The Lakers are 7.5 games back from the eighth seed, with Lonzo and Ingram out for the season and only 14 games left. Assuming nothing miraculous happens, for the first time in nearly a decade, LeBron James won’t be competing in the NBA Finals. A lot has happened since LeBron had hair, and Kobe was taking down the Celtics in 2010. Let’s get some perspective and appreciate the length of his streak by taking a look at how different the sports world was when LeBron last missed the Finals.
NBA
Let’s start with LeBron’s sport. The last year he didn’t make the Finals, the King won his second MVP. Dwight Howard won DPOY. Tyreke Evans looked like the next big thing as he won ROTY with his still career-high 20.1 PPG. Aaron Brooks won MIP.
Chris Kaman and Gerald Wallace featured in their first and last All-Star Game. They did so alongside Deron Williams, who hasn’t played NBA basketball in almost two years.
Kobe Bean Bryant was breaking Boston fans’ hearts in the NBA Finals, leading the Lakers to their last championship and earning his fifth ring. The worst team in the league was almost as impressive, in their own special way. The New Jersey Nets were somehow 4-48 heading into the All-Star break, finishing after three coaches and 70 losses.
The sport itself has changed a lot in just nine years too. In the 2009-10 season, 22.2% of team’s shots were from the 3PT-line, and today that figure has gone up to 35.6%. Thanks, Steph.
Soccer
Maybe the biggest difference between the beautiful game then and now is how much technology has become a part of it. In 2010, there was no goal-line technology to help referees know when the ball crossed the line. VAR wasn’t even a suggestion yet. However, that’s not the only difference.
Jose Mourinho’s Inter Milan was on top of the football world, winning the Champions League and the treble. Today, they sit 25 points out of first place in Serie A and are 0-0 heading into the second leg of the Europa League round of 16.
They’re not the only team that was much better back then. Aston Villa finished in sixth, ahead of Liverpool (I guess some teams were worse too), in the Premier League. Both finished over 20 points behind first-place Chelsea, led by the now retired trio of Lampard, Terry,
The greatest midfield duo in history, Xavi and Iniesta, finished second and third in Ballon
NFL
The landscape of the NFL has changed more than most other sports since LeBron missed the Finals. The now-retired Peyton Manning was in the middle of a 14-2 season which included an MVP and Super Bowl appearance with the Colts. “CJ2K” was the Offensive Player of the Year with his mind-boggling 2,006 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns. The coach with zero playoff wins, Marvin Lewis was even the Coach of the Year with the Bengals.
Other award winners back then included Charles Woodson (DPOY), Percy Harvin (OROY), and Brian Cushing (DROY). All three of these players are out of the leagu. One 2010 award-winner who’s still playing is none other than Tom Brady, who was Comeback Player of the Year that season.
The most shocking stat of them all: RB Adrian Peterson is the only member of the 2009-10 Associated Press NFL All-Pro Team to still be playing in the NFL today. Every other member is either retired or looking for a comeback that just won’t happen.
Something that’s the same as back then is the Saints achieving success. At the time, QB Drew Brees had set the single-season NFL completion record 70.6%. With that, he led the Saints to the best offense in the league, a 13-3 record, AND a Super Bowl title.
MLB
The last time LeBron James didn’t make the Finals, the MLB didn’t even have Instant Replay implemented. The catcher was allowed to block the plate, and the San Francisco Giants won the World Series, beating the Texas Rangers 4-1 with the help of Tim Lincecum and Rookie of the Year Buster Posey.
The biggest change to baseball has been the use of technology, and how statistical the game has become. Before James’ streak began, the MLB had just the basic statistical categories of Batting Average, Hits, Strikeouts, etc. Post-LeBron’s Finals run we’ve had the Pitch Tracker introduced, WAR (Wins Above Replacement), and StatCast to name a few. StatCast has allowed fans of the game to see stats like route efficiency, how fast a player ran, or (my personal favorites) launch angle and catch probability.
We’ve also seen changes in how and where the game is played. The game has gone through a soft reboot of sorts, with changes such as the Home Plate collisions being eliminated, or Instant Replay becoming a focal point in the game. Meanwhile, events such as the Home Run Derby have been changed for the better, and the World Baseball Classic is proving to be useful in MLB’s expansion throughout the world.
Non-Sports
The world outside sports has changed a ton too. These are the things that really show how much has changed since the King’s streak began.
The number one song when LeBron’s season last ended before the Finals? “Nothin’ on You” by B.o.B, featuring Bruno Mars. Number one movie? Iron Man 2. “Nigahiga” was the most subscribed Youtuber with just over 2 million subscribers. Today, that feat belongs to the 89 million subscribers that Pewdiepie currently has.
Technology has advanced plenty too. Instagram hadn’t been launched yet. iPhones were still fat and round. The highest selling video game that year was Call of Duty: Black Ops. Yeah, the first one.
A Feat to Admire
The King’s eight consecutive Finals appearances streak with two different teams is one of the most remarkable achievements in NBA history. And, even though he “only” got three rings out of it, the sheer length of the streak should be a reminder that he’s one of the greatest to ever do it.