Absolutely nothing.
I don’t mean to point out the obvious, but it means the Warriors were the better team through 3 games. The reality of the situation is that Golden State isn’t likely to blow a 3-0 series lead despite the fact that they blew a 3-1 series lead just a season ago.
What this is really about is LeBron’s “legacy”, or how some perceive it. The haters will come out of the woodwork to bash LeBron in an attempt to diminish his greatness. Some will say this will tarnish LeBron’s legacy as being potentially the greatest of all-time, which is nonsense.
The truth is the Cavs should lose this series. Golden State has a far superior lineup. Just look at the stats. The Warriors have four players averaging double-digit points, three of whom are averaging 22+ including Thompson (22.3), Durant (25.1) and Curry (25.3). While the Cavs also have four players averaging double-digit points, only two players are in the 20+ range with Irving (25.2) and LeBron (26.4).
The Warriors’ starting four is unfair. You’ve got a monster defensively in Draymond Green, who will gladly kick you square in the baby makers. You’ve got Klay Thompson who is one of the most versatile players in the NBA and is likely to have a team of his own next season. There is Kevin Durant, who is one of the best players of this decade. And then there’s Curry, who is a two-time MVP and arguably the greatest shooter in league history.
Along with LeBron, the Cavs have Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, who the haters will tell you are the all-stars LeBron can’t win without. Before LeBron, neither of these two players was competing for even the playoffs, let alone the finals. The Love-led Timberwolves were 40-42 and finished third in the Northwest Division in his final season with the team. Irving’s pre-LeBron Cavaliers weren’t precisely the talk of the town either with a 33-49 overall record and a third-place finish in the Central Division.
Someone please explain to me how a pair of perennial losers pre-LeBron can suddenly become “clutch” and be the sole reason LeBron is having success? Doesn’t make sense when you put it that way, does it? It’s much more convincing when you say that LeBron needs two all-stars to win a championship. Be careful when making statements like this, because “all-stars” doesn’t always mean winners. There are a lot of all-stars on some pretty shitty teams.
Is LeBron the greatest of all-time? I think it’s hard to argue at this point with his 8 finals appearances (7 straight), all-time leader in playoff points achievement, four MVPs, etc. He’s one of the only players in NBA history who can play all five positions. He can rebound. He can pass. He can score. He can block. He can do them all with equal proficiency.
The only knock on why he isn’t the greatest is the caliber of teammate he surrounds himself with on his championship teams. Jordan had Pippen, Kobe had Shaq and Gasol, Magic had Adul-Jabbar, and so on. No player in the history of the NBA has single-handedly won a championship on their own. So to discredit his success simply because of his supporting cast is as ignorant an argument as it is weak.
So when asked what does it mean if the Cavs go 0-3? To the haters, it’s the proof they need to continue criticizing LeBron’s greatness. For those who understand basketball, it’s just an obvious lopsided matchup.
