LeBron James may have competition for the title of “best player in the NBA,” but he’s the most trustworthy player in the league. That is, at least, how many executives and coaches feel.
According to ESPN’s Zach Lowe, James remains the choice for a winner-take-all game ahead of his arch-rival Kevin Durant… so long that he is healthy. (h/t Peter Dewey, Lakers Daily).
The ‘if healthy’ qualifier is essential here because we saw James go down to injury last season, just as he did his first year with the Los Angeles Lakers. It’s no secret, James isn’t a spring chicken anymore and is no longer in his prime. Nevertheless, he has played more minutes in the playoffs than any other player in NBA history. James, 36, turns 37 this December, but he still showed he was dominant enough to be the centerpiece of a championship team before his injury last season.
One of the most flawed sports narratives that have spread like wildfire over the years is the belief that James isn’t clutch or lacks a “clutch gene.” This belief, of course, has been perpetuated by the likes of sports personalities like Fox’s Skip Bayless, who has amplified his career off of criticizing all things LeBron James.
The problem I’ve always had with such rhetoric, regardless of the source, is that it’s easily debunked with actual data. James boasts a 6-2 record in Game 7s in his career. Did I mention that he won six straight Game 7s?
That’s right, the last time LeBron James lost a Game 7 was in 2008 against the Boston Celtics. Since then, it’s been six up, six down.
He also has seven buzzer-beaters in his career, ranking him fourth all-time behind Michael Jordan (9), Kobe Bryant (8), and Joe “Iso Joe” Johnson (8), respectively. Of the seven buzzer-beaters in James’ career, five of them have come in the playoffs — the most anyone has ever had in NBA postseason history.
Do you know whose name I didn’t mention? If your guess were the one who wears No.7 and plays small forward for the Brooklyn Nets, you would be correct. Durant isn’t even on the top 10 list for most buzzer-beaters all-time.
Yikes!
Although the NBA and the NBA media have tried to push the James-Curry feud as the most significant sports rivalry this past decade, James’ actual nemesis is and has always been Durant. If you’ve been objectively watching, Durant has been nipping at James’ heels since his career-changing move to sign with the Golden State Warriors, which resulted in two titles.
The snatching of the torch happened in the 2017 and 2018 NBA Finals — two series in which Durant propelled his team to victory comfortably and won two Finals MVP Awards — or, so we thought. Not even two game-altering three-point shots — one of them in James’ face, in his building — could change the perception that Durant was just a tier below James in the NBA hierarchy. Durant was still widely seen as the second fiddle to James, but it was evident that the gap was closing.
But once the 4x-scoring champion got injured against the Toronto Raptors, it was out of sight, out of mind. So instead, Durant sat at home rehabbing as he watched James capture his fourth championship, doubling the number of rings he has. Durant returned this season from his career-threatening Achilles injury with a vengeance, reminding us why there is a debate about who the NBA’s best player is for the first time in a long time.
But the professional sports industry is a “what have you done for me lately” business. And while Durant is fresh off leading team USA to an Olympic gold medal, we saw him come up short in the playoffs against the eventual champion Milwaukee Bucks. Before the Olympics, our last image was him hoisting up an ill-advised shot that resulted in an airball. That’s right, with the game on the line, the so-called “best player” in the NBA couldn’t win a Game 7, at home to keep his team’s championships aspirations alive.
Durant has a 3-2 record in Game 7s in his career. That record is good; it’s just not better than James’. Unfortunately, it seems like that has been the story of Durant’s NBA life. As great as he is — there is no denying that he’s an all-time great — he’s not better than LeBron James is.
And there’s nothing wrong with that; I wish more people saw that.