LeBron James, Stephen Curry, And The Silliness of Sweeping Narratives

LeBron swooped in late to block Andre Iguodala. The Cavaliers controlled Game 7’s final minute, clinching the NBA title. It was a mere few minutes. The impact on the resulting, sweeping narratives was dramatic.

LeBron fulfilled his obligation to Cleveland. He silenced the haters, still not quite convinced by his previous two previous NBA Finals MVP awards, his four league MVPs, or his nine-consecutive appearances on the All-NBA 1st Team.

Steph Curry, until maybe a week ago, the most exciting, universally popular player in the NBA, was cast aside, resigned to failure and memedom with his wife, and a choke artist as his team coughed up a 3-1 lead.

It’s easy to conceive alternate, plausible universes where things go far differently. LeBron mistimes his jump and fouls. Iguodala hits the layup and converts the free throw for a three-point play. Golden State hangs on. Or, Draymond Green keeps his predilection for tapping testicles in check, the Warriors close the series out in five at home.

Flip a moment or two throughout history in any vein, and the stories change, dramatically. That spells out the idiocy of sweeping narratives to begin with.

We know both LeBron and Steph are singular talents. We’ve never seen a LeBron. He explodes like Jordan and passes like Magic, while being built like Karl Malone. We’ve never seen a Steph Curry. He’s a tiny man who has turned the 30-foot, contested three-pointer into a high percentage shot. He shot 50 percent from the field taking nearly 900 three-point attempts. Absurd.

Both players are likely to end up among the all-time greats. LeBron is there. Curry has a ring, two league MVP awards, and is just entering the middle of his prime at 28.

We are not witnessing life and death for “legacies” at every turn. “Legacy” is overused, and used incorrectly. Perception of career achievements will be assessed after careers. Will Steph Curry ever escape the stain of his team choking away a 3-1 lead? Yes.

Lest we forget, the biggest (magnitude) choke in professional sports history came from the New York Yankees–led by inveterate winners Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera, conceding a 3-0 lead to the bearded, rag-tag Boston Red Sox. All-powerful History deploys a reasoned, broader perspective.

What we are witnessing is Magic vs. Larry, two powerful forces colliding at their apex. LeBron remains, more or less, at the height of his power. Steph has just hit it. The Warriors won round 1. The Cavs won around 2. If LeBron stays in Cleveland, both teams will be heavy favorites to reach the NBA Finals in 2017.

Maybe neither player was as good as Jordan. That. Did. Not. Fucking. Matter.

The enduring “take” here: stop historicizing and enjoy this. Sports are seldom this good.