Lebron's teams massive declines from east playoffs to finals

[HBK_Kliq_2]

2011-2014 Miami Heat playoff record:

EC playoffs
48-16 .75 winning %
Finals
11-12 .48 winning %

That's a 27% decline

2014-2018 Cavalier playoff record:

EC playoffs
48-11 .81 winning %
Finals
7-15 .32 winning %

That's a 49% decline

Averaging a 38% decline in finals during his prime. I'm actually giving him a pass on 2007 as well.

[SouBeachTalents]

The guy didn't lose a series in the East for 8 years and lost 5 Finals, why would this be surprising to you?

[HBK_Kliq_2]

The guy didn't lose a series in the East for 8 years and lost 5 Finals, why would this be surprising to you?

I'm not asking him to even win the series, just don't have a 38% decline during your entire prime. Kawhi is better then anybody LeBron ever lost against, so good luck with that hahhaha

[SouBeachTalents]

I'm not asking him to even win the series, just don't have a 38% decline during your entire prime. Kawhi is better then anybody LeBron ever lost against, so good luck with that hahhaha
Kawhi is better than Duncan? Idk bout that one bruh. I'm sure many would pick Curry & Durant over him too

[HBK_Kliq_2]

Kawhi is better than Duncan? Idk bout that one bruh. I'm sure many would pick Curry & Durant over him too

Well 2013 old Duncan of course kawhi is better, not even close. 2003 Duncan we can have a discussion.

I don't know how you can possibly pick Curry over Kawhi when Kawhi is providing the same or better scoring with much better defense.

Durant is close to Kawhi but the 2012 version of Durant wasn't quite in peak form yet. The gap does get closer with Durant but overall I still give the edge to Kawhi. I don't see Durant guarding guys like Giannis during 4 straight wins. Also has Durant ever came close to a carry job like Kawhi's 2nd round 2019 series? Durant either choked like 2016 or his team just won in blowouts during his warriors run, Durant has never carried or overcame during a playoff run. Until Durant can prove this with Brooklyn, I think Kawhi is by default the better player. Kawhi came back from 0-2 vs Giannis bucks and also the 76ers series carry job.

[tpols]

*insert captain obvious gif*

The West blew the East away the past decade.

[HBK_Kliq_2]

*insert captain obvious gif*

The West blew the East away the past decade.

49% decline though? That should be a hit on his legacy. He's basically the 2010s Jerry West but just gets lucky a few more times.

[RRR3]

Kawhi will never be in the top 10, OP, stick to comparing him to people like Moses Malone. Your shtick is old.

[Nashty]

How many times did he have better team than their opponent in the Finals? Only once, in 2011 where he choked big time. In all other finals that he lost, he had worse teams than the finalist from the West.

[ELITEpower23]

The guy didn't lose a series in the East for 8 years and lost 5 Finals, why would this be surprising to you?

HOLD UP

You're telling me that in four years (2015 - 2018) LeBron is the only guy to beat the Warriors in a playoff series?


West went 0-12 versus Warriors while Lebron was 1-3. WoW I have seen enough. LeBron won more series than 12 western teams combined.

[HBK_Kliq_2]

Kawhi will never be in the top 10, OP, stick to comparing him to people like Moses Malone. Your shtick is old.

LeBron is going to add upon his playoff loss record vs west teams when he plays Kawhi this year. And then Kawhi will already tie LeBron for finals MVPS haha

[HBK_Kliq_2]

How many times did he have better team than their opponent in the Finals? Only once, in 2011 where he choked big time. In all other finals that he lost, he had worse teams than the finalist from the West.

That's the old Jerry West loser argument. I will take that I guess. From now on we will call him LeBron West the logo hahahha


HOLD UP

You're telling me that in four years (2015 - 2018) LeBron is the only guy to beat the Warriors in a playoff series?


West went 0-12 versus Warriors while Lebron was 1-3. WoW I have seen enough. LeBron won more series than 12 western teams combined.

KAWHI beat warriors 2019

[Shooter]

That's the old Jerry West loser argument. I will take that I guess. From now on we will call him LeBron West the logo hahahha



KAWHI beat warriors 2019

1.) He said 2015 to 2018
2.) You are counting an injured Warriors team missing their #1 and #3 best players? Dumb
3.) Kawhi did not beat them, the Raptors did. The same team that won 60 games without him.

[Axe]

I'm not asking him to even win the series, just don't have a 38% decline during your entire prime. Kawhi is better then anybody LeBron ever lost against, so good luck with that hahhaha
The discussion's supposed to be good...

That is until you brought kawhi up

[Real Men Wear Green]

In the first round James would often face an eighth seed. Second round 4th 5th or whatever. A top three seed in the conference finals.

In the Finals he plays the best team in the West. Warriors teams that have the greatest collection of talent in NBA history. You add Durant to a team that won 73 games there is no superstar in NBA history that is taking those Cavs teams to a ring. Nobody.

[SouBeachTalents]

In the first round James would often face an eighth seed. Second round 4th 5th or whatever. A top three seed in the conference finals.

In the Finals he plays the best team in the West. Warriors teams that have the greatest collection of talent in NBA history. You add Durant to a team that won 73 games there is no superstar in NBA history that is taking those Cavs teams to a ring. Nobody.
Kawhi would!

[light]

I'm not asking him to even win the series, just don't have a 38% decline during your entire prime. Kawhi is better then anybody LeBron ever lost against, so good luck with that hahhaha

A 38% decline has been determined to be great. He's widely considered either the 1st or 2nd greatest player of all time.

The world watched his career unfold and they know the particular story for each of those seasons - who he was playing with and the surrounding circumstances - so him going to eight consecutive finals and winning three times under those circumstances is considered absolutely remarkable.

[HBK_Kliq_2]

A 38% decline has been determined to be great. He's widely considered either the 1st or 2nd greatest player of all time.

The world watched his career unfold and they know the particular story for each of those seasons - who he was playing with and the surrounding circumstances - so him going to eight consecutive finals and winning three times under those circumstances is considered absolutely remarkable.

Its basically the same shtick as Jerry West "I lost in the finals that much because so and so"

Eventually the best clutch players (jordan in West's case and Kawhi in LeBron's case) will be remembered much more fondly.

[light]

Its basically the same shtick as Jerry West "I lost in the finals that much because so and so"

Eventually the best clutch players (jordan in West's case and Kawhi in LeBron's case) will be remembered much more fondly.

West only won once. LeBron won back-to-back titles and has three total with four and five in the next year or so being realistic. Bron is much more accomplished.

Will Kawhi ever win back-to-back MVPs and Finals MVPs? No, he won't.

So, no, you're still way off base.

[3ball]

In the first round James would often face an eighth seed. Second round 4th 5th or whatever. A top three seed in the conference finals.

In the Finals he plays the best team in the West. Warriors teams that have the greatest collection of talent in NBA history. You add Durant to a team that won 73 games there is no superstar in NBA history that is taking those Cavs teams to a ring. Nobody.

73 wins = any other playoff loser

So for 10,876 teams in NBA history, we evaluate their strength by their playoff performance, aka early round loser, swept, etc

But now when a team wins 1 more game than the last 10875 teams, we decide we'll use the 73 wins as some sort of "barometer"

They didn't win the Finals.. Not only did they not win, but they lost in the most agonizing way possible.. you know wins like that? Not someone who's way better, but someone who's solidly better and can afford to screw around for half the game.

[Axe]

73 wins = any other playoff loser

So for 10,876 teams in NBA history, we evaluate their strength by their playoff performance, aka early round loser, swept, etc

But now when a team wins 1 more game than the last 10875 teams, we decide we'll use the 73 wins as some sort of "barometer"

They didn't win the Finals.. Not only did they not win, but they lost in the most agonizing way possible.. you know wins like that? Not someone who's way better, but someone who's solidly better and can afford to screw around for half the game.
Don't let someone point out that this is insecurity all over again. :lol

I also didn't like the fact that the warriors broke the record for most regular season wins but you can't deny that was still one of the most, if not the most, memorable seasons ever for the franchise. Tho surely, they still struggled mightily in the postseason and were almost eradicated by the thunder led by durantula and westbrick.

Yet they already had a chip the season prior and it only had to happen during steve kerr's second year of being a head coach in the league, although the first half of the rs actually belonged to luke walton while he was undergoing rehabilitation during that time. But unlike casual fans, i wouldn't immediately call them the best team already.