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All eyes will be on LeBron James, seen facing off against Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors. Can James coax two more wins out of his banged-up and exhausted team over a superior Warriors squad? Photo: EPA
Opinion
Tim Noonan
Tim Noonan

Right Field: NBA Finals are a breath of fresh air

With two rookie coaches, a pair of teams who are starved of success, and LeBron James' greatness, it's compelling viewing

It's a fresh new day for the NBA Finals in so many ways. For the first time ever, the match-up between the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers features two rookie head coaches.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr came out of the broadcast booth to replace another former player-turned-broadcaster-turned-coach in Mark Jackson, who was fired despite posting a .526 winning percentage. All Kerr did in his first year was lead the team to the best record in the league and the franchise's first appearance in the finals in 40 years. The Cavs' David Blatt spent the past four seasons coaching Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Israeli Premier League before being the surprise selection as Cleveland's new coach.

What LeBron James is doing is beyond special, it's transcendent

It does not get much fresher than either of these coaches. On the court, the Warriors are led by their 27-year-old, newly minted MVP Stephen Curry, who is now garnering renown as perhaps the best shooter in the game's history. His kryptonite in the finals has been a country boy from Maryborough in Queensland, Australia.

Despite being undrafted coming out of St Mary's College of California, Matthew Dellavedova has somehow become an overnight sensation with his punishing, fearless and relentless style of play. Throw in the fact that the Warriors have not won a title since the mid-70s while the Cavaliers have never won and we have a fresh match-up that even the most cynical can relish.

But no matter how compelling all those angles may be there is only one meaningful narrative and it is hardly fresh. LeBron James' greatness is suffocating virtually every other storyline. It's nothing new, really, it's just ridiculously pronounced this time around. As the most scrutinised athlete in the US, there is very little we do not know about LeBron. He was on the cover of at 17 while his high school basketball games were broadcast nationally on ESPN.

In his first season with Golden State, Steve Kerr led the Warriors to the best record in the NBA and the franchise's first appearance in the finals in 40 years. Photo: AFP
At 18, he was drafted by Cleveland and put that franchise on the map before leaving to play with his star-studded friends in Miami. After four years and four appearances in the finals, winning two, he returned home to Cleveland amid much fanfare with the stated goal of helping the title-starved town win its first sporting championship in 51 years.

But the simple truth is that there is no way the Cavaliers should even be here. They were not a particularly deep team to begin with before losing two of their three best players when Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving went down during the play-offs with season-ending injuries. This is by far LeBron's greatest work in a career full of greatness and sometimes we all need to step back and exhale.

What James is doing is beyond special, it's transcendent. Tied at 2-2, James has the Cavaliers two wins away from an unfathomable NBA championship. According to Lakers legend and five-time champion Magic Johnson, this is as good as it gets. "If LeBron keeps playing the way he's playing and the Cavs win the title," he said, "this will be the single greatest performance we've seen in the finals".

Cleveland Cavaliers' David Blatt spent four seasons coaching Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Israeli Premier League before being the surprise selection as the Cavs new coach. Photo: AFP
In the first three games, two of them victories, James had averaged 41 points while playing 47 out of 48 minutes. His burden is almost ungodly and not surprisingly an exhausted James and his team were badly beaten by the Warriors in game four with LeBron still playing 41 minutes. Two days' rest between games should help somewhat, but unless his teammates can give him even an iota of help, this could be all over for Cleveland.

Ah yes, Cleveland. Perhaps no American city's teams have been more cursed than Cleveland. Just before game three James walked over to an older gentleman sitting courtside and bowed towards him in reverence. Jim Brown may be the greatest football player ever, but he admitted that few things in his career and life have compared to the thrill he got when James openly showed his respect.

Brown is the most visible link to the town's last title when the Browns won the 1964 NFL championship. He is revered locally and it is just one more way in which the 30-year-old James has willingly embraced his saviour role.

It must be awfully difficult for James to stay humble and focused, but somehow he does. He knew full well when he came back to Cleveland he would be suffocated by pressure and adulation. If he can somehow coax two more wins out of his banged-up and exhausted team over a superior Warriors squad, his greatness will not be cemented, his transcendence will. And that in itself is a truly fresh story.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: NBA Finals are a breath of fresh air
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