LeBron is legit. I've disliked this dude for years (still do) because he's a stat padding, flopping, cry baby who gets rammed down our throats by the media as the second coming of Jesus.
But... he is undeniably an amazing athlete and talent. He earned this series and deserves every piece of praise he will receive for winning it till the day he dies.
Congratulations to the city of Cleveland and their fans as well. Enjoy it!
This.
Also now that this thread has slowed down, I wanted to formally congratulate K.Jack, Dreams-Vision, and the rest of the old school Cavs-age. The guys who were around during Lebron's first run with the Cavs and stuck with the Cavs even when Bron Bron took his talents to South Beach. I still can't stand Lebron but I'm glad this moment finally came for you guys. You guys can't be accused of being fairweather Lebron fans, you guys are legit Cavs fans, so congrats.
As a Lebron-hater and observer all these years, there's one thing I've noticed. Lebron plays much more relaxed when he is in the underdog position. 8 times out of 10 when his team is the favorite or it's an even series, he plays a bit tentative and nervous, and tends to over defer if there is a bump in the road. But put him in the underdog position (while still having a plausible chance) that's often when he shines.
The last three games were a perfect storm for Lebron. The last three games he was essentially playing with house-money. There were no more expectations on him. No team had come back from 3-1 deficit, nevermind not having home court advantage. You could tell GSW had already planned the parade and were no longer as dialed in. Lebron came out with a monster game in game 5 with nothing to lose. Repeat for game 6. By game 7 now the pressure is on Curry while Lebron still is in the underdog position with nothing to lose. Win game 7, great. Lose game 7, oh well, no one has come back from a 3-1 deficit anyway. Again, perfect storm for Lebron while Curry just completely collapsed under the pressure. Also Lebron had enough help around him to help take him over the finish line. The 3 by Irvine was legendary.
Though it was the chase down block Lebron did that won the game. With that play, he finally displayed a hint of that killer-instinct that many of us said he lacked, which guys like MJ, Kobe, Bird, and Magic had in spades. Lebron could smell blood and didn't want the opportunity to slip away to make history.
That said, the Cavs were leading most of the 4th quarter and especially the final two minutes. I really believe if GSW managed to take a 3-4 point lead with two minutes left then maybe Lebron would have had a mental breakdown. But instead it was GSW (or rather Curry specifically) who broke down and Bron Bron was able to stay in a comfort zone.
I also would like to see Bron Bron goto the Knicks. If he can deliver the Knicks a championship, then even I would have to give Lebron his props. That or actually go to a Western conference team. He's had a free ride to the Finals the last 6 years almost entirely because the East is just so weak.
It'll be interesting to see how Curry bounces back from this. Curry reminds me a lot of Derrick Rose. Rose also won a regular season MVP but then committed a choke-job in the playoffs and he never has been quite the same again. I haven't been following basketball as closely the last couple of years, but Curry always seemed to me to be a Reggie Miller on steroids. A lights-out shooter, but a bit one-dimensional. I like my MVPs to have an inside and outside game, whether it's through shooting, assists, or defense.
Entertaining Finals, but it still feels like there's only 3 teams in the NBA who have a shot at winning a championship and the rest are hot garbage. I thought 2005-09 was a good era. In the East you had the Pistons, Celtics, Orlando, Miami, and to a lesser extent the Cavs all battling it out. The West had the Lakers, Spurs, Suns, Mavs, and other strong mid-level teams going at it. You had star power in both conferences and Finals and Conference Finals matchups were unpredictable. Oh well, I guess we're in the middle of another talent lull or team GMs are just incapable of assembling quality rosters.
I have a feeling if I take a year-long nap, we'll probably see another GSW/Cavs Final. Or possibly Thunder/Cavs if Curry ends up having a breakdown.
