The presence of star eaves LeBron James and Kevin Durant in the NBA Finals have become the main players as players who will be able to define the fate of the title that will be played from Thursday the Cleveland Cavaliers against the Warriors of Golden State.
On the eve of his seventh consecutive appearance in the Finals, eighth as a professional, and 10 years after he first participated in the duel for the league title, the reign of James continues without anyone questioning it.
Although the playoffs so far have been a pass for the Cavaliers (12-1), current champions, in the individual section James has already dethroned Michael Jordan as the top scorer in the history of the finals.
James not only put himself in position to win a fourth championship, but intensified the debate on whether or not he is the best player in history.
True that James has always rejected comparisons with Jordan, saying that the conversation “is only good in hairdressers” and that the original number 23 has been his inspiration and not his goal.
But he was willing to discuss the matter after the Cavaliers won their third straight conference title by punishing the Boston Celtics in five games, a clearly inferior team.
In the final duel of that series, James overtook Jordan in total points during the playoffs, and now remembers that the bulls exastro was “like a God” for him when he was boy.
With one of his best postseason appearances, with 32.5 points per game, 8.0 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 57 percent success in field shots after 13 duels, James dismisses all the arguments About the true MVP of the league.
Although he will finish behind Russell Westbrook, James Harden and Kawhi Leonard once the regular campaign award is handed out next month, for the past six weeks James has reminded everyone that he is still referring to the 32-year-old.
Of all his achievements, reaching seven consecutive Finals puts him near the top of the list.
Once he starts the first game of the series on Thursday, James will become the seventh player to score seven Finals in a row, and the first since Bill Russell guided the Celtics during his 1960s dynasty.
While 28-year-old Durant still does not have the record of James, but he has a great star class who will try to validate what could be the first NBA champion ring in the second NBA Finals going to dispute.
The first played with the Oklahoma City Thunder against the Miami Heat in James’ debut with the Florida team that allowed him to get the championship title.
James himself, a friend of Durant’s, anticipated that they were young and he was sure he would return to other NBA Finals and also win his first championship title.
That moment has come, Durant made the right move by leaving the Thunder and signing as a free agent with the Warriors, the best team currently in the NBA for three seasons.
“I knew which team was coming and the goals that I could score with them and the first one of course was to be in the fight for the league title and that’s what I’ve already achieved,” said Durant. “From that satisfaction I have the opportunity to fight again for the champion ring.”
Durant, like the rest of the Warriors’ players, including star base Stephen Curry, admit that the Cavaliers, as NBA champions, are the team to beat and with that mentality everyone will go out to the field.
Especially Durant, who knows that his contribution will be decisive in the fight that will maintain the team of Golden State before the champions of league with which they distributed victories in the series of the two parties that disputed during the regular season.
“I know that the team work will be key so that we can achieve the title, but we must also respond each player, in the individual section, when the situation requires,” said Durant. “No one is going to discover the class and achievements of James now, but grief is something new in every respect.”
Durant from what he has heard of his new teammates, in what was the frustrating defeat of last year’s Finals when they lost them by 3-4 to the best of seven after having had a 3-1 lead, the problem of defeat Was not so much in the good that were Cavaliers but in how badly they played the Warriors in the last parties.
“There will be no concessions from the start and we are convinced that the story will be very different both in the way of fighting in the field and in what will reflect the marker,” Durant said. “But again, in the end we will have to go out and play
