G.O.A.T.--LeBron James

by Bob Gurnett

  The 2011–2012 NBA season was shortened due to a disagreement between team owners and players. They had what is called a lockout. The lockout was resolved, but it caused the season to start a month late and have fewer games. The Heat started the season winning games big and they never let up. The Miami Heat finished the season 46–20. LeBron once again won the regular season MVP honors because of his improved game and incredible regular season stats. But LeBron wasn’t satisfied with regular season awards anymore. He needed to win the championship.

  LIFETIME STATS

  (Per game)

  12 time all star

  POINTS: 21.1

  x2 Finals MVP

  REBOUNDS: 11.8

  x2 NBA Champ

  BLOCKS: 3.1

  1994 MVP

  They went into another postseason as the favorites to win the Finals. LeBron was determined not to lose. The Big Three still had last year on their mind. Every day the team would remind themselves of how bad that loss hurt. All of the Big Three took it hard. It helped them stay focused to remember the pain of the loss and to push to not experience it again. The team knew they would not have an easy road. They stumbled here and there, going down 2–1 to the Indiana Pacers in the second round before putting them away. And they were almost eliminated by the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals. LeBron took over the deciding game, making 12 shots in a row and scoring 45 points overall. The whole playoff run, LeBron was steady and came up big when his team needed him most. He didn’t disappear and shy away from the spotlight. He stayed aggressive and averaged more than 30 points a game with 9.6 rebounds! But the real question was, would he disappear in the Finals like he did the previous year, or would he rise to the occasion?

  The Heat were all set to face off against the young and exciting Oklahoma City Thunder in 2012 NBA Finals. His opponents included Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, both of whom would go on to win MVP awards later in their careers. They were very talented and had tremendous energy. The Thunder were the second youngest team in the NBA. They played fun, fast basketball. Kevin Durant was the thoughtful, quiet leader of the team. He held the NBA scoring title for 2011–2012. Kevin Durant told the press he was going to shoot until his arms fell off, just like he did all season. He was a lethal scorer from anywhere on the court.

  James Harden, Kevin Durant, and Russell Westbrook

  Russell Westbrook was the team’s fiery point guard. He was all attitude and swagger. Some members of the press had been critical of some of his selfish play. Westbrook shook it off, telling them he was not going to change a thing. The Thunder even had a new fan favorite player, James Harden. He was scoring over 15 points a game coming off the bench. Durant, Westbrook, and Harden were young and had something to prove. LeBron had seen this before; the Spurs and the Celtics also had superstar trios. This time, though, LeBron had his own Big Three.

  LeBron remembered his lessons from the past two Finals. From the initial tip-off, he attacked and was aggressive. In a game with six true superstars competing, he was far and away the best player on the court. Durant tried to match him shot for shot and did well, but LeBron was playing on another level. He was determined to not let all his critics be right. He refused to disappear in the big moments but instead turned it up a notch. His teammates even noticed. Wade pointed out that in the series LeBron was driving straight to the basket. When he did that, he was like a freight train. Defenders had no chance of stopping him. The best they could do was foul him. Meanwhile, his teammates were playing great. Chris Bosh ripped down almost 10 boards a game. Dwyane Wade scored an average of 22 points per game, and took the scoring pressure off LeBron. Together as teammates, they made each other better.

  There were even heroics from role players on the team. Young Mario Chalmers, nicknamed Rio by the team, came out of nowhere to win them game 4. Rio had been in the league a few years, but was not a star. Then LeBron took the young point guard under his wing. With that leadership, his confidence bloomed. Down the stretch in the fourth quarter, Rio made a driving layup past OKC’s best defender and then the very next play made two clutch free throws. LeBron didn’t need the spotlight. He knew when to let one of his teammates shine.

  The whole series, LeBron could hear Tim Duncan’s words: someday this league will belong to you. Was this finally the someday he was waiting for? Was it all worth it? He had failed on the biggest stage. He had disappointed fans. He went back to the drawing board over and over to add new skills to his game. Every time he failed, he asked himself how he could be better. His best teacher was not a coach or even his mother. Instead, his best teacher was failure itself. Every time he fell down, he got back up and learned from it.

  As the clock ticked down in game five of the 2012 NBA Finals, LeBron looked up at the scoreboard. He notched another triple double and the Heat dominated the game. All series he led his team in almost every category. He never let up and stayed aggressive, even when the team was down. He never got lost or doubted himself. LeBron didn’t even think about the doubters. He just thought about playing his game, the one he painstakingly crafted over 9 years in the NBA. As the last second ticked away from the last game of the 2012 NBA season, it was also a countdown of the final second when LeBron James was not a champion. 3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . . The buzzer rang and the confetti dropped and LeBron James could finally call himself a champion.

  LeBron, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh after winning their first championship with the Heat

  Everything LeBron learned, every summer spent in the gym, every night lying awake replaying losses in his head, lead to that moment. His only goal since coming to the NBA was to win an NBA championship. Every decision he made was for this. He spent two Finals standing by and watching another team hoist the trophy. Now it was his turn. After all the hype and expectation, the league finally belonged to LeBron. Standing with Wade and Bosh, LeBron held the Larry O’Brien trophy high above his head for thousands of his cheering fans to see.

  The Heat’s Big Three would take all that momentum and carry it into the next year. The team posted one of the most impressive regular seasons ever. At one point, they won 27 games in a row, the third-longest winning streak in NBA history! LeBron was once again brilliant, averaging 26.8 points, 8 rebounds, and 7.3 assists. He was the MVP again. It seemed like he might be the MVP forever!

  The Heat went into the playoffs with 66 wins under their belt, the most in Heat franchise history. It tied the most ever by a LeBron-led team. They opened the playoffs with a tidy sweep of the Chicago Bulls and kept up their great play until the Finals. It was the Big Three’s third Finals in a row. They played the San Antonio Spurs, who had a Big Three of their own in Tony Parker, Tim Duncan, and Manu Ginóbili. LeBron was familiar with them. They dealt him his first real NBA heartbreak, the sweep in the 2007 NBA Finals.

  LeBron wanted payback. It took seven games. It almost didn’t happen. Gregg Popovich, the Spurs coach, had devised a plan to deal with LeBron. The defense was ordered to play off LeBron and dare him to shoot jumpers. If he started to drive, they could collapse, but they were willing to let him take all the long shots he wanted. It was a gamble. Still they thought it gave them the best chance. LeBron didn’t realize it at first. He said he went to watch tape of the first two games and saw what they were doing. He immediately took advantage of it, taking as many threes and long jumpers as they’d give him. It ended up burning the Spurs. LeBron scored 37 points in the pivotal game seven with five three pointers. All the work and hours in the gym practicing to fill that hole in his game paid off again. LeBron was a back to back NBA champion.

  The next season (2013–2014) was another great one, but not quite as great as the one before. LeBron hit his career averages with 27 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists for the season, and he even set a personal best when he scored 61 points against the Charlotte Bobcats. But his teammates were having trouble. They finished the season 2nd in the East with 54 wins. LeBron found himself having to carry a team again. In fact, in the playoffs, LeBron and his te
ammates struggled to overcome the Indiana Pacers, needing LeBron to hit a buzzer beater to win game 1. They eventually won the series but in an interview, LeBron compared it to the “Cleveland Days.” Despite the struggles, the team made their fourth Finals in a row! But the celebration was short-lived. The Heat lost to the Spurs 4–1, one more lost championship to his old rivals.

  After this disappointing season, LeBron had another decision to make. His contract was up and he was feeling homesick. Winning with his friends in Miami was fun, but he wanted to do something for his hometown team, too. After all, he was just a little kid from Akron at heart. Years earlier, the promise of a championship in Cleveland was made. He knew he was the only person who could deliver it to them. It would take a G.O.A.T. to bring a title to a Cleveland sports team. LeBron packed his bags. For the 2014–2015 season, he was heading back home to the Cavs.

  8

  RETURN OF THE KING

  During the summer of 2014, LeBron wrote an essay for Sports Illustrated explaining why he was coming back home. He wanted to win a championship for his hometown. The King returned to a Kingdom in shambles. All the progress he had made for the Cleveland franchise was gone. The team was again losing 50+ games a season. They were floundering. Even though it had a promising young guard, Kyrie Irving, the team was still bad. LeBron wasted no time recruiting All-Star-caliber talent to come play with him. Superstar power forward Kevin Love came to Cavaliers as part of a trade. LeBron, Love, and Kyrie formed a new Big Three for Cleveland. This time LeBron knew exactly what it took to win a championship. This time he wasn’t doing it for himself. He was doing it for Cleveland.

  LeBron and company were an offensive juggernaut. They crushed teams with exciting alley-oops and huge dunks. LeBron finally had the help he had always wanted in Cleveland, and it showed. LeBron missed a long stretch of games for the first time in his career, but the team still managed to win and make the playoffs. Their first matchup? The Boston Celtics. The last time the Cavaliers met them in the playoffs, Boston beat them badly.

  Like the Cavs, the Celtics had a new roster full of young players. LeBron still showed no mercy. His team took strong leads and never let up. LeBron averaged 27 points and 9 rebounds in the series as Cleveland sept Boston.

  The next two series were also relatively easy. The Cavs beat the Bulls in 6 games and swept the Hawks. Then came the Finals. LeBron had been there before. In a Cavs uniform, too. But the Cavs had never had a team this good. Kyrie Irving was averaging 21 points a game. Kevin Love was putting up nearly 20 points and 10 rebounds a game. The team seemed a lock to finally bring a championship to Cleveland.

  But they were matched up against the new young superstars in the Golden State Warriors. Led by that season’s sharpshooting MVP, Steph Curry, the Warriors jumped out to an early 1–0 series lead. Then LeBron came storming back in game 2, winning on the road in another overtime game. This was the first time in history the first two games of the Finals went to overtime. LeBron posted a triple-double with 39 points, 16 rebounds, and 11 assists. He even hit a bunch of free throws in the closing seconds of OT to seal it.

  LeBron on the Cavs, dribbling against Steph Curry

  They went back to Cleveland. Cav’s fans were sure this was finally their year. LeBron didn’t disappoint. In game 3, the Cavaliers never trailed and LeBron scored 40 points in his first Finals in Cleveland in 8 years. But the very next game, the Cavaliers were blown out on their home court. The series was now tied 2–2. Home court advantage went back to the Warriors. The Cavs were demoralized heading back to San Francisco.

  LeBron scored his second triple-double of the series in game 4. He poured in 40 points, grabbed 14 rebounds, and dished out 11 assists, but it wasn’t enough. Golden State won another blowout. The Cavs had to win game 6, or else the season was over. They were down for much of the game but fought back to within 4 points late, but lost 105–97. LeBron was once again defeated in the Finals. He played better than anyone could have asked him to play. He averaged 35.8 points, 13.3 rebounds, and 8.8 assists. Those stats had some wondering if LeBron should get the Finals MVP in a losing effort, something that has only happened once in NBA history. Instead Andre Iguodala of Golden State took the trophy while LeBron and his team regrouped for the next season. LeBron was determined to deliver on his promise to bring a championship to Cleveland.

  The 2015–2016 season was routine for LeBron and the Cavs. Then their head coach was replaced halfway through by Tyronn Lue, even though the team was winning consistently. Lue was one of the most respected assistant coaches in the league. Many called him a “players’ coach” because he got along with the players so well. He was a welcome change for LeBron and the team. The Cavs went on to win 57 games and were healthy for the playoffs. Fans were excited, but nervous . . . until the first round got underway.

  The Cavaliers swept the first two rounds. They hardly ever trailed in a game. It was as if they had saved all their fire for the playoffs. They didn’t lose a game until game 3 of the Eastern conference Finals against Toronto. 10 straight wins in the playoffs! LeBron spent much of that stretch letting young Kyrie shine. The point guard had great talent. LeBron, as always, was happy to make a teammate better. LeBron only averaged 23 points. He knew that getting the ball to Kyrie would help.

  They put away the Raptors in 6 games. Then they found out who they would meet in the Finals. None other than the Golden State Warriors, again! This was LeBron’s 6th straight Finals appearance—four with the Heat, and now two with the Cavs. He was ready.

  The series did not start the way Cleveland wanted. The Warriors took game 1, capitalizing on a 29 to 9 run in the 3rd quarter. LeBron was in Finals mode, though. He was one assist short of a triple-double with 23 points, 12 rebounds, and 9 assists. Game 2 was worse. LeBron struggled and had 7 turnovers. Something was wrong. They lost by 33 points.

  Teams that go down 0–2 in a series lose 91% of the time. It is a stat that every basketball player knows. If Cleveland didn’t win game 3, they were toast. No one has ever come back from a 0–3 start.

  Game 3 had everything on the line. So, the Cavs opened the game with a 9–0 run and never trailed. They won the game by 30 points. LeBron had 32 points in the rout. The excitement didn’t last long, though. The Cavs lost game 4 at home. It was a rough game, where LeBron and Warriors forward Draymond Green almost got in a fight. It looked like the Cavs were falling apart again. They needed to win two games on the road and one at home. Could they do it?

  They went to the Oakland arena knowing what needed to be done. LeBron and Kyrie came out and played the best two-man game of their short careers together. They were unstoppable. By the end of the game, they both had 41 points. It was the first time two players on the same team had more than 40 points in the Finals. The Cavs had won on the road. It was now 3 games to 2.

  They went home to Cleveland. LeBron played ferociously in game 6. At one point, late in the 3rd quarter, LeBron scored 18 points in a row. He could not be stopped. And when Steph Curry was on a breakaway trying to score a layup, LeBron chased him down and pinned the ball to the glass. LeBron had spent all of game 6 trying to frustrate Curry. He knew tough play would get under Steph’s skin, just like it did to LeBron when he was new to the league. It seemed LeBron had finally done it when Curry threw his mouth guard in frustration. He was given a technical foul and, more importantly, LeBron knew he had gotten in Steph’s head. Steph Curry was blocked six times in the game and ended up fouling out.

  LeBron blocking Steph Curry

  With LeBron pushing hard at the reigning MVP, he was filling up his own box score. LeBron had liked his stats from the night before so much he did it again, scoring 41 points for the second game in a row. The Cavs won by 14, forcing a game 7 in Oakland. This was the closest any Cleveland sports franchise had been to a title in decades. There was just one game left to decide the Cavs’ fate.

  Playing a game 7 is the most intense feeling in basketball. It is do or die. Every single move, every shot, every practice o
f the season have all led to this one game. LeBron was prepared to finally deliver on his promise. He came back to Cleveland for a reason. He didn’t come to lose in the NBA Finals. LeBron James came home so the city of Cleveland could witness an NBA championship. The game was close the whole way. It had 20 lead changes and 11 ties. The most important play for LeBron wasn’t on offense, though. In the final 2 minutes, LeBron delivered one of the most iconic moments of his career. Andre Iguodala was on a fast break, streaking for the basket. No one was there to defend. LeBron knew it was up to him to stop Iguodala. He dug deep and sprinted after him. Don’t give up, don’t give up, was all he thought while chasing down the swift Iguodala. It was a tie game and Iggy’s shot would put the Warriors up. LeBron chased him down, soaring in, seemingly out of nowhere. He took his big right hand and pinned the layup to the glass, and JR Smith grabbed the rebound. LeBron never gave up, not on the game, and not on his dream to bring a championship to Cleveland.