LeBron James Delivers For Cleveland, Has Freedom To Leave

LeBron James made good on his promise and delivered a championship to Cleveland and now he has the freedom to leave.

LeBron James has silenced the critics, for now, with an all-time great NBA Finals performance and delivering a championship to Cleveland. James delivered in the only way that he knows how to, historically and dramatically.

When LeBron James blocked Andre Iguodala‘s seemingly open layup with the score tied at 89, it was clear that he wasn’t going home without the Larry O’Brian Trophy or the Finals MVP trophy. It was the highlight of a rather impressive performance.

James and the Cleveland Cavaliers are the first team in NBA Finals history to win after trailing the series 3-1. They battled back against the Golden State Warriors, who are the best regular season team in NBA history.

They did so against a team that happened to have the two-time NBA MVP in Stephen Curry and they happened to do it against a team looking to repeat as champions.

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As if that wasn’t enough, the James became the third player in NBA Finals history to record a triple-double in Game 7, joining Jerry West and James Worthy. He had a memorable performance in Game 5, on the brink of elimination, with 41 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists.

He did it again in Game 6 with 41 points, 11 assists, eight rebounds, four steals and three blocks.

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James, 31, proved to be in the prime of his career in this series with some all-time great performances.

When facing elimination, James refused to lose and averaged an incredible 36.3 points per game, 11.6 rebounds per game, 9.6 assists per game, 3.0 steals per game and 3.0 blocks per game.

Leave it to LeBron to assemble his championship team with Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love, Tristan Thompson, J.R. Smith and rookie head coach Tyronn Lue.

LeBron wanted to win one for Cleveland, and now that he has he can leave in peace with his promise fulfilled, as BBallbreakdown‘s Kacy Sager suggests.

It’s no surprise that LeBron has built great friendships along his ride in the NBA. As ESPN‘s Pablo Torre wrote, James and his good friend Dwyane Wade have everything short of a love affair, despite the rivalry the Cavs have with the Miami Heat.

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James and Wade joined forces in Miami when James decided on July 8, 2010, to join Wade and

to win two championships together.

Some could compare the four years he spent with the Heat as a college experience, the one that LeBron never had after jumping to the NBA from high school.

Perhaps it isn’t Miami where LeBron would land, but joining forces with Carmelo Anthony and the New York Knicks.

Bleacher Report‘s Howard Beck detailed the friendship between James and Anthony, and he also unveiled the King’s wish to play with Anthony, Wade and Chris Paul; to which J.R. Smith joked that he wants to be included in the super dream team, according to the New York Daily News‘ Peter Botte.

Everything could be as simple as staying in Cleveland and trying to “Defend The Land,” as the Cavs call it. Would all of LeBron’s friends be able to descend to Cleveland to play together? Not with its current cap situation.

The Cavs would have to unload Love, Thompson and Iman Shumpert‘s contracts before they could think about bringing Anthony, Wade and Paul in. It may not be far-fetched, as the Cavs could orchestrate a deal with the Los Angeles Clippers surrounding Love and Paul.

Another option would be for each player to take a pay cut to come together in Cleveland and build their super team. The reality of asking a group of the league’s best players at the top of their games to take a pay cut is hard to fathom.

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After all the options, the Cavs and James could wind up sticking with the roster they have. Players will come and go as their contracts expire, but LeBron can stay home knowing that he has fulfilled his promise and can leave on good terms with the city of Cleveland.