The Eastern Conference has long been at the mercy of LeBron James, the Cleveland Cavaliers forward who is playing in his 15th season in the NBA. After the Cavs defeated the Boston Celtics 87-79 in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, James has extended his dominance over the 14 other teams residing in his Kingdom to eight consecutive seasons.
In other words, James is headed to his eighth straight NBA Finals appearance and he has never looked as sharp as he does now. He powered the Cavs to the win with 35 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists.
Despite facing elimination in Games 6 and 7, the Cavaliers prevailed thanks to James’ spectacular play in both games. Regardless of the pressure to win the series clincher on the road, the 15-year veteran took his team on his broad shoulders and carried them to the NBA Finals for the fourth time in as many tries.
After the thrilling victory by the Cavaliers, James’ good friend and former teammate Dwyane Wade went to Twitter to congratulate him on the rare accomplishment.
Wade and James have one of the most enduring friendships in the NBA. They were teammates with the Miami Heat from 2010 to 2014 when James took his talents to South Beach after years of frustration in Cleveland. They went to the Finals four straight years and won two championships together.
Then, in the summer of 2014, James returned to the city that drafted him and promptly took the Cavs to the championship round four years in a row as well. Wade joined the Cavs last summer after he signed as a free agent.
Though they had some great moments on the court together during the season, it was clear that Wade would be better off playing for the Heat again. Cavs GM Koby Altman shipped off Wade to Miami at the trade deadline as he winds down his career in the city that has embraced him as its own.