As we get into the NBA Finals again this year, here is some “food for thought.” Most fans and analysts are praising LeBron James for being one of few to ever appear in six straight NBA Finals. Now I would never knock James’ talent, he is one of the best to ever set foot on the court, but those NBA Finals appearances are overrated and inflated. I can hear many people already say that I’m a hater but it’s reality. James, when he was with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat, were in a far weaker Eastern Conference. I would go on to say that James doesn’t make half the Finals appearances that he does if we were playing in the Western Conference.
The LeBron James Inflation Factor
Flashback last year, Cavs could have won if they were healthy right? Well, healthy or not I don’t think they make the Finals as a Western Conference team. Of the eight teams seeded in the Western Conference seven of them had 50+ wins, with the eighth seed having 45. That leaves James and the Cavaliers with their 53-29 record as a seventh seed in the West, behind a sixth seeded San Antonio Spurs team with a 55-27 record. One would have to be delusional to believe that they could have beaten out all three of the top seeded teams (Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, and the Los Angeles Clippers) to reach the Finals.
Let’s go back to 2014, James’ last year with the “Big 3.” The Miami Heat boasted a 54-28 record, good enough to get them a second seed in the East. Very impressive, however, in the West that would give them the fourth seed, which is not too far of a push back. But, in the west the eighth seeded and stingy Dallas Mavericks boasted a 49-33 record. That means only two teams would’ve made playoffs from the East if they were in the West. The Mavs 49-33 record would’ve been good enough to give them a top three seed in the East. There’s a possibility that the Cavs and Mavs could’ve met in the Conference Finals if they were in the East. They gave the Spurs a hard time in the opening round of the playoffs; they took them to seven games. The Heat also would have struggled to get out of the West in this year.
Even in 2013 we saw a weaker Eastern Conference. The seventh and eight seeds had an under .500 record, which definitely wouldn’t have given them a playoff berth but also the sixth seed wouldn’t have made the playoffs with a 44-38 record. In 2011, the fifth through eight seeds wouldn’t have made playoffs if they were in the opposite conference. The seventh seed had a .500 record and the eighth seed was under .500.
So just going by records alone we can see a weaker Eastern Conference, making the path to the Finals much easier as opposed to their counterparts in the West. This does not even get in playoff matchups. Factors from playoffs series leading up to the Finals can also alter things as well. As mentioned, this is not to deny James’ talent. His ability to get to the Finals is tremendous as well. But, let’s face facts, his road to some of these Finals were sugarcoated, including this year.
Main Photo: CLEVELAND, OH – JUNE 09: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers goes to the basket against the Golden State Warriors during Game Three of the 2015 NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena on June 9, 2015 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Cem Ozdel/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
