LeBron James is a player who has seen it all in his 14-year career. He has seen the positives and the negatives, the wins and losses, the pure joy of winning the championship and the heartbreak of losing one. James has faced many obstacles in his career and has managed to get past most of them. LeBron is now entering his eighth NBA Finals, and his seventh straight. He has shown his dominance over many teams this far in his career but now he might' be facing his biggest challenge yet.
The Golden State Warriors are loaded with two former MVPs, a Defensive Player of the Year candidate, and a hot shooter that can explode any minute.
James has been playing great basketball, but is facing this loaded Warriors team the biggest challenge of his career?
Loaded Team
LeBron James has faced the Warriors two times prior to this one in the NBA Finals. The first time he lost to them, being outshined by Finals MVP Andre Iguodala and great shooting by the Splash Bros. The second time he managed to come back from a 3-1 deficit to be the greatest regular-season team in NBA history in the 73-9 Warriors. In this third episode, things are much different. The Warriors have added new pieces that fit the puzzle, and no piece is bigger than Kevin Durant. Durant has been the alpha dog on the offensive side carrying the team in scoring averaging 25 points per game.
Durant can keep pace with LeBron's scoring, which might cause some headaches for The king. Durant's ability to shot overtop his defender and produce blocks on the other end will keep James on his toes for sure.
Let's not forget Steph Curry. Curry has had a quiet season, but he has still had his games where he exploded for 30+.
Curry's dribbling skills and long range shooting have given LeBron and the Cavs problems in the past, but will they have the formula to stop him this time. Klay Thompson is probably the most overlooked piece in the Warriors puzzle. He can drop 40 points on you without even dribbling the ball, as his shooting stroke is pure and is almost a guaranteed make.
Draymond Green is the defensive master, leading the league with two steals per game. The bench of the Warriors is loaded with players like Javale McGee and Andre Iguodala, so they will never suffer when their stars need a break. LeBron is facing a well-rounded behemoth of a team, bigger than any other team he has faced.
LeBron the Giant Slayer
Even though LeBron James said himself the Warriors will give him challenges, he's not in an unfamiliar situation. James has played the role of giant slayer many times, taking down teams that have posed a huge challenge to The King. He has taken down the Celtics team that had their own big four of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Rajon Rondo. He beat them and caused that team to have a nasty break-up.
He also took down the Spurs team in the Finals that had Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker, and a young Kawhi Leonard. James was able to win that series and earn another championship. He has taken down great teams in the past, so I'm sure he isn't too worried about Golden State.
The Warriors were the best team in the league on offense, one of the best in defense, and even greater at shooting from deep. With two former MVPs and two other stars, LeBron James might've seen his toughest challenge en route to a championship. James will need to study film and make sure the Cavs have great practices in order to beat the star-studded squad. James has slain giants in the past, but is this one too big even for The King. See how LeBron and the Cavs fare in game one on ABC at 9 p.m.
