Two NBA Finals appearances for Lebron James. Two losses. What
is the common thread linking both of these losses together? Both teams were
from Texas.
James joined the Miami Heat during the 2010-2011 season with
one goal in mind and that was to win the championship that had eluded him up to
that point in his career.
He made it all the way to the Finals last season but was
thwarted by a Dallas Maverick’s team that was also looking to win its first
championship and avenge their previous Finals’ loss at the hands of the team
that James was playing for.
For James, it had to feel like déjà vu.
He earned his first trip to the Finals back in 2007 as a
member of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Too bad he had the unfortunate luck to be
matched up against Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs.
James had breezed
through the Washington Wizards before having to fight his way past the New
Jersey Nets and the Detroit Pistons. After the way he almost single-handedly
crushed Detroit, people were ready to crown him with the namesake that he has
used throughout his NBA career; King James.
But all the talk of James’ greatness was quickly crushed
with four devastating losses at the hands of the Spurs.
I only bring this up because there is a real chance that if James
is able to reach the Finals for the third time in his career this season, he
may once again have to face a team from Texas. And not just any team but the
team that made his first trip to the Finals such a miserable affair.
While the Spurs didn’t look very good versus the Oklahoma
City Thunder during their Game 3 meeting Thursday, they are still heavy
favorites to win the series. Meanwhile, Miami is the heavy favorite to win
their series against the Boston Celtics.
Which means that James may once again have to venture into
Texas in order to win that elusive first championship ring. He already has two
sets of bad memories from his first two defeats at the hands of teams from that
state. One more loss there would be a nightmare.
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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 sportmentalist@yahoo.com and be sure to follow him on Twitter @sportmentalist.
Hey they say the third times a charm maybe just maybe this might be his year
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