Lebron James vs Steph Curry. A potentially legacy defining game 7 at Oakland with stakes that have not been this high in recent memory for both teams in an NBA Finals.

A Golden State Win removes all disputes of the greatest team in the history of the sport and a Cleveland win brings home a championship of any kind in 52 years.

Far beyond that, a win for LeBron James against the greatest regular season team of all time, after being 3-1 down, gives him a chance to silence detractors that accuse him of shrinking under bright spotlights.

The four time MVP will go into game 4 as the undoubted underdog, aware that the only validation his consecutive 41-point performances deserves is a ring and an NBA Championship. James will also be aware that only three other teams have successfully won a game 7 on an opponents floor in the finals – none have won when previously 3-1 down.

A third ring means James stands with the same number of rings as Larry Bird and stays on track to catch Magic Johnson for four.

For Steph Curry a win will undoubtedly cement him as an all time great. He is catapulted from being the best player on the best regular season ever, to the best player on the all time best team ever. Conversations contrasting him with other NBA ‘small men’ will end with him, almost as unanimous as his MVP, as the greatest of them all.

It the the prerogative of fans to argue on which of these legacies will most be affected by a game 7 win and I do not believe the magnitude of either will hit us until the game clock runs out.

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