LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers are down 3-0 to the Golden State Warriors in the 2017 NBA Finals. It’s the third matchup in as many years for the two superteams but this time, the Warriors seem worlds ahead of Cleveland.
The Warriors’ dominance through these playoffs and in two of the three games has most expecting a longstanding dynasty. The team has most of its star players either locked up or likely to return to the squad through free agency. With four All-NBA stars, it doesn’t seem like the Warriors will be going away anytime soon.
James doesn’t seem bothered by that, calling the Warriors’ dynasty good for the league. By the same token, the forward detailed how it may just be his legacy to go against these dynasties:
LeBron on facing the #Warriors: “I think it’s just part of my calling to go against teams that are in the midst of a dynasty.” pic.twitter.com/FocSzUUAeo
— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) June 8, 2017
LeBron has certainly played against some stellar teams in the playoffs but since he’s been in the NBA, only two other teams have won back-to-back titles: the Los Angeles Lakers in 2009 and 2010 (whom James did not meet in the Finals) and the James-led Miami Heat in 2012 and 2013. LeBron has hardly met traditional dynasties in the playoffs.
That said, James’ legacy, in part, has become being the player in the league that’s the great equalizer against arguably the most talented team in NBA history.
