Cleveland Cavaliers: The San Antonio Spurs Are LeBron James' Real Rival
The San Antonio Spurs are the real rival of the Cleveland Cavaliers megastar LeBron James.
Yeah, sure, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors have had two of the most entertaining NBA Finals series in history in the last two seasons. But the San Antonio Spurs, who created “The LeBron Rules” in 2007, are LeBron James‘ real rival.
What are “The LeBron Rules”? Make him be a scorer by taking away his passing outlets and, above all else, concede space to him at the three-point line so that he can’t wreak havoc inside the paint.
With those rules, the San Antonio Spurs, who have managed to fly under the radar while being either 1st or 2nd in their division for the past decade, have defeated James in two NBA Finals series. Like the 2015 NBA Finals that saw James take on a fully healthy Warriors squad without Kyrie Irving or Kevin Love available, James was trying to overcome nearly insurmountable odds in 2007. Yet in 2013 and 2014, he had a better chance to win it all even though 2014 was a year that had shown James that the Miami Heat roster was creeping towards decrepitude.
Yet, it’s not about wins and losses, necessarily in this rivalry. It’s about the work James has had to put into each NBA Finals series against the Spurs. Against the Warriors, James isn’t just the best player on the court, he plays like the best player of the court nearly every minute.
Against a Spurs, and hounded by “The LeBron Stopper” Kawhi Leonard, James still plays like the best player on the court. The only difference is that the player who makes him work the hardest to score is the best player on the Spurs team.
That wasn’t the case in 2007, when James was being hounded by Bruce Bowen and Michael Finley on the way to an abysmal 35.6 percent field goal percentage. It wasn’t the case in 2015, as James was being guarded by Andre Iguodala and only made 39.8 percent of his field goal attempts.
It was beginning to be the case in 2013, as James was being guarded closely by Leonard. James still converted 44.7 percent of his shots and scored 25.3 points per game against the Spurs in that series, but in that season James was knocking in an insane 56.5 percent of his jumpers in the regular season. He made 49.1 percent of his field goal attempts overall in the playoffs, a number that no doubt would have hovered above 50.0 percent with greater efficiency against the Spurs.
Leonard only scored 14.6 points per game in that series but he knocked in 51.3 percent of his shots, had 11.1 rebounds per game and 2.0 steals per game. Looking at his all-around performance against the best player in the league, it was the beginning of Leonard’s ascension in the eyes of the masses. If Ray Allen didn’t save the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 6, Leonard would likely have won the NBA Finals MVP award, at 21 years old.
In 2014, as James was again being guarded closely by Leonard, the King scored 28.2 points per game and knocked in 57.1 percent of his field goal attempts, including 51.9 percent of his shots from three-point range. Leonard scored 17.8 points per game and knocked down 61.2 percent of his field goal attempts, including 57.9 percent of his three-point attempts. The series ended in five games and Leonard was named NBA Finals MVP at the age of 22.
Effectively, that’s what makes this a rivalry. Leonard’s all-around and understated greatness. Sure, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry have been the best scorer’s in the league and shown the defensive chops to be known as more than offensive superstars. Neither have a NBA Finals MVP and that’s true even with Curry winning a NBA Finals series over James. That’s because James was the best player on the court against Durant and Curry in their NBA Finals series, hands down.
Against the Spurs, as James made mistake after mistake and was visibly bothered by Leonard’s defense, James looked at least a little human. Durant and Curry let James dominate like a basketball god in all his splendor.
James defeated Durant’s Oklahoma City Thunder squad in five games in 2012, posting near triple-double numbers with 28.6 points, 10.2 rebounds and 7.4 assists per game. James scored 47.2 percent of his field goal attempts, even while only making 18.8 percent of his three-point tries. That should show just how dominant of a scorer he was inside the line.
Fast forward to this season and Leonard is leading a squad that has a similar talent level to James. This year is different for Leonard because of Tim Duncan’s retirement in the offseason. He’s now both the best player on the team and the face of the franchise.
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While upping his scoring average to 21.2 points per game last year from a 16.5 points per game the season before, Leonard is averaging 25.5 points per game this year in just 33.6 minutes per contest. He’s doing that efficiently, scoring on 49.1 percent of his field goal attempts and 41.5 of his three-point attempts. He’s able to do anything he wants to on the court offensively. Defensively, The 25-year-old Leonard is averaging 1.8 steals per game and still general makes it very difficult for opposing forwards to convert against him because of his defensive awareness, tenacity, aggression, long arms and quick hands.
James is averaging 25.6 points per game this year while playing 37.3 minutes per game. He’s also scoring efficiently, converting 51.9 percent of his field goal attempts and 37.2 of his shots from three-point range. He’s also still got the leg up on Leonard in the passing department, averaging 8.3 assists per game compared to Leonard’s 3.2.At 32 years old, James is still adding to his offensive repertoire and while he hasn’t reached deep into his post-up bag so far in the regular season, the moves are certainly still there. Defensively, James is also averaging 1.4 steals per game and this season, looks more interested in hounding his man on a possession-by-possession basis.
The San Antonio Spurs have a record of 34-9. The Cleveland Cavaliers have a record of 30-12.
When it comes to passing torches, a player’s talent, age and ability to succeed are the most important factors. When looking at the NBA landscape as a whole, Leonard has the best combination of those three factors. He’s also on a team that has defeated James in the NBA Finals twice in three meetings while being a definite factor in both of the Finals series he’s played in. That’s what makes him, and the San Antonio Spurs, James’ biggest rival.
On the Open Run podcast in mid-August, James had this to say about who defends him the best in the NBA:
“Kawhi Leonard. Kawhi Leonard, he’s solid. He’s solid, solid at that end of the floor. He’s very, very solid. I like him. I like the kid.”
The respect of the person whose throne you’re supposed to ascend to is also a key factor in determining who a player’s rival is. That’s why Durant and Paul George have also had the opportunity to be James’ rival. The main problem with them is that neither have defeated James in the playoffs or slowed him down at Leonard’s level. Neither are on a team that have been the thorn in James’ side over his NBA career either.
Do you think the San Antonio Spurs, and Kawhi Leonard, are LeBron James’ real rival? Let us know in the comments section or Twitter @KJG_NBA.
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