How much does another Finals loss impact Lebron's legacy?

[GetLucky]

Keep in mind: LeBron is a free agent this year.

[Rosco917]

I can well imagine LBJ developing a sweet old man game and continue playing well into his late 30s; a facilitator who does a bit of everything.

The point is that he can theoretically still have plenty of Finals appearances; more interestingly, he might get to win another ring but as the second or third best player in his team.

But he will have to get over some attitude issues he has developed over the years in the Finals; at times he seems to lose his mind... and how many more times will he dribble across court to miss a silly 3 in the last quarter?

But if he matures well, he might still get plenty of opportunities.

This^

When he learns to let the game come to him a bit more, and learns to trust his teammates he'll have a chance to win a few more.

My only gripe with LaBron is his continual search for teams he can inject himself on, for his continual quest to collect another championship. I expect him to stay with the Cavs.

When I hear the name Bird, I think Celtics. Magic = the Lakers, Mike = the Bulls.

When I hear LaBron I think independent contractor.

[jpotter33]

He's been to the finals 7 times. It's safe to say his legacy is pretty strong.

Not when context matters. If he had no rings whatsoever, it wouldn't matter if he would've went to the Finaks ten times.

Further, the Big 3 Celtics were the only *really* good, generational type Eastern Conference team that he has faced in his time in the Eastern Conference, and, surprise surprise, he was never able to beat them until he went to Miami, which coincidentally coincided with the downfall and decline in our Big 3.

Hell, that Boston Big 3 team is the only other non-Lebron team in the Eastern Conference to win a title during Lebron's 7 Finals appearance window.

So, yeah, I'd say context matters in this situation, which makes his 7 Finaks appearances much less impressive.

[TheTruthFot18]

Same legacy as Peyton. Great regular season but falls apart more often than not when the big moment arrives.

[SHAQATTACK]

He probably gives Cleveland one more shot ..next year ,  I tried but sorry folks ......got to move on

If he doesn't get it done next year .....the gig is up for that team.

After that ......he is history as a Cav,   Love gone , Irving or both are traded to Lakers .

Cavs in another 40 years of rebuilding till the luck of four consecutive firsts lands them another Bron.

[Neurotic Guy]

There are about 12 guys that make up nearly everyone's top 10.  The only consensus slot in that top 10 is Michael at #1.   

Lebron's legacy is only impacted by his Finals outcomes in that he will not (at least to date) challenge for the #1 position.  But Lebron should be in every top 10 discussion along with the other dozen or so usual suspects and his 2-5 Finals record does not impact that.  These elite players represent the pantheon of NBA greatness, and who places higher than who will depend on each beholders personal biases. 

The only thing LBJ can do over the next five year to change the dialogue would be to win 4 more championships and then get some GOAT consideration.   For now I think his legacy is secure as a top 10 all-time great.  When you think about how difficult it would be to live up to the hype he received prior to his career, he's done pretty darn well so far.

[Monkhouse]

I dislike Lebron, so my answer and feelings towards him will hopefully not be miscontrued as biased.

I think Lebron has always been this generation's Kobe, and will remain so until he retires. He's still going to be a dominant two way player, who at his size, and basketball IQ will still enable him to be a premier SF in this league despite his fading athleticism and shooting.

Yes, we'll say and argue that he wasn't as clutch, but look at the teams he had during his playoff losses. Other than the imploding Miami Heat against the Spurs, and the possible eventual 4-1 or 5-6 games defeat from GSW will reinstate that fact quite vividly.

He may have been an evil villian for most of his career, but hes been one of the most exciting and interesting players to watch. If he was on the Celtics, I pretty sure every fan here would ooh and awe at how amazing his skills ar-

___

Okay who am I kididng.

This finals loss will definitely make Lebron look extremely terrible for handpicking his own team, making his own personnel decisions, being such a frantic and demanding player with absolutely no room for ultimatums; while attempting to do an noble thing by bringing a terrible city like Cleveland its first championship in a while.

[walker834]

Lebron is a roid boy and everything wrong with sports.  Basketball has gone down the tubes because of players like him in general.  When the league can do this color me impressed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4Td5QRfzj4

[MBunge]

I can well imagine LBJ developing a sweet old man game and continue playing well into his late 30s; a facilitator who does a bit of everything.

LeBron turns 32 next season.  That's a little late to be developing an "old man" game, especially since he shows no sign of it yet.  And his point guard skills have always been overrated.  His facilitation skills have always flowed from overwhelming defenders and drawing double teams.

As for his legacy, LeBron is an all time great but, like others have said, he's closer to the end of that list than the beginning.  Both LeBron and Tiger Woods were supposed to challenge for greatest of all time and both have fallen short.  There's an obvious excuse for Tiger, though, which makes it easier for his fans to accept.  LeBron just isn't as great as he was supposed to be.

Mike

[nickagneta]

Jerry West had top 5 of all time talent in the NBA but his record in Finals and his inability to win the big series and games cost him. Today, almost no NBA historian puts him in their top 10 of all time. If he was 8-1 in Finals series and not 1-8, Jerry West could very well be being discussed as one of the top two or three greatest ever.

In time, I think Lebron's legacy will suffer a similar fate. For instance, if Curry goes on to win a few more scoring titles, another MVP or two and a couple more titles, he will probably vault over Lebron and probably Kobe as an all time great.

Like it or not but titles matter. One of Lebron's biggest media schills, Stephen A Smith said before the Finals that he didn't want to see Lebron lose this Finals because he thought it would really hurt Lebron's overall legacy. That's from one of the biggest Lebron ass kissers out there.

With another loss, Lebron's legacy takes a major hit, there is no two ways about it. He will now probably never be considered a top 6 or 7 player in league history because he couldn't get it done at the largest stage.

[Ed Hollison]

Losing in the finals yet again will deal his legacy another blow. It will be knocked out years from now when it's revealed he's been juicing for most of his career.

[PhoSita]

How many times has LeBrons team actually been on par or better than his opponent in the finals?

[crimson_stallion]

I think it does impact his legacy considerably.

When Kobe won his first titles, he didn't get the respect for it because everybody said Kobe was the Robin to Shaq's Batman.  When Shaq left and Kobe came back to win more titles, then I think that shut up all but the most hardcore Kobe haters/critics.

When Lebron joined Wade in Miami, Wade already had a championship ring so he had proven he was a winner.  At the time he was, arguably, every bit as good a player as Lebron was.  Lebron win two rings there, but he often folded in crunch time while Wade tended to be the guy who would step up and carry the team.  I still consider those titles to be just as much credit to Wade (maybe more) as they were to Lebron.

Now Lebron left Miami, has come to a Cleveland team that was arguably just as talented as the Miami team before, and he hasn't been able to get that ring.  Wade has three rings, Lebron has two.  Until Lebron earns one of his own WITHOUT Wade, I will always maintain that Lebron doesn't have what it takes to truly carry a team to a championship.

Now Lebron is ageing and while he is obviously still a great player, it's clear that he's not able to dominate at will the way he could a year ago.  He's on a team that is WAY above the cap with little to no flexibility to add talent. 

His window to winning a title is, once again, shrinking down around him. If he stays in Cleveland, there's a good chance he'll never win a title again - hard to say if he'll even make it back to the finals again.  If he leaves, he has to risk taking another year or two to establish chemistry AND it'll be further fuel to the fire for all the people out there who hate on Lebron for running with his tail between his legs ever time he sees tough times coming.

Now I don't care about rings the way so many people do.  I think players deserve individual credit for their greatness, as well as credit for their team's success.  Whether he wins another title or not, I will still label Lebron as one of the greatest players ever to play the game.  I don't like or respect him as a person, but I appreciate and respect his talent.

[mr. dee]

The thing is (or was) Lebron is hyped to be the next in the throne of Kobe and Jordan as the best of his generation. While he break records with his incredible stats, he have little to show when it comes to the ultimate award - championships.

Lebron have to form up his super team and even that fails to meet expectation because he only won 2. Even those two have asterisk in them.

It only got worse when he return to Cleveland after that disappoint finals performance against the Spurs. He was spoonfed again with a choice of his teammates, coaching staffs. It almost looked like he was managing a team of his own. He never trust the coaching staffs, as evident when he hosted a player-only meeting when the Cavs were having a mid-season slump.

He brags about being best in the league with a little to show for it. That crown now belongs to Steph Curry and the Warriors.

Here are the things he lacked:

- Killer mentality
- Trust in his teammates and coaching staff
- Mental fortitude


Is he an all-time great? Yes. Does he belong with the likes of Jordan, Bird, Kobe and Magic? No.

I'd say he is in the tier of Jerry West, Karl Malone and Wilt Chamberlain.

[SHAQATTACK]

He needs more titles ......titles the first thing people throw out there.  Number of rings.

After next year ...I believe his chances of adding to his rings diminishes .

Being THE MAN associated with another ring .....looses significance if he has to do the RAy Allen type chasing rings from team to team ......

I think LeBron if plays TOO long , winds up being view as a more secondary figure in Ring chasing.  This over a years IMO doesn't help his legacy .   

He should hang it up before people see him drop down to mear mortal skills.