After a minute or two of thought, the “greatest of all time” title starts to seem pretty ridiculous.

First of all, “all time” has yet to happen. This designation is therefore almost entirely unsound to begin with (except perhaps on Vonnegut’s Tralfamadore). Across all fields, humans tend to progress as time marches on. Technology improves. Music grows and develops. Athletes tend to break unbreakable records. Given enough time, something greater than the greatest is bound to come along. So to even start having a conversation about the GOAT, it’s necessary to redefine the phrase. Throw out the All Time, and stick to the Greatest Of.

Sentient beings have been striving to be the goat since the dawn of time

That aside, it’s actually possible to deliberate on the Greatest. Not of All Time, but of All Time So Far (although admittedly, GOATSF isn’t quite as catchy). Here, distinction can be doled out for various categories, some more contentious than others:

Michael Phelps is the greatest human swimmer the world has ever seen.

John Coltrane is the greatest improviser ever to pick up a saxophone.

William Shakespeare is the greatest playwright since the discovery of language.

Steph Curry is the greatest shooter in basketball history.

These greatest-of categories make sense; they are clearly defined, and lend themselves to evidence-based claims. Some are even widely accepted as fact. People know when greatness has peaked in these categories because the peaks are generally so much higher than any other peak, and so clearly visible throughout society. Which brings us to the muddled mess that is the Greatest Basketball Player of All Time discussion.

LeBron James, the perennial candidate for Greatest of All Time

Basketball is, in fact, a team sport. So how is it possible to measure an individual’s dominance of the game? Teams win games. Players shoot, players pass, players rebound, coaches coach, executives executivize, trainers train… but teams are what win games. Teams are what win championships.

Players can be the greatest at certain aspects of the game, but those aspects in and of themselves are individual games. Steph Curry is the greatest shooter because he made 402 threes in a season. Magic is the greatest passer because he averaged 11.2 assists in his career, and won 5 championships on 2,346 playoff assists. These categories are defined, measurable, reasonable. They aren’t basketball, they are pieces of basketball. The only statistic that matters in the overall game of basketball is championships won, and that statistic belongs to teams as a whole. The game cannot be dominated by one player, only by one team. And that team is the Golden State Warriors.

Not pictured: an ounce of humility

The Golden State Warriors are the greatest basketball team ever assembled. This statement might sound odd coming from a die-hard Cavs fan, but it actually reflects positively on Cleveland. The Warriors are 73-win championship team that added an MVP. In this year’s finals, they were unstoppable. They were almost un-slow-down-able. They are the pinnacle of the sport. The entire history of basketball has led to this team, and they truly are the greatest. Any dissenters can refer to this:

How can you dislike Steve Kerr?

The fact that the Cavaliers were able to take even a single game from the Golden Boys is a testament to the greatness of LeBron James. Because the only way for a man to prove he’s great as an individual basketball player is to go up against a great basketball team.

Jordan never played the Warriors. Bill Russell never played the Warriors. LeBron had to play the greatest team of all time. And while he may not have won this time around, what he did manage to accomplish proved how great he is. He prevented the Perfect Warriors from achieving their Perfect postseason.

His importance (or, some might say, “value”) cannot be overstated: Cleveland’s abysmal performance during the few minutes he spent off the floor exhibits his unquestionable eminence. His time on the floor was simply absurd. I actually burst out laughing when I saw him perform that one-man alley-oop. He has such a ludicrous mastery of the entire game of basketball. His stats speak for themselves in this regard: he averaged a line of 33.6/12/10/1.4/1 for the entire finals. But his dominance goes well beyond his individual performance.

LeBron James is good at basketball

LeBron James is the Cleveland Cavaliers. When the Cavs play well, it’s because of LeBron. When the Cavs play poorly, it’s because of LeBron. It’s not because he wins and loses single-handedly; it’s because he has such tremendous influence over his team as a whole. Not since Bill Russell has an individual been more in control of an entire squad. He facilitates, he defends, he scores, he manages, he coaches. He is excellent at every aspect of the game (free throws aside), and therefore, he is excellent at the team sport of basketball.

The discussion of the individual GOAT in basketball still makes little sense. Its definition remains unclear. It’s still immeasurable, obscure, wrought with too many variables. But LeBron James faced the most impossible challenge ever faced by an NBA team, and his team performed impossibly well. He and his team somehow managed to match the unfair greatness of Golden State, if only for one game. The eventual outcome of the series overshadows this incredible feat, but it should not be ignored.

It may not yet be possible to say that Lebron is the GOAT. But LeBron James is the greatest basketball player at a time when basketball teams are as great as they have ever been. We are all witnesses. And who knows, when Golden State and Cleveland meet again next June, he might just prove his ultimate greatness once and for all by beating the greatest team in NBA history.