History is Made, A Legacy Cemented; The Lebron James Story
Wow!!!
Has there every been a more appropriate word to describe a player, a performance, an accomplishment? Down 1-3 in the NBA FInals. A comeback never before seen in 32 tries. This blog started as a "Clutch" blog. It has morphed into a "Legacy" blog.
"Clutch" has always been a moving target with Lebron. When he conquers one demon, the haters bring up another hurdle he needs to pass to be "clutch." Maybe its their way of protecting the legacies that Lebron is hunting down (Jordan, Kobe, etc). If you bring up what he has not done, it will elevate the greats in our past that have done it. But that has always been a moving target with Lebron. Now the target has been hit with the greatest bullseye in NBA history. Lebron has made history. He has cemented his legacy (detailed in the last paragraph of this post).
Google "Most Clutch Players in NBA History" and you will get 100s of thousands of hits. Pick a couple and you will see the same the same group of names (Plus / Minus). Michael Jordan. Larry Bird. Magic Johnson. Kobe Bryant. Bill Russell. Jerry West. Isaiah Thomas. Reggie Miller. Paul Peirce. Ray Allen. Kevin Durant. Steph Curry (probably not as much anymore). Robert Horry. Dirk Nowitzki. Etc. You will likely not see Lebron James.
What is the criteria for a player being "Clutch"? Is it # of Championships? Is it game 7 performances? Is it last second shots? Is it memorable moments? Is it consistency? Is it attitude or fortitude or magnitude (OK I'm done rhyming)? Is it luck? Is it timing? What is Clutch and why is it not consistent for all players? Below is a list of the usual suspects and why they are "clutch" and how it does not seem to apply to Lebron.
Bill Russell (11 Rings - ~5 Projected Finals MVP). Won 11 of 12 NBA Finals and 11 championships in 13 years in the league. That is all true. But what about the 6-7 HOFers on each one of those Celtics teams? Russell didn't have to build a "superteam"...he just had one (same for Magic and Bird). What about that Wilt statistically dominated Russell in playoff heads up (215 pts to 113 pts). Russell's teams beat Wilt's teams in elimination games 7x. Of those 7x, 4 of them were won by a buzzer beating play. All 4 were not Russell (1. Heinsohn tip in, 2. Sam Jones game winner, 3. "Havelicek steals it", and 4. a Don Nelson game clincher). 4x his team won the game for him. What if those players did not come through in the "Clutch"? Would Russell be more or less clutch? Would Wilt's label have changed? I have an entire post dedicated to this duality of legacies. Russell is given direct credit for those plays. You've heard the call before "Havlicek steals it. Over to Sam Jones. Havlicek stole the ball! It's all over! Johnny Havlicek stole the ball!" Do you know how Philidelphia got that ball before the play? Bill Russell only needed to inbounds the ball to clinch the game and threw it off the rafters for a turnover...is that clutch??? If Lebron let his teammates win the games for him = NOT CLUTCH
West (1 Ring - 1 Finals MVP). NBA Logo. "Mr. Clutch." Only Finals MVP from a losing team. 1 NBA Championship (Wilt won Finals MVP that year), and 8 NBA Finals losses 4 of them in game 7's. Mr. Clutch is 1-8 in NBA Finals? 13x in NBA Finals lost by less than 5 points. Lost 3 NBA Finals game 7's by 3 or less. Below is a chart showing Jerry West's team results in his 9 NBA Finals appearances. And how he just couldn't close out series. Is that clutch? If Lebron lost 4 game 7's in the Finals, or went 1-8 in NBA FINALS = NOT CLUTCH (definitely would NOT be called Mr. Clutch)
Magic (5 Rings - 3 Finals MVP). We all have heard about the game 6 domination his rookie year to win 1980 Finals MVP. We all have seen the baby hook vs the Celtics. A Legend was born. 5x NBA Champion. Nobody mentions his Russellesqe roster? Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (#1 Pick & GOAT). James Worthy (#1 Draft Pick and HOFer). Mychal Thompson (#1 Draft Pick and HOFer). Byron Scott. Michael Cooper. Have you heard about the year following the 1980s Final MVP? Lost in 3 games in the 1st round (1981)? Did you hear how game 3 ended? With the score tied 30 seconds left in the game, Magic MISSED 2 of 3 FTs. Rockets scored to take a 1 pt lead. With 3 seconds left, Magic's shot in the lane airballed. Clutch? Have you heard about 1984? He was called "Tragic Magic" by Celtics fans. Single handily cost the Lakers 3 games. In game 2, Magic dribbled out the last 10 seconds of regulation without the Lakers getting a shot. Lakers lost in Overtime. In game 4, Magic missed 2 free throws with 35 seconds left in a tie game, and on the last possession of regulation, Magic turns the ball over. Lakers lose again in Overtime. And then there was game 7. With a minute left and Celtics up by 3, Magic loses the ball. Seconds later Lakers regain possession and Magic throws turns the ball over. Lakers lose. Magic won 5 rings (2x was not Finals MVP). He lost 4x in the NBA Finals. 2 of those were sweeps by Philidelphia and Detriot. And another was a 1-4 shellacking by Jordan's Bulls. If Lebron dribbled out the clock, or went 1-13 in 3 of his NBA Finals series = NOT CLUTCH
Isiah Thomas (2 Rings - 1 Finals MVP). Thomas had the Celtics beat, and then..."And......Now there's a steal by Bird! Underneath to DJ, who lays it in!!" Isiah CHOKED!!! Compounded by being a sore loser "if Bird were black he ''would be just another good guy.'' Everybody remembers the 25 pt fourth quarter on a sprained ankle vs the Lakers in the 1988 NBA Finals (which he lost anyway), but what about the game before? 15 pts on 31% shooting. What about the game after? 10 pts on 33% shooting. In 16 NBA Finals Games Thomas has shot under 40% 5x. and under 50% 10x. He only had 10+ assist 3x. In 111 Playoff Games, Thomas shot under 30% 18x. Under 40% 39x. Under 50% 75x. He let Joe Dumars get Finals MVP in his 1st Championship (won against Lakers without Magic for 2 games). Not exactly "Clutch". Lebron scored 48 ps (incl. the Cavs final 25 and 29 of its final 30 in a 2007 Playoff game vs the Pistons), but if Lebron loses Finals MVP (never has) or shoots under 50% in 67% of his Playoff games = NOT CLUTCH
Kobe (5 Rings - 2 Finals MVP). When games mean more. He performs worse. Stats do not lie. Fans lie. His worst performances are in Elimination games where he has won 47% of the 19 elimination games and averages well below his regular season averages in Points, Assists, Steals, and FG%. He almost single handily lost Game 7 of the NBA Finals vs the Celtics when he shot 6 of 24 (25%) with 2 assists (thank you Ron Artest for that 3 at the end). Everyone remembers the Horry 3 vs Sacramento, but nobody brings up the missed layups by Shaq and Kobe that set it up. So Kobe plays worse as games get more important yet he is considered "Clutch". Coat tails of Shaq's domination aside, he won 2 Finals MVPs (1 of which is questionable at best). Of the 37 NBA Finals Games Kobe played in he has shot under 40% 17x. Under 50% 32x of 37x. Just because you have the arrogance to shoot does not make you clutch. His teams have lost Elimination Games by 28 (San Antonio), 39 (Boston - NBA Finals Gm 6), and 36 (Dallas) points. Below is a chart showing Kobe's statistics from least important games (Regular Season) to most important games (Game 7's). You can see as the games get more important his stats greatly diminish. In 7 total game 7's Kobe has shot under 40%. Clutch?
If Lebron shot under 40% in game 7s or gets crushed in 3 elimination games = NOT CLUTCH.
Dirk Nowitzki (1 Ring - 1 Finals MVP). Who beat Lebron's NBA Finals heavy favorites Miami Heat. Remember 2005/06? Dallas up 2-0 on the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals (Pre Lebron James) and lose 4 straight? Remember 2006/07? 67-15 record. Lose in 1st round to Baron Davis and an 8 seed (GSW) 2-4. 8x Dirk has lost in 1st round of the Playoffs. If Lebron lost even 1x in the 1st round or lost to an 8 seed = NOT CLUTCH
I'm not really saying these players are not clutch, but the reasons people say Lebron is not clutch applies to all these players and then some. These are some of the greatest players ever, and aside from Jordan (who did not lose once he won), they have all "choked," yet they are all considered "clutch" except for Lebron. Lebron is a GOAT. He is a Mount Rushmore player (no questions asked). He has taken 2 terrible rosters to the NBA Finals single handily. He has won 3 rings and 3 finals mvps. He's lost to some of the greatest teams of all time (SAS 2x, GSW 1x). This is still a team game, and the Dallas finals not withstanding, Lebron was an underdog in every other Finals he lost. He's won a championship for Cleveland (enough said). He has dominated the last 2 finals like no one else in NBA History. Not Wilt, Not Jordan, Not Russell, Not Magic, Not Kareem. 2 Finals in a row he has lead both teams in Pts, Reb, and Ast (this year also Stl and Blk).
Lebron James (3 Rings - 3 Finals MVP). Legacy cemented.
Lebron is always crushed for not having the Jordan/Kobe "scorers mentality", you always hear he is more like Magic than Jordan...and yet he is...5th all time in PPG in Regular Season, 5th all time in PPG in Playoffs, 7th all time in PPG in Finals, and 1st all time in PPG in Elimination Playoff games (you know...the opposite of Kobe Bryant).
Haters will always hate, but Lebron has done the Impossible. He was down 1-3 to the NBA Record Holding 73 win Warriors with the only Unanimous Regular Season MVP in NBA history (Curry), and he came back to win. He won a championship for Cleveland. He made history last night. He has Cemented his face on Mount Rushmore. and in the process he has eliminated any reasonable discussion on "Clutch." Lebron is the definition of Clutch. Everything he does from this point on is cherry on top.
Congrats Lebron. Congrats Cleveland.
