Video: Would a loss to the Celtics hurt LeBron's legacy?
The Boston Celtics have been a problem for LeBron James in a way no other East team has been, nearly from the start of his career.
It was Boston that weighed heavily on LeBron's first move out of Cleveland, when he left his hometown Cavaliers to join Dwyane Wade and company, and it's quite possible the last game James ever plays as a Cav will be against Boston in this series, should the upset go down and the Celtics advance.
So, take the following opinion with a grain of salt - I'm often not a fan of the talking heads they have at Sports Illustrated, and think they are dead-wrong here. My reasoning is pretty straightforward.
There's no such thing as a legacy decided by a single series, but big games and big series can leave a lasting mark on the overall arc of such a legacy, and this would most certainly be one of those moments.
The history of the NBA is littered with broken teams and fired coaches who could not move past LeBron, but Boston is the only team to force one of the game's greatest players to change teams once, and could be an instrumental factor once again.
Is that helpful to his legacy? Or even neutral? I don't believe so. While it might only be a blip on the long list of achievements of the man, like him or not, losing this series would do the man's legacy no favors, so I think there's not much to say besides it most certainly would hurt his legacy, even if not too much.
Watch the video yourself, hear their argument - and let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
For more stories by Justin, click here.
Image: Tony Dejak/AP
Video: SI
Follow Justin at @justinquinnn
So, take the following opinion with a grain of salt - I'm often not a fan of the talking heads they have at Sports Illustrated, and think they are dead-wrong here. My reasoning is pretty straightforward.
There's no such thing as a legacy decided by a single series, but big games and big series can leave a lasting mark on the overall arc of such a legacy, and this would most certainly be one of those moments.
The history of the NBA is littered with broken teams and fired coaches who could not move past LeBron, but Boston is the only team to force one of the game's greatest players to change teams once, and could be an instrumental factor once again.
Is that helpful to his legacy? Or even neutral? I don't believe so. While it might only be a blip on the long list of achievements of the man, like him or not, losing this series would do the man's legacy no favors, so I think there's not much to say besides it most certainly would hurt his legacy, even if not too much.
Watch the video yourself, hear their argument - and let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
For more stories by Justin, click here.
Video: SI
Follow Justin at @justinquinnn
