Depending on how superstitious you are, you may believe the underdog Cleveland Cavaliers are going to shock the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals because of Nick Saban.
Yes, as is often noted at this time of year (and this time by Reggie Bush), LeBron James has come out on the winning end of The Finals in each year that Saban has led Alabama to a college football national championship since 2012. In the years when the Crimson Tide lost either the title game or a playoff, LeBron fell in The Finals.
Thoughts??? pic.twitter.com/qBaqFW0swe
— Reggie Bush (@ReggieBush) May 29, 2018
The symmetry doesn't go back forever, though. Saban won his first national title at Alabama in January 2010, a year that James' Cavs didn't even reach the NBA Finals.
However, there's another subplot between the two respective icons at play this year. In April, attorneys for James' "Uninterrupted" media platform sent Saban and Alabama a cease and desist letter, claiming that Saban's "Shop Talk" video series copies James' barbershop chat show, "The Shop."
"I respect him as a coach, but I'll be damned if I'll allow someone to use our platform or try to do the same thing we're doing and just think it's OK," James said of Saban at the time. "So, the lawyers will figure it out."
