LeBron’s History:
James was merely following his own pattern. His first seven seasons were spent with Cleveland, when the Cavs made the NBA Finals once, in 2007, where they were swept by San Antonio. During those years, LBJ was widely criticized for his seeming inability to lead his team to a title.
When LeBron first became a free agent in 2010, he decided to take matters in his own hands. He determined that surrounding himself with other star players was the only way to ensure future success.
To accomplish that, he had to act as his team’s de facto general manager. So his first move was convincing fellow free agent Bosh to sign along with him in Miami, where a third star, Wade, waited with open arms.
This represented a sea change of sorts in the league. In his day, Magic Johnson would NEVER have tried to team up with the likes of rivals (and future Hall of Famers) Larry Bird, Isiah Thomas or Jordan. They represented Magic’s competition, his on-court enemies, and more than anything he wanted to beat them, not join them. He still fondly remembers that his teams beat Bird’s in 2 of 3 NBA Finals as well as in the NCAA championship game.
As we know, LeBron’s Miami Heat made the Finals four straight years. After losing to huge underdog Dallas his first season, they won two titles. The second one was attributable to his success in recruiting yet another star, Ray Allen, to Miami.
It was Allen who rescued the Heat by swishing a 3-pointer just before the buzzer of Game 6 of the Finals to force overtime against San Antonio just seconds after James had badly missed his attempt. If not for Allen’s basket, the Spurs would have won the title. Instead, the Heat won both Games 6 and 7.
After four years in Miami, James returned to Cleveland as a free agent. But first, he demanded that the team must trade their just-selected top pick of the draft, Andrew Wiggins, for an established star. The Cavs obediently complied, swapping Wiggins for All-Star Kevin Love. Along with the emerging Kyrie Irving, LBJ once again had a star trio in place.
The Cavs, of course, qualified for the Finals 4 years in a row for which LeBron deserves much credit, even though he was playing in the relatively weak, not very competitive Eastern Conference. They faced off against the Warriors each time. Cleveland won its only title the second of those years, rebounding from a 3-1 deficit after Draymond Green was suspended for a game, a shock from which Golden State never recovered.
Those who want to label James the greatest NBA player of all-time should look at the playoff record his teams have compiled. They’ve been to nine Finals and have won just three titles, a .333 winning percentage.
Their W-L record in the Finals is 18-31, or .367. By comparison, Magic’s teams won 5 out of 9 Finals, while Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s Finals record was 6 and 5. (And twice their Lakers team lost when they incurred significant injuries). Meanwhile, Michael’s Bulls were a sparkling 6 and 0 in the Finals. And going way back, the Celtics with Bill Russell were 11-1.