Fans of the Cleveland Cavaliers, and maybe LeBron James in particular, were no doubt dismayed after watching the Golden State Warriors complete an unexpected four-game sweep.
After all, isn't LeBron the best player in the league?
According to fellow legend Kobe Bryant, 'Bron was pushing too hard to carry his team. "I would say he's working too much," Bryant said while speaking with Bleacher Report before Game 3. "He should be doing less, actually."
Bryant, who boasts five rings, stressed that James' legacy will be measured on his number of championships and added that he "needed to take ownership for his teammates' performance," as B/L put it.
Kobe recalled that coach Phil Jackson used to tell him the same thing.
"Phil used to say this thing to me a lot, when I was doing a lot on the court," Bryant said. "He'd say, 'You have to do less.' And I'd say, 'Well, my teammates got to step up more.' Phil would say, 'Well, it's your responsibility to thrust the game upon them.'"
Bryant was also asked about LeBron's number of championship appearances versus his number of rings.
"All I thought about as a kid personally was winning championships. That’s all I cared about. That's how I valued Michael. That's how I valued [Larry] Bird. That's how I valued Magic [Johnson]. It was just winning championships. Now, everybody's going to value things differently, which is fine. I'm just telling you how I value mine.
"If I'm Bron, you got to figure out a way to win. It's not about narrative. You want to win championships, you just gotta figure it out."
Source: bleacherreport.com
