Sure, Andre Iguodala walked away with the NBA Finals MVP, but to say that anyone other than LeBron James truly deserved it is ridiculous.
How the MVP votes broke down pic.twitter.com/5sy4zJAEk0
— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) June 17, 2015
James, despite a sup-par shooting night (13/33 from the field), once again filled the box score with eye-popping numbers (32 points, 18 rebounds and nine assists) in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 105-97 Game 6 loss to the NBA champion Golden State Warriors.
Salute to @KingJames for a superhuman #NBAFinals https://t.co/9dKrWJI31o
— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) June 17, 2015
LeBron was proud of his short-handed team’s valiant effort in the Finals, and said they simply didn’t have enough healthy (and talented) bodies to compete with the Dubs.
Without LeBron James on the floor this series.
JR Smith 0/9 FG
Delly 0/7 FG
J. Jones 0/3 FG
Shumpert 0/2 FG
Total 0/21 FG
— Tom Haberstroh (@tomhaberstroh) June 17, 2015
Per the Akron Beacon Journal:
Twice now this arena has hosted an NBA championship for the other team. The San Antonio Spurs danced on the court and soaked Dressing Room H eight years ago. Now the Warriors did it into the early hours of Wednesday. The California kids threw the party and Cleveland got stuck with the bill. […] While Steph Curry, Andre Iguodala and the rest of the Warriors drenched themselves in Mumm Napa, LeBron James was mum in the Cavs’ locker room. Nearly an hour after the game, he remained reclined at his locker, a towel wrapped around his head and his hands holding it in place. He was a human Do Not Disturb sign, an exhausted giant who had just been hit with a final stone.
He was drained, both physically and emotionally, and in a rare, vulnerable moment openly questioned whether it was all worth it – all of the hours, weeks and months needed to prepare for this two-month march with no promise of glory. In the rawness of defeat, James showed natural human emotion. […] “Of course you question it, especially when you get to this point,” he said. “I always look at it, would I rather not make the playoffs or lose in the Finals? I don’t know. I don’t know. … I’m almost starting to be like, I’d rather not even make the playoffs than to lose in the Finals.”
James’ 2-4 record in the Finals is certainly not good, but no clear-thinking human could possibly blame him for this defeat. The same is true for 2007. It is only by his greatness that the Cavs have two Finals appearances at all. He dragged a lineup of Sasha Pavlovic, Larry Hughes and Drew Gooden to the Finals eight years ago and injuries left this version looking equally bleak. James’ talent, however, trumped it all. Until it couldn’t any longer. […] “We ran out of talent tonight,” James said. “The guys played as hard as they could as long as we could.”
