When will the LeBron James hate be put to bed?
I have never been one of those guys who has major issues with the NBA’s best player. I prefer to enjoy the greatness that he brings to the game.
Many basketball fans got a lot of joy out of seeing him struggle in Game 3 against the Chicago Bulls. That was the game that Derrick Rose banked in a 3-pointer at the buzzer to beat the Cavs and go up in the series.
But like he always does, he put some egg on the haters in his next game when he sunk a baseline jumper at the horn to tie the series at 2-all.
There is no middle ground with James. You either love him or you hate him. And I have never understood where the hate comes from.
I know the hate needs an expiration date.
The “Decision” was five years ago. And he wasn’t the only one prancing around at the Miami Heat welcoming party. He had help.
If we would just sit back and watch what he does each night he steps on the court, we would realize he’s one of the six best players to ever don an NBA uniform.
Part of the issue with James is that too many fans like to compare him to Michael Jordan. And that’s never good with the staunch Jordan fans.
I grew up a huge Jordan fan. There is no one better than MJ and I will never say anyone is. He will always be my No. 1.
Why can’t James be No. 2? Or mentioned in the same sentence?
Jordan made 49 percent of his shots during his career and was a 32 percent 3-point shooter. James also shoots 49 percent from the floor but is two percent better from beyond the arc so far in his career.
James has the highest points per game average in Game 7s and the fourth highest points per game average when trailing in the playoffs.
You don’t think he is clutch?
Well, in the final 24 seconds with the game on the line, James has made 8-of-19 from the floor. Kobe Bryant, who is regarded as one of the most clutch players in NBA history, is only 7-of-28.
In the playoffs, James averages 27 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists in his career. I don’t think he has had a great series against the Chicago Bulls but after looking up the numbers, he is still averaging 26 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists.
I know the hate won’t go away. The “Decision” was just too much to hande.
Bryant doesn’t get near the hate. And he, for all intensive purposes, at the very least cheated on his wife.
James is a family man, often posting pictures of his kids to his Twitter or Instagram. He is a big ambassador for the sport of basketball in America.
Don’t hate him because he is compared to Jordan. That’s not his fault.
He has only gone 2-4 in the NBA Finals. That is a big knock on his resume.
Were any of those haters around when James took really average Cleveland teams to the Finals. Yes, he left the Cavaliers to play with two other great players in Miami, but Jordan didn’t win a single title until he got Scottie Pippen.
One good player on an average team will likely never be enough to win a title. It should be celebrated that James was able to get a team with the roster like the one he had in Cleveland in 2006.
Besides James, the best players on that team were Larry Hughes, Drew Gooden and Zydrunas Ilgauskas. Eric Snow and Anderson Varejo also was on that team.
There isn’t a team left in the NBA playoffs right now with a worse roster.
Losing Kevin Love this year definitely hurts the Cavs’ chances at winning an NBA title. That probably makes a lot of fans happy. And if James somehow gets another Cleveland team to the Finals and loses, the hate will grow deeper.
What did Cleveland do when James left for Miami? It entered the draft lottery and had a chance at the No. 1 pick every year.
What did the team do this year when James missed about three weeks with an injury? They actually lost double-digit games.
Stephen Curry won the MVP and James Harden had a masterful year, too. But the real MVP is James. Without James, Cleveland wouldn’t be tied 2-2 with the Bulls right now. They may be gearing up for another NBA Draft Lottery.
Haters will hate, but we should enjoy James while he is great. Because we may never see another player like him for a long time, if ever.