In reflecting on the current NBA Eastern Conference playoff race, Los Angeles Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey offered praise to LeBron James for his leadership in getting his previous teams to the finals.
I ain’t tryna start nothing up tonight but uh.. Lebron used to run through that East wit no problem 👀😂
— Jalen Ramsey (@jalenramsey) June 20, 2021
Ramsey took into account the fact that both of this year’s Eastern Conference semifinal series have gone to seven games. On Saturday night, the Milwaukee Bucks advanced with an overtime win, with the Philadelphia 76ers Atlanta Hawks defeating the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday night.
Prior to James signing with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018, he put together a streak in which he played in eight consecutive NBA Finals from 2011 to 2018.
The first four of those came as a member of the Miami Heat and included a pair of league championships. James then signed in 2014 to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers and led the team to the 2016 NBA title.
While that level of accomplishment is on par with the dynasty of the Bill Russell-era Boston Celtics, it would be inaccurate to say that James’ teams experienced no challenges during their respective paths to the finals.
Still, that streak as well as James’ leadership leading the Cavs to the 2007 finals and the Lakers to a title last season show that he’s offered his teams an invaluable asset during his career.
