Wednesday, May 27, 2015

LeBron Guides Cleveland To NBA Finals


LeBron James is an easy target for basketball critics.  The list of "wrongs" committed by LeBron include:

1. He's not Michael Jordan.

2. He agreed to leave his original team, the Cavaliers, to join up with a rival in an effort to finally win a championship.  This is something Jordan, Larry Bird, and Magic Johnson would never have done.

3. He has lost in the NBA Finals three times in five chances.

4. He's not Michael Jordan.

5. He doesn't seem to embrace his "Superman" basketball qualities enough of the time.

I've been very critical of LeBron James in his career.  I look at him and at his career and although I'm impressed with his talents and his accomplishments, I always feel like there's something more.

Imagine that?  A player with two NBA championships, six trips to the NBA Finals, four regular season MVP trophies, two Finals MVP trophies, two All-Star MVP trophies, a former Rookie of the Year, eleven All-Star Game appearances, eleven appearances on either the All-NBA 1st or 2nd Team, and six appearances on either the All-NBA Defensive 1st or 2nd Team who boasts career per-game averages of 27.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 6.9 assists.  And I think he can offer more.

I'm done hating on LeBron James the basketball player.  It's time to sit back and enjoy the rest of the show.  This is a man who has been in the national spotlight since he was a sophomore in high school and has pretty much exceeded expectations.  I might not like the way he expects every call but other than that, I'm on board.

This is a special player who has carried the Cavaliers to the NBA Finals.  For a second time. The Cavs, for those of you who don't know, are a historically bad franchise and LeBron, in his return to the team from his four years in Miami, has lifted them to the cusp of a championship.

The comparisons to Jordan, or even Kobe Bryant, will have to wait until his career is finished and it can be properly put into perspective.  Until then, enjoy this amazing talent and start building a case against some unknown 3rd Grader who does not know now but will one day be compared, unfairly, to the great LeBron James.

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