Lebron James believes he faced much stronger opposition in the NBA Finals a few years ago, when his Miami Heat faced the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals for two years in a row. While the Golden State Warriors boast a collection of two former NBA MVPs and All-Stars, the Cleveland Cavaliers star feels the Spurs had a better lineup with four shoo-in Hall of Famer players – including Kawhi Leonard.
Kawhi: the Hall of Famer
In a press briefing prior to the start of the NBA Finals last week, LeBron mentioned the adversity that he faced in the past at this time of the year.
Playing in his eight finals appearance and seventh consecutive trip in the championship round of the NBA playoffs, James seemed to imply that he’s already used to playing teams with multiple Hall of Famers.
“It’s probably up there,” James said of facing the Warriors’ superteam via ESPN. “Obviously I played against four as well too. You know, Manu, Kawhi, Tony, and Timmy on the same team. And if you have Pop in there, that’s five Hall of Famers, so you know it’s going to be challenging.
An interesting note in LeBron’s comments about the Spurs of the past was his inclusion of Leonard as a Hall of Famer. At the age of 25, Leonard has been named the Defensive Player of the Year twice, All-NBA first team twice, and All-NBA defensive team four times (including this year).
However, what stands out in Kawhi’s young career is his NBA Finals MVP in 2014. The only question that remains in Leonard’s legacy is: Can he lead the Spurs to the championship in the post-Tim Duncan era?
Chris Paul free agency update
Just a few days after Adrian Wojnawoski of the Vertical reported that the Los Angeles Clippers are the overwhelming favorite to re-sign Chris Paul, NBA insider Marc Stein of ESPN is reporting that the All-Star point guard has a legit interest in the Spurs.
“The Spurs, sources say, are increasingly considered a lock to at least secure a face-to-face meeting with Paul when free agency begins July 1, despite the fact San Antonio would almost certainly have to sacrifice considerable roster depth to make him a representative contract offer,” according to Stein.
However, the Spurs are facing a daunting task of clearing up their cap space – not to mention sacrifice their depth – in order to accommodate Paul’s max deal.
The Spurs can offer a four-year, $152 million deal to Paul but with financial repercussions. By entering the CP3 sweepstakes, the Spurs would have to unload Pau Gasol, Dewayne Dedmon, and David Lee and let budding wingman Jonathon Simmons walk away.
