LeBron James and his Tywin Lannister Problem... Plus Some Predictions!

Courtesy of Picture Push

Both LeBron and Tywin are notorious for being the best at what they do. No matter what they accomplish, their achievements will be looked down on because of how much we need to hate them, though.

Courtesy of Spoiler TV

Normally, I try and stay as far away from NBA basketball as I possibly can. However, for some reason or another, I have found myself watching quite a bit of the playoffs. Mainly, I was attracted by the Golden State Warriors and their brand of basketball because it was the closest thing to a college team I've ever seen in the league. Their main nucleus, consisting of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Harrison Barnes, Draymond Green, David Lee, and Andrew "The Caveman" Bogut, had not only names I recognized from the college game, but they also played a style of basketball built on three pointers and solid defense, factors I like (If you want to see a great picture of "The Caveman" in action, go ahead and google 'Andrew Bogut Golden State' and look at the second image. It's priceless). I desperately wanted them to advance to The Finals so they could beat the Heat, but unfortunately the San Antonio "AARP" Spurs left Shady Oaks Retirement Home with enough energy to advance. With that being said, as the conference finals begin it seems like the South Beach Super Squad, or the Miami Heat, are the clear cut favorites to win another championship. This notion probably causes a serious emotional response because the Miami Heat are kind of like Nicki Minaj songs; you either love them, or you want to cause severe bodily harm to yourself every time they are mentioned. This sentence and a recent episode of a TV show, however, made me realize that there is a far more accurate symbolism of the relationship between fans and the Heat. We have to take a quick journey into a fake land to find it, though.

For those of you who don't have the great pleasure of watching HBO's show Game of Thrones or reading George R.R. Martin's phenomenal series of books, House Lannister is a royal family in the fantasy land of Westeros that could easily swap places with the Heat. House Lannister is the richest, cleverest, most attractive, most powerful, and most hated family in the Seven Kingdoms. The Heat are the most talented, most valuable, most talked about, and most hated franchise in the NBA. Both of them also share the treasured ability of being equally respected and feared by their opponents, and they have leaders who do the same with such power you have to be in awe.

For the Heat, it is the NBA's seemingly annual MVP LeBron James. For the Lannisters, it is Tywin, the patriarch whose financial pockets are matched only by his manipulative and creative schemes. The similarities between the two men are countless, and I'm disappointed I haven't noticed the startling similarities until now:

1) LeBron definitely has the most superior skills in the game of basketball right now. Tywin has the resources and intelligence to conquer all of the Seven Kingdoms.
2) LeBron has faced enormous pressure his entire career to match the legacy of Michael Jordan. Even for a phenom, becoming an all time great isn't an easy task. Tywin has his own problem of fixing his children's erratic behaviors so the important Lannister legacy will be passed on for generations to come and not become tarnished.
3) Both men are haunted by their pasts. LeBron's "Decision" became one of the most controversial public relations moves of this century and his inability to win a championship for so long. Tywin meanwhile has had to endure the death of his wife and mother, his son being kidnapped, and the incestuous relationship between two of his children (Advantage Tywin in this category).
4) LeBron is hated by an entire state. Tywin is hated by an entire kingdom.

I'll stop the comparisons there because either one, you watch Game of Thrones and your mind is racing to find the other dozens of similarities between the two men, or two, you don't watch the show and are losing interest quickly. No matter your background, you can probably find your own Tywin Lannister to fit the model I just described. There are certain people in the world that we hate because they are set up to succeed in life very easily. We're very jealous of this trait, we grow to expect nothing but absolute and impressive accomplishments out of them, and we slowly develop an extreme hatred towards them. Then, when they finally fail, we celebrate knowing that someone else will finally be able to have his or her own taste of glory. And maybe, just maybe,  it will finally be our turn to get a good fifteen minutes of fame. Of course, there are people that support the Twyin Lannisters in the world, especially if they support a similar cause for you. They grow to become idols, and they are looked up at to provide the proper leadership to achieve a goal. However, for those of you who may support a LeBron James or Tywin Lannister figure in your life, just realize like any other human being, they tend to be self seeking. If they betray you, don't come crying to me. I told you so.

Now that I got my serious and "way too close to literary" analysis out of the way, it's time to make some predictions. And yes, I do realize the Western Conference Finals are basically over at this point and game one of the Eastern Conference Finals is under way.

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: SAN ANTONIO IN 5
You know the old expression "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"? That's kind of how I feel about the Spurs. Like I referenced above, the Spurs roster should be enjoying retirement on Florida's beaches, but instead they are on the brink of another Finals appearance. Future Rogaine spokesman Manu Ginobili defies every NBA stereotype out there, Tim Duncan has manhandled Zach Randolph inside, Tony Parker still has the quickness to stay with Mike Conley, and Danny Green and Kawhi Leonard are developing into great role players. I think the Grizzlies will be able to steal one game at home, but Gregg Popovich, the only coach in the NBA who I actually think does something, will once again get his team back to the Finals.

EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: MIAMI IN 6
Right now, the Heat are up two in the third quarter of Game 1. However, from here on out, I don't see them struggling. For one, the Heat have too much talent for the Pacers. While I admire Frank Vogel's efforts, his team doesn't have the ability to match Miami shot for shot, and while defense does win championships, Miami simply has too much offense. Indiana will probably steal a game or two, and since I don't have much respect for the Heat's ability to focus and show up for an extended period of time against a lesser opponent, I'm giving the Pacers the benefit of the doubt. Also, a San Antonio-Miami Finals match-up seems like destiny at this point. An underrated dynasty for the past decade vs. the future dynasty of the NBA? LeBron James/Chris Bosh/Dwayne Wade vs. Tim Duncan/Manu Ginobili/Tony Parker? LeBron trying to get his second ring vs. Dan Gilbert trying to pick another superstar with his second number one overall pick? Erik Spoelstra vs. Gregg Popovich? There's simply too much money on the line for the NBA for them not to rig the two series to end up like this.



J. Nave