In the 2007 NBA playoffs, the Cleveland Cavaliers led by
LeBron James blazed through the Eastern Conference on their way to what many
people thought would be the first of many NBA Finals appearances for the league’s
most talented and most beloved superstar.
James looked very Jordan-esque as he willed the Cavaliers
past the lowly Washington Wizards in four easy games, fought past the New
Jersey Nets in six games and then bested the Detroit Pistons in the most epic
battle of the entire playoffs setting them up for a Finals’ showdown versus Tim
Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs.
That’s where the Jordan comparisons would end though as the
three-time champion Spurs made quick work of the upstart Cavaliers hoisting
their fourth championship banner in nine years. James tried unsuccessfully for
three more seasons to make it back to the Finals before finally giving up and “taking
his talents to South Beach.”
James would join Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh on the Miami
Heat in order to better his chances of winning a championship and it paid off…sort
of. James and the Heat were successful in getting to the Finals last year only
to be denied by the Dallas Mavericks.
This year it looks like the Heat may be headed back to give
James another shot at winning that elusive ring that he has so coveted. Only
problem is there may be another Spurs juggernaut on the risen to once again
deny him his place in championship history.
The Spurs still have the same three stars that whipped James
in that 2007 Finals matchup. While Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Duncan are a
lot older, they are still a potent combination on the court.
What makes them so dangerous this year though is their
depth. Sure that 2007 team had a deep bench but the Spurs played mostly an
eight-man rotation in the playoffs.
This year, Coach Gregg Popovich has gone deeper into his
bench in an effort to rest his aging superstars. He has been so adamant about
resting his aging trio that Parker had to convince Popovich to put him back in
during Game 2 of their first round matchup with the Utah Jazz.
But the way San Antonio has played this season and is
playing in the playoffs; there may not be a team in the Western Conference that
can deny them a return to the Finals. And
if the Spurs do go to the Finals then they will be facing a hungrier, more
experienced and more determined LeBron James than the one they faced before.
The final result may
still be the same though. The Spurs are the more experienced team and Popovich
is a way better coach than the Heat’s Eric Spoelstra.
There are many people rooting for James to finally succeed though
in what would be his third attempt at a ring but if the Spurs have anything to
say about it then the third time won’t be the charm.
Roosevelt Hall is an NFL Blogger for The Sport Mentalist and an NBA Blogger for The Sport Mentalist 2. He is also a Sports Reporter for Pro Sports Lives. He can be contacted at RHall_TPFB@Yahoo.com and be sure to follow him on Twitter @sportmentalist.
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