Same ol’ song in East: All hail the King
Follow
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
Maybe next year.
That familiar refrain was on Boston’s mind Sunday after LeBron James advanced to the NBA Finals for the eighth consecutive season.
Boston expressed the same sentiment last season (and in 2012), just like Chicago, Indiana, Indiana again, Atlanta and Toronto in years prior. Three versions of the Celtics have been four wins from an Eastern Conference championship, but those squads – led by Paul Pierce, Isaiah Thomas and Kyrie Irving – ultimately fared no better than doormats under James’ Nikes.
“He’s unbelievable,” Boston coach Brad Stevens told reporters Sunday after losing Game 7. “Every day that you’re totally focused on this and he’s gone past that eight straight times. It’s ridiculous, and he does it at this level with the pressure, with the scrutiny – doesn’t matter. It’s just unbelievable.”
Just as he did Friday, James looked tired at points during Game 7. But he defeated fatigue to play all 48 minutes, notching another sublime closeout performance. He entered with career averages of 34.9 points, eight rebounds 4.5 assists in Game 7s. That was sub-par compared to Sunday, when he had with 35 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists, while connecting on half of his 24 shots.
The Cavs were without Kevin Love, their second-best player. Sharpshooter Kyle Korver was 1-for-6 from the field, all behind the arc. The bench contributed a whopping three points.
But none of that mattered because Cleveland had No. 23. James is now 6-2 in Game 7 situations after losing his first two.
“The bigger stage, the bigger the player, and he’s been doing it for us since we’ve been here,” coach Tyronn Lue told reporters. “You always want to go into Game 7 with the best player, and we have the best player on our team going into a Game 7. I liked our chances and he delivered again.”
In a way, James has delivered like never before. This campaign marked the first time he played all 82 regular-season games. At 33 years old, he just played an entire postseason game for the first time since 2006, when he was barely old enough to drink legally. In the fourth quarter Sunday, he made 4 of 6 shots, grabbed three rebounds and collected four assists.
“Our goal going into the series was to make him exert as much energy as humanly possible and try to be as good as we can on everybody else,” Stevens said. “For the most part, I thought we were pretty good at that. Multiple games now in TD Garden, held them under 100, three games in the 80s – but he still scored 35. It’s a joke.”
It comes complete with rimshots and a laugh track to antagonize Eastern Conference opponents.
These Cavaliers rival the 2007 rendition that James put on his back and carried to the Finals. These Cavs were remade at the trade deadline and missed Irving more than Boston. These Cavs barely escaped their first-round series against Indiana last month!
James posted 45 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and four steals in that Game 7 against the Pacers. He’ll be hard-pressed to prevail against the Western Conference foe in the next round, where he’s 3-5 for his career, but that doesn’t make his streak less impressive. He’s right behind former Celtics greats Bill Russell (10 straight Finals), and Sam Jones and Tom Heinsohn (9).
No one is catching Russell, who won eight in a row as Boston captured 11 titles in 13 years. Golden State has proven how difficult it is to win even three consecutive championships, which hasn’t happened since the Lakers did it at the beginning of this century.
In the end, we shouldn’t judge James solely on rings won, comparing his three to Russell’s 11, Michael Jordan’s six or Kobe Bryant’s five. That would be a disservice to the greatness he has exhibited for 15 years and counting.
“It’s been a satisfaction in the fact that I like to be successful,” James told reporters. “But more importantly, just the work that I put into it. I mean, it’s an every-single-day work ethic that I have while I’m playing this game, while I have the ability to play this game at this level. I love the competition.
“But more importantly, me just being healthy. I’ve been healthy throughout this run. I put a lot of work into my body, into my craft. Being available to my teammates and the two franchises I’ve been with, and throughout this run is what’s been more important to me than anything. Always being available.”
He’ll be available for the final series this season.
Maybe next year will be different.
— Brooklyn-born and Howard-educated, Deron Snyder writes his award-winning column for The Washington Times on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Follow him on Twitter @DeronSnyder.
