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NBA: Revisiting the 3 best ‘what ifs’ in league history

By Craig Brallier

9 Feb 1997: Michael Jordan #23 of the Chicago Bulls takes off his jacket during the NBA All-Star Game at the Gund Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.The East defeated the West 132-120 .
9 Feb 1997: Michael Jordan #23 of the Chicago Bulls takes off his jacket during the NBA All-Star Game at the Gund Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.The East defeated the West 132-120 . /
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LeBron James
LeBron James (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /

Biggest ‘what ifs’ in NBA history: What if LeBron made the Finals in 2009?

One of the biggest debates we saw in the NBA leading up to the 2010s was which superstar was the league’s best? Was it LeBron James or Kobe Bryant?

The 2008-09 season is one that I always look back fondly on. We got to see a rookie Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls give the defending champion Boston Celtics a real run for their money, Dwight Howard becomes undeniably the most dominant center in the league, Kobe Bryant and the Lakers looking to redeem their finals loss from the previous year (as well as prove he can win without Shaq,) and a young LeBron James still looking to solidify himself as a winner.

It was all me and any of my friends who watched basketball could talk about. Is LeBron the best or is Kobe the best? The only way to settle this would be for the two players to meet in the NBA finals the way we watched Magic Johnson and Larry Bird battle it out in the ’80s, and the 2009 playoffs seemed like it was the perfect time for that matchup to take place.

We watched the Lakers work their way back to the finals, defeating the Utah Jazz 4-1, struggle with the Rockets, winning the series in seven games, and beating the Denver Nuggets in six tough games. But Bryant held up his end of the bargain. He made his way back to the finals, and he was awaiting his adversary.

LeBron and the Cleveland Cavaliers steamrolled their way through the Detroit Pistons and the Atlanta Hawks, winning each series in a clean sweep. They went on to face Howard and the Orlando Magic, who had a tougher road to the conference finals, including having to edge out the defending champion Celtics in seven games. The Cavs just had to finish off the Magic, which they were unable to do, losing the series in six games.

LeBron and the Cavs were unable to make it happen the following season as well, which would be the last time we saw Kobe in the NBA finals, and we never got to see these two go head-to-head for all of the marbles. It makes you wonder what might have happened if they did, and how the narrative surrounding the two players might have changed, depending on the outcome.