Who is James's lifelong nemesis? Asked about this topic recently, CJ McCollum said that Curry is not James' lifelong enemy, the real opponent is the Celtics, and it is the Celtics who "turned him from a boy into a man". Are the Celtics really James' lifelong nemesis?
James has faced many opponents in his life. The Pistons at the beginning of his career, the Spurs and the Warriors in the middle of his career are all important opponents worth mentioning for James. Similar to Jordan, James also met the Pistons at the beginning of his career, when the Pistons had just won the championship and were at the height of their morale. But James led the Cavaliers to meet the Pistons three times in the playoffs, overtook the opponent twice, and left the feat of scoring the last 25 points against the Pistons.
Then there are the Spurs. James's Cavaliers entered the Finals for the first time, and the opponent was the Spurs. James' team was shaved headed, but Duncan's post-game phrase "the future NBA is yours" was widely circulated. During James's Heat period, he met the Spurs again, and the two sides met in the Finals twice in a row. The first encounter, it was Ray Allen's three-pointer who saved James, but the second time it was not so lucky. The Spurs won the championship 4-1, which indirectly led to James' return to the Cavaliers.
Finally, there are the warriors. In James' first season back in Cleveland, the Warriors lifted the trophy for the first time in 40 years. In 2016, the Cavaliers made a comeback, falling behind the Warriors 1-3, fought back and finally defeated the Warriors 4-3 to win the championship. Unexpectedly, the Warriors found Durant and won 2 championships in the year, but James couldn't do anything, so he switched to the Lakers in 2018.
But all three of these teams were important rivals at some point in James' life, not rivals. There is only one real enemy of James - the Celtics.
James vs. Celtics is divided into three phases. One is the time when James was against the Big Three. In 2008, the Celtics emerged as the new dominant power in the East, defeating the Cavaliers 4-2 in the Eastern Conference semifinals. In 2010, it was another 4-2, the Celtics won again, and James moved south to Miami. It was this decision that reversed the fortunes of both sides. In the next two years, the Heat met the Celtics in the Eastern Conference playoffs, and won both times in the Eastern Conference finals, with the overall scores of 4-1 and 4-3 respectively. James began transshipment against the Celtics.
For the first time, James left the "Pupil of Death" and a grudge with Pierce. So much so that Pierce also made a lot of nonsense about James after retiring. But recently, Pierce called James the greatest player. Asked why there had been such a big change in attitude, Pierce said: "You all ignored him when I praised him, and I only remember when I said bad things about him. ”
The second matchup was James' first return to Cleveland, where he faced the Celtics led by Thomas Jr., but the Cavaliers shaved their heads 4-0 in the first round. The third matchup was when James met the Double Tanhua period. In the 2017 and 2018 Eastern Conference finals, the Cavaliers met the Celtics led by the double tanhua, and the latter time the two sides fought 7 games, or the Cavaliers had the last laugh. After losing the Finals in 2018, James went west to the Lakers, and the two Tanhua lost the opportunity to beat James in the playoffs, and they are said to be very upset about it.
James vs. Celtics, a long time, a lot of matchups, divided into two phases, throughout the two periods of Celtics history. As a result, the Celtics are James' lifelong nemesis. A good opponent brings out the excellence of the player. Just as Jordan's arch-rival is the Pistons, and Kobe Bryant has been competing with the Spurs all his life, James should be grateful to the Celtics for existing: It is because of you that I am greater. (Mao Mao Daddy Push-ups).