LeBron's six consecutive trips to finals, Asterisk?

[Ogaju]

No player has done this in the last fifty years at least. The only other players to do this were Boston Celtics. It appears that those players did it with the Celtics. James has accomplished his feat with two handpicked teams. It is a great feat by no doubt. BUT

Question: Because James accomplished his feat with two different teams does that add or take away from his feat. I think he gets an asterisk anyway because he did it with two teams, but does that asterisk signify a greater or lesser achievement?

I believe that it is a lesser feat because he simply handpicked teams to create 'super teams' in one case pretty much diluting the strength of the competition by leaving that team  (Miami).

Comments?

[jpotter33]

Eh, I don't know about that. But if he ends up 2 for 7 in the Finals after this year, then it will seriously harm his legacy as one of the all-time greats, especially after him hand picking teams like he has.

[PAOBoston]

It doesn't really take away from anything. 6 trips to the finals is 6 trips to the finals. Nobody likes him around these parts but he's easily the most influential player of his generation. His team is in the playoffs/finals constantly.

[PhoSita]

It surely has to be mentioned that he didn't have to beat a single team with a strong chance at winning a title to get there.

[PAOBoston]

It surely has to be mentioned that he didn't have to beat a single team with a strong chance at winning a title to get there.

But why is that LeBron fault? He can't control that. That's like saying the Patriots records shouldn't be looked at highly because they play in the AFC East. You can't control who you play.

[Surferdad]

It adds, not takes away from his legacy. No matter where he goes, he makes the team MUCH better (championship level) and the team he leaves gets worse.

And why is hand-picked a negative? The fact that he is the de facto GM doesn't lessen his talent. Every team needs a GM.  Ownership still pays the salaries.  Geez, any excuse to beat on LeBron.

[86MaxwellSmart]

The league will be a better place when this Egomaniac is gone.

[SHAQATTACK]

The league will be a better place when this Egomaniac is gone.

TP

[RedClaw33]

Not a Lebron fan at all....but isn't Jerry West a great?

Didn't he lose 7 times in the finals?

[Ogaju]

It adds, not takes away from his legacy. No matter where he goes, he makes the team MUCH better (championship level) and the team he leaves gets worse.

And why is hand-picked a negative? The fact that he is the de facto GM doesn't lessen his talent. Every team needs a GM.  Ownership still pays the salaries.  Geez, any excuse to beat on LeBron.

Counterpoint: When he left the Miami Heat they had just done four straight NBA Finals. This leaves a toll on the team. It can be argued that he took his tired legs to a fresh team that had been out of the playoffs for years, and thus had both the fresh legs and the hunger to make a run in the playoffs. This is quite different from taking the same team with the same tired legs and the target on their chest to six straight finals.

[Roy H.]

Eh, I don't know about that. But if he ends up 2 for 7 in the Finals after this year, then it will seriously harm his legacy as one of the all-time greats, especially after him hand picking teams like he has.

Jerry West went 1-for-8 in Finals.  Is his legacy diminished? 

EDIT:  Beaten to the punch.

[csfansince60s]

The league will be a better place when this Egomaniac is gone.

+1.....EGOMANIAC?...why would you describe someone who has A messianic complex, with a huge tat " The Chosen 1" emblazoned at the top of his back, who refers to himself as "the king" and proclaims that he has a HUGE basketball IQ an egomaniac.

Couple all that with 1. the blatant favoritism that the refs/league give him on calls (6 whole consecutive games with NO FOULS on one streak)2. his incredible "luck" ( must be his genes, huh) of no significant injuries despite his style of play and high usage and 3.his warped perspective of recent NBA history of comparing how his cHeat team (which was conspiratorially put together) to the way our Cs in '07 was put together, and you've got one pretty unlikable dude.

And some wonder why many beat on this guy?

[bballdog384]

Eh, I don't know about that. But if he ends up 2 for 7 in the Finals after this year, then it will seriously harm his legacy as one of the all-time greats, especially after him hand picking teams like he has.

Jerry West went 1-for-8 in Finals.  Is his legacy diminished? 

EDIT:  Beaten to the punch.

Well, his legacy certainly isn't as good as if he went 7-for-8 in the Finals.

[Fred Roberts]

It is impressive and he'll likely go a 7th time next season if the East doesn't stack up significantly this summer.

[A Future of Stevens]

It surely has to be mentioned that he didn't have to beat a single team with a strong chance at winning a title to get there.

But why is that LeBron fault? He can't control that. That's like saying the Patriots records shouldn't be looked at highly because they play in the AFC East. You can't control who you play.

Well for the bulk of his recent finals appearance (heat days) his actions directly diluted the eastern conference. He created a super team and took the other stars of the east with him. Then as soon as they started to decline, he hopped back to the team in the east with the brightest young star studded future (cle) under the guise of going home.

He may not be able to control the competition he faces but he isn't exactly innocent in all of this.