBA directly from high school with the weight of expectations that James carried on his shoulders.
He has throughout his career increased that, from the formation of the “Heatles,” to the return to Cleveland and finally to resurrect the Lakers’ franchise where the only outcome that could be considered sufficient includes rings and banners.
Amid the unprecedented challenges of 2020, and a championship deserving of an exclamation point rather than asterisk, James has become as much as anyone the voice of the NBA’s call for social justice. Yet, he again delivered.
That should not need to win a comparison with anyone to be appreciated.
No one has played in more playoff games. Only one player, Johnson, has more triple-doubles in the postseason (30) than James has in the Finals (11 of his 28 in the playoffs.) He has averaged at least 25 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in six different Finals. No one else has done that more than once. No one has scored more playoff points. Only Johnson has more assists.
For all that is said about the seasons he lost in the Finals, no one to have played in 25 or more elimination games has won them more regularly than his 29-11.
“He’s the greatest player the basketball universe has ever seen,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said Sunday. “And if you think you know, you don’t know, OK, until you’re around him every day, you’re coaching him, you’re seeing his mind, you’re seeing his adjustments, seeing the way he leads the group. You think you know; you don’t know.”
But just as he reached the point where only a championship is sufficient, James’ career has become measured by its worthiness to be considered the sport’s best. Such comparisons are of impossible, entirely subjective. There are no time machines for showdowns. Basketball is still a team sport.
Debating a question that cannot be answered misses the point. Arguing what he is not reduces appreciation for what he is. The arguments will go on. Sports are about competition, but the scoreboard can’t provide an answer in a contest over time.
Rather than get caught in the trap of pointless comparisons, it is better to just take those mental snapshots again, to appreciate and celebrate unique excellence. Or if there must be a question of who is best ever, just asking is an indication of greatness unprecedented in its own way that will be described for decades.