LeBron's Level Of Greatness

It's no secret to anyone who the best player in the basketball world is. The debate will continue to rage on as to who the greatest player in the history of basketball is. Sure, Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Bill Russell and Kobe Bryant all come to mind immediately. They've all got multiple titles in multiple trips. LeBron James is often brought into that conversation but isn't put at quite the same level. Now I think the conversation might have to start changing.

After beating the Celtics in the seventh game of the Eastern Conference Finals last night, LeBron will now be appearing in the NBA finals for the 8th straight year. Let that sink in for a moment. Eight. Straight. Years. Not too many people have been able to do that. James is now tied with Frank Ramsey for the 3rd most consecutive finals appearances. LeBron has had to be tough in game sevens. Per ESPN Stats, LeBron has won six straight Game 7s over the past 10 years, two of them on the road. He has won seven of the past eight elimination games he's been in, including three this postseason. And he has now come from 2-0 down to win a series three times in his career. That has happened only 20 times in seven-game series in NBA history.

Yes, LeBron is back in the Finals again. Can he win a fourth ring? We will find out in a few weeks. But that's been the biggest knock on LeBron during his career. Yes, Lebron is 3-5 lifetime in the finals, which again is the only knock against the best player in the game. I think if he has more titles and a better record in the Finals, then people would be putting him past Jordan and Kareem on the all time greatest players list as the true king of the NBA. Sure the rings would be nice, but look at what LeBron has had to do over his career just to get to the finals as often as he has.

Sure he had Kyrie Irving two years ago as the Robin to his Batman. Other then that, LeBron hasn't really had the opportunity to play alongside a superstar near his level. Kevin Love is a good to great player, but he's not at the same kind of superstar level as Irving. Everybody talks about the fact that LeBron doesn't have as many rings as some of the games true greats like Jerry West, Kareem, Jordan or Bill Russell. But lets take the number of titles out of the equation for just a moment.

What LeBron has managed to do has been impressive beyond description. Some will argue those three finals appearances in Miami. He had Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosch helping him out, sure. But the other five appearances were with almost nothing in Cleveland. He takes his game to another level when it matters the most. He's done that in game seven's in his career. Can't seem to really get it done in the finals, that knock sticks with him. Still eight finals appearances in a row now marks for a very impressive career. Some speculate that it was an easy walkthrough  to get to the finals. Not so fast. He was pushed to the limit against Indiana in the opening round. Had an easy sweep of Toronto in round two, which came off as a surprise. Then just went through a very game Celtics team in seven games, a series which saw the home team win every game through the first six, before LeBron and company pulled out the win in game seven.

Should be be able to get his fourth ring this year, then I think he can be moved into the top three or four greatest players in the history of the game. There's no doubt he's a top five player in this league and the history of basketball. The fact that he's now played in eight straight finals is really a testament of just how great a player he is. He's King of the East, there's no doubt about it. He can add to his legacy if he's able to win a title this year. It's a legacy that few players have or will be able to touch in the history of Basketball.