Pinkie_pie said:
Lets be real here, most of his points in the 4th came in junk time. He was just paddling his stats. That assist in the last 30 sec so he could avg a triple double |
I don't get this notion. What do you expect him to do? Just run the clock and concede? What about that stuff about playing hard till the end that we learn from pee wee league? He was the only player on the Cavs who scored outside JR's three in the 4th.
I don't get that &$@%.
And I think he balled out and did whatever he could playing so many hard minutes. Having to control the offense, score, pass, defend KD, and lead against the stacked Warriors team isn't easy.
i think he'll end up top 5 or maybe higher in the end. GOAT discussions might be over, but I think he went down swinging. Sure we can talk about the weak East while ignore the watered down West of the 80s when it comes to Magic Johnson, but if you can ask how many players have made that many consecutive finals, you have to go back to the 60s. Going to the Finals takes a mental, physical, and emotional toll on you as you have to grind out best-of-7 series for three rounds before the Finals. After that, win or lose, you'll have a short offseason before having to deal with the grind of the regular season once more. Even Michael Jordan admitted that mental fatigue is a factor when playing deep into May and June for consecutive years. It was (maybe partly) why he retired the first time. That's why Isiah Thomas and Larry Bird retired in their early to mid-thirties. Something wears down whether it's physical or mental or emotional after battling for so many years. It's incredible how Lebron is able to maintain good health and remain mentally sharp in the playoffs for so many consecutive years to make the Finals. And you could only play what's in front of you so that's out of Lebron's power.
There are thousands of players who were fortunate enough to make the NBA, very few of them are fortunate enough to make the Finals. And very few of those few are fortunate enough to come back.