LeBron James continues to defy the odds as he carries the Cleveland Cavaliers to another NBA Finals appearance, his 8th straight
This was supposed to be the Toronto Raptors’ year. Or perhaps the year of the Process. Or of Brad Steven and an upstart Boston Celtics group.
In the end, it didn’t matter.
No Kyrie Irving, No Kevin Love (for Game 6 of 7), no rest (he played the full 48 in Game 7), no problem.
More from Sir Charles In Charge
- Dillon Brooks proved his value to Houston Rockets in the 2023 FIBA World Cup
- NBA Trade Rumors: 1 Player from each team most likely to be traded in-season
- Golden State Warriors: Buy or sell Chris Paul being a day 1 starter
- Does Christian Wood make the Los Angeles Lakers a legit contender?
- NBA Power Rankings: Tiering all 30 projected starting point guards for 2023-24
LeBron James continued to defy the odds against him as he carried a pedestrian group – arguably his worst supporting cast of all-time – to another NBA Finals appearance.
With Love out with a head injury, the best non-LeBron player on the Cavs active for Game 7 was either an old Kyle Korver, an old J.R. Smith (who had been abysmal in the Eastern Conference Finals) or an old Jeff Green.
No matter how you slice it up, LeBron was set up to fail.
Even against a young Celtics team, who looked every bit the part with the 19-year-old future superstar Jayson Tatum leading the way.
Still, despite every run, scoring spurt or highlight sequence, LeBron kept his cool. Perhaps knowing how this would all end, as it had done for the past seven seasons in the Eastern Conference. After conquering the TD Garden – again – in Game 7 Sunday, LeBron James is now 6-0 in Game 7’s in the last decade; 2-0 on the road.
The Eastern Conference is LeBron’s world, and every team that doesn’t have him on their roster is just living in it.
Must Read: Phoenix Suns: 4 options for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft
Make no mistake, not many expected the Celtics to make it this far or even push LeBron and the Cavs to the brink. But the NBA and history doesn’t remember close or almost. It remembers championships and all-time performances, and that’s exactly what we’re seeing from LeBron James right now.