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LeBron James from a Warriors Fan’s Perspective

By Carlos Murillo

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Greatness.

Theres’s no other word for what we witnessed out of LeBron James aside from just greatness. Unfortunately for James, basketball is a team sport and he didn’t have a team.

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It may be brash, but it’s the truth. The NBA Finals was a matchup of the Golden State Warriors vs. LeBron James and LeBron James only. This isn’t about the lack of help James had, but rather the sheer impact James had on the series.

I never saw Michael Jordan play. Well, I saw Washington Wizards Jordan, but that wasn’t really His Airness. So I’m not necessarily qualified to speak on who the greatest player of All-Time is (is anyone really?), but I can say with great confidence that LeBron James is the greatest player I’ve ever seen play.

James averaged 35.8 points, 13.3 rebounds, and 8.8 assists. It’s the first time in NBA Finals history that any player led all players in each category. James finished with two triple-doubles–one of which was the first 40 point triple-double since Jerry Wests’s in 1969. He was just several assists away from a few more. He became the youngest player to score 5,000 points in the NBA Playoffs. He wasn’t as efficient as he normally is as he shot under 40%, but he had no other choice.

Jun 16, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) shakes hands with Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) during the fourth quarter of game six of the NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena. Warriors won 105-97. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Cavaliers that were out on the floor alongside James did not belong to be on an NBA Finals court. And somehow they won two games and managed to keep it close for the most part throughout the other games. That’s a testament to the greatness of LeBron James.

I’m not necessarily a James fan, but I’m not a James hater either. I’m a James sympathizer, but I’m also a realist. I don’t hold James accountable for losing the 2007 NBA Finals as a 22 year old against a team full of Hall of Famers. It’s not reasonable. But I do hold his first Finals appearance in Miami against the Dallas Mavericks against him. Similarly, this last loss doesn’t count in my book because the fact that he took this team this far is impressive.

LeBron James doesn’t just have the pressure of a basketball star, but rather that of a messiah.

Larry Bird couldn’t have competed like this against this Golden State team. Neither could Magic Johnson. Nor Kobe Bryant. Nor even Jordan. I truly believe that. Those guys were winners, but they won with great players around them. The closest thing James had to a great player was Games 1 and 2 Matthew Dellavedova.

The King looked like a man amongst boys. He did everything that has placed him in the discussion for greatest of all time, times ten. There’s no sense in denying greatness. LeBron James did more than what seems humanly possible. He was on the court at all times, running full speed, sacrificing his body, doing whatever it takes to win. And it still wasn’t enough. As a basketball fan, that’s heartbreaking.

Jun 9, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) dunks the ball against the Golden State Warriors during the first quarter in game three of the NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

His efforts were both valiant and admirable. Unfortunately, there was nothing more he could have done. In his fifth straight NBA Finals, James ran out of gas carrying what looked like a lottery team. When he said that he was confident because he’s the best player in the world, I had no issue with it. It’s a factual statement. Watching James do what he wanted on the court was draining and deflating for me as a fan. Watching one person pick apart the league’s best defense was incredible.

James walks around with a weight on his shoulders that I don’t know professional sports has seen. LeBron James doesn’t just have the pressure of a basketball star, but rather that of a messiah. The city of Cleveland revolved and relies on him and his success. Decades of failure and disappointment seem to be coming to an end with every James layup, but his shortcomings ultimately contribute to the sadness. Furthermore, the ghosts of the basketball greats haunt him. What he does is never good enough because someone else did something else.

What can be said about LeBron James that hasn’t already been said? A once-in-a-generation talent will have a tainted legacy because of the incompetence of his teammates. His greatness has been on full display, but people will just look at his 2-4 record in the last series of the season. These Finals were not on him. And anyone that wants to argue so is either bitter or ignorant.

LeBron James is in the prime of his career. In a less-than-menacing Eastern Conference, it’s hard to envision a reality where James doesn’t return to this stage with a healthy Kyrie Irving. But he’s logged a lot of minutes over his career. So who knows how much longer we’ll have him. I hated “the Decision” and I bought into the “LeBron James as a villain” narrative. I didn’t like him in Miami, but he’s great regardless. Even if you hate him, you have to respect the player no matter who you support.

James has said and done a lot that can make him unlikeable to some. I understand that. I’m not trying to get you to love him because I don’t even feel that way. But respect him. Respect what he has done in his career. Respect what he did this year with nothing. The roster in the Finals probably doesn’t make the playoffs without him so the fact they won two and were competitive in others is mind-blowing. He’s not Kobe Bryant. He’s not Michael Jordan. He’s LeBron James and he’s the greatest player of this generation.

Thank you, LeBron. You gave us a show. I’m sorry it had to be this way for you. You’re an all-time great and you deserve better. But not this year. This year was the Golden State Warriors’ year.

Greatness.

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