You may hate LeBron, but after these past three Finals games, you have to accept his greatness. Eleven days ago the Cavaliers were done. Down 3-1 in the series against the team with the best regular season in NBA history, they had no chance. They had to win two of the next three games in the most hostile environment in the NBA. Then LeBron James showed us why he was claiming to be the better player over unanimous MVP Steph Curry.
In three straight elimination games James thrived. With 41 points in games five and six and a triple double in game seven it was truly nothing short of amazing. Not only was he filling the stat sheet but he was also dominant on the defensive end. Timely steals and some major blocks, most notably the classic LeBron come from behind block against Iguodala, helped keep the Warriors scoreless for the final 4:40 of the game. LeBron was able to silence those who doubted him after four games in the Finals with one of the greatest Finals performances of all time.
It is truly a shame that players like Matthew Dellavedova and Mo Williams were able to ride LeBron’s coattail to a ring. Even Kevin Love was able to play just bad enough to put all the burden on LeBron and Kyrie Irving.
But he did not do it against a bunch of shmucks. A Warriors team fighting for the title of best team of all time found themselves unable to hit the big threes they’ve been hitting all season long. The Houdini-like disappearance of unanimous MVP Steph Curry is certainly the main culprit of the team’s collapse. Curry shot a lowly 35 percent from three-point land in the four Warriors losses in the Finals as compared to his 45% in the regular season. This one will sting more than a regular Finals loss as it came on the heels of the best regular season ever. The 73 wins they tallied will now mean absolutely nothing without the Larry O’Brian trophy. Sunday was their ninth loss this postseason that matched the amount they had in the 82-game regular season.
Let us not forget the best part of the series. Anderson Varejao was all but a shoe-in to finally get his ring after spending all those years in Cleveland. Joining the Warriors after being let go by the Cavs about half way through the season he looked to be on the winning side for once. Although he still gets a ring because he played 30 games for the Cavs, he didn’t get the satisfaction of popping champagne in the locker room. It’s truly poetic justice when it comes to someone who plays the way he does with that hairstyle.
