While Michael Jordan’s title run is unrivaled, with LeBron James four wins away from a three-peat, the league may be entering a new age of The King.
It is clear that the four-time NBA MVP can never duplicate Jordan’s dominance, he’s been in the Finals not one, not two, not three, not four, but five times in the last eight years.
Thanks to Jordan, Chicago won six championships over an eight-year period otherwise known as the “Jordan Era”. Although James has not successfully won a championship in each appearance there is only room to add more rings during his reign.
At the end of Jordan’s eight-year run, he retired as a six-time champion and six-time NBA Finals MVP. The G.O.A.T.
Which leads to LeBron, and why The King is destined to reign the NBA hardwood for the unforeseeable future.
James at the still-young age of 29 and entering his prime, will have six more years to dominate the NBA in a way Jordan could have never imagined, especially since Brooklyn Nets is old, Derrick Rose will never be the same player again and Indiana Pacers peaking prematurely. The fervent hatred following James’ decision to leave Cleveland may be the storyline—and a minor footnote—for the rest of the decade, if James fulfills his pre-ordained destiny of greatness.
In the three years following James’ first trip—a heart-breaking loss to the Dallas Mavericks in 2011—Miami has gone 3-1 in the Finals and became only the third franchise and fourth team to ever make it to the NBA Finals four straight years, joining two storied franchises in their own right, the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers.
In modern times, such hardwood supremacy is unseen. And thanks to his brilliance on the court, it is clear that the King’s Reign is now and that it won’t end anytime soon.