LeBron James is not having a good NBA Finals. In fact, he is having a terrible Finals. What was supposed to be The Coronation Part 2 has become Nightmare At The Alamo. The Miami Heat are trailing the San Antonio Spurs 2-1 in this year’s Finals after getting blown out by 36 points in Game 3.
James is averaging 16.7ppg in this Finals, his worst ever, and not a good look for the supposed “Best Player on the Planet.” The Spurs’ Danny Green has six more total points than LeBron. That is a stat that many critics are now pointing to. Before last year’s Finals the knock on LeBron was that he shrunk during the end of important games. During the 2011 Finals against the Dallas Mavericks, his fourth quarter performances were abysmal.
And now the same criticism is being lobbed James’ way. Many people are already questioning his mental toughness. Many sportswriters are wondering out loud if LeBron’s dominance in the postseason last year was a fluke. Everyone, including the other Heat players, is waiting to see James take over these Finals and win another championship. If the Spurs win this championship, LeBron will have lost three times in four trips to the NBA Finals. At that point, ESPN will have to start calling him the Greatest Regular Season Player Ever.
It seems as though James understands this. “I have to play better,” he said after Game 3. His comments were more focused on his play than on casting blame on his teammates. Right now he is settling for jump shots and they are just not going in. He needs to do what he does best and that is drive the lane. When he does this, good things happen for the Heat. He either gets fouled or makes an easy layup. And when the defense collapses on him there is another Heat player standing all alone at the three-point line.
To be fair, LeBron is not solely to blame. Dwyane Wade seems to be hurt far more than he is letting on and Chris Bosh looks like a deer caught in the headlights every time he catches the ball.
If LeBron and the Miami Heat want to win another title, he will have to revert back to his Cleveland days and do it all. He is going to have to do all the scoring, play lockdown defense and rebound. He might have to get triple-doubles the rest of the way. It’s a tall order but he can make it happen. The Spurs are too talented, too experienced and too well coached to fold just because the Heat take the floor.
LeBron needs to forget about being like Magic Johnson, getting everyone involved in the game and passing more than shooting. He needs to channel his Inner Kobe and take every shot humanly possible. He can’t trust his teammates to make shots even if they are open because they are not making them now. No more Mr. Nice Guy.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said LeBron will, “figure it out,” because, “he always figures it out.” For his sake, I hope he is right. We have already seen the Coach Of The Year get fired and nearly half of the coaches that made the playoffs are now looking for new jobs. Can you imagine what would happen to a coach that lost two out of three Finals with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh?
The pressure is mounting on LeBron. Miami’s hope for a championship, his legacy and probably Spoelstra’s job are all in LeBron’s hands. These are the moments when great players need to be great. If LeBron wants to be considered an All-Time Great Player, he needs to turn in a string of All-Time Great Performances. It’s going to be interesting to see how he responds.
