LeBron James: Why his 3-6 NBA Finals record shouldn’t be held against him

Silver medals are medals too

NBA players are extremely competitive. From their perspective, it’s all or nothing. Championship or bust. That’s OK. That’s exactly how they should be wired. They won’t be the best basketball players in the world without this mindset. As Draymond Green once said:,

"“If you don’t have the mindset that you’re the best ever, you’ve failed already.”"

That’s the perspective of an NBA player. But should fans have the same viewpoint? No. From our perspective, a second-place finish should count for something. Silver medals are medals too.

The NBA gives trophies for Conference Championships for a reason. These aren’t just empty cups. They are extremely difficult to get by, and they should be treated as the awards that they are rather than the curse critics believe them to be.

Of course, no NBA player should just settle for second place. It’s all about winning, they always say. Losing in the NBA Finals stings the most.

But from an outsider perspective, we should take all that we can feel and see. Ask any NBA player: it takes a lot of success and wins to reach the NBA Finals. And so, these silver medals should stack up as a plus rather than a minus for LeBron James.