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Lebron v Curry in the NBA Playoffs


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    No two players have played better than Lebron James or Stephen Curry this season. And with the exception of maybe Blake Griffin or James Harden in the playoffs, no two have performed better in the post season either. Makes perfect sense that their two teams made it to the Finals. Also makes perfect sense that Curry won the MVP this year too, and that it could have just as easily went to Lebron.

    Not considering the past of their careers, just this season, who do you think will perform best during the Finals? Hard at first glance to directly match these two guys up, head to head. But when you consider how invaluable they are to their respective teams, and how the ball always runs through team, how defensive great both players are, the conversation I think gets closer than you might think. Here's a few stats to consider:

    2015 Season Stats (averages per game) ---
    Curry ---
    Points - 23.8
    Rebounds - 4.3
    Assists - 7.7
    Pie (total contribution to the game, compared to the whole team) - 17.8%

    James ----
    Points - 25.3
    Rebounds - 6
    Assists - 7.4
    Pie - 17.1%

    It's easy to say that Lebron is better than Curry, more psychically imposing and all. And while I can't argue that Curry isn't a smaller guy, I don't think that automatically makes Lebron better.

    I think this will be a great NBA Finals. Maybe one of the best matchups in the last decade to be honest. No doubt Lebron brings the most Finals experience, and that gives him a great edge. But I have a feeling that Curry will shine brightest here; Curry I think is one of the best pressure players I have ever seen. And what's more, I have seen Lebron shrink to the occasion (remember the Finals vs Dallas?).
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    trump_card Wrote: I think this will be a great NBA Finals. Maybe one of the best matchups in the last decade to be honest. No doubt Lebron brings the most Finals experience, and that gives him a great edge. But I have a feeling that Curry will shine brightest here; Curry I think is one of the best pressure players I have ever seen. And what's more, I have seen Lebron shrink to the occasion (remember the Finals vs Dallas?).
    I have nothing against Lebron, but I am definitely rooting for Curry and Golden State to win the championship this year. Curry is a phenomenal all around player and, while it has absolutely nothing to do with basketball, it has been a lot of fun watching him bring his daughter to the press conferences after the games during the playoffs.

    Either way--I hope it's a great finals.
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    Think this series is all about the matchups. Sadly we will never settle any debate on who is better, Lebron or Curry, unless they air a 1-on-1 series. But since it's a 5-on-5 affair for the Finals, it will come down to the team effort, and how each matches up to one another.

    I think it's easiest to argue that Golden State has the clear advantage here. According to ESPN, the Warriors are #1 in defense throughout the 2014-15 season, and #2 in offense in the whole league. Compare that to Cleveland's #8 in offense and #20 in defense and it sounds like Lebron will be fighting an uphill battle that I just don't see him winning over the course of a whole series. Either way, I wanna see Curry win and win convincingly.
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    I have a feeling Golden State is the clear favorite to win now after Kyrie Irving fractured his knee cap in game one. The Cav's are now basically a one man show, but that one man does still happen to be Lebron James. However, I just don't see James being able to carry the entire team on his back against a team as good as Golden State. I'm not saying that Golden State will run away with it, but I do have a feeling that they will win it in five or six.
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    BearDown Wrote: I have a feeling Golden State is the clear favorite to win now after Kyrie Irving fractured his knee cap in game one. The Cav's are now basically a one man show, but that one man does still happen to be Lebron James. However, I just don't see James being able to carry the entire team on his back against a team as good as Golden State. I'm not saying that Golden State will run away with it, but I do have a feeling that they will win it in five or six.
    I wish I could agree, but they sure didn't play like a championship team in Game 3. There's still a lot of basketball to be played, but they better win tonight if they want a realistic shot of winning the championship. Being down 3-1 to Lebron is as close to a nail in the coffin as you can get.

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    Lovable Losers Wrote: I wish I could agree, but they sure didn't play like a championship team in Game 3. There's still a lot of basketball to be played, but they better win tonight if they want a realistic shot of winning the championship. Being down 3-1 to Lebron is as close to a nail in the coffin as you can get.
    Thankfully the Warriors aren't down 3-1 after completely dominating the Cav's last night. If they keep playing like they did last night then this series is over. I have a feeling it'll go to seven games, but I can't help but think the Warriors have the upper hand after last nights domination.
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    As the forum's main question, this has been the Lebron finals, through and through. I don't think I've ever been more impressed with a player's performance in a finals series. I really hope this goes to game 7. It's been awesome so far.
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    trump_card Wrote: As the forum's main question, this has been the Lebron finals, through and through. I don't think I've ever been more impressed with a player's performance in a finals series. I really hope this goes to game 7. It's been awesome so far.
    It definitely wasn't his finals in game 4. Andre Iguodala and company shut him down entirely. He still managed to score 20 points, but that's not going to be enough if the Cav's want to win the finals. I have no doubt that James will come back with a vengeance on Monday night, but his teammates are going to have to pick it up as well if they are going to win the championship.
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    The Warriors are one game away from the title after another convincing win tonight. I think Curry is having a far better finals, especially in these last two games, than James. It also doesn't hurt that the Warriors are a hell of a lot healthier than the Cavs are. James can't carry the whole team on his back against a team as good as the Warriors.
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    BearDown Wrote: The Warriors are one game away from the title after another convincing win tonight. I think Curry is having a far better finals, especially in these last two games, than James. It also doesn't hurt that the Warriors are a hell of a lot healthier than the Cavs are. James can't carry the whole team on his back against a team as good as the Warriors.

    Gotta disagree about Curry upstaging James. I'm a huge Curry fan and he has played well the last two games. Especially Game 5. But Curry has also been inconsistent throughout this series, and his game clearly depends heavily on hitting a high % of shots. Curry also has a much better supporting cast around him.

    For James, he so far into this series, deserves the Finals MVP. Without James, Cleveland would have 0% chance of even hanging with the Warriors. But without Curry, the other guys still could possibly eek out a win. Lebron's multiple triple doubles in this series is amazing to watch. He is almost single-handedly about to force a game 7. Same cannot be said about Curry.