Impact Turn: LeBron was never the GOAT to begin with

This is simply a fact that LeBron James will never be considered the greatest of all time (GOAT). When you look at who is widely considered the GOAT, the choice is Michael Jordan. You already know the obvious accolades: six titles, six Finals MVP's, five regular-season MVP's, highest scoring average in postseason and regular season play, etc. Jordan never lost a Finals. LBJ is already 0-2. There are several other reasons why LeBron will never be considered the GOAT though. First of all, yes he's only 26 years old. He will probably win multiple championships—maybe even rack up a couple more MVP's along the way—and will obviously continue putting up the consistent 26-7-7 numbers he's been consistently putting up the past seven years. It still won't matter though because the Heat will always be Wade's team. This series showed that, and this series cemented that fact. The Heat will continue being the team to beat in the East for at least the next three seasons the Big Three are together. But when the Finals come around, the Heat's go-to guy in the fourth quarter and close games will continue to be Dwyane Wade. Compare this to the L.A. Lakers of the early 2000's. When you hear Lakers fans defending Kobe's role on those teams, you always hear Kobe Bryant was the player who lifted the Lakers to victory against those tough Western Conference opponents before the NBA Finals. When the time came for the Lakers to win those NBA championships in the NBA Finals though, it was Shaq who shined brightest and won all three Finals MVP's. Nobody cares that Kobe played well before the NBA Finals—they only look at the Finals MVP trophies. Shaq won all three, and Kobe doesn't get any credit for three of his five championships when it comes to his legacy. The same rule applies for the Wade/LeBron duo we see today. LeBron could win the next three championships, but he'll never be the true closer. Like Kobe Bryant in his first three championships, LeBron will never get the same credit for his championships like MJ got for all six of his. As long as the Big Three are together, LeBron will always be the Scottie Pippen to Dwyane Wade's Michael Jordan. Aside from that, LeBron just doesn't have the mental drive to be the best of all time. Could this mentality/image of LBJ crumbling under pressure change? Of course—look at what Dirk just did. But how many players have been able to do that? It's easier said than done. This goes beyond the game of basketball. It's a psychological issue. You either have a killer instinct or you don't; and you can't just flip it on and off like a switch. You either have the drive to be great or you don't. LBJ has as much talent, if not more, than anyone who has ever played the game of basketball. The problem lies in his mental makeup. He's more concerned with being a marketeer—the world's first billionaire athlete—rather than being the GOAT.