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| Is LeBron ready to shock the world? Boomaye! |
Those who hate LeBron mostly hate him because he did a quiet version of what Muhammad Ali did when assuming himself the greatest because he had all the assets to think himself so. LeBron is called a linebacker playing basketball by his detractors, as though he should be apologizing for the size and skills he combines.
No, he is not the biggest to ever play or the best ball handler ever either, but he has combined these two gifts in a way that makes you appreciate it or envy it to hatred. LeBron embraced it, did his best to master his basketball duality from the very start of his career, and used it to do unseen things in the game.
He called himself King before most would accept him as a real deal. Now he is such a real deal, when debating who's best, the only names of significance we consider with LeBron anymore are the two guys who we call the best ever to do it in Jordan or Kobe.
Kobe Bryant left the league reminding us of his unique status in the league, because we needed that reminder after so many years of LeBron James playing on the last day of the NBA season. Love or hate him, you can't escape him.
We could speculate on how many times in a row MJ would have been in the finals if not for baseball, but he's still the undisputed GOAT (greatest of all time), so that won't matter until LeBron...or someone passes Jordan by.
In time, even Joe Louis or Marciano were supplanted as the GOAT, but not as quickly as Ali fans would like; nor was the attempt to sell us on Tyson over Ali ever useful for anything except to make us doubt Tyson and use his finish as a blemish against his masterful start to his career.
James won't easily replace MJ, but could solidify his legacy with a win in Oakland, though I doubt history will be as cruel as current critics are. Win or lose, he'll have the benefit of beating Steph or adding a real feather in the cap of Steph's own legacy.
Either way, great players are made from great competition. Steph has time to overcome this moment, but the signs are pointing to Steph simply being a good piece on a great team, a team he'll need desperately if he hopes to return to the finals as often as LeBron has.
In reality, Klay Thompson has out performed Steph as has last year's MVP Andre Iguodala and Draymond Green, the Warriors actual most valuable player.
Steph and the rest of the Warriors are on the verge of losing at home and having to point to fatigue from the OKC series to avoid blaming the 73 game regular season record chase. LeBron's win will make his haters blame the NBA for Draymond's nut fetish, Iggy's back, Bogut's exit, or 80's style non-whistle's instead of giving credit to the rope-a-dope LeBron is doing to GS.
In these finals, he is leading every important stat among every player on both teams, and deserves to be the series MVP win or lose, just like last year when they didn't have the courage to go there, so gave it to Iggy as the only option that wouldn't embarrass LeBron or the Warriors.
Twice in two years, the player on the losing side could deserve the MVP. This is assuming that the Warriors don't have the worst meltdown in NBA Finals history of course.
If LeBron can do this impossible feat, he must be the King, just like said. If it takes us years to acknowledge that fact, that too will be par for the course for skeptical critics. Once we crown a GOAT, we don't often acknowledge the new GOAT until long after they're not playing anymore.
I'm rooting for LeBron to bring glory to Cleveland and shake the haters off while doing it. What I'm not rooting for is LeBron to prove, once and for all, that he is the best player in the league because there is no need for all that.
That is a question that has been unequivocally answered, until Steph steps up or LeBron steps down from his throne.
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