The Cavaliers punched their ticket to a fourth consecutive NBA Finals on Sunday night with an 87-79 win over Boston. As was the case all series, LeBron James led the way for Cleveland with 35 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists, as he averaged north of 33 points per game over the seven game series.
After LeBron’s 48-minute effort in Game 7, many touted it as his most impressive accomplishment of his career. James, who has three rings and led the Cavs to a 3-1 comeback against the Warriors in 2016, probably wouldn’t agree, but there’s merit to the argument that carrying this team, which features one other All-Star in Kevin Love (who missed Game 7) and the next best player is either Kyle Korver, Jeff Green, George Hill, J.R. Smith, or Tristan Thompson, is as impressive as anything he’s done.
Steph Curry was watching Game 7 like everyone else and he too was impressed by LeBron, noting his performance this postseason has been “unbelievable.” However, Curry wasn’t a fan of the way so many are talking about the rest of the Cavs, saying he “hates” when people talk like they’re terrible, given they’re all NBA players.
Steph Curry bristles at notion LeBron James led a bunch of terrible players to NBA Finals. “I hate when people say that. They’re NBA players.” pic.twitter.com/JwZzn98Uf4
— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) May 28, 2018
Curry is both right and wrong at once. Yes, everyone on that roster is deserving of an NBA roster spot, and thus are excellent basketball players on the grand scale of all of professional basketball at every level. However, it’s not wrong to point out that this is one of the weakest rosters, top to bottom, we’ve seen in the NBA Finals in a decade (really since LeBron took the 2007 Cavs to the Finals). The Cavs aren’t LeBron and a bunch of YMCA players like many have joked, but it’s such a drastic difference from what we’ve grown accustomed to seeing, which is combinations of All-Star talent and other high level role players on Finals teams.
This team features fewer consistent players than any Finals team we’ve seen in a long time and that’s what people are focusing on. Curry is right that it’s ridiculous to call these guys bums or something, but it’s also not wrong to point out what an insane accomplishment it is for LeBron to get this roster to the Finals.
