Lebron James Is On The Cusp Of Greatness
Lebron Is Poised To Win First MVP And First Championship
Feb 17, 2009
Lebron James came into the league at age eighteen and he was a freak of nature. He already had a man's body and he possessed unparalleled speed, strengh, and athletecim. Now at age twenty-four he has arguably accomplished more than anyone ever has at that age. There are two things he has not accomplished, however. He has yet to win an MVP and he has yet to win a Championship.
Lebron in 2008-09
This season, Lebron is having perhaps his best year to date. He is leading the league in scoring at 28.5 PPG. He is also averaging 7.5 RPG, 7 APG, and 1.8 SPG. His Cavaliers are 40-11, only two games back of the Celtics for the best record in the Eastern Conference. If he continues his excellent play and the Cavaliers finish at or near the top of the Conference, he should be the favorite to win his first MVP.
Championships
True greatness, however, is measured in Championships. Some may argue that Lebron's good buddy, Dwyane Wade has had a more successful career to this point. Wade has a Championship, Lebron does not. The man Lebron is often compared to, Michael Jordan, won six Championships. Lebron has a long way to go to match that.
The Supporting Cast
Lebron supporters will argue that, prior to this season, Lebron has not had a great supporting cast. Two years ago, Lebron took a mediocre supporting cast all the way to the NBA Finals. In the Eastern Conference Finals, he led Cleveland past a deeper and more talented Detroit Pistons team. In game five of that series, he put on one of the greatest displays in NBA playoff history. Lebron ran out of gas and fell short in the Finals that year against the San Antonio Spurs, mainly becuase his supporting cast was not nearly as good as Tim Duncan's.
Lebron vs. Kobe
The current NBA player that Lebron is most often compared to is Kobe Bryant. In last year's playoffs, Lebron made a strong case that he is better than Kobe. In the Eastern Conference Semifinals, Lebron's Cavaliers took the eventual Champion Boston Celtics to a seventh game, and said seventh game went right down to the wire. In the Finals, Kobe's Lakers only took the Celtics to a game six, and they got blown out in that game. So, Lebron came much closer to beating the Celtics than Kobe did, even though Kobe had a much better supporting cast.
In the off-season, the Cavaliers acquired point-guard Mo WIlliams in a trade. This gives Lebron that second star he has craved for years. A guy who will take some of the pressure off Lebron. There are no more excuses for Lebron. He now has enough talent around him to win a Championship. Considering the fact that the Boston Celtics do not appear to be as strong or as hungry ans they were last year, and the Los Angeles Lakers will be without Andrew Bynum, perhaps for the season, Lebron is in a great position to win his first NBA Championship, a great way to cap off an MVP season.
