5 takeaways from the 2017 NBA Finals
2. LeBron and the G.O.A.T. debate
Nothing that happened in the 2017 NBA Finals should change a person’s stance on where LeBron James stacks up to Michael Jordan in the “greatest of all time” debate.
Those who believe he’s already on equal footing with Jordan will point to eight NBA Finals appearances, seven straight runs to the championship round, becoming the NBA’s all-time playoff scoring leader and most of all, the larger context surrounding his ugly 3-5 Finals record.
LeBron is 3-5 in the Finals, yes. But some context: he was underdog for 6 of those.
— Tom Haberstroh (@tomhaberstroh) June 13, 2017
1-1 as the favorite
2-4 as the underdog
Those who still hold Jordan in that No. 1 spot (present company included) will find it hard to reconcile all those accomplishments with a 3-5 record in the Finals, even if only one of those losses came with LeBron’s team being the favorite.
Most losses in NBA Finals
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) June 13, 2017
Jerry West 33
Elgin Baylor 28
LeBron James 27
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 27
via @EliasSports
On the one hand, King James has faced opponents in the Finals far more formidable than any team Jordan ever faced in the championship round.
His come-from-behind victory over the 73-win Warriors last year, especially for a cursed sports city like Cleveland after trailing 3-1, cemented his place among the all-time greats. No one can ever take that away from him or the Cavaliers, regardless of this year’s gentleman’s sweep. It may have been the most impressive feat in NBA Finals history.
Hell, even in this year’s five-game defeat, LeBron still found a way to make history.
Win or lose, LeBron is special. pic.twitter.com/nffqOPNSkJ
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) June 13, 2017
On the other hand, LeBron is just the fourth player — and first MVP — to lose in five or more NBA Finals, per ESPN Stats & Info. Context included, that matters in the G.O.A.T. debate.
That 2011 Finals loss to the Dallas Mavericks is still a moment his harshest critics point to, even if chalking up his 3-5 record to MJ’s unblemished 6-0 Finals mark dumbs the conversation down too much.
Dating back to 2014, each time LeBron James has faced a Finals opponent, that team has been the most challenging foe of his career. That did not change in 2017, and that matters when trying to contextualize his latest Finals defeat.
People expect LeBron James to be perfect, and from an individual standpoint, he comes as close as any player in NBA history not named Michael Jordan. The 2017 NBA Finals will do little to settle the debate on either side.
remember that any criticism of lebron’s game is actually a compliment because people expect him to be 100% perfect at all times
— conrad kaz (@conradkaz) June 8, 2017
In such a passionate and subjective debate, that’s probably all that could be expected anyway. But if 2017 is just the opening of the floodgates on a Warriors empire, we may remember this Finals series as the beginning of the most damning case against LeBron James as the G.O.A.T.