SPORTS PRIMA DONNAS

Lebron, Floyd Mayweather Jr and Manny Pacquiao are generational talents.
But are they who they say they are?

SPORTS Prima Donnas
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STRAYA

STRAYA Thy Kingdom Come.
Out this March 2020.
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Lebron James 30000 Points Milestone

Against the San Antonio Spurs today, Lebron achieved a milestone only 6 other legendary NBA players have reached. This takes him further to lofty heights, joining the exclusive club of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387), Karl Malone(36,928), Kobe Bryant (33,643) Michael Jordan (32,292), Wilt Chamberlain (31,419) and Dirk Nowitzki (30,837 and counting).

Congratulations are therefore in order!👏👏👏

But before we pat his 💪broad shoulders further, and because this is Lebron who wanted to be remembered as the best ever, the accomplishment needs to be scrutinized in a harsher light that claimants to the G.O.A.T demanded and deserved.

So without further ado:

1. Lebron needed just 25 points to reach 30K in the prior game against OKC (148-124 win by Thunder). He scored only 18 and was crawling to get there. Had he really been the G.O.A.T. or a close approximation, he'd at least have 25 points and then some.

2. Lebron is now the youngest player to reach 30K👏👏👏. But wait, how many seasons did it take him to get there? 15 seasons. Uhhm, so he had a headstart (entering the NBA at a very young age). Displayed patience and perseverance to get there (give him that).

So how do he really stack up so far? Well, LJ is really great. There's no dispute in that. But compared to what others in the pantheon of NBA gods accomplished in the same span? He should have done  more than that! To him whom much is given, much is expected!

I mean he said so himself he's chasing a ghost! That's Michael Jordan who's regarded as Basketball's G.O.A.T (and you can make a case, maybe in all sport!). But notwithstanding that Lebron has only 3 rings in 8 tries, the most that will come back to haunt him is the fact that he couldn't dominate the current greats in front of him. Reinforced by Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh, Lebron failed miserably against the great but aging All-Hail-Dirk-Nowitski! He's also lost twice to the greatest sharpshooter of all time that is Steph Curry. And just lately, he seemed to be losing ground against a demoralizing Kevin Durant. If you're the G.O.A.T how do you justify that? MJ destroyed the opponents in front of him while LJ is just trying to spin the narrative!

The verdict: Embrace the greatness of Lebron James and enjoy him while you can. He's a once-in-a-generation talent👏👏👏. But Lebron is not the G.O.A.T and it's too late for him at this stage.😱

Super Sucker Punch Reborn

No more running away from destiny.

Lebron owned GSW, now a 3 time Champion

Well done, Cleveland!!! With Lebron at the helm the Cavs are now NBA champions.👏👏👏

Lebron, the Cavs true north and only constant, also  made sure the world took notice that he is still the best basketball player and not Steph Curry. The last 3 games of the finals, he was a beast on both sides of the floor. A man on fire, the full realization of his potential was galvanized with his 3rd championship title. Brilliant.🎉

Still, 3 things I know to be true:
1. Lebron is a force to be reckoned with when fully engaged. But he always needed to be in a triumvirate of fellow all stars when he claimed his 3 championships.😁
2. Lebron did whatever it takes to win against GSW. He stepped over Draymond Green and baited him to a suspension. He flopped and flopped again to get Curry ejected. And through it all, he projected calm which showed full well he knows what he was doing.😇
3. Lebron climbed basketball's Mt Rushmore and is now possibly sitting at number 9. He'll probably be 6th all time when his career is done, rightly well behind Michael Jordan (who forever will sit atop at number 1).😚

As for Steph Curry, he needs to shine when the lights are brightest and the stage most grand. Well aware that 73-9 doesn't mean anything at all without the Larry O'Brien trophy.

Game 7 - Lebron Vs Curry

"You're no MVP, boy. You're nothing like the MVP. Now look at me." Lebron shouted to Curry after demonstrating his superiority by emphatically blocking the latter's shot. Lebron made sure the world knew too all throughout game 6.

It's Curry's turn to return the serve. It cannot get better than this. An all time great coming at him, injury plaguing his team, and one game to decide the coveted price. 

Time to shine.

KG said Michael Jordan is one thing and Curry is also a whole other thing. Game 7 against Lebron will finally tell us the answer.

Is he?

Lebron's Passive-Aggressive Tactics in play against the Warriors

Lebron baited Draymond Green, stepped over him - knowing full well how the latter would react and how the NBA would respond. For good measure, he tried getting in to Curry's head too.

That was Sun Tzu. When a direct approach won't win you war because the enemy forces are superior on all fronts. Brilliant.

Lebron had realized Michael Jordan's place is far beyond his reach. Jordan would have preferred the enemy at their best for them to understand and feel how great he is once he crushed them. And he did that many times over. 

Not so with Lebron.

He's supposed to be the best basketball player in the planet right now... Obviously, Lebron is not. That person is on the opposing team, the greatest shooter in the NBA.

Indicative that Lebron cannot rise against the competition and is trying to level the playing field by taking Green out of it and hoping that is enough to tilt the win to his side.  

But you have to admire that somehow. Lebron conceding that he's not the brightest in the sky, but he can be the moon to eclipse Curry's sun for a few more wins to steal the finals. If Lebron gets past game 5, think of what other tricks he has up his sleeves for game 6. This "Mean Lebron" is the real Lebron and that isn't all that bad.

Reminds me of the all out boxing war that was the Castillo-Collazo fight. 

And that everything's fair in love and war.