Lebron James named NBA Finals MVP
The National Basketball Association’s longest season in history finally concluded on Sunday evening with the Los Angeles Lakers winning game six of the NBA Finals 124-114 to eliminate the Miami Heat. Lebron James led all scorers with 33 points on the night to claim his fourth NBA title and his first with the Lakers.
Along with leading the way in game six, James played a pivotal role throughout the playoffs proving he is still one of the league’s best despite turning 36-years-old in December. James was awarded with his fourth NBA Finals MVP and is now the first player in league history to win the honour with three different franchises. James was named the NBA Finals MVP in both 2012 and 2013 with the Miami Heat, as well as, in 2016 with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
“This was very challenging, and very difficult,” James said following game six, via ESPN. “It played with your mind, and it played with your body. You’re away from some of the things you’re so accustomed to [that] make you the professional you are. This is right up there with one of the greatest accomplishments I have.”
Players and coaches were forced to sacrifice without seeing loved ones for weeks and months while concluding the campaign from inside the NBA bubble in Florida. The plan was initially met with skepticism but ended up working out well with the season finally come to an end and an NBA champion being crowned.
The Lakers failed to make the playoffs last year but made several key acquisitions in the offseason to build around James during his second season with the club. Anthony Davis was the biggest name brought in and ultimately ended up forming a dynamic partnership with James that terrified opposing defences. The Lakers also brought in several key veterans to play important roles. With the likes of Danny Green, DeMarcus Cousins, Avery Bradley and Jared Dudley, the team inked players with experience – even if they didn’t all have the season they had hoped for.
“I think, personally, thinking I have something to prove fuels me,” James said. “And it fueled me over this last year and a half since my injury
James now has more rings than any other active player in the league but is still one shy of Lakers’ legend Kobe Bryant.
“It fueled me because no matter what I’ve done in my career up until this point, there’s still rumblings of doubt, or comparing me to the history of the game, and, ‘Has he done this? Has he done that?’
“So, having that in my head, having that in my mind, saying to myself, ‘Why not still have something to prove?’ I think it fuels me.”
James may go down as the greatest player in NBA history as he continues to cement his legacy. While Michael Jordan won six NBA titles, he earned them all in Chicago with the Bulls. The debate will be one that rages on for years to come, but there is no doubt that Sunday’s victory helped give James’ case even more validation.
“I have always believed in LeBron James,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said, via ESPN. “He’s the greatest player the basketball universe has ever seen, and if you think you know, you don’t know, OK, until you’re around him every day. You’re coaching him, you’re seeing his mind, you’re seeing his adjustments, seeing the way he leads the group.
“You think you know … [but] you don’t know. It’s just been a remarkable experience coaching him and seeing him take this group that was not in the playoffs last year, the roster was put together, you know, overnight, and just taking a group and leading us to the Promised Land, so they say.”
