“They called it pace & space” – JJ Redick discards LeBron James’ 2016 NBA champion team as his greatest team ever
LeBron James has been a part of some legendary squads throughout his NBA career, and it's hard to choose which team was his best. ESPN's JJ Redick had an interesting choice when deciding which LeBron team is the greatest in history.
The former sharpshooter had a plethora of teams he can choose from, but Redick still believes that James' 2013 squad with the Miami Heat the King's best.
"It's 2013 for me. ... 66-16 that season, having to beat the San Antonio Spurs and that dynasty, coming back," Redick said. "And also the roster construction that year, in particular with Ray Allen, Shane Battier, Mike Miller, who had some key playoff moments for them.
"They surrounded those three guys with really good shooters and really good role players. ... They stopped playing the traditional big lineup. They put Chris Bosh at the five, they created more space for everyone and they called it pace and space.
"They were 21st, 24th and 27th in the league in pace then. So some of the counting numbers for Bosh, Wade and LeBron are artificially lower, because they played so slow. And LeBron at '13, in particular, two best years I saw him play was that '13, when he won the championship, and 2018."
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Since joining forces with Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade in Miami, LeBron has had incredible chances of teaming up with great players. In his second stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers, he played with Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving, who were both significant in their 2016 title run.
2016 was also the year the Cavs beat the odds by coming back from a 3-1 deficit to win the title. They beat a Golden State Warriors squad that won 73 games that season, which made it more impressive.
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People have overlooked how great LeBron James was in 2018
Leading a team to the NBA Finals isn't easy, but LeBron James has consistently done that. Interestingly, he didn't just lead the Cavaliers in 2018. Instead, the four-time champion carried the entire team on his shoulders to try to win another title.
This was the first season that the Cavs only had two stars after trading away Irving. But even with Love on the roster, it wasn't enough to give the franchise another title. Still, James did everything he could to carry the squad back to the finals.
Kind James went on an offensive rampage to lead the Cavs to a rematch against the superteam of the Warriors. However, it wasn't enough as they were swept by Kevin Durant and the Splash Brothers.
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