2012 NBA Playoffs: Three Stars Who Can Drastically Alter Their Legacy

The playoffs are a time when careers are made and lost. A single game or play can transform a player into a legend or a goat.

It seems like this year’s postseason, more than any in recent memory, has major implications on the legacies of numerous teams and players.

Will the Spurs win their fifth final in the last 13 years? Will the Big three in Boston win their second ring together? And of course, will LeBron James finally step up and bring home his first NBA championship?

These storylines will all play themselves out over the next month-and-a-half. Every player has something to gain and lose during this time. However, there are three Hall of Fame players whose legacies will especially be affected by this year’s postseason.

3) Tim Duncan

Why doesn’t Timmy get any love? The man has won four NBA titles, three finals MVPs, two league MVPs and has been selected to nine All-NBA first teams.

Duncan has nothing left to prove. He is already at minimum a top-15 all-time player and most people (including myself) consider him firmly in the top 10. He has led the Spurs to four championships despite never having a truly elite second banana. (Robinson was already past his prime when he won two titles with Duncan.)

Despite all this, Duncan’s legacy could become even greater if the Spurs were to win this year’s title with Duncan being a major contributor. He has been the Spurs second best player all season long, and a championship ring this year would give the NBA’s greatest power forward a ring for every finger on one hand.

Right now Duncan’s four rings tie him with Shaquille O’Neal, and puts him one above Larry Bird. Five championships would put him above Shaq and give him two more than Bird, and tie him with Kobe and Magic

It would also give Duncan championships thirteen years apart. The only other all time greats who have won a title thirteen years apart are Russell and Kareem, who won finals MVPs an incredible fourteen years apart. This would further attest to Duncan’s longevity and make the Spurs one of the league’s all-time great dynasties with five championships in 13 years.

As of today, Duncan is compared to Shaq, Hakeem and Kobe in terms of where they rank all time. Another ring would put Duncan clearly above Shaq and Hakeem, and in my opinion, in front of Kobe as well just because of the fact that Kobe played second fiddle to Shaq for his first three rings.

2) Kobe Bryant

I know people hate comparing anyone to Michael Jordan. Those people should avert their eyes.

Kobe Bryant is the closest thing to Jordan that we have seen and may ever see.

Like Jordan, Bryant is a killer. He is the player you’d want with the ball in his hands in the final minute of a close game.

Bryant has time and time again been able to carry the Lakers on his back and lead them to unimaginable heights. He doesn’t care what anyone thinks about him. The one and only thing on his mind is winning.

Kobe has five rings right now. Three have come with Shaq and two have come without the big man. He has already past his former teammate, and is right now tied with Lakers great Magic Johnson.

The argument for Kobe being the greatest Lakers erupted when Bryant became the teams all time leading scorer. If he were to bring the city another title and pass Magic, Kobe would seemingly have the upper hand.

Six rings would most importantly tie Bryant with the man he has always been compared to. Jordan fans have pushed to the side all Jordan, Kobe comparisons. If Kobe were to tie Jordan with six rings, it would be hard for them to ignore the comparisons any longer.

Like Duncan, Kobe is largely considered a top-10 all-time player. Another ring would put him further up the top 10, and entrench him inside the top five. It would give any Kobe fan the ability to put his legacy up against any player.

1) LeBron James

During Game 3 of the Heat-Knicks series, color commentator and NBA great Reggie Miller said that if LeBron James retired today he would be a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

I completely agree with Miller’s statement. James is about to win his third league MVP award, and has career averages of about 28 points, seven assists, and seven rebounds per game. He is also one of the NBA’s greatest perimeter defenders and arguably the most talented player in league history.

The lone blip on James’ resume is his postseason struggles.

As we all know, James imploded during last season’s NBA finals. He was tentative and played as if he didn’t belong on the league’s biggest stage.

However, James still has an opportunity to rewrite his legacy. Right now he is viewed as a choke artist. We forget that he is still just 27 years old, and has many years of elite basketball ahead of him.

Still, James needs to step up this postseason to prove he has the ability to carry a team to a title. The NBA is all about winning, and if James doesn’t win this year, when will he?

Magic Johnson was viewed as a choke after his forgettable performance in the ’84 Finals against the Boston Celtics. Johnson uncharacteristically made several costly turnovers, and fans blamed him for the Lakers demise.

Instead of feeling sorry for himself, Johnson worked harder than ever that summer. He came back next season better than before and led the Lakers to a title.

This is a crucial point in James’ career. He needs to disprove all his doubters and show them that he can step up his game when it matters most.

If LeBron and the Heat win a title this year, it could jumpstart a new NBA dynasty that will win multiple championships and make LeBron one of the five greatest players of all time.

If the Heat do not win this season, LeBron will once again be viewed as the reason for their defeat, and the team may blow up their big three and go in a new direction.

LeBron James has by far the most to gain and lose in this year’s playoffs. He can win a title and disprove all the negativity from those who say that he doesn’t possess the clutch gene and push himself towards multiple championships and a top-five all-time career. Or he can lose and once again be viewed as just a regular season performer and further hurt his legacy.