Not often does a player turn from hero to villain back to hero, but here is Lebron changing his perception again. Depending on your perception of Kobe Bryant, Lebron has a solid case as the most polarizing superstar of all time. Not many players have drawn the ire from sports fans and he often gets taken for granted.
Just last year, he put up monster numbers in the finals while losing to Golden State, but his detractors only saw his record. Sure, he was without Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, but it did not matter to them. He was supposed to beat a team that only had to focus on stopping him and surprisingly he could not. He was a loser, and the Warriors were the new talk of the NBA.
Fast forward to game four of the NBA Finals and the Warriors were on the verge of taking a commanding 3-1 lead and repeating as champions. Then, with the game out of reach, Warriors forward Draymond Green got tangled up with Lebron and proceeded to get himself suspended for game five. Instead of coaxing Draymond to contain his emotion, his teammates Klay Thompson and Mareese Speights proceeded to question Lebron’s manhood and call him a baby. Meanwhile, Lebron proceeded to take over games five through seven while the Warriors crumbled. Steph Curry was getting repeatedly blocked by Lebron, Klay stormed off the court before the buzzer and Mareese Speights went scoreless twice.
Many had felt Curry had taken his crown and Lebron clearly outplayed him for two straight NBA Finals matchups. Admittedly, I thought Curry had overtaken Lebron and the Warriors would destroy Cleveland, but I was very wrong. Had they went about their business and waited until after the series, they could have talked all that trash and rightfully so. Instead, they left a glimmer of hope for Lebron and he knocked it out of the park.
As someone who is a trash-talking enthusiast, I dig people badmouthing others, but it is all about perspective. If someone is better than you at something, trash-talking them is not a great idea unless there is a great chance it will work. Whenever I talk trash, I make sure it is only at things I know I will win like Mario Kart or knockout. Picking your spots is crucial to successful trash-talking and the players listed above are lacking in that category.
With Kevin Durant now on the Warriors, the attention will be all on Golden State while Cleveland flies under the radar. The Cavs were not given a chance to win last year and they definitely will be underdogs this year if they meet again. The Warriors might have four of the top five players in a Warriors-Cavs matchup, but anything can happen. The Warriors are extremely talented, but they are top heavy, and are just one Curry or Durant injury away from serious trouble.
