Enough with dismissing LeBron’s accomplishments

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It’s hard to imagine a decorated athlete like LeBron James is still coping with the public’s attempt to sully his reputation as an NBA player, especially when the man has nothing disheartening to regret.

We criticize and diminish the numerous accomplishments LeBron has accumulated throughout his illustrious career, and what’s the reasoning behind it? Is it because we’re in the presence of someone challenging the level of dominance exhibited by Michael Jordan when he was in the NBA?

James is nothing short of spectacular and being an 11 time all-star, two time champion, five time finalist, and four time MVP is just a small sample of his impressive track record.

No, I’m not saying Jordan needs to move aside as the GOAT and let LeBron take the throne, but if we haven’t already considered LeBron James as a top 10 player of all time, then we need to either collectively throw the bias aside or educate ourselves.

What James still has the potential to accomplish, even with the absences of teammates Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, is something that will be for the ages, as well as one that brings back nostalgia to the 2006-2007 finals. This, of course, was Lebron’s last appearance to the NBA Finals with the Cleveland Cavaliers, where they succumbed to an early departure at the hands of the Tim Duncan led Spurs, losing 4-0.

Evaluating the cast of the 2007 Cavaliers, there’s one significant comparison that ties to their current available roster, and that is the fact that he was/is without a sidekick in both scenarios.

With this being a feat so difficult to accomplish, LeBron has the chance to undeniably cement himself as a top five player of all time. Yes, even at 30 years of age, I’m willing to move him up on the rankings as already a top five greatest player of all time…if he can accomplish this feat.

Winning the finals will be difficult for him without teammates Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving, especially when you’re facing a disciplined team on both ends of the floor that managed to still win in game one, despite LeBron putting up 44 points.

The achievement is not impossible though and can be done if his approach is 100 percent cerebral. If anyone in the NBA could do it, it’s LeBron, but it starts with him and ends with him, meaning his role on the team will be more than it has ever been.

As we have seen LeBron really get a feel for his groove in the finals, we need to be aware of the improvement this man has displayed since then.

Averaging a measly 17.8 points per game in the 2011 NBA Finals – his first year as a member of the Miami Heat – many had their fair share of criticism for him.

He then responded with almost averaging over ten more points per game in the following year’s finals, with 28.6 per game, edging out the margins for almost a triple double per game as well.

In the 2013-2014 finals, LeBron elevated his game even higher, in terms of shooting accuracy, shooting 57.1 percent from the field.

His response for when rightful criticism comes his way is to immensely improve and that’s just what we have seen thus far and will continue to see within these finals.

Scoring 44 points unfortunately didn’t seal the deal on winning game one, as he also suffered the loss of his right hand man in Kyrie Irving due to a knee injury.

LeBron will have to take control of this game from start to finish if he wants to overcome this adversity and win his third ring.

Golden State’s dangerous back court duo of season MVP Stephen Curry and teammate Klay Thompson will have to be neutralized.

James’ outside perimeter game also cannot be what it has been this post season, shooting an abysmal 18.4 percent from the three-point line.

LeBron will have to be almost flawless in his delivery, in his facilitation with teammates like JR Smith and Tristan Thompson, and in his composure when things get rough, which will indeed happen.

This series will not be over in five games, which is the shortest it could be for the Cavaliers to win, but LeBron cannot treat it as such and instead play it as if it’s like the 2012 finals again, where they outmatched the Oklahoma City Thunder.

If he does surpass Golden State’s elite challenge to win his third, LeBron will be joining Jordan, Magic, Bird, and Russell in my top five of all time.

The public loves to find something wrong with this man’s on-court performance, as he is always the subject of criticism whether or not things transpire fluidly for him.

It could be him scoring the last shot, however receiving blame for why his team was put there in the first place. Maybe he’s taking the last shot and missing it, or not taking it at all and then the criticism ensues.

It could even be the fact that everything goes right, but because he has star teammates like Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade or Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, it’s just not fair.

What superstar hasn’t played with a star counterpart? Magic had and needed Kareem in each of his five NBA Finals wins and even Worthy for three of them. Bird had McHale and Parrish for all three, Johnson for two, and Archibald for one. Jordan was the same, with Pippen for all six, Grant for the first three, and Rodman for the latter three.

Enough is enough for, “LeBron didn’t do this. LeBron didn’t do that.” Embrace the man for what he has done and more importantly, what he has done differently than others, which can sometimes be significantly harder than what others have done.

A player that has revolutionized talent, skill, and production in the NBA like LeBron has is almost unfathomable to imagine. A 6’8″, 250 pound man moving as quick as he can deserves the utmost praise.

He does not deserve the diminishment of his triumphs and to be only remembered for how he fell short to Jordan rather than how he elevated above the majority of other NBA greats.

We may not be in the presence of the greatest of all time, but we’re most definitely in the presence of the best right now, and that’s saying a lot, considering what this man has done and can do.