3 reasons why LeBron James and Kyrie Irving could have been the greatest duo of all time
The Cleveland Cavaliers' ultimate duo, LeBron James and Kyrie Irving, were a strong force to reckon with on the court during their time together. The duo spent three seasons playing side-by-side for the Cavs. Could they have been the greatest duo of all time?
LeBron James left the Cavaliers for the Miami Heat in the fall of 2010 in search of championship rings. Having played four seasons with the Heat and clinched two championship titles while playing alongside Dwyane Wade. LBK made a historic return to "The Forest City," in a bid to win them the title.
First season back, James and Irving were electric on the court, leading the Cavs to their first playoff appearance in four years. They won the Eastern Conference Finals, defeating the Atlanta Hawks in a clean sweep. Their hopes for their first title were shattered by the Steph Curry-led Golden State Warriors.
The Block◻️ The Block
◻️ The Shot
◻️ The 3-1 comeback
Bron, Kyrie and the Cavs made history against the Warriors three years ago today. https://t.co/vZp4kPA9vP
Their second season together did the trick as they made history, giving the Warriors a dose of their own medicine and clinching their first championship title in the history of the franchise.
The sensational duo tried to do a double over the Warriors in what became their third and final season together, but lost 1-4 in a series of five.
Why LeBron James and Kyrie Irving could have been the greatest duo of all-time
Their chemistry on the court was unmatched, and could have grown into something like that of Shaquille O'Neal & Kobe Bryant, and Scottie Pippen & Michael Jordan. But the following are some reasons why they could have been the greatest duo in NBA history.
#1 The outstanding comeback of the 2016 NBA Finals
The Cleveland Cavaliers swept the Detroit Pistons and the Atlanta Hawks in the first-round and semifinals of the Eastern Conference playoffs, respectively. They defeated the Toronto Raptors to become the Eastern Conference champions.
The Finals matchup against the Golden State Warriors took a different turn as the Cavs were 1-3 at the end of the fourth game of the season. Another win in favor of the Warriors and their title hopes will be over like the previous season. LeBron James and Kyrie Irving inspired a comeback, winning the next three games in grand fashion. James won the finals MVP award after averaging 29.7 points per game.
The 2016 Finals marked a kept promise for LeBron James and a vault into superstardom for Kyrie Irving.
@mshap2 explains why the Cavs' title is the best NBA championship of the decade: go.si.com/N4A1xkD https://t.co/MM72t79lIx
#2 Kyrie Irving’s forced exit away from the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2017
Despite being drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2011 and spending the next 7 years of his career with the franchise, Irving forced a trade away from the Cavaliers. The Cavs had featured in three straight NBA Finals with James and Irving after suffering their second loss to the Warriors, Uncle Drew had enough and demanded to be traded.
Most people ruled it as a level of bad blood between the duo, but Irving said otherwise.
"I think it was the best move for my career, honestly, because it wasn't about any particular person or anything like that. It was just time. It was just time. It may not have looked 'time' for everyone else, but for me, it was time."
#3 Their combined shooting prowess
The shooting capabilities of both players are some of the best in the league. In the 2015-16 NBA season, the duo were responsible for one-third of the total points of the Cleveland Cavaliers. While Irving shot 44.8% from the field, LBJ registered a 52.0% accuracy from the field.
In the 2016-17 season, they registered more points than the previous year, and were responsible for two-fifths of the total points. LeBron James put up a field goal percentage of 54.8 and Irving posted 47.3% from the field and 40.1% from beyond the arc.