"Going into Game 5 when you're down 3-1 with LeBron James & Kyrie Irving is a little different than what the Spurs got going on..
The hill that you have to climb takes an insane amount of focus..
It really wasn't fair having LeBron James & Kyrie Irving" ~ @imanshumpert#PMSLive
Since LeBron left Cleveland & KD left GSW:
Champions --> Following season
'19 Raptors --> L in Rd. 2
'20 Lakers --> L in Rd. 1
'21 Bucks --> L in Rd. 2
'22 Warriors --> L in Rd. 2
'23 Nuggets --> L in Rd. 2
'24 Celtics --> L in Rd. 2
'25 Thunder --> L in Rd. 3
None of those teams have made a Finals after winning the title, only the Lakers & Thunder have even made a Conference Finals after winning the title.
I wholeheartedly believe the NBA community took LeBron James going to 8 straight Finals for granted. It takes a monumental effort to get there. The fact that it became routine is mind boggling. To this day he’s the most underrated competitor that’s ever played.