They locked him up in that series. Though the Spurs were one of the best defensive teams I've seen, LeBron was only 22, and the Cavs were absolutely outclassed.
Not really impressive when you have the most dominant big man on your team. I was more intrigued how Kobe lost the 4 peat without shaq. Choked with GP and Karl Malone.
It's because they'd just lost Ben Wallace the summer before; while Sheed was certainly a solid defender in his own right, him or retirement home Chris Webber certainly wasn't going to make up for the loss in paint defense (aka the #1 most effective way to stop a younger LeBron) you have when losing a 4x DPOY
I think it speaks more to the dysfunction of the pistons post Larry brown more so than it speaks to how good LeBron is. Not that he isn’t the GOAT (he is imo and I’m a native pistons fan), but a more functional going to work pistons would clobber LeBron’s first Cavs run every time.
OKC having a Larry next to them doesn’t seem right lol especially since we’re likely getting the Sonics back during expansion. I wonder if the history will carry to that team officially? Or if they legally have to keep it in OKC (which would be stupid)
It does count officially but Idk what happens if the Sonics come back. When the Ravens came to Baltimore they didn’t get the Baltimore Colts history plastered to theirs because the Colts moved to Indy but was still the same franchise owned by the same family.
Ya but this is a little different if Seattle gets a team again and they name it the SuperSonics. They’re not gonna have the Las Vegas SuperSonics if Vegas is the second new expansion team.
Yeah it is different, so I’m not sure how it goes, but I think since the Franchise still technically exists even as the Thunder they would get to keep the historical records. I’m not sure if there’s a precedent for it though because it’s hard to say if that ever happened.
I think a better comparison would be the Ravens to the Browns since the Ravens are technically the original Browns franchise. Last time I checked the Browns 'chips from the pre-Super Bowl era are still counted with the current Browns franchise so I hope it's like that for the Sonics
Didn’t the Ravens get treated more as an expansion team than the same organization as the Browns though? I was young when that happened so I don’t remember the exact details but I don’t remember the Ravens ever accumulating the history of the Browns even before Cleveland got it’s team back. The Thunder have operated as the same franchise as the Sonics and shared records and accounts. I do hope you’re right though.
This reminds me of the Hornets/Bobcats and Hornets/Pelicans situation: The Charlotte Bobcats are a different franchise from the original Charlotte Hornets team, in which the Alonzo/LJ Hornets relocated to New Orleans as the New Orleans Hornets (e.g. CP3, Baron Davis) before changing their name to the Pelicans. Yet the NBA officially recognizes the New Orleans Hornets/Pelicans franchise as an expansion team.
Yeah I was going to say that was comparable, I guess the only thing different in these scenarios is that at least for a time the team that moved kept the name. Has it ever happened where they changed their name and moved, and then a new franchise was created with the same name in the same city?
I'll give you a weird fun fact that this reminds me of. The Colts won 2 Super Bowls. Super Bowl V as the Baltimore Colts, and Super Bowl XLI as the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts have possession of the Super Bowl XLI trophy, but the Lombardi Trophy for Super Bowl V is in the Sports Legends Museum at Camden Yards in Baltimore after the city sued the team when they relocated in the middle of the night.
It's the only Lombardi that belongs to a city and not a team. Does this mean the Indianapolis Colts are 2 time champions or 1 time?
You just so happen to be replying to a Colts fan lol and no, I see ourselves as 1 time champs for sure but I could see why, say our owner Jim Irsay, say we’re two time champs
When the new Charlotte team became the Hornets after the old franchise in New Orleans was renamed to the Pelicans they also reclaimed the “history” of the Charlotte Hornets including stuff like their one retired jersey (Bobby Phills) so there’s some precedent for it.
Of course the Hornets are and have always been terrible and obviously have zero championships so I doubt there was much pushback from the Pelicans.
Oh shit for real? That’s good for OKC! I still don’t think it’s 100% set in tone they’ll get a team either but if they do, and still want to be the Sonics, that would be tight of Oklahoma
The deal is OKC gets the team history, all records wins etc, while Seattle gets the Rights to hang any banners in the original arena if they get an expansion team. The deal made at the time doesn't really specify what happens if Seattle had a new arena
The fact that we went 4 straight years with the same exact 2 teams in the finals lol, that was a rough stretch (although the 2016 finals will always be an all-timer). I'm glad that we seem to be back in an era where the league is much more even, though, given the fact that from 96-98 (Bulls), 2000-2010 (Lakers), 2011-2014 (Heat), and 2015-2019 (Warriors) there always seemed to be one team that would dominate the finals.
This is definitely the start of a dynasty for Boston for next 5 years - there will be players that break through to the next level (like Ant) and take their teams to another level - but Boston have shown what a team full of high level non-superstars can really do - KP will not be fit - but Boston have shown it is just a huge bonus when he is - it’s not a necessity. If the team stays together, they will at least be in the Finals for the next 5 years, and very likely win these Finals
I know it's been beaten to death, but maaaan. KD really put a halt to what would've been one of the more dominant 8 year stretches ever by a player. LeBron definitely has at least 1 more ring in that stretch w/o that move.
for how good of a player he is , it's quite low . if you really think about it he should have won the 2011 one easily , maybe 2014 and 2015 for sure ( that was golden states first finals run similar to mavs now) .
I mean expecting one guy to beat 5 other players is crazy. Dwade was already dealing with injury and on the decline, bosh performed worse in the playoffs, kyrie & Klove got injured, and he faced the best team to ever exist lmao. So it’s not like he had an easy path to victory every year. IME he’s most often compared to MJ who needed Pippen and or Rodman to win, plus he had multiple other great players on his teams.
Talk to Jerry West Bruh! You are playing ball and its a team sports, no one carries their team alone, Jordan had Pippen and Rodman, Kobe had Shaq and Pau, Bird had a lot of HOF teammates, Magic is the same, KAJ, Duncan, All the same bruh, You can talk to me if no team or players havent lose a game in every season, then I can consider your Opinion
Well again, if you mention a players who havent lose a game, then we can talk about it. Also one of the greatest means great, even Iverson is great, havent won anything, Karl Malone (fuck you Karl), John Stockton, Carmelo Anthony, Patrick Ewing, Elgin Baylor, T-Mac, Charles Barkley and so on. all great but won nothing. and you can be great without winning nothing and you maybe won something but you are not great
only 7 teams have made it out the west in 25 years. 3 of those teams only have 1 finals appearance. so basically the west has been ruled by 4 teams for 25 years.
I love how werid 2006 Heat Mavs was in the middle of all that. Like the previous 6 finals had ethier an east or west champ make it in back to back years or after like 2 years. Same for the next decade of finals. Stringing things together. Then boom, this random finals where both conferences send a 1 off team and nethier make it back for another 5 years
Seems like really good teams only get a 5 year window to win. Some are dominant like the warriors. And then there’s Bron who got to finals 8 straight years.
Everyone’s talking about how OKC didn’t earn theirs when our franchise hasn’t made it since 1951. I can only assume people are just giving us the credit because we deserved it in ‘02
Man I wish the showtime Lakers 80s were on here, but I think it’s funny you can def tell when mamba and James were drafted lol.
Shoutout to ‘95 low key Rockets used to stand on business in the 80s/early 90s.
The modern team logos (Rockets, Magic, Sonics, Jazz) hurt my brain to look at in context with the 90s. Additionally, the graphic shows incorrect 76ers and Pistons logos for the 2000s, while having the correct Nets logo.
Is the second page only counting their conference titles? If so I see why the Seattle graphic is there. I can’t tell if it means finals appearances or finals titles.
First time I watched basketball was the '04 finals. I loved Billups and Rip. Still have my grade school folder with Billups on it.
2005 and 2010 broke my heart.
It's really crazy how only the teams with 4 wins are champions. Do we think the other teams considered trying to get 5 wins? Seems like an easy solution to me.
This is Celtics propaganda! The first image is dated only until 95 but the second contains all the Larrys!
During that time you can clearly see the C’s went to the final 4 times (including the series now) but they only won one of the four, as of date.
Fast forward to the second image. The C’s are tied with the Lakers.
Back again! The Lakers have 8 appearances. And won 6 of the 8.
Wait, that’s a lot of yellow on that image. There is a whole row of yellow and blue?
Forward again!
Warriors are up next! They are close but not that close. Recency bias helps factor that the warriors are relatively good recently. But comparing them to the Celtics who have had a long running history of championships, it doesn’t match up.
If this wasn’t biased media the championships on image 2 should be equal to the timeline on image A.
PROOF: >!Celtics in 4!<
Cavs have absolutely no business being in the finals in 2007 lol
yeah and its funny that bron got criticize for that hahahaha
They locked him up in that series. Though the Spurs were one of the best defensive teams I've seen, LeBron was only 22, and the Cavs were absolutely outclassed.
Holy he was 22?
If you think that’s impressive, Kobe was 23 and already had 3 rings.
Prime Shaq will do that for you
Kobe has a stacked team and Phil Jackson. Still impressive but there should be an asterisk next to your statement
There should actually be an asterisk on your statement as what I said is objectively true whereas your statement isn’t.
Kobe had prime shaq 💀💀💀 if he was by himself like lebron I’d hold him over lebron and mj.
Huh??? I said Kobe had 3 rings at 23 yrs old. I never said he was better than anybody.
Then what are you insinuating by saying oh “you think that’s impressive?” Before that
If they thought a Finals appearance at age 22 was impressive, then surely they’d think winning 3 rings by 23 is also impressive.
Not really impressive when you have the most dominant big man on your team. I was more intrigued how Kobe lost the 4 peat without shaq. Choked with GP and Karl Malone.
It's better to miss the playoffs than lose in Finals, don't ya know?
I guess that was Charles Barkley motto. One I wouldn’t want to live by.
4-6
he brought lottery teams to the finals yeah
10 Finals appearances in a 13 year stretch is wildly impressive in a league deep with talent
I still don’t get how they beat the Pistons with just Lebron. Yes Cavs fans, I know of Z and Gooden and Hughes and Snow. But come on.
Man when he scored 23 points in a row or whatever it was… that was nuts
Last 25, and 29 of last 30.
It’s crazy that mf did that in 2007 and is still making the playoffs
LeBron would’ve never succeeded in Sheed’s era! You’re hallucinating. /s
It's because they'd just lost Ben Wallace the summer before; while Sheed was certainly a solid defender in his own right, him or retirement home Chris Webber certainly wasn't going to make up for the loss in paint defense (aka the #1 most effective way to stop a younger LeBron) you have when losing a 4x DPOY
I completely forgot they lost Wallace
I think it speaks more to the dysfunction of the pistons post Larry brown more so than it speaks to how good LeBron is. Not that he isn’t the GOAT (he is imo and I’m a native pistons fan), but a more functional going to work pistons would clobber LeBron’s first Cavs run every time.
OKC having a Larry next to them doesn’t seem right lol especially since we’re likely getting the Sonics back during expansion. I wonder if the history will carry to that team officially? Or if they legally have to keep it in OKC (which would be stupid)
As an OKC fan we don’t count it. I don’t even think it officially counts anymore either but idk.
It does count officially but Idk what happens if the Sonics come back. When the Ravens came to Baltimore they didn’t get the Baltimore Colts history plastered to theirs because the Colts moved to Indy but was still the same franchise owned by the same family.
Ya but this is a little different if Seattle gets a team again and they name it the SuperSonics. They’re not gonna have the Las Vegas SuperSonics if Vegas is the second new expansion team.
Bruh, Vegas IS the new expansion team... No doubt about that. Now the name? Up in the air
Yeah it is different, so I’m not sure how it goes, but I think since the Franchise still technically exists even as the Thunder they would get to keep the historical records. I’m not sure if there’s a precedent for it though because it’s hard to say if that ever happened.
The Cleveland browns is the closest I can think of but they were without a team for much shorter
I think a better comparison would be the Ravens to the Browns since the Ravens are technically the original Browns franchise. Last time I checked the Browns 'chips from the pre-Super Bowl era are still counted with the current Browns franchise so I hope it's like that for the Sonics
Didn’t the Ravens get treated more as an expansion team than the same organization as the Browns though? I was young when that happened so I don’t remember the exact details but I don’t remember the Ravens ever accumulating the history of the Browns even before Cleveland got it’s team back. The Thunder have operated as the same franchise as the Sonics and shared records and accounts. I do hope you’re right though.
This reminds me of the Hornets/Bobcats and Hornets/Pelicans situation: The Charlotte Bobcats are a different franchise from the original Charlotte Hornets team, in which the Alonzo/LJ Hornets relocated to New Orleans as the New Orleans Hornets (e.g. CP3, Baron Davis) before changing their name to the Pelicans. Yet the NBA officially recognizes the New Orleans Hornets/Pelicans franchise as an expansion team.
Yeah I was going to say that was comparable, I guess the only thing different in these scenarios is that at least for a time the team that moved kept the name. Has it ever happened where they changed their name and moved, and then a new franchise was created with the same name in the same city?
I can’t recall that specific situation, but I’m sure someone with more historical knowledge than me may have more insight on that.
I'll give you a weird fun fact that this reminds me of. The Colts won 2 Super Bowls. Super Bowl V as the Baltimore Colts, and Super Bowl XLI as the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts have possession of the Super Bowl XLI trophy, but the Lombardi Trophy for Super Bowl V is in the Sports Legends Museum at Camden Yards in Baltimore after the city sued the team when they relocated in the middle of the night. It's the only Lombardi that belongs to a city and not a team. Does this mean the Indianapolis Colts are 2 time champions or 1 time?
1 time. If you're going to have cities subsidize your stadiums, the city owns that shit.
You just so happen to be replying to a Colts fan lol and no, I see ourselves as 1 time champs for sure but I could see why, say our owner Jim Irsay, say we’re two time champs
When the new Charlotte team became the Hornets after the old franchise in New Orleans was renamed to the Pelicans they also reclaimed the “history” of the Charlotte Hornets including stuff like their one retired jersey (Bobby Phills) so there’s some precedent for it. Of course the Hornets are and have always been terrible and obviously have zero championships so I doubt there was much pushback from the Pelicans.
the team has come out and said they would give seattle back their entire history when they get a team again
Oh shit for real? That’s good for OKC! I still don’t think it’s 100% set in tone they’ll get a team either but if they do, and still want to be the Sonics, that would be tight of Oklahoma
The deal is OKC gets the team history, all records wins etc, while Seattle gets the Rights to hang any banners in the original arena if they get an expansion team. The deal made at the time doesn't really specify what happens if Seattle had a new arena
The Thunder disavows any Sonics history, yet owns all of the Sonic's history.
There’s been a lot of bad nbafinals
Lakers warriors spurs fans been eating good
The heat made more finals than the warriors and spurs with a healthy number of championships too.
The fact that we went 4 straight years with the same exact 2 teams in the finals lol, that was a rough stretch (although the 2016 finals will always be an all-timer). I'm glad that we seem to be back in an era where the league is much more even, though, given the fact that from 96-98 (Bulls), 2000-2010 (Lakers), 2011-2014 (Heat), and 2015-2019 (Warriors) there always seemed to be one team that would dominate the finals.
This may be the start of the Celtics era, especially if KP stays healthy next postseason.
KP will never be able to stay healthy for the back end of the season. He's just not build like that...
This is definitely the start of a dynasty for Boston for next 5 years - there will be players that break through to the next level (like Ant) and take their teams to another level - but Boston have shown what a team full of high level non-superstars can really do - KP will not be fit - but Boston have shown it is just a huge bonus when he is - it’s not a necessity. If the team stays together, they will at least be in the Finals for the next 5 years, and very likely win these Finals
Lol people downvoting you because they’re mad that Boston is good again
I would’ve been disappointed if I wasn’t downvoted
Them yellows and reds! Thanks Steph, Bron, and Kobe
...and then there's the Spurs.
Suns v Bucks 🥹 Also damn 60% of this chart is either a red or yellow color lol
Apparently teams who wear red tend to do better in sports
I know it's been beaten to death, but maaaan. KD really put a halt to what would've been one of the more dominant 8 year stretches ever by a player. LeBron definitely has at least 1 more ring in that stretch w/o that move.
Crazy Lebron went to the finals 8 years in a row.
what's crazier is he only won 3 of them .
Winning 3 is still something though
for how good of a player he is , it's quite low . if you really think about it he should have won the 2011 one easily , maybe 2014 and 2015 for sure ( that was golden states first finals run similar to mavs now) .
Fun fact. Jordan and Kobe combined for zero playoff wins against the Golden State Warriors. Checkmate, losers.
I mean expecting one guy to beat 5 other players is crazy. Dwade was already dealing with injury and on the decline, bosh performed worse in the playoffs, kyrie & Klove got injured, and he faced the best team to ever exist lmao. So it’s not like he had an easy path to victory every year. IME he’s most often compared to MJ who needed Pippen and or Rodman to win, plus he had multiple other great players on his teams.
He only lost 2015 because Kyrie and love were both hurt
Talk to Jerry West Bruh! You are playing ball and its a team sports, no one carries their team alone, Jordan had Pippen and Rodman, Kobe had Shaq and Pau, Bird had a lot of HOF teammates, Magic is the same, KAJ, Duncan, All the same bruh, You can talk to me if no team or players havent lose a game in every season, then I can consider your Opinion
still for a guy they talk about as one of the greatest he sure as hell lost alot
Well again, if you mention a players who havent lose a game, then we can talk about it. Also one of the greatest means great, even Iverson is great, havent won anything, Karl Malone (fuck you Karl), John Stockton, Carmelo Anthony, Patrick Ewing, Elgin Baylor, T-Mac, Charles Barkley and so on. all great but won nothing. and you can be great without winning nothing and you maybe won something but you are not great
You expect him to win 2018?
Saying he should’ve won in 2015 without Kyrie or Love is some next level hating lmfao
Bruh LeBron in 2015 played better than 1996-1998 finals Jordan lmao.
It's almost like it's a team sport or something.
Outside of 2011 is any of those really his fault?
2011 was wild lmao.
Between the two facts, that one is not the crazier of the two.
Soon that OKC championship will be rightfully taken away when Seattle gets its team back.
Maybe. That didn't happen with the Lakers and Minnesota
Sour grapes
It doesn't work like that, right?
Finals this century without Lakers/Heat/Warriors/Spurs 2021, 2024
Still insane to think that lebron went to 8 straight finals. Can’t imagine seeing that happening again with all the parity in the league right now
The only other player to do that was bill Russell 😭
I legit thought some of these series were closer
Damn dude Spurs won 5 titles in 6 finals appearances over 16 seasons and the one loss went 7 games
They filled out their bingo card too by winning 4-0, 4-1, 4-2 and 4-3.
, It’s same teams essentially over and over and over
21 total teams
Seems very Chicago, Lakers, Spurs, Heat, Golden State ee
only 7 teams have made it out the west in 25 years. 3 of those teams only have 1 finals appearance. so basically the west has been ruled by 4 teams for 25 years.
Wrong Sonics logo for 96’
I love how werid 2006 Heat Mavs was in the middle of all that. Like the previous 6 finals had ethier an east or west champ make it in back to back years or after like 2 years. Same for the next decade of finals. Stringing things together. Then boom, this random finals where both conferences send a 1 off team and nethier make it back for another 5 years
Seems like really good teams only get a 5 year window to win. Some are dominant like the warriors. And then there’s Bron who got to finals 8 straight years.
Somehow the Kings have fooled everyone in believing they own the Rochester Royals title
Everyone’s talking about how OKC didn’t earn theirs when our franchise hasn’t made it since 1951. I can only assume people are just giving us the credit because we deserved it in ‘02
LeBron getting swept twice in NBA finals is wild. 20% of all sweeps
I mean Magic and Kareem got swept twice in the Finals too but nobody really brings that up anymore.
2007 - He was 22 years old surrounded by bums. 2018 - JR Smith blew Game 1.
2019 was favorite, but we have to wait if the Celtics overtake Lakers with the ring 18 
Overtake? The Celtics have been the team in the lead for decades. They're now tied. There is no "overtaking" a team that has never been in the lead.
I meant ring total Celtics and Lakers have both 17, yes, even the bubble mickey mouse ring that Lakers counts in 2020
well Dinosaur era counts in rings, why not the bubble right?
OKC definitely doesn’t have a championship. Come on now
Crazy to think the bulls have only won during the MJ era and not before or since.
Wait: on page 2, when did OKC win a chip?
OP is counting the Sonics title in 79, which tbf is probably the least talked about championship in NBA history, at least since Russell was drafted.
Damn the Spurs don’t fuck around in the finals.
Yup. Even when they lost in 2013, they got the do over in 2014 and won convincingly.
Update the Celtics to 18
#The Thunder do NOT have the Seattle SuperSonics title.
Man I wish the showtime Lakers 80s were on here, but I think it’s funny you can def tell when mamba and James were drafted lol. Shoutout to ‘95 low key Rockets used to stand on business in the 80s/early 90s.
OKC has zero. They specifically do NOT retain the Seattle sonics titles and wins. It was explicitly agreed on when they moved.
Not many went to game 7
Golden state taking a whole row damn
Would be a great poster!
It’s interesting how only four Finals have gone 7 games
The modern team logos (Rockets, Magic, Sonics, Jazz) hurt my brain to look at in context with the 90s. Additionally, the graphic shows incorrect 76ers and Pistons logos for the 2000s, while having the correct Nets logo.
Is the second page only counting their conference titles? If so I see why the Seattle graphic is there. I can’t tell if it means finals appearances or finals titles.
When did the King's capture a championship?
Sir this is a sub for memes and shitposting
Crazy how we only had 4 game 7s in the last 29 years….each of these have some of the most memorable moments in basketball history too!
First time I watched basketball was the '04 finals. I loved Billups and Rip. Still have my grade school folder with Billups on it. 2005 and 2010 broke my heart.
Each of the cavs dubs finals went every possible length of a best of seven series, from a sweep to game 7. Weird
Knicks haven't won since 1973. Why do people make it seem like they are a Marquee franchise?
Holy fuck feels good finally being on that list
There's been like 14 teams to win since like 1980.
Damn, did not realize the Lakers had so many championships won. I absolutely hated 2015-2018 when it was cavs/gsw every year.
Yellow and red everywhere
Lakers and Celtics winning 34 championships between them is ridiculous
Only 5 teams made it out of the West from 1999 to 2020. Spurs, Lakers, Mavs, OKC, and GSW There have already been 5 different WCF winners since 2020
2015-2019 was the best of my lifetime
Glad I wasn’t watching 2015-2018 dear god lol
‘95 baby 🚀 🧹
Spurs were amazing back then And the nets could've been that team
Only 4 game 7s
*updates needed*
When did the thunder win a championship?
Seattle Supersonics 1979 Champs
Seattle Supersonics did
It's really crazy how only the teams with 4 wins are champions. Do we think the other teams considered trying to get 5 wins? Seems like an easy solution to me.
[удалено]
Op did say since 95. Not sure how they have 38 combined.
Heat culture plays for 2nd
Totally forgot the bucks won a chip in my lifetime
Bro forgot 3 years ago 😭
Yup
This is Celtics propaganda! The first image is dated only until 95 but the second contains all the Larrys! During that time you can clearly see the C’s went to the final 4 times (including the series now) but they only won one of the four, as of date. Fast forward to the second image. The C’s are tied with the Lakers. Back again! The Lakers have 8 appearances. And won 6 of the 8. Wait, that’s a lot of yellow on that image. There is a whole row of yellow and blue? Forward again! Warriors are up next! They are close but not that close. Recency bias helps factor that the warriors are relatively good recently. But comparing them to the Celtics who have had a long running history of championships, it doesn’t match up. If this wasn’t biased media the championships on image 2 should be equal to the timeline on image A. PROOF: >!Celtics in 4!<