Posted on 06/08/2018 9:02:19 PM PDT by EdnaMode
Warriors complete sweep of Cavaliers with 108-85 win to claim second straight NBA championship and third in four seasons
Led by Stephen Curry’s 37 points, Golden State finished off Cleveland, its Finals opponent four years running. LeBron James, a potential free agent next month, scored 23 points for the Cavaliers in the last game of his eighth consecutive Finals appearance.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Larry Bird (29)
Magic Johnson (29)
Isiah Thomas (29)
Shaq (30)
Kobe (31)
Lebron (31)
Michael Jordan (35)
Only MJ still carried his team at an advanced age, and that was after giving his body a two year rest. The Warriors might have another 1-2 years in them, but I see this as probaby their last hurrah unless they score another young star. They were likely toast against Houston until Chris Paul got injured.
Not that I watch the NBA anymore (I boycotted the series, even though I once was a season ticket holder), but since it is everywhere in the news - including here:
I hope losing 3 of 4 consecutive Finals to the same basic team, and being swept this time, will lessen the sycophantic enthusiasm for proclaiming the deposed king the greatest basketball player in this or any alternate universe.
My thought.
Well, 6 in a row anyway...
As usual, Rick Barry is overlooked:
At (31), he placed in top ten in 4 categories:
Scoring: 2nd.
Free Throw Percentage: 1st.
Steals: 1st.
Assists: 6th.
The Warriors [48-34] swept the best regular-season team, the Washington Bullets [60-22]. Barry was named the series MVP.
Barry got to the NBA Finals twice: He set personal scoring average records both times.
His 4-game record [29.5 PPG] was finally broken by Hakeem Olajuwon. His 6-game record [40.8 PPG] was finally broken by Michael Jordan (but Jordan needed the 3-point shot to do it).
There has been a dilution of talent generally as the league has expanded. The addition of the three and the emphasis on the dunk have changed the game (for the worse, in my opinion).
The Celtics dynasty with Russell, and the two Chamberlain champion teams (Sixers, Lakers) were so fundamentally sound, and had such cohesive teamwork, that I would hesitate to put any modern team on their level.
The tyranny of recency makes people think what is current is vastly superior to what has been before. Sometimes, yes, but sometimes no.
I have never seen a player that can compare to Wilt Chamberlain - no one, ever. Russell, for all his own greatness, needed the full supporting cast against Chamberlain’s teams. O’Neal ran over people - and was allowed to get away with it. Chamberlain dominated physically, but not by thuggery. He never fouled out of a game!
He spent a year with the Globetrotters. He led the league in scoring seven times; he led the league in assists after that. For all his athleticism, and being dubbed The Stilt and The Big Dipper, he preferred a finger-roll layup to the dunk because he was a finesse player.
If he were to come into today’s game, he would seem to be a man among boys.
Who cares. I do not support organizations like the nba who are full of people who hate people like me. (e.g. lebron james)
JoMa
Baseball players learn humility in the minor leagues where unlike college they’re not pampered. Which is why as far as I’m concerned college football and basketball can join their professional counterparts in the dustbin.
My father took me many times to see the Warriors when they were the
Philadelphia Warriors. They had a young Wilt Chamberlain playing for them.
Anyway, my point is that from an early age - I was an NBA fan.
It became unwatchable for me sometime around the end of the Larry
Bird era.
Lebron has been to the NBA finals 8 times I believe, which is tied for the record. Lebron has lost the NBA finals 6 times which is now the record.
The “What team will Lebron go to ...” olympics now begins in earnest.
The only reason a team and city could possibly want LeBron is because of the revenue he generates.
Great observation I would add the Knicks with Reed,Bradley and Frazier.
Bill Russell. Played on 11 NBA championship teams in a 13 year career, including 8 consecutive.
Several othe Celtics players were on eight or more.
All losers are,
Oh, you mean LeBron James the mighty one failed? At least he’ll always have his hatred of the Constitution to fall back on....that and the undying adulation of fake sports news journalists.
The fact that he carried them to the finals is a bigger story that GS winning in 4.
Lebron, with his teammates in tow, quit after his teammate made the mistake in the final seconds of game 1.
Shows his character and what kind of a leader he is(n’t).
Not so. When he left the court with 3 minutes left in the game he congratulated not only his team members the the GS guys as well. I did notice that he "cold shouldered" Andre Iguodala. Don't know why.
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