This summers free agency acquisition of LeBron James by the Cavs from Miami caused an unprecedented worldwide frenzy. The self proclaimed king is returning home after four seasons in Miami where he won his first two rings. It was always going to take a lot to outdo "The Decision version 1" where LeBron announced his decision to leave Cleveland on a carefully planned live TV segment that was beamed across the globe.
Rumours about LeBron's potential return to his home state of Ohio in an attempt to attend to some unfinished business were in full swing long before the decision was publicly announced. Social media was in overdrive in the days leading up to the announcement, with media outlets going as far as reporting removalist vehicles spotted at LeBron's house in Miami with live minute by minute updates of anything they could possibly get their hands on to reveal more about what was potentially about to happen.
The romance of James' return to Cleveland has captured the imagination of some, but left a sour taste in the mouth of others. Miami Heat fans are still licking their wounds with many believing the style of LeBron's departure left a lot to be desired. Nevertheless, his arrival at the Cavs has sparked a series of aggressive trades by Cleveland, adding versatile big man Kevin Love and snipers James Jones and Mike Miller, putting the club firmly in contention for the 2014-15 NBA Championship.
If we rewind over half a century, there a some spooky similarities between the 1961-62 NBA Season and what could potentially play out in the 2014-15 season. The Philadelphia Warriors possessed the greatest basketballer the world had ever seen, Wilt Chamberlain. His 1961-62 season was statistically unparalleled. To this day, nobody has ever come close to the output produced by a single player in that season. LeBron James is widely regarded now as the greatest player of the modern era, with some suggesting the greatest player of all time. His statistics on both ends of the floor and versatility are second to none. He will now be leading the Cavs once again, but will his presence and statistical dominance be enough to get them their first ever championship in what will be their 45th season in the NBA?
In 1962, the Warriors fell short in game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals. They lost to eventual champions the Boston Celtics, a team who won an unbelievable 9 of their 17 championships in the 1960's. Why? because they were a an incredible team, full of selfless players who wanted nothing but team success. People often throw around names like Jordan, LeBron, Chamberlain, Magic and Larry Bird as the greatest players of all time. But none of them have 11 rings like Bill Russell, who was part of the 1961-62 Championship side in Boston.
There are many similarities between the 1961-62 Celtics and 2014-15 San Antonio Spurs. The current reigning Champions completely destroyed the LeBron led Miami Heat in the Championship deciding series. Some incredible statistics out of that series include;
- The San Antonio Spurs had the highest field goal percentage in NBA Finals history, against one of the best defensive teams of all time.
- Tony Parker lead the scoring for the Spurs with the fewest points per game of any leading scorer in a Championship team.
- Tim Duncan became the only ever player to start on a Championship winning team in 3 different decades.
LeBron has a good supporting cast at Cleveland this season, however their biggest acquisition Kevin Love has only proved himself as an individual player, as has Kyrie Irving. Behaviourally, Spurs are on a different planet to Cleveland. They have a leading edge culture who demand excellence of each other, lead by coach Gregg Popovich, of whom does not rate the word reputation.
If San Antonio and Cleveland were to cross paths in the NBA finals next season, Sportonometrics predicts a 4-1 victory to the Spurs.
Check out Wilt's game by game stats for the 1961-62 season below which ultimately counted for nothing;
Rumours about LeBron's potential return to his home state of Ohio in an attempt to attend to some unfinished business were in full swing long before the decision was publicly announced. Social media was in overdrive in the days leading up to the announcement, with media outlets going as far as reporting removalist vehicles spotted at LeBron's house in Miami with live minute by minute updates of anything they could possibly get their hands on to reveal more about what was potentially about to happen.
The romance of James' return to Cleveland has captured the imagination of some, but left a sour taste in the mouth of others. Miami Heat fans are still licking their wounds with many believing the style of LeBron's departure left a lot to be desired. Nevertheless, his arrival at the Cavs has sparked a series of aggressive trades by Cleveland, adding versatile big man Kevin Love and snipers James Jones and Mike Miller, putting the club firmly in contention for the 2014-15 NBA Championship.
If we rewind over half a century, there a some spooky similarities between the 1961-62 NBA Season and what could potentially play out in the 2014-15 season. The Philadelphia Warriors possessed the greatest basketballer the world had ever seen, Wilt Chamberlain. His 1961-62 season was statistically unparalleled. To this day, nobody has ever come close to the output produced by a single player in that season. LeBron James is widely regarded now as the greatest player of the modern era, with some suggesting the greatest player of all time. His statistics on both ends of the floor and versatility are second to none. He will now be leading the Cavs once again, but will his presence and statistical dominance be enough to get them their first ever championship in what will be their 45th season in the NBA?
In 1962, the Warriors fell short in game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals. They lost to eventual champions the Boston Celtics, a team who won an unbelievable 9 of their 17 championships in the 1960's. Why? because they were a an incredible team, full of selfless players who wanted nothing but team success. People often throw around names like Jordan, LeBron, Chamberlain, Magic and Larry Bird as the greatest players of all time. But none of them have 11 rings like Bill Russell, who was part of the 1961-62 Championship side in Boston.
There are many similarities between the 1961-62 Celtics and 2014-15 San Antonio Spurs. The current reigning Champions completely destroyed the LeBron led Miami Heat in the Championship deciding series. Some incredible statistics out of that series include;
- The San Antonio Spurs had the highest field goal percentage in NBA Finals history, against one of the best defensive teams of all time.
- Tony Parker lead the scoring for the Spurs with the fewest points per game of any leading scorer in a Championship team.
- Tim Duncan became the only ever player to start on a Championship winning team in 3 different decades.
LeBron has a good supporting cast at Cleveland this season, however their biggest acquisition Kevin Love has only proved himself as an individual player, as has Kyrie Irving. Behaviourally, Spurs are on a different planet to Cleveland. They have a leading edge culture who demand excellence of each other, lead by coach Gregg Popovich, of whom does not rate the word reputation.
If San Antonio and Cleveland were to cross paths in the NBA finals next season, Sportonometrics predicts a 4-1 victory to the Spurs.
Check out Wilt's game by game stats for the 1961-62 season below which ultimately counted for nothing;