Richard Jefferson might be an extremely regular analyst on ESPN, but older fans would remember him as a standout player for his era. Jefferson was never a superstar but was a highlight machine early in his NBA days and was coming off a respectable college career. He made the Finals with the Nets and became a valuable veteran, extending his career and playing 17 years in the NBA.
Though he wasn’t at the peak of his powers, Jefferson’s biggest career moment came after winning the 2016 NBA Championship as a role player on the Cleveland Cavaliers. He was a big locker room piece for the Cavs and saw the LeBron James and Kyrie Irving era play out in front of him, which saw the team decimate the Eastern Conference for 4 consecutive Finals appearances.
John Wall recently came out and said that the 2017 Washington Wizards would’ve beaten the 2017 Cavaliers if they met, but Washington lost to Boston before they could meet up. Jefferson mocked Wall by pointing out the playoff record the Cavs had in 2016 and 17.
2016 Cavs went 12-2 vs EC
2017 Cavs went 12-1 vs EC
We won 10 in a row both years. Love his confidence he should think this way. I believe he believes this, even if he is wrong 🤷🏾♂️ https://t.co/SiULpzFr12
— Richard Jefferson (@Rjeff24) January 19, 2023
If the Wizards could’ve beaten the LeBron and Kyrie-led Cavaliers, they wouldn’t have fallen to the Isaiah Thomas-led Celtics. There’s a reason that those Cavs were unbeatable in the East, whether it was matching up against teams designed to beat them or matching up against teams that could be better on paper.
Have We Seen The Greatest Era In Cavaliers History?
The Cavaliers are on their way to another era of success with an incredible young core of talent that could guarantee them a playoff spot for years to come. However, matching up to the era left behind will be a very challenging task. The Cavaliers, from 2015 to 2018, went to every possible NBA Finals and lost only when they were outmatched or heavily injured.
LeBron James made them a perennial Finals team when they struggled to even be a playoff team when he was gone. Now that the team has put together a roster that could grow to be the single-best core the team has ever seen, it’ll be interesting to see if they can take it to the heights LeBron and, to an extent, Kyrie Irving took the Cavs to.
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