Ken Blaze- USA Today Sports
How LeBron James performed in the 2015 NBA Finals was unprecedented. There is no denying his greatness as a player; looking at just the numbers tells you that. Since 1985, no player has notched a triple-double of 35/11/11 in the Finals except LeBron (in 2009, 2010 and three of the five games in these finals). Even with two-thirds of his new Big Three in Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love missing due to injury, James found a way to carry this team within two wins of the franchise’s first ever NBA title.
Unfortunately for James, the Golden State Warriors were just the better team. Their depth and talent was just too much for the Cleveland Cavaliers to overcome. This has now dropped James to an overall Finals record of 2-4. The fact that he has even been able to make it six NBA Finals is a feat of its own, but based on how he views himself as the greatest player in the world, this record doesn’t necessarily back up his claim.
Michael Jordan (considered one of the greatest players of all time) never lost any NBA Finals series he played in. Kobe Bryant (also considered one of the top five players of all time) only lost in the Finals twice. These winning percentages on the NBA’s biggest stage are vastly different to what LeBron currently has accumulated. This is a major reason why his legacy has been tarnished with this most recent Finals loss.
If James wants to go down as one of the greatest players of all time, his Finals record has to drastically improve. Although his production against Golden State was on another level, it wasn’t enough to bring Cleveland home a title. At 30 years old, James might only have a few more years to truly contend for an NBA Championship. The clock is ticking more than it ever has for James and his legacy.
Jared Doyle is a Miami Heat writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @outofboundsjay, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google
