NBA: What If LeBron & Kobe Met?
There are some things that NBA fans can't help but think about. For example, we've all obsessed over the idea of Penny Hardaway, Tracy McGrady, and Derrick Rose, not suffering major injuries. Another instance of this is Kobe Bryant and LeBron James never meeting in the NBA Finals. They are arguably the two greatest players of this generation and most believe are both top-10 players to ever live. And maybe the reason this is so agonizing is because we came so close multiple times! The Los Angeles Lakers reached the Finals in 2008-2010 and the Cleveland Cavaliers had a chance to get there each time, but failed to do so. We're going to look back at what would have happened if LeBron and Kobe actually met in the Finals.
Game 1 (Cavaliers 94-90): We decided that the Cavaliers would hold home court advantage because it's likely that this series would have happened in either 2009 or 2010 and in both of those years, the Cavs had a better regular season record. They went 127-37 in those years to the Lakers' 122-42. As for the actual games, we took random matchups between the two teams from 2007-2010 and used them as baselines. In Game 1, Cleveland would protect home court advantage with a 94-90 victory. LeBron went for 33 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists. He was nearly unstoppable (per usual). Meanwhile, Kobe couldn't find his shot for the majority of the game as he scored 21 points on 22 shots. Anderson Varejao added 11 points and 15 boards.
Highlights: The Association.
MVP: LeBron James (CLE)
Game 2 (Lakers 101-91): The Lakers were able to tie the series at one game apiece as they took Game 2 on the road. They pulled out a 10-point win, which actually occurred in February of the 2008-09 campaign. LeBron wasn't nearly as impactful in this one as he totaled just 16 points and 12 assists. Kobe still didn't explode for a big scoring output, but he was a bit more efficient in this one. He put up 19 points on 47 percent shooting. However, the best player on the court in this one was undoubtedly Lamar Odom. Odom was utterly dominant on both sides of the floor as he dropped 28 points and 17 rebounds on the Cavaliers. LeBron and Co. didn't have an answer for him, and the Lakers avoided falling down 2-0.
Highlights: iKobe Silvan.
MVP: Lamar Odom (LAL)
Game 3 (Cavaliers 98-95): Unfortunately for Los Angeles, they couldn't keep that momentum going as they lost a tight one at home. This was one of the more memorable matchups between LeBron and Kobe because they dropped a combined 74 points, 21 rebounds, and 10 assists. It was clear in this one that they were the two best players in the world. Kobe knocked down one of his trademark clutch fade aways with just over two minutes left to tie the game at 92, as LeBron attempted to contest the shot. The King got revenge (and quickly) as he scored the next six points for the Cavs to put them up 98-95 with just seconds remaining. The Lakers had the ball with a chance to tie, but failed to get a shot off. Larry Hughes had 16 points in Game 3.
Highlights: House of Highlights.
MVP: LeBron James (CLE)
Game 4 (Lakers 105-88): The Lakers would face a must-win in this scenario as they would be in danger of falling down 3-1. And they would respond just like you'd guess. They came out with a chip on their shoulder and rode that to a 17-point victory. The win would be the biggest margin of victory thus far. Kobe again failed to score 30+ points for the third time in the series, but he impacted the game in a lot of other areas. He had 20 points, but also added an impressive 12 assists and six rebounds. Pau Gasol really helped out in this one as well, as he dropped a double-double with 22 points and 13 boards. LeBron came back a bit following his 41-point, going for 23 points and four assists. Kobe shot 40.9 percent in the win.
Highlights: Vintage Dawkins.
MVP: Kobe Bryant (LAL)
Game 5 (Cavaliers 102-87): No team had won consecutive games in the series so far and the Cavaliers kept that going with their second road win. The reason this game is on the road is because prior to 2014, the NBA was still doing a 2-3-2 format for the Finals. This meant that the third, fourth, and fifth games were played in Staples Center. In the end, though, it didn't matter that much. Cleveland was playing just as good on the road as they were at home, and Game 5 proved that. Kobe had arguably his best game of the series as he dropped 35 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists, but Cleveland was just too balanced. LeBron had 26 points, but Mo Williams showed out for 28 points and seven assists to get the Cavs within one win of a title.
Highlights: Vintage Dawkins.
MVP: Mo Williams (CLE)
Game 6 (Cavaliers 93-87): In this scenario, LeBron would win a ring in his first stint with the Cavaliers (which might really change how things played out). Although it is generally believed that the Lakers were a better team than Cleveland from 2008-2010, it always seemed like LeBron was able to get the best of his matchup with Kobe. LeBron went for 37 points, nine assists, and five rebounds on 52 percent shooting in the series clinching victory. Kobe didn't go down quietly as he pushed for 31 points and four assists, but it wasn't enough in the end. J.J. Hickson had an impact in this one for Cleveland as he added 11 points and 14 rebounds. In the end, the Cavs and LeBron win the last two games of the series to close out the Lakers and Kobe.
Highlights: The Association.
MVP: LeBron James (CLE)
In real life, Cleveland couldn't win a title with LeBron during his first run with the organization and because of that, he left for the Miami Heat. However, even in this scenario were going to say he'd still leave to play with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. LeBron clearly likes to play with his friends and I can't imagine him passing up the opportunity to do so in South Beach. So we're going to say that most everything would stay the same expect LeBron would have four rings and Finals MVPs instead of three each, while Kobe would drop from five titles to four. It may not change much for Kobe's legacy, but LeBron would be one step closer to Michael Jordan in this case, and we would have gotten to witness the dream Finals that we'll unfortunately never get!
Photo Credit: Sports Illustrated.
