Last night's Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors will go down forever as one of the NBA's most memorable and impactful games. There was so much on the line last night from a legacy stand-point and the result affects so much going forward.
First and foremost, anyone who hates on LeBron James, who questions his talent, skill, or mental fortitude, is ignorant. I was fearful that he broke his wrist in that collision with Draymond Green while going to the hoop for a dunk. He made his second free throw in a situation in which many players would have missed both even if they were fully healthy. Before that he had that incredible block of Andre Iguodala, an act of such supreme athleticism that I've already seen multiple writers compare it to an act of God. He now holds the corner as the best player on the only team to ever come back from a 3-1 deficit in the Finals, against the greatest regular season team of all time, no less. He's the first player to lead a Finals series in each of the five major statistical category, had consecutive 41-point performances, and finished as the third player ever with a Finals Game 7 triple-double. I'm not saying he's better than Michael Jordan was, but he's surely in the top seven or so all-time and has solidified himself as the greatest player of his generation. If there's one thing you can't deny, it's that LeBron's evisceration of Golden State following their calling him a crybaby after his Game 4 incident with Green was inherently Jordan-esque.
Remember around February or March when there was a huge fuss made when LeBron said he wouldn't mind playing with friends Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade, and Carmelo Anthony? Well, now that James has brought that elusive championship to Cleveland, there's no absolute requirement for him to stick around. Perhaps we'll be seeing the gathering of the Super Friends sooner rather than later. As Stephen A. Smith has said, it's "in play", even if it's unlikely.
One of the reasons that the idea of a Super Friends team up came about was the awkward fit that Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love seemed to have with LeBron. Neither played enough defense for LeBron's liking. Kyrie didn't pass the ball enough, pounding the ball into a pulp in stagnant isolations for 20 seconds before casting up contested jumpers. Love has struggled to find an offensive fit on the team since he was traded to Cleveland, ultimately being forced to become a spot-up shooter.
Both Irving and Love showed their worth in Game 7, however. Irving continued his string of impressive scoring performances since Game 3, spelled LeBron during Cleveland's 19-5 stretch in the third quarter, and hit the biggest shot of the series: a step-back three over Curry with 53 seconds left in the fourth quarter that came right out of the Chef's repertoire. There will no longer be murmurs similar to the Chris Paul for Kyrie trade rumors. Kyrie is set up to take over as LeBron slowly declines and his improved defense in this series has to be a good sign for his future. I mean, the guy just outplayed the unanimous MVP for seven games.
Meanwhile, Love had his best game of the series on Sunday night. From the beginning of the game, his role was different; he wasn't just spotting up on the perimeter, he was a presence inside, battling for offensive boards and drawing key free throws. He had seven rebounds in the first quarter alone and finished with 14. He had a team high plus-minus of +19. But Love had possibly the most important and unexpected stretch of the Finals after Irving's made three in the final minute. On the Warriors' next possession, Love ended up getting switched onto Curry up top after a Draymond Green pick. This is exactly what the Warriors were hoping for: Curry had routinely torched much quicker bigs than Love in isolation all season, and Love's minutes dipped significantly this series because he was unable to keep up with the quickness and shooting of the Warriors. Up three, with the season on the line, Love was up to the challenge. He kept Curry in front as the MVP crossed this way and that, forcing Curry to give it up and then playing similarly stellar defense when Steph got it back and put up an off-the-mark jumper. That one possession was just as important a contribution to a Cavs' win as Kyrie's three or LeBron's block, and it may have saved his market value this offseason. Who knows, it may have been enough for the Cavs not to trade him this summer.
Of course, there are two sides to a Game 7. This is a huge stomach-punch loss for Warriors' players and fans. After the historic 73-9 regular season filled with Steph's heroics, after Curry won the unanimous MVP, after they endured through Steph's injuries in the early playoff rounds, and after trading haymakers with the Thunder in their own 3-1 comeback, it was fair to assume the Warriors would win this series handily. It's what I thought would happen. I initially picked the Warriors in five, and I thought that prediction looked pretty good after the Warriors busted Cleveland in the first two games and went up 3-1 after Game 4. But then Draymond Green got suspended for the nut shot to LeBron at the end of Game 4 and the series changed.
I hate to put blame for the collapse (yes it was a collapse) on Green when he was the one player on GS that really showed up for Game 7, but I remain convinced that the Warriors would have won the series at home in Game 5 had Green not gotten himself suspended. Not only did they miss his defensive impact in the game (James and Irving had 40 apiece), but the incident directly led to the comments of Klay Thompson and other Warriors questioning LeBron's toughness and manhood in the days leading up to the game. They awoke the monster slumbering within LeBron's chest and he made them pay in the last three games.
Also, the 2015-16 Warriors will now be remembered right alongside the (sigh) 2007 New England Patriots as the greatest regular season teams of all time in their respective sport who choked on the biggest stage with the chance to solidify themselves as the greatest team ever. They have to face the reality that they blew their chance at something really special. The good news for us basketball fans is that one of history's most prolific team's is going home without their crown and will have the summer to stew and get more motivated than ever. That makes next season even more intriguing.
When a team falters and loses momentum, they look to their star to take over and get them through the rough patch. I love Stephen Curry's game and disagree with everyone who thinks he is overrated by the media, but he didn't step up when his team needed him to. I don't know if he was injured or not, but he said himself that pain was no excuse for poor play and if it's good enough for him it's good enough for me. I hold him most accountable for the Warriors' shocking loss, not Green and his suspension, not Andrew Bogut's injury, not Thompson's crappy shooting. If it was James' team, we would be holding him the most responsible, too. This is the first time in Curry's pro career that he's had to face this type of adversity, when he was unable to rise to the moment. We'll have to wait and see if he reclaims his mantle of best player in the world next season.
Which brings us back to LeBron James. I agree with what many have said that this is the King's crowning achievement. Coming back from down 3-1 against this Warriors team is possibly the most impressive aspect of any player's legacy... ever. He won Game 7 on the road. He made all the big plays necessary to will his team to win the series. He's the mental and emotional leader of the team along with being its most talented, and the beauty of LeBron's game is how well he involves his teammates. Larry Bird and Magic Johnson are the only players at James' talent level that could have gotten those performances from Kyrie and Love after the turmoil they faced this season.
The most incredible part of what LeBron did? He fulfilled his promise. After all the years of heartbreak and doubt, after he couldn't take them up the mountain, after he left Cleveland on such bad terms, after he returned promising a championship, LeBron hoisted the hopes of the city of Cleveland on his shoulders and delivered. It had been 52 years since Cleveland's last professional sports championship. That takes a toll on the collective psyche of the fanbase and the team: just ask fans of the Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs. Both know how hard it is to get over that hump after so long and what it takes to break a curse. LeBron knew it as well as anyone growing up in poverty in Akron. James' journey from hometown high school phenom to savior of the franchise to the basketball equivalent of a wrestling heel, to returning savior and finally champion is the stuff of fairy tales. No other NBA player is as important to their team and city as LeBron is to the Cavaliers and Cleveland. When LeBron looks back on his career years from now, the first and happiest memory that will come to his mind? I won one for the Land.
Thank you to the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers for an incredible Game 7. I can't wait for next year.
P.S. A couple of other thoughts:
First and foremost, anyone who hates on LeBron James, who questions his talent, skill, or mental fortitude, is ignorant. I was fearful that he broke his wrist in that collision with Draymond Green while going to the hoop for a dunk. He made his second free throw in a situation in which many players would have missed both even if they were fully healthy. Before that he had that incredible block of Andre Iguodala, an act of such supreme athleticism that I've already seen multiple writers compare it to an act of God. He now holds the corner as the best player on the only team to ever come back from a 3-1 deficit in the Finals, against the greatest regular season team of all time, no less. He's the first player to lead a Finals series in each of the five major statistical category, had consecutive 41-point performances, and finished as the third player ever with a Finals Game 7 triple-double. I'm not saying he's better than Michael Jordan was, but he's surely in the top seven or so all-time and has solidified himself as the greatest player of his generation. If there's one thing you can't deny, it's that LeBron's evisceration of Golden State following their calling him a crybaby after his Game 4 incident with Green was inherently Jordan-esque.
Remember around February or March when there was a huge fuss made when LeBron said he wouldn't mind playing with friends Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade, and Carmelo Anthony? Well, now that James has brought that elusive championship to Cleveland, there's no absolute requirement for him to stick around. Perhaps we'll be seeing the gathering of the Super Friends sooner rather than later. As Stephen A. Smith has said, it's "in play", even if it's unlikely.
One of the reasons that the idea of a Super Friends team up came about was the awkward fit that Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love seemed to have with LeBron. Neither played enough defense for LeBron's liking. Kyrie didn't pass the ball enough, pounding the ball into a pulp in stagnant isolations for 20 seconds before casting up contested jumpers. Love has struggled to find an offensive fit on the team since he was traded to Cleveland, ultimately being forced to become a spot-up shooter.
Both Irving and Love showed their worth in Game 7, however. Irving continued his string of impressive scoring performances since Game 3, spelled LeBron during Cleveland's 19-5 stretch in the third quarter, and hit the biggest shot of the series: a step-back three over Curry with 53 seconds left in the fourth quarter that came right out of the Chef's repertoire. There will no longer be murmurs similar to the Chris Paul for Kyrie trade rumors. Kyrie is set up to take over as LeBron slowly declines and his improved defense in this series has to be a good sign for his future. I mean, the guy just outplayed the unanimous MVP for seven games.
Meanwhile, Love had his best game of the series on Sunday night. From the beginning of the game, his role was different; he wasn't just spotting up on the perimeter, he was a presence inside, battling for offensive boards and drawing key free throws. He had seven rebounds in the first quarter alone and finished with 14. He had a team high plus-minus of +19. But Love had possibly the most important and unexpected stretch of the Finals after Irving's made three in the final minute. On the Warriors' next possession, Love ended up getting switched onto Curry up top after a Draymond Green pick. This is exactly what the Warriors were hoping for: Curry had routinely torched much quicker bigs than Love in isolation all season, and Love's minutes dipped significantly this series because he was unable to keep up with the quickness and shooting of the Warriors. Up three, with the season on the line, Love was up to the challenge. He kept Curry in front as the MVP crossed this way and that, forcing Curry to give it up and then playing similarly stellar defense when Steph got it back and put up an off-the-mark jumper. That one possession was just as important a contribution to a Cavs' win as Kyrie's three or LeBron's block, and it may have saved his market value this offseason. Who knows, it may have been enough for the Cavs not to trade him this summer.
Of course, there are two sides to a Game 7. This is a huge stomach-punch loss for Warriors' players and fans. After the historic 73-9 regular season filled with Steph's heroics, after Curry won the unanimous MVP, after they endured through Steph's injuries in the early playoff rounds, and after trading haymakers with the Thunder in their own 3-1 comeback, it was fair to assume the Warriors would win this series handily. It's what I thought would happen. I initially picked the Warriors in five, and I thought that prediction looked pretty good after the Warriors busted Cleveland in the first two games and went up 3-1 after Game 4. But then Draymond Green got suspended for the nut shot to LeBron at the end of Game 4 and the series changed.
I hate to put blame for the collapse (yes it was a collapse) on Green when he was the one player on GS that really showed up for Game 7, but I remain convinced that the Warriors would have won the series at home in Game 5 had Green not gotten himself suspended. Not only did they miss his defensive impact in the game (James and Irving had 40 apiece), but the incident directly led to the comments of Klay Thompson and other Warriors questioning LeBron's toughness and manhood in the days leading up to the game. They awoke the monster slumbering within LeBron's chest and he made them pay in the last three games.
Also, the 2015-16 Warriors will now be remembered right alongside the (sigh) 2007 New England Patriots as the greatest regular season teams of all time in their respective sport who choked on the biggest stage with the chance to solidify themselves as the greatest team ever. They have to face the reality that they blew their chance at something really special. The good news for us basketball fans is that one of history's most prolific team's is going home without their crown and will have the summer to stew and get more motivated than ever. That makes next season even more intriguing.
When a team falters and loses momentum, they look to their star to take over and get them through the rough patch. I love Stephen Curry's game and disagree with everyone who thinks he is overrated by the media, but he didn't step up when his team needed him to. I don't know if he was injured or not, but he said himself that pain was no excuse for poor play and if it's good enough for him it's good enough for me. I hold him most accountable for the Warriors' shocking loss, not Green and his suspension, not Andrew Bogut's injury, not Thompson's crappy shooting. If it was James' team, we would be holding him the most responsible, too. This is the first time in Curry's pro career that he's had to face this type of adversity, when he was unable to rise to the moment. We'll have to wait and see if he reclaims his mantle of best player in the world next season.
Which brings us back to LeBron James. I agree with what many have said that this is the King's crowning achievement. Coming back from down 3-1 against this Warriors team is possibly the most impressive aspect of any player's legacy... ever. He won Game 7 on the road. He made all the big plays necessary to will his team to win the series. He's the mental and emotional leader of the team along with being its most talented, and the beauty of LeBron's game is how well he involves his teammates. Larry Bird and Magic Johnson are the only players at James' talent level that could have gotten those performances from Kyrie and Love after the turmoil they faced this season.
The most incredible part of what LeBron did? He fulfilled his promise. After all the years of heartbreak and doubt, after he couldn't take them up the mountain, after he left Cleveland on such bad terms, after he returned promising a championship, LeBron hoisted the hopes of the city of Cleveland on his shoulders and delivered. It had been 52 years since Cleveland's last professional sports championship. That takes a toll on the collective psyche of the fanbase and the team: just ask fans of the Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs. Both know how hard it is to get over that hump after so long and what it takes to break a curse. LeBron knew it as well as anyone growing up in poverty in Akron. James' journey from hometown high school phenom to savior of the franchise to the basketball equivalent of a wrestling heel, to returning savior and finally champion is the stuff of fairy tales. No other NBA player is as important to their team and city as LeBron is to the Cavaliers and Cleveland. When LeBron looks back on his career years from now, the first and happiest memory that will come to his mind? I won one for the Land.
Thank you to the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers for an incredible Game 7. I can't wait for next year.
P.S. A couple of other thoughts:
- Kevin Love was great in Game 7, but Tristan Thompson was Cleveland's third best player in the series. He was incredible on the boards, made huge plays passing and scoring as a roll-man to the rim, and played phenomenal defense when switched onto the Splash Brothers. He proved to be worth every bit of that $82 million contract.
- I blamed Curry the most for the series loss, but Klay Thompson doesn't get a pass for his role in the Warriors' losing their place in history. Klay showed he was one of the league's best two-way players in Steph's absence and Game 6 against Oklahoma City. I needed to see more from him.
- Earl Joseph Smith III is an NBA champion. J.R. SMITH IS AN NBA CHAMPION!!! THE MAN RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CONVERSATION BELOW IS AN NBA CHAMPION!!!
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| From http://ballislife.com |
What a time to be alive.
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