THE CURSE OF THE GOAT
LeBron is the best, but critics are preoccupied with Finals record
What will they say about LeBron James in two weeks? Will they try to diminish his greatness because of his soon- to- be 3- 6 record in the NBA Finals? Will they summarily dismiss his GOAT credentials? Will they continue to ignore perspective? The James haters absolutely will. His Finals record is their Excalibur, and they wield it as often as possible when the JamesMichael Jordan- Kobe Bryant debate arises. It’s a debate that realistically ends quickly. Jordan: the greatest single- minded scorer the game has ever seen. Bryant: the greatest Jordan wanna- be the game has ever seen. But James, well, he’s simply the greatest allaround player the game has ever seen. Unfortunately, as we all are about to bear witness to once again, all- around greatness doesn’t always result in titles. Far too often it covers up mediocrity and lifts it to a place it never would have touched. It allows a Daniel “Boobie’’ Gibson, a Matthew Dellavedova and now a Jeff Green to shine on a stage they simply don’t belong on. Jordan wasn’t taking bum teams to the Finals, and certainly not with “Boobie’’ Gibson as his Robin. All- around greatness cripples organizations. When James left Cleveland for Miami after “The Decision,’’ the Cavaliers went from a 61- win team to a 19- win team. When Jordan mysteriously stepped away from the NBA to pursue baseball after the 1992- 93 season, the Bulls went from a 57win team to a 55- win team.
All- around greatness reshapes the league on a yearly basis.
James has single- handedly forced the Bulls, Pacers, Celtics and Raptors to fire coaches and blow up roster plans.
Meanwhile, in the wake of James, a 73- win regular- season team from the year before had to beg the world’s second- best player — Kevin Durant — to join it just to slay the King.
James’ own greatness has given birth to a Warriors dynasty that might go down as one of the all- time best.
So a soon- to- be 3- 6 record? That’s not how James should be judged. Unfortunately, that’s the only weapon his critics have left these days.