The Curry and Lebron Debate

Recently on Twitter I’ve been receiving many arguments regarding the NBA Finals, and 140 characters is not nearly enough to explain myself, especially when pretty much everyone seems to be on Lebron’s side.

With that being said, in anticipation of Game 7, I decided to break down a few of the main arguments that I received to clarify and explain my defense to them. Feel free to comment back your defense.  

·      ---Argument One: “Rings > Records, therefore Lebron > Steph”

Lebron has played on a championship-caliber team for far more seasons than Curry has, and he has five more Finals appearances, so therefore this argument is simply invalid as the two are incomparable based on their experience.

The funny thing is, though, if Steph were to win, he would have two rings in three NBA playoff appearances.

Lebron would have two rings in 10 NBA playoff appearances.

·      ---Argument Two: “Numbers don’t lie, and Lebron has proved that he can perform when it matters most.”

Well, whether you like it or not, Lebron James is 2-4 in the Finals. Those numbers don’t prove much for him at all. Don’t let one good series (one that he still might lose) make you forget about the times he hasn’t stepped up in the clutch. Additionally, don’t forget that if Bosh didn’t grab the rebound of LEBRON’S missed three and kick it to Ray Allen in Game 6 of the 2013 Finals, Lebron would be 1-5.

Regardless, even if you want to focus on stats, let’s compare the stats of Curry and Lebron in their career’s in the playoffs, or in other words, “when it matters most.”

               PPG    FG%    3P%    FT%     RPG      APG     SPG     

Lebron:   28.2    .473     .318     .752        8.8        6.7       1.7                  

Curry:     25.9    .447     .410     .862        4.4        7.3       1.8

So yes, Lebron’s numbers are slightly better than Curry’s. I’m by no means saying Curry is better than Lebron in the playoffs, I’m just saying that they are more comparable than you all think.

Again, based on his Finals record alone, it’s unfair to deem Lebron as some “NBA Finals God” based on a handful of good games (don’t forget about Game 1, 2, and 4 of this series, where he was a non-factor).

·      ---Argument Three: “How can you compare Steph to Lebron?”

The answer? You can’t. Lebron is a legend and is one of the best to ever step foot on a court. I have never denied that. Obviously, anyone who has ever watched a game of basketball in their life would know that Lebron is a better player than Steph is. The fact that Curry is even in the conversation is a compliment to him. Plus, the two have completely different play styles, and the only reason their names are mentioned in the same sentence is because they are the best players on two of the best teams in the NBA.

Regardless, I want to make it clear that I don’t think Steph is better than Lebron. All I’ve been saying is that Steph HAS been better than Lebron the past two years. And I stand by that.

In the past two seasons, Steph has averaged more points per game, more assists per game, and more steals per game- and he’s done that while averaging 33.45 minutes per game (2 and a half minutes less than Lebron). Just imagine if Curry played the fourth quarter of some of their wins….

Plus, need I mention that (as of the time I’m writing this, including playoffs) the Curry-led Warriors have 171 wins over the last two seasons, while the Lebron-led Cavs have 139. That’s a whopping 32 game difference, and the Warriors play in a tougher conference.

Add in an NBA Finals ring (against James) and two M.V.P. trophies, and it’s hard to argue that Lebron has played better than Steph the past two seasons.

So no, Steph is not a better player than Lebron, overall.

But the past two years, he has sure played better. That’s all I’ve ever said. And yes, Lebron is having a better series than Steph, but it won’t matter if he can’t get the ring.

·      ---Argument Four: “Steph’s supporting cast is way better than Lebron’s”

I don’t know how else to say it, but this is just a dumb and uninformed way to defend an argument. Yes, Klay, Draymond, and the Warriors bench make for a great supporting cast, but it’s not like the Cavaliers are built like a 7^th grade PAL team. Kyrie Irving is a superstar, Kevin Love is (usually) a great player, and guys like J.R. Smith and Tristan Thompson are certainly not a walk in the park either.

You could debate for days which supporting cast is actually better, as it’s virtually impossible to actually prove. Regardless, both teams have a lot of great players and are in the Finals for a reason. There’s no reason to under-appreciate what Steph has done just because he has a good team, because no one has ever taken away anything from Lebron and his “super-team” in Miami, or his super team here in Cleveland for that matter.

Hopefully this clarifies things for you Lebron-heads out there. Again, feel free to reply.