Lebron James won the two hardest championships... or did he (part 2)?

In case you missed the last episode, I touched on why I believe Lebron's 2016 NBA championship wasn't the first or second hardest championship in NBA history. This time around, I don't want to frame this opinion in the same way that I framed the last one. Since this championship is moreso fresh in our minds, I am not going to go through each opponent's record and key players as much as I did before. I don't want you to feel like your hearing the same exact thing twice. That's just repetitive and boring. Let's use a little more common sense and not as much technical stats because you can get that from any ESPN or Fox Sports kind of article. Having said this, I believe Lebron's 2020 NBA championship has a little more weight of being the hardest championship of all-time (or second), but I still think it's not.

Let's talk about why there's weight to it to begin with. The 2020 NBA season is one of the most bizarre and different seasons we've ever seen in league history. The season had to stop abrutley due to COVID-19, and at the time, we all had no idea if or when the season would resume. Like all of us, the NBA waited to see if the virus would slow down or if a cure was present or if something at all would derail this thing from being so dangerous so the players wouldn't feel like there in danger when they play (especially since guys like Rudy Gobert and Russell Westbrook had caught this unfortunate virus at one point). So after months and months of no NBA basketball, the bubble was then created in Orlando to help reduce the chance of getting the virus. Before the owners, teams, players and such could agree upon the bubble, the George Floyd incident occurred (may George Floyd rest in power). This incident sparked the BLM movement, and started a new conversation. Should the NBA resume?

Now, I don't want to harp too much on everything as that is not the main topic. I bring those things up to say that everyone who participated in the bubble had to go through an unfamiliar transition with real world problems possibly looming in the back of their minds. The NBA had these air tight rules and procedures for everyone who came into the bubble to make sure no one was at risk of catching the virus. This meant traveling, friends and family were all limited until the NBA season was over.

For Lebron to deal/worry about all this off-court madness and turmoil, it makes what he was able to accomplish in the bubble much more impressive and praise worry.

However, an NBA title is won on the court. I will never tell someone how they felt about the type of situation that Lebron James went through. Having said this, he was not the only one who felt the struggle and the pain of having to transition to something foreign and being reminded of real world issues (although I can see someone saying that Lebron's struggle and pain may have been greater considering his position of power in the NBA).

I won't harp on too much of the upside that bubble offered as Lebron did not have an advantage in that area since everyone had access to things he had access to (sleeping in the same bed after games, dealing with the same media members, fast access to recovery tools, etc.). Instead, I will look at the strength of his oppenents and the strength of his team to judge why it wasn't one of the hardest.

Lebron didn't have a superteam with two all-star caliber players beside him like he had in past finals when he won. He did have Anthony Davis. Just Anthony Davis. No big deal right? Just kidding. If you watch or are around the sport of NBA basketball, you understand that Anthony Davis is a once-in-lifetime type of talent and that he is arguably a top 5 player in the NBA as he is an offensive juggernaunt and a defensive wizard. Knowing this, the Lakers were the second favorites to win the title with only the Clippers being ahead of them.

I know I don't have to say much about the Trail Blazers facing the Lakers as Dame Dolla was their best player and he suffered an injury during the series that sealed their fate. Without the prescence of a 100% Damian Lillard, the Trail Blazers wouldn't even have had a chance of being in the playoffs. Much less of beating the Lakers.

The Houston Rockets had the dynamic duo of Russ and Harden. The Rockets did have a powerful pair with solid pieces around them. If we are being real though, Anthony Davis is a better baller than Russ and Harden (although you can make the argument for Harden being better but I don't think so because of AD being elite on both ends of the court).

Do you see a theme here? Lebron and AD were simply more talented than any other team they faced in the playoffs. I didn't mention their other two opponenets because I would be regurgitating myself over and over.

I'm not saying that talent is the only reason they were better as teams with more talent have been beaten before (look at the 2004 finals for an example). Role players and coaching does matter and play a key role. However, the overwhelming duo of Anthony Davis and Lebron James was the biggest reason they beat their competition. I think that other championships like the 2011 mavericks, 2010 Lakers, and the 1994 Rockets (just to name a few) had tougher oppenents and not as strong teams in comparison to this 2020 Lakers team.

Having said all this, this Lakers team still deserve this championship. This ring counts. They earned it. They worked hard and put in the time and effort to win it. Never forget that. Even though I don't think it was the most or second most difficult title, I do think it was still difficult in it's own right and Lebron should definitely be praised for achieveing his 4th NBA championship.