On a day in which Michael Jordan downplayed talk that he should be considered the greatest of all-time, the debate has been brought up surrounding LeBron James’ status on the list.
James recently noted that his 2016 NBA Finals performance against a 73-win Golden State Warriors team proved that he is in fact GOAT.
In defeating Golden State in seven games, James averaged 29.7 points, 11.3 rebounds and 8.9 assists. It was indeed one of the best Finals performances of all-time.
Though, the fourth quarter shot Kyrie Irving hit in Game 7 solidified his status as an all-time clutch player.
In talking about James’ stance that he’s the greatest of all-time, former NBA All-Star Chauncey Billups pointed to Irving’s shot to discredit the King.
Chauncey Billups on LeBron's claim: "Maybe if he hit that shot that Kyrie hit…"
— Vincent Goodwill (@VinceGoodwill) January 3, 2019
One really has to wonder where Billups was attempting to go here. Does this mean Mr. Flat Earth himself is the greatest NBA player of all-time because he made one shot? It’s pretty ridiculous commentary.
On the other hand, James’ body of work leads us to believe he’s one of the greatest to ever suit up. It’s not about one play or one series. Maybe LeBron should have focused on that rather than defeating an injury-plagued Warriors team that was without a suspended Draymond Green for a game.
After all, Golden State beat his Cavaliers the other three times they met up in the Finals over the past four years. Just some food for thought.