Although his ‘07 playoff run was special, it didn’t end with a title for LeBron.
At the young age of 22, LeBron James pulled off a feat that virtually no other player has. In just his fourth NBA season, ‘The Kid from Akron’ rose above expectations and led his Cleveland Cavaliers through a brutal Eastern Conference playoff bracket. It was his first NBA Finals appearance, and it turned into quite the experience.
While James put together an epic run, highlighted by his Game 5 against the Pistons in the second round, the Finals was a different beast. The Cavs were going up against a heavyweight in the San Antonio Spurs. Using their experience, star power, and championship DNA, the Spurs stomped over James’ Cavs in a four-game sweep. Even though merely making the Finals would’ve been enough for most young players to rest on their laurels, LBJ was different.
“I need to definitely get better,” LeBron said after losing the series, per ESPN’s Henry Abbott. “Once I get better, our team will automatically get better, and I know that. I have to do everything that I’ve done well and try to improve in order for us to be a better team next year.”
It wasn’t normal for such a young player to be this self-aware. James’ maturity was something to behold. Bron knew how great he was and how much better he was going to get, but the Finals loss really hurt him personally because of his personal pursuit of Michael Jordan.
“We went up against a better team in this series, and everybody has to be better coming into next season,” James added. “I have to be ten times better. Our team has to be ten times better. We have to be better. Me, as an individual, I have to be much better on and off the court, and that will carry our team to higher levels. I think it starts with me first, and then it will trickle down to everybody else.”
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How the ‘07 Finals shaped LeBron
One of the oldest adages in the book, ‘Experience is the best teacher,’ rang true for James in 2007. There was a ton for LBJ to be proud of, but he knew what had just happened to him against San Antonio.
Tim Duncan’s squad exposed James’ lack of confidence in his jump shot. Being 22 years old and the most explosive player in basketball, LeBron didn’t even need to shoot the ball from the perimeter most of the time. His striking athleticism and speed were enough for him to be a dominant scorer.However, on the biggest stage of the sport — the Finals — when everything slows down and becomes more fundamental, a well-rounded game is required. That’s the harsh reality James realized.
The other thing Bron realized
During his first four seasons, James’ confidence in his game was great enough that he was convinced his presence alone could win Cleveland a title. Considering how rare it is that a team wins a title without more than one star, LeBron’s belief spoke volumes. However, the ‘07 loss revealed to him that he would need at least a sidekick to help him reach his biggest goal.
In fairness to LBJ, Cleveland was never an attractive free-agent destination. The Cavs were lucky to land James in the draft and needed to maximize him — something they failed miserably.
James knew the kind of praise he would get if he could win the Cavs a title without another star. Especially being as young as he was, LeBron would be fast-tracking to enter the GOAT debate.
Remarkably, LeBron spent his entire first seven years in Cleveland without a proven star on his team. While it ended rather abruptly and unceremoniously, there’s no denying that ‘The King’ delivered some incredible moments to the franchise.
