Finals win would cement LeBron’s legacy

Posted By on June 9, 2015

Feature photo courtesy of Basket Streaming / Flickr.

If there’s one thing I remember from my introductory Government and Politics course last semester, it’s that the president’s national approval rating can change drastically when a crisis occurs. It can skyrocket or it can plummet.

Now I’m no aficionado of government and politics, but I like to think I am when it comes to sports. That being said, the Cleveland Cavaliers endured a crisis Thursday night and their leader LeBron James was dealt with a difficult deck of cards.

With the assistance of Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh buried deep in his past, and the help of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love whisked away from him as a result of injuries, LeBron has been tasked with what seemed, before Game 2, to many people (including myself), to be a near impossible feat. He had to beat the team that boasts this year’s most valuable player, Stephen Curry, and that finished the regular season with the tenth best record in league history. Oh yeah, and he has to do it alone.

Whether this series was 2-0 Cavs, 2-0 Warriors or 1-1 like it is, one thing is clear about the Cavs: LeBron has lifted them from the depths, led them to glory and, when all was in doubt, he showed up.

After posting 44 points in Game 1, LeBron dazzled in Game 2 with a triple double, scoring 39 points, grabbing 16 rebounds and notching 11 assists. To make things even more impressive, he played 50 out of 53 possible minutes.

Yeah, Matthew Dellavedova played some solid defense and Timofey Mozgov impressed, but don’t let that stray you from the truth. You can list every shot LeBron missed, whether it was in the first or the final minute. You can add up all the points that were cost. But when it all boils down the Cavs would be wiped off the floor like a fly on a windshield without LeBron.

Neil Greenberg of the Washington Post cited John Hollinger’s game score analytical statistic as an example of the weight LeBron has on the Cavs. Hollinger’s game score measures a player’s productivity for a single game, where the scale is similar to that of points scored. 40 represents an outstanding performance, while 10 is average. LeBron’s score for this year’s finals is 27.2, double that of the next healthy player, Timofey Mozgov (13.7), who happened to sit out for the entirety of the fourth quarter and overtime on Sunday night. Injured point guard Kyrie Irving’s game score for Game 1 was 21.1, which is only 8.8 less than LeBron’s entire current supporting cast.

When it’s all said and done, the Cavs will have travelled as far as LeBron takes them. Whether that’s to an NBA title or just short of one, one thing is for certain: LeBron is a once-in-a-generation athlete. I’m not saying LeBron is the GOAT, or better than Michael Jordan, but he is undoubtedly one of the all-time greats. If LeBron James and the Cavaliers hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy when the confetti falls, there’s absolutely no reason that he shouldn’t be in the conversation with the likes of Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson and the rest of the legends. With a maximum of five games left in his season, LeBron has a prime opportunity to eliminate his critics and cement his legacy. So what will it be… Will he rise?

Or will he fall?

If his dedication and mentality are any indication, look towards the former.

Alex Flum
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Alex, a sophomore broadcast journalism major, joined The Left Bench in 2015 and will cover the Maryland Men's Basketball team this year. He is a native of the DC Area and a long-suffering DC Sports fan (especially Wizards and Redskins).