- Thread starter
- #1
Elite
PND SZN
- Joined
- Feb 28, 2010
- Messages
- 18,915
- Reaction score
- 1,162
ESPNNot one, not two, not three … zero is the number of championships won by LeBron James so far. The East is opening up, but a 2012 title is no forgone conclusion, either.
Despite being able to single-handedly dominate basketball games, James' championship drought leaves his legacy in question.
Still, James is likely to win his third MVP this season, something only the game's greats can lay claim to.* His talents are undeniable. And this year, he's got a very good shot at winning his first ring. But title or not, he's still the best player since Michael Jordan and the numbers clearly show it.
Since Jordan
Since Michael Jordan retired in 1998, nobody (including Jordan himself) has lived up to the standard he set. Besides James, however, all serious contenders for best player honors since MJ have a championship ring. Tim Duncan, Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant even have come close to replicating Jordan's total of six.
Nevertheless, as the table below shows, James rises above the rest in terms of individual numbers. He has led the league in PER five times and in win shares four times, both the highest since Jordan. In terms of total MVP votes he is only barely behind Duncan and Bryant despite a considerably shorter career.
There are two reasons James' individual numbers might finally translate to postseason success this season.Code:Player PER Leader WS Leader MVP Shares Titles Team Quality Kobe Bryant 0 0 3.8 5 4.2 Tim Duncan 0 2 4.2 4 6.2 Kevin Garnett 2 2 2.8 1 2 LeBron James 5 4 3.5 0 3.3 Dirk Nowitzki 2 2 1.8 1 3.8 S. O'Neal 5 2 4.4 4 4 Dwyane Wade 0 0 0.8 1 1.6
The first is obvious: a lack of talent around him while with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The two All-Stars who played with him in Cleveland were Mo Williams, a backup on a No. 4 seed now, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas, an Eastern Conference center. In the seasons before and after James' time with the Cavaliers, the team won a combined 36 games, only one more win than James' worst season with Cleveland.
That excuse is gone now that he's joined forces with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. A second problem has arisen, though; the best team doesn't always win. James has been the victim of bad luck against the Orlando Magic and Dallas Mavericks, and the beneficiary of good luck in his first run to the Finals. Factoring in his Miami Heat teammates and looking over his entire career, James' teams have been 3.3 points better than average, not substantially different from that of other superstars. Yet he still has no ring.
It is notable that James has never been a part of a dominant goliath like the 1995-96 Bulls. It's also important to note that a title, despite what many fans might like to think, should not be the end-all-be-all of greatness. There are still four other players on the floor and chance involved when it comes to a seven-game series.
These playoffs
Skeptics are of course pointing out James' disappearance during parts of last year's NBA Finals. He definitely didn't play up to his lofty standards, especially in a crucial Game 4 loss to the Mavs. And in fans' minds, persistent failure in the playoffs would be a catastrophic flaw in James' overall package.
Yet people tend to forget how in many other playoff games, James has risen to the occasion. His Game 7 duel with the Celtics' Paul Pierce in 2008, his single-handed overpowering of the Pistons in 2007 and even his performance against the Bulls last season all would fit well as part of Jordan's portfolio.
A small number of games never makes for good evaluation, though, so what happens if we take a higher level look? It turns out that over James' career, his playoff PER is actually slightly worse than it is during the regular season. But it also turns out that's not an uncommon trend for stars.
An overall downward trend makes sense against better competition, and we've previously touched upon the heightened importance of big men in the playoffs. But to summarize the list to the right, it appears that two types of players generally appear to elevate their play in the postseason: big men and Jordan.Code:Player Career PER Playoff PER Change H. Olajuwon 23.6 25.7 2.1 Dirk Nowitzki 23.6 24.7 1.1 Michael Jordan 27.9 28.6 0.7 Tim Duncan 24.7 25.4 0.7 S. O'Neal 26.4 26.1 -0.3 LeBron James 27.2 26.4 -0.8 Dwyane Wade 25.7 24.7 -1 Kobe Bryant 23.4 22.3 -1.1 Magic Johnson 24.1 23 -1.1 Larry Bird 23.5 21.4 -2.1 Paul Pierce 20.7 18.5 -2.2
Small forwards like James tend to fare worst of all. And what of Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Bryant? Looking beyond the small number of memorable plays etched in playoff history and focusing on overall individual performance across all playoff games, those three players all could be considered bigger playoff chokers than James.
In the end, let's remember that James is just 27 years old this season, nearly the same age as Jordan when he won his first title. According to the TeamRankings.com projections, Miami currently has a 23 percent chance of winning the 2011-12 NBA championship. If the Heat do win, James would earn his first ring. And if you ask MJ, 23 is a great number, indeed. But the numbers bear out that he's already established his place as the best player of his generation regardless of a championship or not.
