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“Congratulations to my brother LeBron James on the 10th finish of his career. What we are seeing will never happen again, ”tweeted Dwyane Wade.
Everything remained as before. The NBA returned to television screens (computers), and LeBron James returned to the final series of the playoffs. What’s new? How many finals does Bryant – 6 have? Shaq, Byrd, Magic even less? Even Robert Orry (LAL, SAS) has slightly fewer of them than “King”. You and I are witnessing the incredible achievement of a basketball player who is still capable of becoming the greatest in history. It’s time to remember all of James’ NBA Finals.
San Antonio – Cleveland (2007)
Our hero entered that series, spending the fourth season in the strongest league in the world. The Cavs finished second in the East with a 50/32 win / loss record. On the way to the Final they beat Washington – 4-0 (without Arinas and Caron Butler), New Jersey – 4-2 (Kidd scored 14.6; 10.9; 10.9 in the playoffs) and the leaders of the “zero” Eastern conferences , Detroit – 4-2.
The end of the 2006/2007 season came in the games with the Spurs. LeBron took the ball and did what he could: 22 points and almost 7 assists per game. But the seasoned Texas players managed to cool the ardor of the League’s rising star (35.6% shooting from the field and nearly 6 losses on average in the series). Gregg Popovich’s wards did not allow our hero to effectively attack his ring, and LeBron’s associates lacked the ability to support their leader.
Needless to say, if the best assistants of the “King” at that time were Larry Hughes, Ilgauskas, Pavlovich and Gibson. Even though the latter seemed quite tolerable, he hit regularly from behind the arc (especially on the team, he scored 3 points). The Eastern winners were coached by Mike Brown. But who are all these people (except Zhidrunas)? Have you heard of them when LeBron’s name was not listed among his teammates?
As a result, the natural start is 4-0 and the first experience of playing at a similar level for our hero. Although bitter.
Dallas vs Miami (2011)
After James decided to move to the South Coast of the United States, teaming up with Wade and Bosch, many NBA experts claimed that the team could win the regular season 82-0 and become champions just as easily by winning the playoffs. At first, everything was optimistic for the team. Second place in the regular season (58-24) and a confidence to lead Philadelphia, Boston and Chicago alternately with the same score 4-1.
The Finals encounter with the No. 3 seed in the West “Dallas” does not bode well. And the score after the first 3 games only contributed to this: 2-1 in favor of “Hit”. But with his deviating averages, Dirk Nowitzki managed to drag the streak down and snatch Mark Cuban’s long-awaited championship win. The overall result is 4-2 in favor of the Mevs.
What went wrong with Miami? James and Wade couldn’t share the leadership role on the team, tearing it apart on the inside. Dwayne (26.5 points per series game) was used to being the leader of his “Heath” family and didn’t want to give the cake to LeBron (17.8 points per series game). And the episode in which at the end of the decisive match the “King” had to show character and lead his teammates to storm the ring of “Dallas” became indicative. And our hero, having received the ball, gave a pass to his neighbor, showing that he is not ready / wants / can take responsibility for the result. This loss could have cost James a career. But the most interesting was yet to come.
Miami v Oklahoma (2012)
“If we had lost the decisive game at 2-3 to Boston, Pat Riley would have destroyed us all in the offseason,” said LeBron, perhaps the key moment of his career on the South Coast. But the Hit won, and they had to fight Oklahoma, for which young Durant, Westbrook and Harden competed. Hey, which team did OKS lose?
In the 2011/2012 season, coach Eric Spoelstra managed to resolve the conflict of interest and persuade Wade to accept the role of second star. Since James at that time had already become the best basketball player in the NBA. What came of it? Safe elimination of the strongest team in the western conference with a score of 4-1. And also the birth of a small ball and an increase in the role of snipers on the site. And LeBron won his first title, showing elite results in the Final (28.6; 10.2; 7.4).
Miami – San Antonio (2013)
This season has made NBA history. No, it is not the result of the regular season for Hit 66-16, nor the heroic return in the playoff series with Indiana. And not even win the NBA final against Spurs 4-3. This season will be remembered for this release – the icing on the cake.
Who is the genius? Pat Riley is a genius. It was he who signed veteran Ray Allen before the start of the season. Also, for less money than Boston offers, but with the possibility of fighting for the championship. Who in the NBA can turn down Mr. Riley?
“When you hear the name Pat Riley, you think of one of the greatest minds in basketball history, he won at every level. The league won’t be the same without Riley. Great person, great motivator, ”said James, NBA Finals Series basketball player and back-to-back champion.
San Antonio – Miami (2014)
Gregg Popovich made no secret of the fact that he had been preparing CAC for the final series with “Hit” all season long. The Texas dynasty craved revenge. And he got it. How? An important supporting element: Mike Miller left Miami in the offseason. The veteran’s renovation could be expensive for Southerners, and Pat Riley and Mickey Arison decided to save money. Shane Battie and Dwyane Wade fell apart during the playoffs. Needless to say, if at the beginning of the final series, Coach Spo began to unleash the rusty Rashard Lewis.
But the main reason for LeBron’s loss in the 2014 final was … air conditioners in hot Texas. Or rather, its malfunction. At the end of the first match, “Miami” led the count and went confidently to victory. But LeBron’s seizure and his inability to get back into the game corrected the result. San Antonio won that game. Yes, in the second game of the series, James defeated the Spurs. But then Ginobili and the company literally fired the Hit from beyond the arc. The final 4-1 hit “King” painfully, who saw his team’s inability to continue claiming the title. LeBron will face his next final series in the Cavaliers jersey.
Golden State – Cleveland (2015)
LeBron returned home. A good story should have ended with a championship win. In addition, Love and Irving helped James confidently get through the regular season (second place) and the playoffs (with only “Chicago” the score was 4-2).
But it wasn’t there. The injuries of Love and Irving themselves forced Timofey Mozgov to bet on the attack, as James’ main auxiliary option. It ended in failure. The final series score is 4-2 in favor of the Warriors.
It is worth noting that immediately after the defeat, our hero shook hands with the basketball players of the opposing team and confidently entered the room under the stands. And at a press conference, LeBron said that this defeat made him stronger and he is already preparing for the next championship.
Cleveland – Golden State (2016)
This episode is probably worth enjoying again – the LeBron James block, who brought the Cavs title back in 2015/2016. They fought 1-3, our hero wore his champion rings to the team locker room to motivate his entourage, Love and Kairi were healthy, and the judges disqualified Green from the FGP for one game. Everything in this episode was in James’ favor.
“This is for you, Cleveland”, – the “King” rejoiced after the first victory of the “Cavaliers” in the NBA.
Golden State – Cleveland (2017)
In the first game of the final, LeBron and company seemed much more convincing than the incredible “warriors” with Kevin Durant. If JR Smith had been faster, who knows how that streak would have turned out.
And so Golden State crushed James’ frankly weak team with a score of 4 to 1. To our hero’s credit, it’s worth noting that their performance indicators were at the elite level: 33.6 points; 12.0 rebounds 10.0 assists per game on average. But opposing Curry-Thompson-Iggy-Durant-Green was beyond the power of any NBA team.
Golden State – Cleveland (2018)
Probably the most predicted NBA Finals of the new millennium. Cleveland finished fourth in the regular season, Irving was sent to Boston and Love has already become a regular player with a huge salary. Yes, the Cavs did LeBronto. But Indiana and Boston also barely trailed, in which half the squad was eliminated with injuries, and rookie Tatum became the lead.
In the final series, LeBron and company were defeated 4-0. It was possible to catch up with the game only in the third game of the 102-110 series. In other matches, the FGP won with a difference of 10 or more points. Well, our hero again showed an elite level: 34.0 points; 8.5 rebounds 10.0 assists per game on average.
Los Angeles Lakers v Miami (2020)
LeBron James returned to the NBA Finals. He became the seventh player in league history to make 50 appearances in the final series. The current leaders are Bill Russell (70) and Sam Jones (64). Jerry West (55), Tom Hainson (52) and Magic Johnson (50) are also among the seven.
The secret of our hero’s success? According to James, it is very simple: “The best teacher is experience. I’ve played against great coaches, trainers, and Hall of Fame players. All my rivals helped me get to where I am today. At this stage in my career, there’s nothing I can’t do on the court. “
In the end, LeBron James became the NBA champion three times, losing six of his finals. What will this year be like? The NBA Finals are in full swing. Will the basketball player return to the Finals in the future? Good question. But it is quite difficult to imagine the main episode of the year without its “King”.
Vyacheslav SHEVCHENKO
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