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LeBron James is the best basketball player I've ever seen.He played 45:31 last night out of 48 minutes in an incredibly high-paced game. The Cavs were +7 with him.
He was out of the game for 2:29. The Cavs were -12 without him.
There's a very good case to be made for the Golden State Warriors being the greatest single-season team in history. They're also one of the best defensive teams in the league this year.
They also haven't lost since March.
In three playoff games against them, James is averaging 32 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists. Oh, and he's also shooting 55% from the field.
Last year, in seven playoff games against them, he averaged 30-11-10.
I know: Michael Jordan. And I know Jordan never lost in the Finals, while James is about to lose for the fourth time in seven consecutive trips.
In fairness, though, the first time James took Cleveland to the finals (before he went to Miami), it was with the worst supporting cast that had ever made it to the NBA Finals. That team was absolutely wretched. Remember this cast of future Not-Hall-of-Famers?
Zydrunas Ilgauskas
Drew Gooden
Larry Hughes
Sasha Pavlovic
Daniel Gibson
Anderson Varejao
Donyell Marshall
Eric Snow
Damon Jones
Shannon Brown
Ira Newble
Scot Pollard
Yeah, that's awful.
His last two losses in the finals have been to the Warriors, a team that would have easily beat any team the Bulls ever faced. Jordan could score 40 every game against this year's Warriors and his Bulls still wouldn't have beaten them.
Jordan was a brilliant, incredible player. He's the second best player I've ever seen. But LeBron keeps every player on his team involved, and he can do absolutely anything and everything.
Guard anyone on the floor. Shoot threes. Drive the lane. Post up at the elbow. Post up on the low block. Make consistently ridiculous passes. Rebound. Block. Steal.
It's an incredible package, really, and I've been fortunate to watch both his and Jordan's careers in their entirety.
I've also been very fortunate to see Golden State in their prime. The Showtime Lakers were all kinds of fun, but they were nothing like this. Every minute is a highlight reel with the Warriors.
This is the best the NBA has ever been, for me. And I don't even have time to watch many games, but the best teams have a level of skill that is absolutely staggering.
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