Was is the greatest finals, no, but is there more to take away from this finals match up? I simply just want to pose the question would Michael Jordan, if given the exact same squad LeBron had, have been able to take down the almighty Spurs?
Before we even begin to dissect the 2007 Finals let's retrace our steps to see how this match-up came about.
The Cavaliers were coming off a disappointing ending to their 2006 NBA season after blowing a 3-2 lead against the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals last year. This year was a chance at redemption for a young LeBron James. After dropping back to back games in Detroit, the Pistons looked to once again deny the King his first chance at the throne. Down 2-0 James put the entire city of Cleveland on his back and ripped off four straight victories to defeat the Pistons and end the reign they had owned in the East.
With the series tied 2-2 and a pivotal game 5 in Detroit James silenced every doubter who tried to deny his talent. LeBron had finally risen to a new level of "greatness".
In only sixteen minutes of game time, James would score 29 of Cleveland's 30 points, including the team's final 25 points on 11-of-13 shooting from the field. He'd force overtime on a driving dunk with nine seconds remaining and then finish the game off in double-overtime with a driving layup with two seconds left.
This was the moment that for me, I had just witnessed the greatest player I had ever seen in my short lifetime. Everyone in the entire world at the time knew that LeBron needed to get Cleveland over the hump, including Detroit, and there was nothing that anyone could do to stop him. Chauncey Billups said it best himself following that loss, "We threw everything we had at him, we just couldn't stop him."
Detroit was no pushover. We're talking about a team that took down Kobe/Shaq three years earlier (minus Ben Wallace, but he was replaced by Chris Webber who at the time was a superior offensive player). This single-handed accomplishment was easily the best performance from James in his short career at the time. The Pistons were completely stacked and at the time had 5 all-star's as their starting lineup. The comparison between teams has such an imbalance of talent. Detroit's Starting 5: Point Guard: Chauncey Billups Shooting Guard: Tayshaun Prince Small Forward: Richard Hamilton Power Forward: Chris Webber Center: Rasheed Wallace
Cleveland's Starting 5:
Point Guard: Larry Hughes
Shooting Guard: LeBron James
Small Forward: Sasha Pavlović
Power Forward: Drew Gooden
Center: Zydrunas Ilgauskas
By beating the Pistons, LeBron solidified himself as the greatest player in the NBA at the time. His gift for this accomplishment was a chance to play the Spurs. At last LeBron would have his opportunity to make it to the top. We all know that it didn't work out the way LeBron had intended as the Cavaliers were swept.
LeBron James 2007 NBA Finals Stats:
22 PPG 6.8 APG 7 RPG
At face value LeBron's stat-line that series wasn't that bad, but it also wasn't good. Many will criticize James expecting more out of him throughout the series. He shot only a shade over 35% as he was basically playing 1-on-5.
After defeating the Cavaliers the Spurs captured their third title in five years. They were officially a dynasty. Under the guidance of Head Coach Greg Popovich the Spurs would define what team basketball looked like.
Going into the 2007 NBA Finals no one expected anything less than a sweep, but if we swap out LeBron for Jordan do we have the same results?
My answer, yes.
Michael was the king of the clutch. He was undefeated in the finals and without a doubt had some all-star caliber opponents, but he always had some help (Not to mention this is not the first time LeBron matched up against a team with three, possibly even four future hall of famers). Michael was never even pushed to a Game 7 in the NBA finals. was this solely because of his dominance or did he not ever have to take on a challenge like the Spurs Big 3 by himself?
The main point is not only would Michael have to take on a dynasty that defined team basketball but with his supporting cast being the likes of Larry Hughes, Drew Gooden, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, and Sasha Pavlović would God himself be able to take on that challenge?
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