When I was a kid and missed a day of school, I would sit on the
couch and watch the flagship program of ESPN for hours. From catching up on the
highlights from last night to then trying to recall and emulate the best
phrases of the day from Stuart Scott, Dan Patrick, or whoever anchored the desk
on the particular day, this exercise was a cherished routine. It's a different
story today when I watch SportsCenter because the show is almost always live.
This is vital for breaking news. It seamlessly allows for player interviews and
guests to deliver their thoughts on air. Promotions can reach a whole different
level, too. But the format lends itself to a major problem of having hours of
airtime to fill with only a limited amount of material to discuss. Analysts can
only analyze for so long. What follows analysis these days? Scorching,
scalding, and sweltering hot takes in spades.
This brings me to what I want to examine:
The comparison of LeBron James and Stephen Curry to determine who is the
superior player. The debate has been nonstop since last June. The examination
has reached a microscopic level during Curry's record-breaking annihilating season and the playoffs
in anticipation of an extremely likely Finals rematch. That's why I'm afraid in
the coming days the conversation is going to dominate the sports media. It's
tempting, especially with players of this caliber, to turn this into the one
and only story. However, we need to take a step back and realize how fruitless
this talk is.
First off, the narratives these two have
written are both spectacular. Simply appreciate them both, which for some
unbeknownst reason seems to be an impossible option. From his high school days,
the prophetical anointing of LeBron James was borderline blasphemous. When the
Cavaliers won the lottery and the right to draft the Chosen One, it was
miraculous. When the Prodigal Son returned to Cleveland, the city's tepid hopes
for a championship were resurrected to a frenzy. His accolades racked up in
Northeast Ohio and South Beach are remarkable- besides the blemish of a 2-4
record in the Finals- and have cemented him among the greatest players of all
time. It would be hard to design a more perfect specimen for the game of
basketball than LeBron. For Curry, the questions and doubters were never afraid
to raise their voices. The Bay Area, home to many of the country's biggest
innovations and venture capitalists this millennium, took a chance on the
Davidson College product. Today, the Warriors' return on investment can't even
begin to be quantified. That's what happens when you lead your team to a 73-9
record, make over 400 three pointers in one season, and become the first
unanimous MVP in league history. Stephen Curry is the architect of a revolution
on how to dominate and defy what's possible in basketball. The overlap of their
careers should be considered a stroke of tremendous luck.
The ways their teams have been viewed in
breaking the wills of opponents makes a comparison even more difficult. The
cutting and motion offense of the Warriors seemingly predicates passing up
uncontested layups for wide open three pointers. When Golden State employs
their "Group of Death" lineup, the philosophy leads to a brand of
basketball the rest of the NBA is desperately attempting to replicate. Whether
it's a behind the back pass to an open Klay Thompson, pick and pop with
Draymond Green, or celebrating a 30 foot three pointer before it goes in, Curry
is the maestro of this trendy orchestra. His scoring ensures the ensemble stays
in key and in rhythm. The Cavaliers have tried to add this dimension and become
more versatile by signing a barrage of shooters to spread the floor around
LeBron, but their offense is at the best when this brute, unstoppable force is
leading the charge of his teammates to the basket, completing passes very few
point guards would dare attempt, or attacking the glass on defense. In a way,
Curry and James have become champions and the poster children for this new age
versus old school approach. Basketball pundits both past and present have been
weighing in all season. What's developed is the success of their teams provides
merits for who's the better player, while the failure of their teams acts as
indignation against their case. Changing the debate's framework from individual
performance to team result leads to no meaningful answer on the original
question, which is a lesson ESPN can't seem to grasp.
Finally, an often cited point in Curry's
defense is he's the face of the NBA nowadays. From jersey sales, to
advertisements, to his family, it's hard to find a more popular suitor for the
throne. The parables of the Warriors guard creates a David-like mythology in a
career of slaying both literal and metaphorical Goliaths. This is easy and a
lot of fun to root for. Many fans have happily gravitated towards his suave
personality. LeBron has been vilified throughout his career for The Decision,
his on court antics, maintaining friendly relationship with players around the
league, and failing in the biggest moments too many times. However, where he
was most hated as recent as two years ago is now home of his staunchest
defenders which ultimately makes this a moot point. Besides the fact off court
marketability has nothing to do with on court play, the city of Cleveland's
allegiance to LeBron James is almost impossible to grasp for outsiders. A
championship won by him for his city could only begin to be adequately
appreciated by select pockets of long suffering and tortured fans across the
country. Oh, and that's without even mentioning LeBron signed a life long deal
with Nike worth ONE BILLION DOLLARS. Business, and more specifically money, normally does the most valuable talking, but in this case it's undoubtedly
the most ridiculous point in this confusing debate.
In the coming days, the rematch between
the Warriors and Cavaliers will hopefully come to fruition. Not to determine
whether Steph or LeBron is better, but to see the two most talented teams in
the NBA from top to bottom go to war for a championship. The talk will mainly
circle around the game's most exciting players, but tune out, mute, and ignore
any talk when it turns to comparing and ranking the two players among all time
greats. Andre Iguodala was the Finals MVP last season. Matthew Dellavedova was
the key for the Cavs winning their two games. With all due respect to two of
the game's present day legends, whoever wins Golden State-Cleveland Round Two
will need exemplary performances from every single player on the roster.
J. Nave
