Kawhi Leonard locks down LeBron - 2014 Finals Game 5
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- čas přidán 5. 04. 2015
- Kahwi Leonard locks down LeBron in the key 2nd and 3rd quarters, using a strategy similar to the Russell/Reed strategy that Dennis Rodman used on Shaq
This allowed the Spurs to make a run and easily win their 5th championship. LeBron's deceptive stats do not come close to telling the real story of what happened. LeBron had 5 points on 1-6 (17%) FG when Leonard guarded him, and that stretch is what gave the Spurs the lead and eventually the win
espn.go.com/blog/statsinfo/pos...
Now to analyze LeBron's 2014 Finals in full context. LeBron was only productive for the first 2 games of the series. In the final 3 games, LeBron didn't show up on offense or defense, and was completely outplayed by 13 ppg Kawhi Leonard across the board. The majority of LeBron's stats over the last 3 games were padded in blowout situations (being down 15+). LeBron by no means was "carrying" his team in these Finals. The majority of LeBron's stats over the last 3 games were padded in blowout situations (being down 15+). And he got outplayed by Kawhi Leonard over the last 3 games
Games 3-4-5
Lebron scored 51 of his 81 points (63%) being down 15+
Leonard scored 27 of his 71 points (38%) being up 15+
Leonard outscored Lebron 44-30 in non-blowout situations
Leonard 23.7 ppg on 69%
LeBron 27.0 ppg on 55%
(Leonard 14% more efficient)
And again, Lebron stats were heavily padded in garbage time, in non blowout situations Leonard outscored him
Leonard 9.3 rpg
LeBron 7.7 rpg
Leonard 2.0 spg
LeBron 1.7 spg
Leonard 2.0 bpg
LeBron 0.7 bpg
Leonard 2.3 apg with 1.7 TOpg
LeBron 4.7 apg with 3.7 TOpg
Leonard had a slightly better ast:TO ratio
Through games 3-4-5, Leonard scored much more efficiently (and more in non blowout situations) and outrebounded, outstole, and outblocked Lebron with a better ast:TO ratio
Game 3
Lebron had 14 points and 0 TO in first quarter, then 8 points and 7 TOs for the last 3 quarters. LeBron had 22-5-7-5 with 7 TOs on 64%, Wade had 22-4-2-2 with 5 TOs on 67%. But over the last 3 quarters, LeBron had 8 points and 7 TOs to Wade's 20 points and 3 TOs. The Heat cut the lead from 15 to 9 without LeBron, after Wade subbed in for him, from the 5:00 to 1:00 mark of the 3rd quarter, but even with that help LeBron still lost.
Game 4
Lebron had 9 points in first half and the Heat were blown out by 19 at halftime. He padded his stats from there, and did not score on Leonard in the first half.
Game 5
Lebron had 1 FG in 2nd quarter (2:30 mark) to bring the Heat within 5. Then he did not score again until the Heat were down 21 with 4:40 in the 3rd. He shot 1-6 against Leonard in this game according to ESPN "MVP Leonard Does it All," and according to that same article Leonard shot 65% on LeBron's overrated defense - espn.go.com/blog/statsinfo/pos...
Leonard clearly outplayed Lebron over the final 3 games, even with Lebron padding his stats, and Lebron failed to score consistently until after his teams were getting blown out. LeBron did not play well in the 2014 Finals after Game 2, he only padded his stats. LeBron's 2014 Finals was a repeat of the 2011 Finals after Game 2, the only differences being that LeBron's teammates disappeared along with him, and LeBron padded his stats to save face. So any notion that LeBron had an "amazing" series, and still lost because of his teammates is false. LeBron failed his team over the Final 3 games, and that's why he lost. He did not contribute offensively or defensively. The Spurs did have great offensive execution in this series, but a lot of that had to do with the poor defensive leadership of LeBron, who got exposed by Kawhi Leonard - Sport
The last game before heat fans turned into Cleveland fans
and they talked about warriors fans being bandwagons... smh fucking hypocrites
ANGELOFDARKification thank u and they're trying to say they were never heat fans they were LeBron fans that's bs
The Warriors fans were Lakers fans
Wu Liwei and Cavs fans were heat fans same shit
A lot of Warriors fans were fan of both team when Warriors were trash and Lakers were good
Lebron is a nightmare for 99 percent of all defenders. But Kawhi is that extraordinary 1 percent that can frustrate Lebron.
Don't forget about Iguodala, Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler too.
Mikey Wilkins Jr Good mention of Jimmy Butler. This dude has really been a savior of sorts for the Bulls. Brings offense and defense.
Yeah, and Jimmy Butler is not scared of Lebron either. And he's gonna be a factor if the Bulls hope to beat the Cavaliers.
+Mikey Wilkins Jr LeBron actually plays good against JB and the whole bulls defense, everyone who guards LeBron needs help side defense..
I know, but the Bulls still made him work for his points.
The most impressive "lockdown" I've ever seen. Kawhi a 22 year old kid literally put a clamp on a prime LeBron. One of the best performance I've ever seen and it's in the finals. He even shoot 60/60 split % with 18+ points per game
I'd say 16-18 lebron was his prime imo but ur point still stands.
@@voltaireentertainment stfu Miami hear bron was prime heat idc wat u say
@@chrisnaylor013 ok but why you gotta be so rude.
That's why he will never be better than kobe on offense..he literally chokes up just when everyone needed him the most
@Zachary Ravel yes those are what people like you who don't watch the game. Lebron could only score when he's not being guarded by kawhi. And most of his stats came from garbage time cause SA just let him pad his stats or when kawhi was not guarding him. When kawhi was on him except for the first 2 games it was either he will turn the ball over or pass the ball to his teammates cause he don't want to attack kawhi defense
Offense wins games, but defense wins championships.
offense gets you to the playoffs. defense keeps you there
The 96 Bulls had one of the worst Field Goal percentages in NBA History (38%) But their defense was so fucking insane that it won them the championship and 72 games.
Indeed.
@@mrsky67 well how do you get past Jordan, Pippen, Rodman, Harper, and then Luc Longley is a tier below them but he can be physical with ya :D their rebounding was also a factor
The Tiger Legionnaire Exactly. Their entire starting lineup has literally 4 of the greatest defenders in NBA history. How the fuck do you even score against that?
this is the last time i saw miami heat fans
They back now!
Ahmed Alam they Laker fans now
@@yunopepper76 loll I'm saying Miami is doing better now
We LA fans now
Still a fan of my heat through the good and bad
LeBron looked like he's afraid of touching the ball... Spurs defense is insane.
Kobe kill this kind of defense
pipoy pipoy Kobe couldn’t handle the 2004 Pistons or the 2011 Maverick’s defense. This would destroy him.
thirstpolice What about 34 year old Jason Kidd locking him down.
Show Genius You could clearly see it in the footage. So put up or shut up.
thirstpolice the piston was best defender team in 2004 and Jason didn’t lock down Kobe he play good defend but no Kobe lock down Jason Kidd nobody can’t even guard the piston 2004 Kobe and Shaq are the only players are defending them on the final and Kobe is a great defender he guard leflop and lebron shot 20% when Kobe guard him lebron can’t even guard Kobe Kobe shot over 50% when lebron guard And also Kobe play good defense against the mavs and the piston 2004 Kobe defensively 9>>>>>>>>>>>>>lebron defensively 5 but yeah the mavs 2011 lockdown Leflop in the final you are right about that one
Damn, Duncan in the inside and Kawhi in the perimeter is a defense monster.
And popovich defensive coaching on top…
When do people learn stats don't mean shit. Stats don't measure intensity, passiveness, and effort. In the world of basketball, it's the eye test. If you watched the 2014 Finals. You could see why Kawhi got the MVP because when he absolutely locked down Lebron and kept covering his eyes, swiping at the ball, disrupting his rhythm, and played him with maximum effort with his feet on the move at all times in defensive-ready position. Everyone could see after the Spurs won why Kawhi deserved the MVP aside from stats. It's because when he came in, the series changed. Lebron looked passive most of the series, giving the ball up immediately when pressured by Leonard, or passing the ball away at the end of the shot clock to force an errant shot by his teammate or stat padded assists. Good amount of his stats came from when he wasn't guarded by Kawhi or pick & roll when Kawhi was off him, or when his team was down by 15+ he finally got into the comfort zone of "too late to matter so I'm gonna be aggressive now." Kawhi definitely outplayed him.
+ExilixE exactly.
Facts
And what youve said isnt stats???lol
Big facts. Stats are for nerds that want to act smart. Anyone that knows basketball or sports in general knows that the eye test is most important
ExilixE Kawhi locked LeBron when Kawhi averaged 17 and LeBron averaged 28… starts isn’t everything but.
Bless this series. Lebron forced to drive off Kawhi’s perimeter defense into Duncan’s in the paint was fkn Kryptonite.
Kawhi’s arms are too long for him to get past and Duncan is too strong and tall😂
He averaged 30. Stop it
As a Laker fan, Kawhi is a legit lockdown defender. Big hands, long arms, with great anticipation. Reminds me of Pippen.
O_O
"As a Laker fan"
Better offensive than Pippen.
@@kymani_10 Yeah we know talent when we see it and he said "as a laker fan" people were saying Kawhi is a candidate for being the next Kobe since he Kobe just retired and most were missing him. And then a few years pre 2019-2020 season after Lebron comes to LA it becomes known that Kawhi wanted to come to LA, Which would have joined AD, Lebron, Kawhi, and Kuzma for a 4 headed Dragon because Kuzma was playing consistently still, AD had his hunger for a championship, Kawhi was fresh off beating the KD, Curry, Klay, Dray, and Iggy GSW in the finals. Then obviously Lebron is Lebron nothing else really needs to be said there. Kawhi unfortunately for us chose to go to the clippers instead.
Lenard better dan pippen stop it
man, I can't stop loving Kawhi game-style. the more I watch his plays (especially defensive plays), I love his style more.
the same feeling to you
The Spurs beat the Heat so bad that Lebron decided to quit and go back home
So what? He won another one with the Cavs last year
Wu Liwei he still a pussy and needs another playmaker. 😂👎
@@JB-wk5dw everyone need a playmaker bro... mj need scottie ,curry need klay, Duncan need Manu parker , so your comment r bo shxt
@@victor-pw9im my comment was 2 yrs ago get a life. Lebum still needs a playmaker.
@@victor-pw9im haha stupid asshole ur grammar sucks ass
That team defense was also spectacular. The Heat looked outright dejected after the 2nd quarter. Imagine losing Kawhi off a screen only to run into the likes of Tim Duncan.
9:35 I'm going back to Cleveland
+ThatSkaterJustice hahahahah yes
NationalBandwagonAssociation he locked him down so badly
QUEEN James
“First field goal in almost 7 minutes”.
Damn, that Spurs defense is crazy.
man looking back on this, Kawhi was so inexperienced and it showed, but his raw defensive awareness and sheer persistence more than made up for that
2:12 sakuragi defense by diaw
😂😂😂
lmao one of the only animes i ever watched too shit was hype
Kawhi is a great player and a great person. He lost his father to gun violence in HS and is now living out his father's dream for him to be in the NBA. I can't imagine the pain this man went through, respect
I don't respect him
3:11 Kawhi is such a predator, lol...trying to make a play against every single dribble
@Zachary Ravel If you actually watched the series Lebron got most of his points/stats in garbage time down 15+ to fool casuals like you to think he carried🤦🏾♂️
@Zachary Ravel and then Leonard stuck to him second half and lebron produced poo poos
And Lebron fans should know the difference between coming through for your team and padding your stats.
of course he had a good finals scoring wise, BUT most of his points came after the heat were down 20 or after the game was over and got away from them.
you can, because after Games 1-2 he did not contribute on either end of the floor, he only padded his stats
Now to analyze LeBron's 2014 Finals in full context. LeBron was only productive for the first 2 games of the series. In the final 3 games, LeBron didn't show up on offense or defense, and was completely outplayed by 13 ppg Kawhi Leonard across the board. The majority of LeBron's stats over the last 3 games were padded in blowout situations (being down 15+). LeBron by no means was "carrying" his team in these Finals.
Games 3-4-5
Lebron scored 51 of his 81 points (63%) being down 15+
Leonard scored 27 of his 71 points (38%) being up 15+
Leonard outscored Lebron 44-30 in non-blowout situations
Leonard 23.7 ppg on 69%
LeBron 27.0 ppg on 55%
(Leonard 14% more efficient)
And again, Lebron stats were heavily padded in garbage time, in non blowout situations Leonard outscored him
Leonard 9.3 rpg
LeBron 7.7 rpg
Leonard 2.0 spg
LeBron 1.7 spg
Leonard 2.0 bpg
LeBron 0.7 bpg
Leonard 2.3 apg with 1.7 TOpg
LeBron 4.7 apg with 3.7 TOpg
Leonard had a slightly better ast:TO ratio
Through games 3-4-5, Leonard scored much more efficiently (and more in non blowout situations) and outrebounded, outstole, and outblocked Lebron with a better ast:TO ratio
Game 3
Lebron had 14 points and 0 TO in first quarter, then 8 points and 7 TOs for the last 3 quarters. LeBron had 22-5-7-5 with 7 TOs on 64%, Wade had 22-4-2-2 with 5 TOs on 67%. But over the last 3 quarters, LeBron had 8 points and 7 TOs to Wade's 20 points and 3 TOs. The Heat cut the lead from 15 to 9 without LeBron, after Wade subbed in for him, from the 5:00 to 1:00 mark of the 3rd quarter, but even with that help LeBron still lost.
Game 4
Lebron had 9 points in first half and the Heat were blown out by 19 at halftime. He padded his stats from there, and he did not score on Leonard in the first half.
Game 5
Lebron had 1 FG in 2nd quarter (2:30 mark) to bring the Heat within 5. Then he did not score again until the Heat were down 21 with 4:40 in the 3rd. LeBron shot 1-6 against Leonard this game.
Leonard clearly outplayed Lebron over the final 3 games, even with Lebron padding his stats, and Lebron failed to score consistently until after his teams were getting blown out. LeBron did not play well in the 2014 Finals after Game 2, he only padded his stats. LeBron's 2014 Finals was a repeat of the 2011 Finals after Game 2, the only differences being that LeBron's teammates disappeared along with him, and LeBron padded his stats to save face. So any notion that LeBron had an "amazing" series, and still lost because of his teammates is false
I know, and the Spurs made Kawhi better too
+Nobody Touches Jordan preach the sermon! I've been saying this as well but all these delusional fans keep talking about some amazing series he had!
+Ronin 47 Wade did that in the 2006 finals.Sadly he wasn't able to show up for this finals like the other 3.
The Klaw shut down your king .. *no more arguments
+Bug Rolls *KLAW
+Shemzinho haha sorry. ok done editing
+Bug Rolls champion triple double in game 7, back to back 40 point games, shutdown defens, historic block, clutch free throw, fmvp
What's a King to a Lockness Monster?
Tyler Burz proceeds to lose in 5 the very next season LMAO
Usually when you are quick enough to keep up with LeBron, you are not long and strong enough to guard him. When you are strong and tall enough, you are too slow to keep up with him. Kawhi is strong, tall, long and quick enough to deal with Lebron which forces him either to give up the ball or go to his unreliable jump shots. In terms of total package, I rate Kawhi over LeBron any day.
Show me a play where Lebron scores on Leonard without using a screen I mean he's always passing it or calling bird man it Bosh
This is called team basketball. If you are my opponent, I would be happy to see you ISO all day like 2014 Lebron did without any help.
+Liao Ssin exactly Kobe didn't have the shooters like Lebron so it's harder to double team him unlike Kobe so it's amazing Kobe scores as much as he do
Axel Minani that's what was the Lakers' downfall whenever they lost in the playoffs. Bigs would get denied the ball and Kobe would be doubled and shooters couldn't knock down shots.
thats why he should have dumped the ball down to gasol and stayed on perimeter. his problem is he wanted be like jordan.
Sun Spot he won 5 rings he failed at doing nothing
This was another critical game among SOOOOO many others where Lebron looked like he was completely frozen in fear.
2:19 it’s crazy how diaw’s strategy of just flapping his hands in the air on defense worked😂
Active hands. He needed it cause he was slow on his feet
Sometimes I come back to this video. Obviously Kawhi is a ridiculously good defender, but the help defense from Tim Duncan was extremely important too.
He only needed help when he got picked, there is nothing he can do.
Lebron's understanding of basketbal
= Hard drive, if can't, give up and pass to the closest all star teammate, get assists
@Zachary Ravel bro do you not have a life
Facts!
@Zachary Ravel he didn’t average this against Kawhi that’s what ur missing it was screens/switches and garbage points or did u not watch the series or this video and commented stats and left this is why ppl can’t stand lebron and his fans
@@fury_021 man that is a strategy to fuck less with best defenders as it is good for opposition
Wtf was he talking about at 3:20 those 19 weren't on kawhi 😂 he locked bron ass up
@Zachary Ravel hard to not put up gaudy stats when you’re the only one dribbling the ball on your squad
Lebron averaged 31 ain’t locking shit yo
@@Ma1q444 lebron haters love to make up stories
@@nbastalgiacritic1751 did you even watch the video before commenting?
@@crashboy0 yea. The title is deceiving. Makes it seem like lebron averaged 12 ppg.
“LeBrOn iS a MisSmAtCh FoR eVeryOnE“
LeBron literally takes like 5 screens per possesion to have a favorable match
Most players do. It’s called strategy.
@@No-Hassle true then he's not really a mismatch for everyone is he
@@ssk58607 I guess no one is
@@ssk58607 yes he is because he still produces the results no one else does
@@ssk58607 No it just means some mismatches are easier then others. For example, you see Lebron taking centers off the dribble lots of time but he prefers small slow guards cause he can play bully ball with him.
4:51 TONY'S FACE AND EYES LMFAOOOOO
Determination my friend
LMFFFAAAAAOOOOO 😐
Now to analyze LeBron's 2014 Finals in full context. LeBron was only productive for the first 2 games of the series. In the final 3 games, LeBron didn't show up on offense or defense, and was completely outplayed by 13 ppg Kawhi Leonard across the board. The majority of LeBron's stats over the last 3 games were padded in blowout situations (being down 15+). LeBron by no means was "carrying" his team in these Finals.
Games 3-4-5
Lebron scored 51 of his 81 points (63%) being down 15+
Leonard scored 27 of his 71 points (38%) being up 15+
Leonard outscored Lebron 44-30 in non-blowout situations
Video Footage
"Was LeBron James Truly Effective in the 2014 Finals?"
- czcams.com/video/Y02r-Dz5cMw/video.html
at the 2:40 mark
Spurs leading by 15 points or more
141 total points for LeBron
51 scored in blowout situations
However, the Heat were never losing by 15+ with LeBron on the court in Games 1-2 of the Finals. So those 51 points in blowout situations (down 15+) all came in Games 3-4-5 when LeBron scored a total of 81 points.
Leonard 23.7 ppg on 69%
LeBron 27.0 ppg on 55%
(Leonard 14% more efficient)
And again, Lebron stats were heavily padded in garbage time, in non blowout situations Leonard outscored him
Leonard 9.3 rpg
LeBron 7.7 rpg
Leonard 2.0 spg
LeBron 1.7 spg
Leonard 2.0 bpg
LeBron 0.7 bpg
Leonard 2.3 apg with 1.7 TOpg
LeBron 4.7 apg with 3.7 TOpg
Leonard had a slightly better ast:TO ratio
Through games 3-4-5, Leonard scored much more efficiently (and more in non blowout situations) and outrebounded, outstole, and outblocked Lebron with a better ast:TO ratio
Game 3
Lebron had 14 points and 0 TO in first quarter, then 8 points and 7 TOs for the last 3 quarters. LeBron had 22-5-7-5 with 7 TOs on 64%, Wade had 22-4-2-2 with 5 TOs on 67%. But over the last 3 quarters, LeBron had 8 points and 7 TOs to Wade's 20 points and 3 TOs. The Heat cut the lead from 15 to 9 without LeBron, after Wade subbed in for him, from the 5:00 to 1:00 mark of the 3rd quarter, but even with that help LeBron still lost.
Game 4
Lebron had 9 points in first half and the Heat were blown out by 19 at halftime. He padded his stats from there, and he did not score on Leonard in the first half.
Game 5
Lebron had 1 FG in 2nd quarter (2:30 mark) to bring the Heat within 5. Then he did not score again until the Heat were down 21 with 4:40 in the 3rd.
Leonard clearly outplayed Lebron over the final 3 games, even with Lebron padding his stats, and Lebron failed to score consistently until after his teams were getting blown out. LeBron did not play well in the 2014 Finals after Game 2, he only padded his stats. LeBron's 2014 Finals was a repeat of the 2011 Finals after Game 2, the only differences being that LeBron's teammates disappeared along with him, and LeBron padded his stats to save face.
So any notion that LeBron had an "amazing" series, and still lost because of his teammates is false. LeBron failed his team over the Final 3 games, and that's why he lost. He did not contribute offensively or defensively.
- czcams.com/video/XKUCE_5H7Iw/video.html
The Spurs did have great offensive execution in this series, but a lot of that had to do with the poor defensive leadership of LeBron, who got exposed by Kawhi Leonard, the main reason for the Spurs' offensive explosion in Games 3-4-5.
Remember, this is the same Spurs team that went 7 games against a top 10 worst defense in the league, the 8-seed Mavericks. They were far from an invincible or unguardable team. This is a myth that LeBron apologists have concocted to save face for LeBron and make out the 2014 Spurs to be much better than they actually were.
The 2014 Spurs were the weakest of their 5 title teams, as the 2005 Spurs were the only other Spurs title team to go to 7 games, and it was against the defending champion Pistons in the Finals, not a sub-50 win 8-seed with a bottom 10 defense.
They only seemed like such an unstoppable offense because LeBron, with his atrocious defense, allowed Leonard to shoot 65% on him for the series according to ESPN "MVP Leonard Does it All" and average 23.7 ppg on 69% in Games 3-4-5 as the main reason for the Spurs' offensive explosion after just having 13 ppg in the regular season.
Jordan was used to winning with less offensive help, and his own defense would be more than enough to stop 13 ppg 2014 Kawhi Leonard from averaging 23.7 ppg on 69% the last 3 games, being the main reason for the Spurs' offensive explosion
2014 Finals LeBron's top 3 teammates
- Wade 15 ppg on 44%
- Bosh 14 ppg on 55%
- Allen 10 ppg on 42%
- Lewis 9 ppg on 50%
1996-1998 Finals Jordan's top 3 teammates
- Pippen 17 ppg on 39%
- Kukoc 12 ppg on 45%
- Longley 8 ppg on 55%
- Combined* 7 ppg on 44%
*Rodman 1996, Williams 1997, Harper 1998
Jordan had no problem winning with less offensive help than LeBron in the 2014 Finals. And unlike LeBron, he did not stagnate the offense by waiting until garbage time to produce, so Wade Bosh etc. would play even better with Jordan putting much more pressure on the Spurs defense (and offense, with his own DPOY-level defense)
Jordan has won with the two lowest scoring winning Finals supporting casts since 1954
*All Sub-60 ppg supporting casts in the NBA Finals for Championship Teams*
_Post-1954_
1994 Rockets - 59.3 ppg
2006 Heat - 58.2 ppg
1999 Spurs - 57.4 ppg
1997 Bulls - 55.5 ppg
1998 Bulls - 54.5 ppg
Calculated by team Finals points - leading scorer Finals points
Difference divided by number of playoff games
The only sub-56 ppg supporting casts to win an NBA Finals since 1954 were led by Jordan, at 34 and 35 years old no less, so leading the 2014 Heat, prime or 96-98 Jordan, would not be an issue. Especially not against a team that went 7 games against a top 10 worst defense 8-seed Mavs team.
*The 10 lowest scoring playoff supporting casts on title teams in the shot-clock era*
_(Post-1954)_
10. 1994 Rockets - 68.3 PPG
9. 2006 Heat - 67.8 PPG
8. 1993 Bulls - 67.3 PPG
7. 2012 Heat - 67.0 PPG
6. 1996 Bulls - 66.7 PPG
5. 1992 Bulls - 65.9 PPG
4. 2004 Pistons - 65.6 PPG
3. 1999 Spurs - 65.2 PPG
2. 1997 Bulls - 61.5 PPG
1. 1998 Bulls - 60.8 PPG
In the shot-clock era, Jordan has
- 5 of the 8 lowest scoring playoff supporting casts for title teams
- 4 of the 6 lowest scoring playoff supporting casts for title teams
- 3 of the 5 lowest scoring playoff supporting casts for title teams
- The 2 lowest scoring playoff supporting casts for title teams
- Jordan is the only player to lead multiple top 10 lowest-scoring playoff supporting casts among title teams
Calculated by team playoff points - leading scorer playoff points
Difference divided by number of playoff games
So leading a struggling Heat offense (largely due to LeBron padding a large number of his stats in blowout situations in the first place) against a Spurs team and offense that went 7 games against an 8-seed bottom 10 defense would not be an issue for Jordan.
The only player to lead a lesser scoring supporting cast to the NBA Finals than the 1997 or 1998 Bulls is Allen Iverson on the 2001 Sixers. The 2001 Sixers' teammates outside of Iverson scored 60.3 PPG in the 22 playoff games Iverson played. Game 3 against the Bucks in which Iverson did not play is excluded from this calculation.
I already said Lebron played well in Games 1-2. In the last 3 games his stats were built in garbage time so his % on Leonard is meaningless. He never showed up for more than 1 quarter.
Lebron brought the lack of help on himself by failing to deliver in non-blowout situations. If Lebron played well then you'd have an excuse, but he didn't
Also Lebron had help in the first 3 games especially game 3 when Wade outplayed him considering Lebron only showed up for the 1st quarter.
Wade won the 2006 finals with all his teammates scoring less than Wade and bosh in 2014 and his top scorer shooting 39%. No excuses
Jordan's teammates shot 37%, 34%, and 40% on non-MJ assisted FGs in the 96-97-98 Finals no excuses.
Jordan won the 97 title with just one playoff teammate in double figures - Pippen 19 ppg on a poor 42%. Nobody else even reached 8 ppg. This is the only team to win the title with only 2 double digit scorers (MJ and Pippen). No excuses
Lebron is far from exempt from 2014
The top 5 scorers outscored the Jazz because Jordan was one of the top 5 scorers, and because he created the majority of the Bulls offense by scoring/assisting 50% of team points (if all assists are 2 points). As I showed the Bulls shot 34% on FGs not scored or assisted by Jordan. Any offensive success the Bulls had was because of Jordan. Pippen also shot 35% or worse in 3 out of the 4 Bulls wins.
In fact Jordan became the closest player to join 1994 Hakeem in leading a championship team in 5/5 categories for the playoffs, he was 10 rebs and 1 block (0.53 rpg and 0.05 bpg) short. So he nearly carried the Bulls in literally every aspect
Also the Jazz minus Malone outscored the Bulls minus Jordan 380 to 333, and this isn't counting Jordan's 36 assists which counts for at least 72 more points. The 1997 Jazz also had a better record than any playoff team LeBron has ever beaten
and the reason the Bulls defense was so good was largely because of the on-ball and help defense of Jordan that troubled Stockton. meanwhile LeBron allowed 13 ppg Leonard to shoot 65% on his overrated defense and outplay him over the last games.
If LeBron scored 6-8 points a quarter on top of playing defense he easily could have kept the game in reach. Instead he only showed up for 1 quarter in each of the last 3 games.
also in the 2006 Finals, the Heat were down 13 halfway through the 4th quarter of Game 3 and in danger of falling down 0-3. If the series was so rigged, it wouldn't have come to that. LeBron also shot 94 free throws in 6 games against the 2009 Magic, Wade had 97 in the Finals. So was the 2009 ECF rigged as well?
Hakeem also won the 1994 Finals with less help
Maxwell 13 ppg on 37%
Horry 10 ppg on 32%
Cassel 10 ppg on 42%
Compare this with LeBron's help in the 2007 Finals
Gooden 13 ppg on 50%
Gibson 11 ppg on 44%
Pavlovic 10 ppg on 36%
The Cavs defense also held the Spurs to 85 or less in 3/4 games, but the Rockets only held the Knicks to 85 or less in 3/7 games even with Hakeem totally shutting down Ewing. So LeBron in 2007 had more help on both ends but Hakeem still got the job done
Rick Barry won the 1975 Finals with less help against a 60-22 Bullets team
Wilkes 12-10-1 on 32%
Smith 11-3-3 on 41%
Dickey 9-6-1 on 74%
Mullins 8-3-2 on 55%
LeBron deserves the majority of the blame for the 2014 Finals. His teammates stopped playing well only after LeBron stopped showing up in Games 3-4-5, and it was against a Spurs team that went 7 games against an 8-seed and top 10 worst defense Mavericks
Once again
Games 3-4-5
Lebron scored 51 of his 81 points (63%) being down 15+
Game 3
Lebron had 14 points and 0 TO in first quarter, then 8 points and 7 TOs for the last 3 quarters. LeBron had 22-5-7-5 with 7 TOs on 64%, Wade had 22-4-2-2 with 5 TOs on 67%.
But over the last 3 quarters, LeBron had 8 points and 7 TOs to Wade's 20 points and 3 TOs. The Heat cut the lead from 15 to 9 without LeBron, after Wade subbed in for him, from the 5:00 to 1:00 mark of the 3rd quarter, but even with that help LeBron still lost.
Wade clearly outplayed LeBron in Game 3 and after he replaced LeBron, the Heat cut the lead to single digits without him. but LeBron still couldn't get it done. LeBron contributed nothing after the first quarter
Game 4
Lebron had 9 points in first half and the Heat were blown out by 19 at halftime. He padded his stats from there, and did not score on Leonard in the first half.
LeBron contributed nothing in the first half, and only had a good 3rd quarter after getting blown out by 19
Game 5
Lebron had 1 FG in 2nd quarter (2:30 mark) to bring the Heat within 5. Then he did not score again until the Heat were down 21 with 4:40 in the 3rd. He shot 1-6 against Leonard in this game according to ESPN "MVP Leonard Does it All," and according to that same article Leonard shot 65% on LeBron's overrated defense for the overall series
LeBron once again did nothing after the 1st quarter.
and I've already posted how Leonard outplayed him in all aspects over the last 3 games.
Leonard clearly outplayed Lebron over the final 3 games, even with Lebron padding his stats, and Lebron failed to score consistently until after his teams were getting blown out. LeBron did not play well in the 2014 Finals after Game 2, he only padded his stats. LeBron's 2014 Finals was a repeat of the 2011 Finals after Game 2, the only differences being that LeBron's teammates disappeared along with him, and LeBron padded his stats to save face. So any notion that LeBron had an "amazing" series, and still lost because of his teammates is false.
there is no excuse, Lebron is far from exempt for his poor showing and stat padding in the 2014 Finals, and deserves the majority of the blame for his lack of offensive and defensive effort
the team struggled so badly in the 2007 Finals because LeBron himself played crap putting up 22-7-7 on 36% with 6 TOpg.
Deron Williams put up 26-4-8-2 on 53% against the same Spurs team with Carlos Boozer as his only good player - and Boozer was only good because of Williams. Only once has Boozer had over 15 ppg in a series without Williams, when he had 17 ppg against the 2013 Nets in the first round.
The Jazz also shot 33% on FGs not scored or assisted by Williams. So no excuse for LeBron playing worse than Deron Williams against the same team with equally bad help on offense and with better help on defense.
and you can make all those videos, but I already made videos to counteract any notion of his defense being overrated in those playoff losses. He shut down Isiah in all those playoff meetings and played great defense on Dantley in 1988. He had just as little help when he lost in those series as LeBron in his Cleveland days
every video of Paul and Lebron being overrated on defense is backed up by statistical evidence - which is why those players shot more efficiently against them and/or increased their scoring. so it's not just making videos and calling them overrated, it's backed up by facts just like it's a fact that LeBron played poorly in the 2014 Finals after Game 2
one regular season game doesn't nearly compare to 3 straight games of getting outplayed on both ends in the Finals - where the stakes are at their highest, and allowing Leonard to shoot 65% while guarded by LeBron for the series as a whole
LeBron played good defense on Leonard in one regular season matchup. Though I wouldn't say he outplayed him as LeBron only had 6 points in the 2nd half, and 2 of them were from a garbage time basket in the last few seconds.
The 2014 Finals was definitely his fault for losing. I've explained this over and over, he never showed up for more than 1 quarter in any of the last 3 games and 51 of his 81 points (63%) were scored in garbage time.
3 straight games of getting outplayed by Leonard on both ends, not contributing until the games were out of reach, and letting Leonard shoot 65% on him for the overall series is on LeBron.
LeBron is more than capable of having a good series against Leonard, which is why it's disappointing that he didn't have a good 2014 Finals series because he should have played much better - like 2013 when he was great on both offense and defense
Kawhi the 3peat stopper
LeStatspadder realized Dwade was passed his prime and could not carry him no more so he went to join prime Kyrie.
This is one of best defensive highlights i have ever seen😍
Kawhi is literally the perfect perimeter defender, great at POA, help defense, instincts, switch ability, footwork and the most important thing which is commitment to that side of the ball
People forget Kawhi was FMVP that series. He was also DPOY
6:05 look at LeBron's hustle to get back on defense!
not gana lie thats a good play if spurs makes score then they can just toss back ball to lebron and score easy transition
Such a GOAT. He can defend with the best of them!
@@mrsky67 lebron couldnt. Even guard a bench player
@@kanchabeni6743 No because unlike LeBron, the Spurs actually would get back on defense
@@mrsky67 yes hes the goat kobetard
For every king, there is an assassin.
@Zachary Ravel the Spurs were way smarter. Lebron only used his overwhelming muscle, not his brain, to fight the Spurs, and he lost. Cavs Lebron with more IQ plays, assists, field goals and less defense is the more efficient Lebron.
@Zachary Ravel bro scored 19 in garbage time when the game was already decided
@4:21 is just awful offense and indicative of what Lebron does wrong on offense. Look how long he holds the ball only to do absolutely nothing with it. He does this all the time and it's something Zach Lowe has spoken about as well. When someone guards him coming over the line or gets in his pocket at the top of the 3, he almost finds it insulting and just holds the ball, stagnating the offense. I don't know why teams don't do this more against him. He's still going to score and you may get in a bit of foul trouble, but it's worth the risk from what I can tell. Lebron doesn't like guys pressuring his ball handling and he abuses defenders that don't crowd him.
By this notion, he would have supreme problems against a MJ led Bulls, or Kobe/Shaq led Lakers teams where their perimeter defending was stellar, as it is here with Kawhi. Lebron defenders "defend" his performance by stats, but stats almost never tell the story and the padding of points in meaningless minutes when games were out of reach is plain to see by anyone who watched this series.
+TheRoseExperience Oh please hush. Why the heck does carmelo hold the ball and jab step a million times before shooting. Why does kobe shoot with multiple defenders on him ? Why doesn't dirk take it in often ? Get off of Lebron dude. He would dominate in the 90's. especially with the no zone defense
Christopher Wetherspoon Opinions are fun and I completely disagree with you. Lebron stays down from a bloody nose and cramps, he'd be begging for help after some real physicality.
The Bulls championship teams would have dismantled Lebron James.
here we go with the cramps. I''m gonna shorten it up and tell you that you can't even walk with cramps. He was playing with them the whole game and eventaually had to sit out. He played agaisnt physical teams like detroit, boston, chicago, orlando, OKC. and san antonio and dropped big numbers on the tough teams. please don't tell me that man doesnt play hard
+Christopher Wetherspoon I've had and dealt with severe cramping in my life, in and out of sports. You can sit, you can barely stand, it's like daggers digging in your muscles, Lebron didn't have this, he had heat exhaustion which is even more laughable
You sound like the typical LeStan so I'm going to end it with this message. Size =/= toughness
okay it is time to end this convo because I don't think you understand well. we're not talkibg about sitting or just standing. we're talking about cramps. where you are immobile. LeBron is still an amazing tough player. if size = toughness then tell me more about dwight howard. You sound like a typical lebron hater who's goes to whatever team he plays agaisnt
Lol look at kawhi doing help defense even when he's clampping LeBron
9:09 LeChoke
@Zachary Ravel they lost and he didn’t score those points when it mattered is what your missing
@Zachary Ravel look at the tape stat nerd. He score most his points when his team was down 15 or more. I mean even tony parker was locking him down lmao
@2:10 That was definitely amazing. Good job KL
Leonard was Amazing
Is nigga.
To this day amazing
This is what it would have looked like if Lebron were to play a prime MJ. Forget about 6'9 260, big, strong, fast, Kawhi is the prime example of why none of that matters. In most of these clips Lebron only got by Kawhi from picks, imagine they do an old school 1 on 1 iso. In the second half Lebron simply quit on his team.
This is why I consider Kobe over Lebron. Because I'd rather have my best player try and fight and go 6-24 than have my best player not even look to score. "It's not about how hard you hit, it's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward."
That doesn’t make any sense Kobe isn’t top 2 like bron
@@cultok This was 5 years ago lmfao. Lebron surpassed Kobe in 2016. Jesus
@@masonwong2418 lmfao, some people have him still above just checking 😂
Isn’t that exactly what lebron did the next year when kyrie went down
I’d still take Kobe for a finals series
i hope this get added to his documentary
@Zachary Ravel Lmao it’s ridiculous the blame gets put on LeBron
@@steezycarson6037 He should get the blame. He's an egotistical shithead who has the media on his side, & isn't nearly as good as they make him out to be,
Lebron literally panic passing the ball everytime he gets it. Even if the teammate isn't open he just throws it to them late in clock. Cant believe the announcer said kawhi was getting his butt handed to him
Supreme stuff. Thanks so much!! It would have been perfect have you stressed out that the only basket from James in the 2qrt was a travel.
love to see best player vs best defender duel, reminds me of glory days to see wilt vs russel, hakkem vs robinson or dikembe, or KG VS duncan
That's why he'll never be better than Michael Jordan. Jordan scored when he wanted to.
like in the 1996 finals right? GP locked him up in games 4 and 6
Great video. Very detailed look on perimeter defense which is very seldom to people nowadays. Do you by any chance have any footage on Dwyane Wade's defense on Kobe Bryant, particularly in both matchups in '07, '11, and '13?
I remember this game Kawhi leonard was a beast. And yes im a gsw fan
After this the king became a flopper😂
This is the same lebron who choked against Mavericks on 2011 NBA Finals.😬😬😬😅😅😅😀😀😀😀
Woow man, your videos are amazing in general. Keep up the good work.
And sometimes if you have the games and if it's not a problem, could you please upload some old games from 80s and 90s :D ? I would really appreciate that.
I don't have full games from the 80/90s but there is a youtube channel that does
Search "Alex GrOz" on youtube and it should be the first channel that pops up
Nobody Touches Jordan Thanks bro!
This was really hard to watch but understand me when I say It pays to always be humble no matter how good the world thinks your are there is always somebody who can beat you.
I loved this.
Young Kawhi and a prime Lebron. Kawhi destroyed him and the 2013/2014 Miami's Super heat team.
If you watch this game and then watch the Dallas series I cannot fathom how you could put LeBron over Jordan
That Mavs team is very underrated though, gotta give them credit
It’s False narrative the media been trying to push ...He is NOT and will NEVER be a Better player than MJ !!! Know where in the same breath
@Zachary Ravel still on the stats I see. He got a majority of his points in garbage time.
@@TheDudeAbides1998 still got 28 ppg on 57 FG% 51 3P%
@@Amoun007 Did you even watch? Do you know what garbage time even means?
Peep my boy diaw playing D 2:14 - 2:20 😂😂😂
Yeah hahahaha
And they say this guy is better than Jordan 😂😂😂😂
Yeah he is better than jordan
Crab God yeah because you were alive to see jordan play right? Fuck out of here kid.
Crab God Hell no
Hes better than jordan?? Lol😵😵😵 a kawhi leonard defense is like a SMALL DEF OF JORDANS GAME ON DEFENSE
@@tyshawn5983 were you alive to see jerry west or pistol pete so fuck to out ta here nigga
This was a beat down no other way to describe it! 👊👊👊👊👊👊👊👊👊👀😎
There was a clip where Lebron was like "f**ck"....when he noticed Leonard checking in.
That was 2013 finals :)
Kawhi, Diaw and Duncan made it hard on the Heat this series. Diaw was a big problem as well.
Kawhi is awesome but goddamn even old Timmy was a monster
You can tell Kawhi tired him out in this series. Lebron still hit shots when he took them and was still efficient. He just started taking less shots because it took so much effort to score on Kawhi.
Look don't get me wrong Lebron is one of the most incredible regular season players i've seen as far as consistency goes its freakish. The issue i have with Lebron is when the going gets tough he packs his bags for the next best thing. It was inevitable he would win rings especially with the injury cake walk he had in the East while at Miami they came into the finals much fresher than OKC/Spurs.
He just isn't made of the right stuff and time and time again we see him fail or defer when it matters and just when you think he has overcome it for a while he gets tired blames everyone else is outwardly frustrated at his team missing shots gives up and loses another championship. I will use Jordan because Lebron fans seem so fond of comparing them, he was 6/6 which meant when he had the chance he won, never went to a game 7. Never had Charles Barkley like Lebron had D wade because that's how good D wade when healthy is.
Jordan, Bird, Magic, Hakeem just to name a few overcame the odds and always managed to find a way regardless of the way their team was playing at the time it's about over coming the odds but instead Lebron only ever seems happy when he has a healthy all star team and a bench the can demon a 3 ball in from anywhere (Mike Miller, Shane Battier, Ray Allen)
He has NEVER won a ring without one of those 3 taking over a game at some point with outside shooting. Amazing yes. All time great regular season yes. Playoffs when it matters? Not even close.
Flash2910 There isn't a single player in NBA history who has won a ring without a teammate taking over at some point. That's not a knock on Lebron.
As an aside, Bird lost in the Finals twice, Magic lost in the Finals 4 times and Hakeem only made the Finals twice, with only one other Conference Finals appearance. To say that they always found a way regardless of they way their team was playing is completely unfounded. Even the greatest players need help once the playoffs roll around. On top of that, Bird and Magic's teams definitely met the definitions of "all star teams".
I agree with the conclusion that Jordan has had a better career than Lebron up to this point, as should anyone. But you make it sound like the guy turns into a bum when the playoffs roll around, when really (with the exception of the 2011 Finals), the man's post season resume is exemplary
Cameron Rudderham Actually, Hakeen Olajuwon made three NBA Finals appearances, with one in 1986. No one really remembers that one mainly because Ralph Sampson was the catalyst of that Finals run. Plus, Hakeem made four Conference Finals appearances, with the only other one in 1997.
However, you make some solid points. While you always had your dominant player, you always had a good cast of players around you.
Kawhi is still an under rated player
*overrated
+Jordan The GOAT #KobrickNotTopTen said nobody
Zack Bumann he's overrated
And Kobe is top 10 boy!
sjc 776 nah
This is the time that the league doesn’t tolerate the flopping. Pure basketball
this is like heat vs nuggets
I remember this game well. I was so pissed we lost the year before. I knew if we got back to the finals we weren't losing 2 in a row. We had a f...... squad. Kawhi Leonard turned into a defensive genius and upcoming superstar. Then with veterans like Duncan, Parker, Ginobili, Boras, our bench with Patty mills. It was crazy. That 2014 Spurs team was too good
hey, just wanna tell you that your vids are great, keep it up, i would recommend your channel to my friends
Dude Lebron rlly padding😂😂😂
@Axh3n1 X when the heat are down
By 20 he is just scoring points that have no outcome on the game aka “garbage points”
@@davepop8192 so he should’ve just let the game get even more out of hand is what your saying
How passive was Lebron in this 3rd quarter? Wow. They were dying on offence, nothing was happening and he refused to attack, even with Parker on him. I just dont understand him.
Say what you want about the selfish Kobe Bryant, but he would never let his team look so unimaginative on offence without at least trying to take over. He doesnt care if you call him selfish for it, but he will go out winning or losing with him being aggressive and going for it.
Game 7 2006 vs suns
Game 6 2008 vs celtics
Watching kobe Bryant not be aggressive the ball at the end of an elimination game makes 0 sense to this day
Rickey Lynoard Smith Kobe never gave up on his team in the finals like Lebron did. That’s the difference.
@@mrsky67 so what about that game 6 vs Boston?
Rickey Lynoard Smith Um what? Boston was literally playing some of the best basketball in NBA history, defensively and offensively that game. Kobe tried his hardest and came back twice as strong the next year. Show me when he gave up on his team.
Valid Hustler Is that an excuse to give up on your team in the NBA finals?
Boy the way Bron was tryna set a screen to get a switch 🤣🤣
The sport changed after this finals. Physical defense was outlawed.
Kawhi on Dwade was even worse. Dwade couldnt dribble around Kawhi. Lost it almost every time.
them knees man... it sucks to see how much they shortened Wade's prime
Go Spurs Go! This was such a happy time as a fan. Spurs re - entered their championship wayz and showed the league that they were business. I know the new Spurs will do the same!
wow 22 jump street commercial in the back, going down memory lane
Kawhi never let down his contested hands on lebron and every allstar players that he defends lebron is a very good player but kawhi is also a very good defender
4:28 James is 6’9 and guarded by 6’2 and decided to pass the ball during iso play. Kobe Jordan > Bron bron
His I.Q is overrated
Another one 5:06
Ladies and gentlemen that's how to stop LeBron. I've train hard for this one.. I maybe quiet but I'm an assassin... Thanks CZcams
he had an amazing team too, not only him
Jose Shang Nah. The Spurs that year we’re taken to 7 games by the 8th seed, and the Spurs were way out of their prime. It’s just they had amazing defense that made lebron quit.
Lol, I already locked down Lebron. In a game of 21, I beat him 21 0
back when the finals were competitive
It wasn't just Kawhi. Look at how the Spurs were defending all of the off-ball screens. The communication was crazy.
2:12 ! That Cat like defense on Bosh! Meow!!
spurs didnt appreciate kawhi
People want to talk about the goat you'd never see MJ passing up shots like bronny had the opportunity to take especially down in the series
man finals noises unmatched to any other sport especially at toronto
When I look on this video, I understand the thing that Lebron is not MJ
As good as he is, all of his repeated disappearing in the big moments and especially all 3 of his Finals losses make it pretty much impossible for LeBron to be in that class of top 5 greats. When other legends lost they still went out with great performances but with LeBron that is usually not the case.
2007 Finals - 35% FG and 6 turnovers a game, missed game tying shot, Game 4 they lost by 1 point and he had 20 bricks, 6 turnovers, and 2/6 free throws. And the Cavs top 5 defense did a great job of containing Duncan to 45% FG that series too
2008 - 35% FG, 5+ turnovers a game, 2/18 FG 10 turnovers in Game 1 with a missed game tying shot, even in Game 7 with 45 points he he played poor defense on Pierce who lit him up for 41 and sent him home
2009 - he actually did everything he could and still lost
2010 - the famous quit game in Game 5, 34% FG and 6 turnovers a game in Games 4-5-6 vs Boston
2011 - no defense, showed up and outscored by a bench player, 0 clutch
2014 - stat padding, quitting on his team in Game 5, no defense, no taking over when he should have like 2007 DET or 2012 BOS
I hate when people don't point out that when LeBron's teammates don't make shots the games over. I mean like y'all want him to shoot a 23 ft jumper over a triple team instead of passing to the open man. The heat were awful as a squad in this series. When LeBron's team doesn't step up, it leaves his opponents free to throw anything at him.
KB King When you have the Spurs sagging off the best player in the world (and more importantly the best perimeter player) and letting him shoot plenty of wide open looks through out the finals, you know the game is just not what it used to be.
Jxh Nine Tayshaun Prince said it best. He's best in the paint, so you sag off and collapse immediately and if he's knocking down jumpers, you're fucked.
Y'all gonna learn stats dnt win a game!!!
tony tonyt Most of his points came when the Heat were down 15+, therefore he was just padding stats
Tim Duncan is outstanding rim defender. Top 10 in all time block lists as well. Wade and LeBron like to get to the rim and score there. So it was facing and beating two great defenders to score and that was hard I guess.
When the commentator is talking about how LeBron is not blowing by Parker, you see Kahwi in the background like a shark, just waiting for him to try and drive. 🤣
2:12 When your defense on point but coach dont believe you.
2:16 lmao, you gotta love Diaw.
Is Diaw , the center for the Spurs or is it Duncan?
Kawhi is so fun to watch play
It was a team effort of spurs to defend against maimi that held lebron down.
Lebron single handedly carried this team
This series a legend was born.
Diaw at 2:15 looks like Michael Scott when they're playing the warehouse