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The NBA Finals That Never Was: Kobe vs. LeBron

By Paolo Santamaria

Jan 15, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (24) drives to the basket against Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) in the second half of the NBA game at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 15, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (24) drives to the basket against Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) in the second half of the NBA game at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports /
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The two icons of our generation. The two most debated players of our era. The supposed successors to the Larry Bird and Magic Johnson rivalry. The two greatest players to… never meet in the NBA Finals.

Since LeBron James made the NBA Finals in 2007, every Finals since then has included either Kobe Bryant or LeBron, but never both of them. In 2009, many thought that would change. It was more than just a media narrative; for all intents and purposes, it was a statistical likelihood.

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LeBron James had just led the Cleveland Cavaliers to a franchise best 66-16 record and won his first MVP award, posting averages of 28.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game on 49 percent shooting from the field and 34 percent from three-point range.

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Kobe Bryant also had a spectacular season after leading the Los Angeles Lakers to the Finals in 2008, before falling short to the Boston Celtics in six games. He boasted averages of 26.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game on 47 percent shooting from the field and 35 percent from beyond the arc.

Moreover, his Lakers finished 65-17 and landed the first seed in the West, eventually surging through the Orlando Magic in the Finals to capture their first title since 2002 and Kobe’s first since Shaquille O’Neal‘s departure.

However, most did not expect the Magic to be Kobe Bryant’s foe in the championship round. The first-seeded Cavaliers looked all too poised to take the East by storm, as they swept their first two playoff series. Regardless, LeBron and the Cavaliers fell to the Defensive Player of the Year in Dwight Howard and his Magic squad in six games, despite this iconic shot from James:

"View post on imgur.com"

On the other side of the bracket, Kobe Bryant and company dispatched the Utah Jazz, Houston Rockets and Denver Nuggets and made short work of the magic LeBron-slayers, with Kobe delivering a near-pantheonic Finals performance: per game averages of 32.4 points, 7.4 assists, 5.6 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks, along with shots like this:

"View post on imgur.com"

Wait, what just happened?

"View post on imgur.com"

While Bryant hoisted a well-earned and long awaited trophy and Finals MVP, LeBron and the Cavaliers sat at home, the victims of an unfortunate playoff upset. To me, it will always be the biggest what-if of our generation.

The Kobe vs. LeBron debate filled social media and ignited battles between friends, strangers and pundits alike. And despite everything each of them has done throughout their storied careers, they will most likely never meet in the Finals.

Bryant is in the twilight of his career on a struggling Lakers team, LeBron commands the overwhelming Eastern Conference favorite and neither is truly in his physical prime anymore. The height of their respective greatness never saw either matching up against the other.

It was too perfect to imagine a duel between two legends on the biggest of stages, one that might have been the most watched series in NBA history. More than just the lost ratings and media buzz, however, was a chance for two competitive forces to settle a score.

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Rumored draft target could 'pave way' for scoring G.O.A.T. to join Boston Celtics
Rumored draft target could 'pave way' for scoring G.O.A.T. to join Boston Celtics /

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    • In a league where Kobe Bryant was considered the best player in the world for many years, 2009 seemed to be the year that LeBron finally overtook him with one of the best individual seasons in NBA history; LeBron’s 13.0 box plus/minus that season is the best in NBA history.

    2009 was LeBron’s chance to take the throne directly from Kobe, and while he has since surpassed him as the best player in the NBA, it was an indirect passing of the torch, one that came over time. It only seemed fitting for LeBron to do as others have done in the past — take the torch from their predecessors. And while the what-if of what never was and what never will be lingers, it’s just a casualty of the game.

    The NBA can be unpredictable, at times in ways we don’t want it to be, but missing out on Kobe vs. LeBron makes us want more. It makes us look forward to the next titanic super duel. Maybe LeBron and Kevin Durant will meet once more within the next couple of years, or maybe it will be Andrew Wiggins and Jahlil Okafor in five or six years time, or maybe it will be current high schoolers we’ve never even heard of.

    That’s the nature of the game sometimes; the best teams usually do win, but sadly, the best players sometimes don’t. It takes a perfect storm for both to happen, and an even more perfect one for the two best to meet in the Finals. But that’s the beauty of a perfect storm: when it rains, it pours.

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