WEBVTT - Nick Wright's Top 50 NBA Players of the Last 50 Years #1: LeBron James 0:00:00.360 --> 0:00:03.240 This episode is brought to you by all State. Some 0:00:03.279 --> 0:00:06.120 people just know they could save hundreds on car insurance 0:00:06.160 --> 0:00:08.840 by checking all State first, Like you know, to check 0:00:08.880 --> 0:00:12.440 the date of the Big Game first before you accidentally 0:00:12.440 --> 0:00:15.480 buy tickets on your twentieth wedding anniversary and have to 0:00:15.480 --> 0:00:17.920 spend the next twenty years of your marriage making up 0:00:17.920 --> 0:00:21.520 for it. Yeah, checking first is smart, So check all 0:00:21.560 --> 0:00:23.880 State first for a quote that could save you hundreds. 0:00:24.000 --> 0:00:26.600 You're in good hands with All States savings. Very terms 0:00:26.640 --> 0:00:41.320 apply All State Fire and Casualty Insurance Company and Affiliates, Northbrook, Illinois. 0:00:42.360 --> 0:00:47.480 Welcome in another and our final special edition of What's 0:00:47.560 --> 0:00:51.239 Right with Nick Wright, the countdown of the fifty greatest 0:00:51.240 --> 0:00:54.120 players of the last fifty years. And yes, I know 0:00:54.640 --> 0:00:59.320 if there was anything predictable about this list, it was that, somehow, 0:00:59.400 --> 0:01:01.680 some way and we were going to get to this 0:01:01.960 --> 0:01:05.520 exact point, the point where I explain why of the 0:01:05.600 --> 0:01:09.720 last fifty years, or of all of NBA history, the 0:01:09.840 --> 0:01:14.520 single greatest player is, of course Lebron James. But before 0:01:14.520 --> 0:01:17.720 we get into the full resume, let me explain a 0:01:17.840 --> 0:01:20.640 bit about how we are going to do today's show. 0:01:20.880 --> 0:01:25.240 Lebron's career is so long and so incomparable that we're 0:01:25.240 --> 0:01:28.360 gonna have to break it up into a couple different segments. Also, 0:01:28.920 --> 0:01:32.040 the callers we have for today's show, no one has 0:01:32.120 --> 0:01:34.640 revealed to me. They won't tell me who they are. 0:01:34.800 --> 0:01:37.800 I imagine I'm going to get sucker punched by a 0:01:37.840 --> 0:01:41.760 few of them. We will try the Kareem video. I'm sorry, 0:01:41.760 --> 0:01:45.039 the Jordan video is forty five minutes. The Kareem video 0:01:45.240 --> 0:01:49.200 was fifty minutes. We will try our best to keep 0:01:49.240 --> 0:01:52.640 the Lebron video to under an hour. I am not 0:01:52.720 --> 0:01:56.360 sure if we will succeed both. No further ado. Number 0:01:56.360 --> 0:01:59.840 one of the fifty greatest players of the last fifty years, 0:02:00.440 --> 0:02:04.800 Number one, Lebron James. So the short version of the 0:02:04.800 --> 0:02:08.880 resume is of course, thirteen time first team All NBA. 0:02:09.000 --> 0:02:12.160 That's the most all times. Second most is Kobe with eleven, 0:02:12.240 --> 0:02:14.800 three times second team, two time third team. That is 0:02:14.840 --> 0:02:19.040 an eighteen time All NBA performer. That is the most 0:02:19.080 --> 0:02:23.640 all time by a mile. Second most is Kareem with fifteen. 0:02:24.160 --> 0:02:30.080 He is four time MVP fourteen top five MVP finishes. 0:02:30.160 --> 0:02:35.240 Only Kareem has more, and eleven times he has been first, 0:02:35.680 --> 0:02:40.600 second or third team or MVP that is, of course 0:02:40.880 --> 0:02:44.000 the most all time. He is six time All Defense 0:02:44.080 --> 0:02:46.720 and should be a one time Defensive Player of the Year. 0:02:47.040 --> 0:02:49.600 More on that shortly, a one time scoring champ, one 0:02:49.600 --> 0:02:54.200 time assists champ. Twenty five seasons he is I'm sorry, 0:02:54.400 --> 0:02:58.680 eighteen seasons he has averaged at least twenty five points 0:02:58.720 --> 0:03:02.960 per game the most all time. Second is Kevin Durant, 0:03:03.080 --> 0:03:08.440 who did it thirteen times. He has averaged twenty five, 0:03:08.960 --> 0:03:14.000 five and five eighteen times. That is the most all time. 0:03:14.400 --> 0:03:19.000 Second is Oscar with nine time nine seasons. Doing that, 0:03:19.560 --> 0:03:22.880 He's the only player ever to average twenty seven, seven 0:03:22.880 --> 0:03:26.080 and seven for his career. Oddly enough and crazily enough, 0:03:26.200 --> 0:03:29.119 has never had a single twenty seven seven and seven game. 0:03:29.200 --> 0:03:32.560 Though that's a weird but true fact. He has six 0:03:32.639 --> 0:03:37.680 seasons averaging at least twenty seven, seven and seven the 0:03:37.760 --> 0:03:41.720 last fifty years combined. Other than Lebron, there have been 0:03:41.840 --> 0:03:46.080 ten such seasons. He has tied for fourth in points 0:03:46.120 --> 0:03:49.119 per game of all time, second most of the last 0:03:49.160 --> 0:03:52.400 fifty years, behind Jordan. He has the second most points 0:03:52.800 --> 0:03:58.200 ever scored, the seventh most assists ever context there other 0:03:58.240 --> 0:04:01.760 than Oscar Robertson, no one else is in the top 0:04:01.880 --> 0:04:06.160 twenty five of both of those categories. Lebron is second, 0:04:06.400 --> 0:04:09.800 soon to be first, and seventh. He has the tenth 0:04:09.880 --> 0:04:15.280 most steals ever. As far as longevity, he averaged twenty seven, 0:04:15.440 --> 0:04:18.240 seven and seven as a twenty year old in year two. 0:04:18.920 --> 0:04:21.719 As I mentioned, he averages twenty seven, seven and seven 0:04:22.040 --> 0:04:25.200 for his career. He averaged thirty points per game at 0:04:25.240 --> 0:04:28.479 age twenty one, and averaged thirty points per game at 0:04:28.520 --> 0:04:32.520 age thirty seven. The most points he ever averaged in 0:04:32.560 --> 0:04:35.600 his career he was twenty one. The most assists he 0:04:35.640 --> 0:04:38.280 ever averaged in his career he was thirty five. The 0:04:38.279 --> 0:04:40.440 most rebounds he ever averaged in his career he was 0:04:40.440 --> 0:04:44.080 thirty three, and the best field goal percentage he ever had, 0:04:44.279 --> 0:04:49.600 which was an absurd center esque fifty seven percent, he 0:04:49.720 --> 0:04:54.600 was twenty nine. So at every different age benchmark of 0:04:54.640 --> 0:04:59.760 his career he has been his best at something different. 0:05:00.400 --> 0:05:02.520 He had a year where he shot twenty seven, where 0:05:02.520 --> 0:05:05.520 he averaged twenty seven eight and seven, shot fifty seven 0:05:05.680 --> 0:05:08.080 forty splits, almost one defensive Player of the Year, and 0:05:08.120 --> 0:05:10.279 had a twenty seven game winning streak and won the title, 0:05:10.600 --> 0:05:14.520 otherwise known as arguably the single greatest season anyone ever had. 0:05:15.120 --> 0:05:18.640 He has too many youngest ever and oldest ever records 0:05:18.640 --> 0:05:21.560 to list them all. However, I think my favorite is 0:05:22.160 --> 0:05:24.640 he was the youngest person to one thousand points, two 0:05:24.640 --> 0:05:27.120 thousand points three thousand points. And you could go on 0:05:27.560 --> 0:05:31.000 every single one thousand point milestone that has ever been 0:05:31.080 --> 0:05:34.560 touched in the NBA, Lebron James was the youngest to 0:05:34.640 --> 0:05:38.240 ever do it. He of course, is the only member 0:05:38.279 --> 0:05:41.599 of the thirty K ten K ten k Club thirty 0:05:41.600 --> 0:05:44.880 thousand points, ten thousand rebounds, ten thousand assists. What's more 0:05:44.920 --> 0:05:48.600 amazing is he is also the only member of the 0:05:48.640 --> 0:05:51.520 ten K ten K ten k Club, So he has 0:05:51.640 --> 0:05:55.200 thirty seven thousand chains, ten thousand, ten thousand. No one 0:05:55.240 --> 0:05:58.360 else has ten thousand, ten thousand, ten thousand. In fact, 0:05:58.920 --> 0:06:02.400 there is only one other member of the eight thousand, 0:06:02.600 --> 0:06:06.720 eight thousand, eight thousand club, that's Jason Kidd only. So 0:06:06.839 --> 0:06:12.159 Lebron is a thirty ten to ten thousand member. Only 0:06:12.279 --> 0:06:16.320 twenty guys in NBA history are fifteen thousand, five thousand, 0:06:16.600 --> 0:06:19.760 five thousand members. And of course, he has the most 0:06:19.880 --> 0:06:23.520 consecutive ten point games, a streak that is still active 0:06:24.080 --> 0:06:26.919 one thousand and ninety six consecutive games of scoring at 0:06:27.000 --> 0:06:30.480 least double digits. Jordan's at eight sixty six, Kareams at 0:06:30.520 --> 0:06:33.240 seven eighty seven, no one else is at six hundred, 0:06:33.360 --> 0:06:36.320 and there is no active streak right now even at 0:06:36.400 --> 0:06:41.039 two hundred. So that's the regular season stuff. Now to 0:06:41.640 --> 0:06:44.240 the playoff stuff. He, of course, as we mentioned, is 0:06:44.279 --> 0:06:46.560 a four time champion, of four time finals MVP, and 0:06:46.640 --> 0:06:50.600 a ten time NBA finalist. He missed the playoffs the 0:06:50.600 --> 0:06:53.400 first two years of his career and then never looked back. 0:06:54.000 --> 0:06:58.840 So in two thousand and six, at twenty one years old, 0:06:59.320 --> 0:07:03.000 he plays an his first career playoff game. He has 0:07:03.080 --> 0:07:06.240 thirty two to eleven and eleven, playing all forty eight 0:07:06.279 --> 0:07:09.040 games in his first career playoff game, a thirty point 0:07:09.160 --> 0:07:12.520 triple double playing all forty eight minutes in his first 0:07:12.520 --> 0:07:17.680 ever playoff game. A couple games later, he has forty one, 0:07:18.120 --> 0:07:21.960 five and three, playing all forty eight and hits the 0:07:22.000 --> 0:07:24.640 game winning jumper with five seconds left to go up 0:07:24.640 --> 0:07:29.000 to one in the series. Couple games after that, he 0:07:29.080 --> 0:07:33.240 has forty five, seven and six, including the game winning 0:07:33.320 --> 0:07:38.040 layup with point nine left to go up three to two, 0:07:38.120 --> 0:07:41.600 and then in Game six in overtime plays all fifty 0:07:41.680 --> 0:07:45.520 three minutes has thirty two, seven and seven. So in 0:07:45.600 --> 0:07:49.600 his first series ever, Lebron James, who would have to 0:07:49.600 --> 0:07:52.960 deal with a narrative that he has unclutch, hit two 0:07:53.080 --> 0:07:57.120 shots to win games with less than five seconds remaining, 0:07:57.160 --> 0:08:00.320 one with less than one second remaining. An average in 0:08:00.360 --> 0:08:03.680 his first series ever thirty six points, eight rebound, six 0:08:03.720 --> 0:08:07.559 assists in forty seven minutes per game. In the next round, 0:08:08.040 --> 0:08:10.960 he lost to the two time defending Eastern Conference champion 0:08:11.000 --> 0:08:15.280 Detroit Pistons in seven games. Averaged for the series twenty 0:08:15.320 --> 0:08:17.960 seven to nine and six, So that means for his 0:08:18.000 --> 0:08:20.800 first playoffs ever at twenty one years old, he averaged 0:08:20.800 --> 0:08:23.920 thirty one points, eight rebound, six assists in forty seven 0:08:23.960 --> 0:08:26.840 minutes per game. The next year, however, is when he 0:08:26.840 --> 0:08:30.720 would announce himself at twenty two years old as already 0:08:31.080 --> 0:08:36.480 the single best player in basketball, a title he held 0:08:36.880 --> 0:08:44.240 consecutively uninterrupted for thirteen consecutive years. Twenty two years old, 0:08:44.280 --> 0:08:47.160 they sweep Washington round one. He averages a humble twenty eight, 0:08:47.240 --> 0:08:49.800 nine and eight to go up two to oh on 0:08:49.880 --> 0:08:53.040 New Jersey. In round two, he has a thirty six 0:08:53.120 --> 0:08:56.160 point twelve assists game they win the series in six 0:08:56.840 --> 0:08:59.880 down two to oh to Detroit. In the Eastern Conference Finals, 0:09:00.559 --> 0:09:02.959 he has thirty two points, nine rebounds, nine assists in 0:09:03.000 --> 0:09:06.439 forty six minutes to keep the series alive. Then Game five, 0:09:07.000 --> 0:09:10.640 the forty eight special, has forty eight points, nine rebounds, 0:09:10.640 --> 0:09:14.920 seven assists in more than fifty minutes, scoring twenty nine 0:09:15.040 --> 0:09:18.280 of the final thirty points for his team, including twenty 0:09:18.360 --> 0:09:21.559 five straight to win the game in double overtime to 0:09:21.600 --> 0:09:23.640 go up three to two. He had a dunk to 0:09:23.760 --> 0:09:27.040 force overtime with seconds left, a layup with two seconds 0:09:27.120 --> 0:09:30.559 left in double overtime to win the game. Then, of course, 0:09:30.600 --> 0:09:34.960 in the finals, he struggled Tim Duncan, that Spurs team 0:09:35.320 --> 0:09:38.880 they had won in ninety nine, three to five, They 0:09:38.920 --> 0:09:41.880 win again and seven. He averages just twenty two to 0:09:41.920 --> 0:09:44.880 seven and seven. I will remind you, however, that that 0:09:44.960 --> 0:09:48.880 team that made the finals. In the finals, the starters 0:09:49.440 --> 0:09:53.680 on a finals team were Booby Gibson at point guard, 0:09:53.840 --> 0:09:58.600 Sasha Pavlovich at shooting guard, Lebron James at small forward, 0:09:59.040 --> 0:10:03.320 Drew Good at power forward, and Zadrunis Ilgalskis at center. 0:10:04.160 --> 0:10:06.840 Two thousand and eight, next year, in the playoffs Round 0:10:06.920 --> 0:10:10.800 one against Washington. Those poor Gilbert Arena Arenas Wizards teams 0:10:10.840 --> 0:10:16.120 just couldn't manage to not get Lebron early averaged thirty 0:10:16.400 --> 0:10:20.440 ten and eight in Round one against Washington, including to 0:10:20.520 --> 0:10:23.600 win the series in Game six A twenty seven, thirteen 0:10:23.679 --> 0:10:27.880 and thirteen. Then Game five the next round against Boston. 0:10:28.280 --> 0:10:31.280 This series is two to two. He has thirty five, 0:10:31.440 --> 0:10:35.760 but they lose, so they're now facing elimination against the 0:10:35.760 --> 0:10:37.840 Celtics team that would go on to win the title, 0:10:38.160 --> 0:10:41.880 the only title Boston has over the last thirty years. 0:10:42.200 --> 0:10:44.959 What does he do in Game six facing elimination thirty 0:10:45.000 --> 0:10:48.280 two points, twelve rebound, six assists, and then Game seven, 0:10:48.720 --> 0:10:52.160 an all time Game seven duel. Some would argue it's 0:10:52.160 --> 0:10:55.160 the best game of Paul Pierce's career. Lebron has forty 0:10:55.240 --> 0:10:59.959 five points, five rebound, six assists, but unfortunately for him, 0:11:00.640 --> 0:11:04.720 only one other calv scores more than seven points in 0:11:04.760 --> 0:11:08.880 that game and they lose by four, I believe, and 0:11:09.000 --> 0:11:13.440 all of a sudden. There's a little speculation rumblings could 0:11:13.520 --> 0:11:17.960 Lebron leave Cleveland, but those rumblings seem to quiet. During 0:11:18.000 --> 0:11:21.959 the regular season, oh nine, Lebron wins his first career MVP. 0:11:22.480 --> 0:11:25.360 It's the best Cavs team up to that point. Ever. 0:11:25.559 --> 0:11:29.960 They win sixty six games and they are crushing in 0:11:30.000 --> 0:11:34.600 the playoffs. They Lebron opens the playoffs with a thirty 0:11:34.640 --> 0:11:38.560 eight eight and seven thirty eight points, eight rebounds, seven assists, 0:11:39.040 --> 0:11:43.040 and they play Detroit and he averages thirty two, eleven 0:11:43.160 --> 0:11:47.200 and eight. That Pistons team had made six consecutive Eastern 0:11:47.200 --> 0:11:51.240 Conference finals. Lebron swept them and essentially ended their run. 0:11:51.960 --> 0:11:56.160 Uh He has forty seven twelve and eight forty seven, 0:11:56.320 --> 0:11:58.840 twelve and eight to go up three to zero on 0:11:58.960 --> 0:12:02.720 Atlanta in to sweeping them, where he averaged thirty four points, 0:12:02.720 --> 0:12:05.800 eight rebounds, six assists for the series. At that moment 0:12:05.840 --> 0:12:10.160 in time, the Calves are seventy four and sixteen on 0:12:10.280 --> 0:12:14.080 the season. They seem destined to be on a collision 0:12:14.120 --> 0:12:19.040 course for Lebron Kobe NBA Finals. Lebron is the best 0:12:19.040 --> 0:12:21.760 player in the league. Kobe had just made the finals 0:12:21.840 --> 0:12:24.960 but lost to the Celtics. Looked like he was going 0:12:25.000 --> 0:12:25.880 to come out of the West. 0:12:25.960 --> 0:12:26.320 He did. 0:12:26.360 --> 0:12:29.160 By the way, the Calves looked like a juggernaut and 0:12:29.280 --> 0:12:32.320 Lebron was having an all time playoff run, and that 0:12:32.360 --> 0:12:35.320 then leads to the Orlando series, which to this day 0:12:35.440 --> 0:12:38.400 I don't argue this, but some will argue is the 0:12:38.440 --> 0:12:41.400 single best series Lebron James ever played in the playoffs, 0:12:41.480 --> 0:12:44.360 and amazingly, it ended not only in a loss, but 0:12:44.440 --> 0:12:47.800 a loss in six to Dwight Howard and Orlando. So 0:12:47.840 --> 0:12:51.280 how could one argue it's the best series Lebron's ever played. 0:12:51.559 --> 0:12:55.360 Let's go game by game. Game one, he has forty 0:12:55.440 --> 0:13:00.640 nine points, six rebounds, eight assists on six xt seven 0:13:00.720 --> 0:13:04.840 percent shooting in a one point loss. Again, let me 0:13:04.880 --> 0:13:08.000 say that again, they lose by one. In a game 0:13:08.000 --> 0:13:12.280 that Lebron goes sixty seven percent from the field, has 0:13:12.320 --> 0:13:17.360 forty nine points, six rebounds, and eight assists, and they lose. 0:13:17.480 --> 0:13:19.280 That up, by the way, at that moment was his 0:13:19.320 --> 0:13:23.080 playoff career high. The rest of the team shot twenty 0:13:23.120 --> 0:13:25.839 three of fifty eight. They gave up a three to 0:13:25.960 --> 0:13:28.959 Orshard Lewis in the corner of fifteen seconds left after 0:13:29.000 --> 0:13:31.800 a Lebron and one put them up to So that's 0:13:31.800 --> 0:13:36.000 how game one is. Game two he has thirty five points, 0:13:36.000 --> 0:13:40.720 four rebounds, five assists, and that's the iconic buzzer beating three. 0:13:41.120 --> 0:13:44.200 The first of five career playoff buzzer beaters, the most 0:13:44.280 --> 0:13:46.320 ever by a mile. No one else has more than 0:13:46.400 --> 0:13:50.679 three that Lebron James has, and so he has thirty five, 0:13:50.760 --> 0:13:52.880 four and five, and it takes a three at the 0:13:52.920 --> 0:13:56.680 buzzer for them to win by one. Game three, he 0:13:56.760 --> 0:14:01.520 has forty one, seven and nine, they lose by double digits. 0:14:01.880 --> 0:14:06.719 Game four, he has forty four, twelve and seven, and 0:14:06.800 --> 0:14:10.200 they lose. So for context there they are down three 0:14:10.200 --> 0:14:13.760 to one. In the three games they have lost, Lebron 0:14:13.800 --> 0:14:18.000 has scored forty nine, forty one, and forty four while 0:14:18.080 --> 0:14:21.800 averaging in addition to the points there, nine rebounds and 0:14:21.840 --> 0:14:26.960 eight assists. And by the way, in that overtime loss, 0:14:27.480 --> 0:14:30.240 Lebron was fouled with point five left in the game, 0:14:30.400 --> 0:14:34.400 down two, calmly goes to the line, makes both free throws, 0:14:34.400 --> 0:14:37.120 something I'm told he's scared to do, but was doing 0:14:37.160 --> 0:14:39.680 at twenty three years old, But they lose in overtime. 0:14:39.720 --> 0:14:43.760 All the same Game five, facing elimination, thirty seven points, 0:14:43.800 --> 0:14:47.560 fourteen rebounds, twelve assists, but then Game six they lose. 0:14:48.080 --> 0:14:52.720 For that series, Lebron averaged thirty nine points, eight rebounds, 0:14:52.720 --> 0:14:57.160 eight assists, and It was the only Conference Finals loss 0:14:57.280 --> 0:15:01.240 of his career. For the playoffs he averaged thirty five, 0:15:01.720 --> 0:15:05.760 nine and seven. Then we get to twenty ten, his 0:15:05.840 --> 0:15:10.840 final year in Cleveland. The first time around, he's MVP 0:15:11.000 --> 0:15:14.720 again and facing Derrick Rose. Year two Derek Rose, not 0:15:14.840 --> 0:15:16.800 MVP Derek Rose. That would be the next year and 0:15:16.920 --> 0:15:21.320 joke Kim nohen. Round one starts the I'm sorry after 0:15:21.400 --> 0:15:25.360 a relatively quiet Game one, Games two through four go 0:15:25.520 --> 0:15:30.080 like this, forty points, eight rebounds, eight assists, then thirty 0:15:30.160 --> 0:15:34.160 nine points, ten rebounds, eight assists, then thirty seven, twelve 0:15:34.240 --> 0:15:36.640 and eleven in games two through four to go up 0:15:36.640 --> 0:15:39.920 three to one. Wins the series in five by averaging 0:15:39.960 --> 0:15:43.360 thirty two, nine and eight. Then the famous Lebron quit 0:15:43.480 --> 0:15:47.120 series against the Celtics. So let's actually talk about that series, 0:15:47.240 --> 0:15:49.840 because there is one really bad moment, but the rest 0:15:49.840 --> 0:15:53.880 of it has been drastically overstated. So in that series 0:15:53.880 --> 0:15:57.160 where he quit on the Cavs allegedly, game one he 0:15:57.200 --> 0:16:02.000 had thirty five, seven and seven. Game three he has 0:16:02.120 --> 0:16:05.600 thirty eight, eight and seven to go up to one. 0:16:06.600 --> 0:16:09.000 Game five was the awful ones three or fourteen from 0:16:09.040 --> 0:16:11.960 the field. They fall down three to two. Game six, 0:16:12.440 --> 0:16:16.160 his final game as a cav the first time around, 0:16:16.880 --> 0:16:19.680 when again, if you listen to a lot of folks, 0:16:20.000 --> 0:16:22.280 he had quit on the team. He was out. So 0:16:22.360 --> 0:16:24.720 what did he do in that game six? He had 0:16:24.720 --> 0:16:28.960 twenty seven points, nineteen rebounds, ten assists, but Cleveland got 0:16:28.960 --> 0:16:33.520 blown out despite it, and that's it. Boston moves on. 0:16:33.840 --> 0:16:36.240 Boston ends up making the finals once again. They of 0:16:36.240 --> 0:16:39.200 course lose to the Lakers in seven. Lebron for that 0:16:39.360 --> 0:16:42.800 series at for that playoffs averages twenty nine to nine 0:16:42.960 --> 0:16:47.160 and eight. Now he's in Miami and we know how 0:16:47.200 --> 0:16:51.200 this season ends. Twenty eleven. It ends in the nadea 0:16:51.240 --> 0:16:54.280 of his career and a true crossroads. They breeze past 0:16:54.320 --> 0:16:57.880 Billion round one, he has three thirty three plus point 0:16:57.920 --> 0:17:01.760 games to beat Boston five and round two. In round three, 0:17:01.880 --> 0:17:06.520 they're facing MVP Derek Rose. If you remember, he guarded 0:17:06.560 --> 0:17:08.840 Derek Rose in the fourth quarter of those series, and 0:17:08.960 --> 0:17:11.919 Rose shot less than ten percent from the field in 0:17:11.960 --> 0:17:15.000 the fourth quarter of that series, and Lebron put up 0:17:15.000 --> 0:17:17.520 a thirty five, six and six in Game four to 0:17:17.600 --> 0:17:19.600 kind of lock that series up, go up three run 0:17:19.920 --> 0:17:23.359 three to one. But then in the finals, a true 0:17:23.359 --> 0:17:27.720 disaster never scores more than twenty four points, has an 0:17:27.720 --> 0:17:31.480 eight point game in Game four, never takes twenty shots 0:17:31.480 --> 0:17:35.720 in a game, seems rattled. They lose three straight. He 0:17:35.800 --> 0:17:39.480 averages eighteen to seven and seven for the series. At 0:17:39.560 --> 0:17:44.840 that moment in time, it seemed utterly impossible Lebron could 0:17:44.840 --> 0:17:48.000 ever end up number one on this list or anyways. 0:17:48.680 --> 0:17:51.439 He had been to two finals. In the finals, he 0:17:51.480 --> 0:17:55.840 averaged around twenty points per game. He had a true 0:17:56.440 --> 0:17:59.560 you could see it happening in real time meltdown that 0:17:59.680 --> 0:18:02.639 even his biggest defenders in the world would say it 0:18:02.720 --> 0:18:07.400 was inexplicable watching how he played in twenty eleven. So 0:18:07.440 --> 0:18:10.160 how do you go from that to the greatest player ever? 0:18:10.800 --> 0:18:17.760 Quite simply by ripping off unequivocally, inarguably the greatest ten 0:18:17.880 --> 0:18:22.280 year run of consecutive greatness the league has ever seen. 0:18:23.000 --> 0:18:26.000 That is what we will get into in the next segment. 0:18:26.280 --> 0:18:28.879 We gave you the regular season, we gave you the 0:18:28.920 --> 0:18:33.040 playoff career up until and through the Dallas series. Coming 0:18:33.119 --> 0:18:36.159 up next, we will go over a decade of dominance, 0:18:36.560 --> 0:18:41.240 the likes of which, from a personal and team level cumulative, 0:18:41.480 --> 0:18:44.400 the league has never seen. That's next, as we discussed 0:18:44.400 --> 0:18:47.880 the greatest player of the last fifty years, Lebron James. 0:18:53.119 --> 0:18:55.879 This episode is brought to you by Unstoppable. Discover the 0:18:55.920 --> 0:18:59.280 inspiring true story about Anthony Roblasts, who defined every expectation 0:18:59.320 --> 0:19:02.199 to become a nash Wrestling champion, and Unstoppable, a new 0:19:02.280 --> 0:19:05.840 original movie from Amazon MGM Studios and director William Goldenberg, 0:19:05.960 --> 0:19:09.119 evoking the excitement and camaraderie of classic sports dramas and 0:19:09.160 --> 0:19:12.560 thrilling wrestling matches. Unstoppable features an all star ensemble cast 0:19:12.640 --> 0:19:16.159 including Jirelle Jerome, Jennifer Lopez, Don Cheatle, Michael Tania, and 0:19:16.160 --> 0:19:20.399 Bobby Canavalli. Watch Unstoppable now exclusively on Amazon Prime Video. 0:19:23.160 --> 0:19:26.119 All right, welcome back in as we finalize our countdown 0:19:26.200 --> 0:19:29.200 of the fifty greatest players of the last fifty years 0:19:29.600 --> 0:19:33.200 with number one Lebron James. So we just went over 0:19:33.240 --> 0:19:37.439 the regular season accolades which are unmatched by anyone in 0:19:37.600 --> 0:19:42.000 NBA history, and the postseason stuff, which from his rookie 0:19:42.080 --> 0:19:46.680 year until twenty eleven had some incredibly high moments. Had 0:19:46.680 --> 0:19:49.679 the forty eight special, had he had already at that 0:19:49.760 --> 0:19:52.560 point in his career, come close to setting the all 0:19:52.600 --> 0:19:55.840 time record for playoff thirty point triple doubles. The numbers 0:19:55.840 --> 0:19:59.919 were unbelievable, But it had those finals in twenty one 0:20:00.000 --> 0:20:04.199 eleven where he was the favorite, where he was on 0:20:04.280 --> 0:20:07.359 the better team, where they were up to one and 0:20:07.440 --> 0:20:10.080 he short circuited. So how do you go from that 0:20:10.760 --> 0:20:13.040 to the greatest player of all time and certainly the 0:20:13.040 --> 0:20:15.920 greatest player of the last fifty years. Well by doing 0:20:15.960 --> 0:20:23.480 the followup twenty twelve first title MVP, again totally unstoppable 0:20:23.480 --> 0:20:26.480 in the playoffs, down two to one to Indiana in 0:20:26.600 --> 0:20:30.240 round two, Bosh is out for the game and again 0:20:30.400 --> 0:20:33.560 they've got no title. At this point, Lebron is everything 0:20:33.600 --> 0:20:37.359 about Lebron's being questioned and Bosh is out. He has 0:20:37.440 --> 0:20:41.040 forty points, eighteen rebounds, nine assists to tie the series. 0:20:41.440 --> 0:20:45.160 Then in Game five has thirty points, ten rebounds, eight 0:20:45.200 --> 0:20:47.159 assists to take control of the series. They win in 0:20:47.280 --> 0:20:52.720 six averages thirty points, eleven rebounds, six assists, three steals 0:20:52.760 --> 0:20:55.520 to get back to the Eastern Conference Finals. Game one 0:20:55.520 --> 0:20:59.760 against Boston thirty two and thirteen. Game two against Boston 0:21:00.119 --> 0:21:04.200 thirty four ten and seven, average thirty one and nineteen 0:21:04.200 --> 0:21:07.160 thirty one and nine on better than fifty percent shooting. 0:21:07.359 --> 0:21:10.600 For Games three, four, and five, but they lose all 0:21:10.640 --> 0:21:15.040 three and Boston was dancing on le Bron's grave saying 0:21:15.320 --> 0:21:18.640 horrible things to him. Were was Paul Pierce? They thought 0:21:18.680 --> 0:21:22.639 they had broken it? So what does he do in 0:21:22.680 --> 0:21:25.560 the famous Blueprint game, the game that if they lose, 0:21:26.400 --> 0:21:30.880 they're playing in Boston He's never won. The heatles are 0:21:30.920 --> 0:21:35.400 a joke. They're going to break up the team. How 0:21:35.440 --> 0:21:39.480 does he respond with what some would argue is the 0:21:39.520 --> 0:21:42.800 single finest game of his career. I would argue the 0:21:42.800 --> 0:21:46.040 most important game of his career, but only the second 0:21:46.080 --> 0:21:49.960 best game of his career. He has forty five points, 0:21:50.440 --> 0:21:56.400 fifteen rebounds, five assists on seventy three percent shooting, facing 0:21:56.440 --> 0:22:01.960 not just elimination but legacy devastation and tea annihilation. He 0:22:02.080 --> 0:22:07.040 had thirty points on fourteen shots in the first half 0:22:07.440 --> 0:22:10.760 of that game, and then in Game seven, it is 0:22:10.920 --> 0:22:14.359 tied going into the fourth quarter. Lebron has eleven in 0:22:14.400 --> 0:22:17.679 the fourth, Boston has fifteen in the fourth. Total, he 0:22:17.760 --> 0:22:21.320 finishes with thirty one and twelve averages for the series, 0:22:21.680 --> 0:22:25.720 thirty four points, eleven rebounds on fifty four percent for 0:22:25.800 --> 0:22:30.680 the series, and then Sweet Finals, Vindication and the Finals 0:22:30.680 --> 0:22:33.359 that ended in five, but in the beginning did not 0:22:33.440 --> 0:22:35.480 look like it was going to go that way. You're 0:22:35.560 --> 0:22:41.000 up against Katie Ross harden Abaca Game one thirty points, 0:22:41.119 --> 0:22:44.920 nine rebounds, four assists, four steals, but they lose. Then 0:22:45.440 --> 0:22:51.320 Game two thirty two eight and five twelve for twelve 0:22:51.320 --> 0:22:54.879 with the free throw line, including two to ice the game. 0:22:55.240 --> 0:22:57.520 After he gets that big stop on Durant with ten 0:22:57.560 --> 0:23:00.439 seconds left to win by four and tie this series. 0:23:00.880 --> 0:23:04.440 Game three twenty nine points, fourteen rebounds, Game four to 0:23:04.520 --> 0:23:08.359 twenty six points, nine rebounds, twelve assists, and then Game 0:23:08.440 --> 0:23:12.000 five to win his first title a triple double twenty 0:23:12.000 --> 0:23:15.200 six points, eleven rebounds, thirteen assists to win the title 0:23:15.200 --> 0:23:19.280 in finals. MVP for the series average twenty nine points, 0:23:19.320 --> 0:23:23.720 ten rebounds, seven assists, and for the playoffs average thirty points, 0:23:23.960 --> 0:23:27.520 ten rebounds, six assists, two steals, one block on fifty 0:23:27.520 --> 0:23:31.159 percent shooting. By the way, remember how I said he 0:23:31.200 --> 0:23:33.960 averaged twenty nine to ten and seven for the finals. 0:23:35.119 --> 0:23:39.080 That would be the worst finals he has the rest 0:23:39.119 --> 0:23:43.720 of his career. The worst. From that point forward, twenty thirteen, 0:23:44.880 --> 0:23:47.840 I would argue it's the greatest individual season NBA history. 0:23:49.800 --> 0:23:53.280 There's a twenty seven game winning streak. He is one 0:23:53.400 --> 0:23:57.720 vote away from being the first ever unanimous MVP. Gary 0:23:57.880 --> 0:24:01.280 Washburn never Forget It, voted for car Mellow Anthony and 0:24:02.920 --> 0:24:06.119 the guy who won. Lebron finished second Defensive Player of 0:24:06.119 --> 0:24:09.440 the Year, voting Mark Gasol one Defensive Player of the Year, 0:24:09.680 --> 0:24:12.560 but was not even voted First Team All Defense. Some 0:24:12.760 --> 0:24:16.080 very odd first All NBA voter or a Defensive Player 0:24:16.080 --> 0:24:19.080 of the Year. Stuff happened, which robbed Lebron of if 0:24:19.080 --> 0:24:24.000 you ask him privately or publicly, the one individual award 0:24:24.320 --> 0:24:26.879 that he is angriest about not winning is that Defensive 0:24:26.880 --> 0:24:29.320 Player the Year in twenty thirteen. But in twenty thirteen, 0:24:29.359 --> 0:24:31.600 he was the best defender in basketball. He was the 0:24:31.600 --> 0:24:33.879 best offensive player in basketball. More on that moment, and 0:24:33.920 --> 0:24:37.280 his team had an incomprehensible twenty seven game winning streak. 0:24:37.800 --> 0:24:40.640 On the offensive side of it, this is the ear 0:24:40.680 --> 0:24:44.560 he shot nearly fifty seven percent from the field, including 0:24:44.760 --> 0:24:50.080 sixty percent on twos and forty percent on threes. He 0:24:50.160 --> 0:24:54.240 opened the playoffs with a twenty seven point, ten rebound, 0:24:54.280 --> 0:24:59.399 eight assist game where he took eleven shots. He averaged 0:25:00.080 --> 0:25:03.800 twenty five points, eight rebounds, seven assists, on sixty three 0:25:03.920 --> 0:25:08.040 percent shooting in Round one in a sweep of Milwaukee 0:25:08.200 --> 0:25:13.800 Eastern Conference Finals. Game one, another thirty point triple double, 0:25:14.000 --> 0:25:18.720 thirty ten and ten, and the second playoff buzzer beater 0:25:18.760 --> 0:25:21.640 of his career. That's the one where he rezes past 0:25:21.720 --> 0:25:24.520 Paul George gets the layup for a buzzer beating layoup. 0:25:24.920 --> 0:25:28.159