By Matthew Dennis
Andre Iguodala is running down the court looking for an easy fast break layup that could swing the winner take all game 7 of the NBA Finals decidedly in favor of the Warriors. He sees the lane, takes in the ball and lays it up. Suddenly, LeBron James completes his full court sprint and flies in from behind to pin the ball against the backboard. It was one of the greatest defensive plays I’ve ever seen and I’m sure it’s the play that will define this past Finals series. I mean, does Iggy just retire now after getting stuffed like that? This is one of the many pressing questions that are left after a grueling NBA Finals that saw LeBron guide the Cavs back from a 3-1 deficit.
One of the most open ended and ambiguous questions is what does this mean for LeBron’s legacy? Many of my fellow prestige NBA writers point to him yet again carrying a team to victory and try to justify his place among the greats with accolades like MVPs and stats. Obviously, LeBron is one of the 5-6 greatest players of all time, yet there’s so much criticism of him and still so much doubt. People want him to fail. I was one of those people, however, there’s a time in everyone’s life when they see Skip Bayless tweet something they agree with; and that’s when you know it’s time to change. After seeing Skip desperately try to take as much credit away from LeBron as possible by arguing against him being Finals MVP I found I can no longer hate on LeBron. This guy is an all-time great, and that brings me to why I think game 7 was his greatest game ever. His final line: 27 points, 11 boards, 11 assists, 3 savage chase down blocks, and 2 steals. That’s an incredible stat line, but compared to some of his other games it’s somewhat pedestrian. Last year he was dropping 40+ point triple doubles and doing it all to carry his team. The aptly titled “LeBron game” where he dropped 48 points including 25 straight to beat the Pistons in 2007 is certainly more gaudy. Though, Game 7 of the 2016 Finals saw LeBron win on his terms.
Throughout his entire career he’s been criticized as being passive in clutch moments and not “taking it the rim” on every play. I could build a photo album of hackneyed Skip Bayless tweets about “timid” LeBron passing off to teammates for the final shot and complaining about the lack of a “clutch gene.” LeBron has been pressured to be The Guy since his freshman year of high school. The media attention and speculation about LeBron’s future in the NBA has been present since he was 16. I don’t think LeBron wants to carry a team and force a bunch of trash players to win like NBA purists want him to. It’s why he went to, and won, in Miami. He didn’t carry those Miami teams, he led them. He was the best player (sorry D Wade you’re still my favorite though) and had Pat Riley to guide them to championships. In Game 7 LeBron got to go out and set up his teammates, he was able to rely on a deadly isolation scorer in Kyrie and some quality role players like offensive rebounding machine Tristan Thompson and, as much as it pains me to admit, JR Smith. The whole discourse on Kevin Love’s role receded into the background as he became a gritty role player and played some of the best defense of his career while pulling down 14 huge rebounds. This allowed LeBron to take what the defense gave him and play his way, to make the right play every time. The debate shouldn’t be whether or not LeBron is able make a fadeaway game clinching 3 like Kyrie did, because he probably can’t. But Kyrie can. LeBron trusted his teammate to win and he came through. That’s the story of the series. LeBron isn’t psychotically competitive like Jordan was, he’s just not that guy. However, if game 7 is any indication then maybe LeBron’s more passive game is just as good. If you disagree, then you can argue with the ring.