fpliii wrote:nonjokegetter wrote:fpliii wrote:Pretty much. Had LeBron lost in the ECF in 07 and this year instead of his team being severely outmatched/outplayed in the Finals, I'd rate him higher.
Same, but imagine if he managed to help the Heat lose to the Bulls in 2011: he'd be a perfect 2/2! Better than Hakeem and at least the same win percentage as Jordan! He really dropped the ball winning the conference finals that year, and it's a black mark, there's no two ways about it.
He'd be the same 2/2 as Willis Reed (who didn't play in the Finals in 72). Undefeated, just like Havlicek (8/8).
To your sarcastic point, I'm only comparing LeBron to players of the same caliber and era, not Reed or Havlicek. Finals performance is a means for looking at performance relative to expectations.
Let's look at his 3 Finals losses. 2007 is a obviously huge plus for LeBron, but how about 2011 and 2014?
The Heat were a huge favorite in 2011 and slight underdog in 2014. (On RealGM, 70% predicted Heat victory.)
In both cases, the Heat severely underperformed expectations.
A large chunk of the blame for 2011 obviously falls on LeBron's shoulders.
Many people absolve LeBron for the 2014 loss. I would say he slightly underperformed, especially in the games on Miami's homecourt. But let's have a closer look at his game-by-game performance, courtesy of ESPN's Heat Index:
Game 1: A-
Hard to fault a guy who willed his body to its absolute maximum until his legs literally wouldn't move. In heat more than 90 degrees due to broken AT&T Center air conditioning, James drove to the basket and scored in his 33rd minute of playing time and subsequently couldn't walk. Teammates carried him to the bench, where he watched the rest of the game as the Spurs closed out. When the arena's electricity factors into a game's outcome, you've got a serious problem.
Game 2: A+
NovaJames. Surprisingly, the Spurs didn't pack the paint or throw immediate backup when James attacked the basket, and he barreled and spun his way into the lane for easy baskets at the rim. By the fourth quarter, James was taking and making every ridiculous shot in the book with a hand in his face. How do you stop that?
Game 3: C+
He shot efficiently, but let Kawhi Leonard get loose at the outset. Also, he coughed up too many turnovers when trying to orchestrate Miami's offense from the paint. It's difficult to fault the effort, but James seemed to play out of control at times.
Game 4: B+
Hard to stomach how his team showed up. After some early intestinal distress, LeBron's issues cleared up in the second half, as one dunk punctuated 19 of the Heat's 21 third-quarter points. But he needs relief to come from his teammates, and for 48 minutes, none came. He's not on a superteam, he is the superstar, and that's just not enough against these Spurs.
Game 5: B-
LeBron entered Sunday with the most points per game of any player in elimination games in NBA history, racked up 17 points in 10 superhuman minutes ... and that was pretty much it. With the Spurs' defense keying on him, his supporting cast proved inept as the Spurs regained full control. He couldn't win a title with the NBA's oldest roster this season. A long offseason awaits.
Overall, for the series, LeBron had a 3.26 GPA or a B+.
but don't worry you are a good poster
