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#Post#: 55--------------------------------------------------
LeBron James claims fourth Finals MVP; only Michael Jordan has
more
DIR By: The Referee
Date: October 11, 2020, 9:31 pm
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Tim Bontemps
ESPN-
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- LeBron James has made it clear that
his goal is to surpass Michael Jordan as the greatest player in
the history of basketball.
On Sunday night, James took a step closer to doing so.
James was named the 2020 Finals MVP for leading the Los Angeles
Lakers to their first championship in a decade and winning the
fourth title of his career, with a 106-93 victory over the Miami
Heat in Game 6 of the NBA Finals on Sunday night.
James, who previously won Finals MVP in 2012 and 2013 with the
Heat and in 2016 with the Cleveland Cavaliers, is the first
player in NBA history to win the award with three different
franchises.
Winning his fourth Finals MVP award moves him out of a tie with
Magic Johnson, Tim Duncan and Shaquille O'Neal and into second
all-time -- trailing only Jordan, who won the award six times.
James capped his 17th season in the league with a virtuoso run
through the postseason, shooting well over 50 percent from the
field while also running the Lakers offense virtually every
possession he was on the court. He also displayed a commitment
on the other end of the court, playing a key role in a
suffocating defensive unit.
Most importantly, James outdueled Jimmy Butler in what was an
all-time classic matchup between the two of them throughout
these Finals, including James going off for 40 points, 13
rebounds and seven assists in Game 5 and 28 points, 14 rebounds
and 10 assists in Game 6.
James delivering a 17th overall championship to the Lakers, who
last won a title in 2010, came after a disappointing first
season in Los Angeles.
Following their Christmas Day 2018 win over the Warriors, the
Lakers were 20-14 and in fourth place in the West. But James
suffered the first major injury of his career in that game, a
strained groin that forced him to miss more than a month. By the
time he returned, the Lakers had fallen to 10th in the West.
James ended up failing to qualify for the postseason for the
first time since 2005.
Last summer, general manager Rob Pelinka swung a massive trade
for Anthony Davis, an excellent partner for James who helped the
franchise quickly turn around.
"It's exciting to have such a beautiful young mind, a beautiful
player but also a great leader as well," James said of Davis at
the start of the 2019-20 season.
The Lakers quickly had on-court success in large part because of
James, who averaged a league-leading and career-high 10.2
assists per game in the regular season, then once again proved
to be indomitable in the crucible of the playoffs.
After Portland stole Game 1 of the first round, James averaged
34.7 points, 9.3 rebounds and 9.3 assists over the final three
games of that series. He and the rest of the Lakers overwhelmed
Houston in the Western Conference semifinals. His defense on
Nuggets guard Jamal Murray helped put the Lakers in the NBA
Finals.
And then his drive to continue willing the Lakers forward
allowed them to survive a stiff test from a resolute Heat team.
"After [Miami's] Game 3 win, that confidence they had, the
confidence they still have even after tonight's loss," James
said after leading Los Angeles to a win in Game 4. "They are
just a gritty, so damn-well-coached team.
"I feel like if we're going to be a championship ballclub, if we
want to really be a championship team, that we got to have that
same grit and that same attitude.":
James also made sure that the Lakers stayed unified and pushed
toward their shared goal throughout their run in the bubble.
"It's probably been the most challenging thing I've ever done as
far as a professional, as far as committing to something and
actually making it through," James said on NBA Finals Media Day
of playing in the bubble. "But I'm here for one reason and one
reason only, and that's to compete for a championship. That was
my mindset once I entered the bubble ... I've been as locked in
as I've ever been in my career."
James's fourth championship gives him more rings than any other
active player, and moves him within one title of a group of 13
players who've won five, including Johnson, Duncan and the late
Kobe Bryant. With Davis all but certain to remain in Los Angeles
for the foreseeable future, James should have an opportunity to
add more.
"Playing for championships, and competing for championships, and
representing the Western Conference in the championships," James
said after beating the Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals,
"this is what I came here for."
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