Jun 9, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) dunks the ball over Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) in game three of the NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
1. Lebron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
Numbers to know:
2014 – 28.2 PTS, 7.8 REB, 4 AST
2015 – 35.8 PTS, 13.3 REB, 8.8 AST
These were James’ averages in each of the last two NBA Finals. Kawhi Leonard and Andre Iguodala were considered to have LIMITED James to those numbers and thus took home NBA Finals MVP hardware.
This past season, James averaged 25.3 points and 6.0 rebounds per game (only Westbrook hit both those numbers), yet those were Lebron’s LOWEST points and rebounds averages since his rookie season.
I made one request at the beginning of this and I’m going to make one more to end it: Be a witness. Enjoy Lebron in his prime while it’s still here. If you can grab tickets to a Cleveland game, take them. If you can put your kids to bed early and catch the fourth quarter, do it.
I’ve refrained from comparing him to anyone because he has no comparison. Just how his predecessors pieced together attributes from their predecessors, Lebron is a new standard that others will try to emulate. Last month’s NBA Finals, despite ending in heartbreak, was a grand show by the NBA’s greatest performer. Regardless of which team you rooted for, you couldn’t help but appreciate the world’s best athlete performing at his other-worldly peak against ridiculous odds.
The King sits atop these rankings and hopes to finally bring Cleveland to the promised land in 2016!