Dear LeBron James,

Dear King – can I call you King? Let’s go with King.

Dear King,

Please beat the Warriors this year.

I’m going to have to make a confession. I didn’t want you to make the NBA Finals. I was pulling for the Celtics by the time we got to the ECF, given that my Wizards ended in disappointing fashion, yet again. You see, my dear king, I am not a huge fan of continuity. I like new storylines, underdog tales, and team basketball. What you did in these playoffs has been nothing short of incredible. To me, you have cemented yourself as the second best player of all time. For a long time, I have pledged my allegiance to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who dominated the game of basketball for a whopping three decades, coined the most unstoppable shot in the history of the game, and still holds the bragging rights of being all-time leading scorer. However, eight consecutive finals appearances in the modern NBA is unprecedented. Bill Russell still has you beat by two (for now), but it was a different game back in his time, with far less competition (albeit Wilt Chamberlain was a heck of a rival).

Speaking of Bill Russell, let’s get back to the Celtics. King, don’t take it personally when I say that I was pulling for Brad Stevens’ squad to upset you and your lackadaisical supporting cast. Let’s be honest – you carried this team to the finals this season. Does your back hurt? I wouldn’t be surprised. I liked how gritty the Celtics were; every player who got minutes actively contributed to the success of the team (even man bun). Despite Marcus Smart’s cringeworthy shot selection and the absence of Boston’s two best players, this ragtag bunch truly made me believe that your run had come to an end. But, just like every year, you singlehandedly proved everyone wrong.

King, I’m tired of seeing the Warriors dominate. Their finals run should have come to an end as soon as you put a 73-win team in their place, but they just had to go out and sign the second best player in the world. What kind of a world do we live in where a Chris Paul move to the Lakers gets blocked, but Kevin Durant is able to join a perennial Finals contender? Golden State barely scraped by the Rockets, thanks to a historically abysmal shooting night from three point range, and a timely injury to the team’s floor general. I cannot help but wonder about how differently things may have played out if CP3 was on the floor; the man is notorious for being able to make plays in any kind of situation. When Houston went cold, Chris Paul could’ve made an important triple to instill some confidence in the team. Nobody feels more confident when James Harden gets all of his points by getting to the line. It seemed like PJ Tucker and Clint Capela were the only players who really wanted it, and while Harden wasn’t bad, I simply needed more from the soon-to-be-MVP. Then again, this is the Warriors we’re talking about here. What is a team with one All Star supposed to do against a team with four of them?

King, what impresses me the most about you is your stamina. You played 94 of 96 possible minutes in the last two games of the Eastern Conference Finals, and the Cavs needed you for all of them. I remember Reggie Miller criticizing KD in the first half of their WCF game seven for not doing enough on the floor, but nobody else remembers that. Everyone else is going to see his 34-point stat line and say that the Slim Reaper led Golden State to their fourth consecutive finals appearance. In reality, having four All Stars on one squad gives players the luxury of taking a rest when they need to, allowing for an evenly distributed workload. KD can afford to play an abysmal first half. Klay Thompson can afford to pick up three quick fouls in the first quarter. If this was you, King, forget about it. Do you think Kyle Korver is going to pick up anyone’s slack? I don’t think so.

King, I know your supporting cast isn’t as talented as it was a year ago. I know you got dismantled in five games last year, even with a stud like Kyrie Irving by your side. I know that your chances of even taking the Warriors to five or six games are slim. But I can still hope. I’m a sucker for a good underdog story, and if there was ever a time to prove that you’re the GOAT, it is now. Winning the championship this year would put you right at the top in my eyes – even after losing to Dirk Nowitzki in 2011. I can’t think of a better way for you to solidify your legacy. So, for your sake, for my sake, for the sake of the NBA, and for the sake of every little boy and girl who aspires to be like you, please, please, PLEASE beat the Warriors.

Sincerely,

Ben Zeltser, unathletic basketball fan extraordinaire