With a new team now crowned as NBA Champions, the talk of the offseason will be how LeBron James failed once again to add a Larry O'Brien Trophy to his track record and the turmoil that has followed. And what better way to kick that off than by providing an in-depth look into LeBron's troubled Finals performance.
Despite averaging 27 points per game during the regular season, LeBron only managed to average a minuscule 18 points per game in the Finals, making it the largest differential for any player in NBA history. To his credit, LeBron did end up winning two more games than he did in the 2007 NBA Finals when his Cleveland Cavaliers were swept by the San Antonio Spurs. However, another failed attempt regardless of how close, doesn't quite live up to the king-sized expectations the one they call "King James" brought upon himself and his team which started last offseason, eight days after the highly criticized -- 'Decision'. Instead of the usual press conference to announce his decision, James made it a worldwide spectacle where he made the infamous, "I'm taking my talents to South Beach" quote.
If his hour long special didn't get under everyone's skin, what followed next most likely did the trick. With the return of Dwayne Wade and the arrival of James and fellow free agent Chris Bosh, Miami Heat president Pat Riley orchestrated an introduction similar to that of a Kiss concert, showcasing Miami's big three. Though the pyrotechnical event was more of a rally to amp up the Miami area and its fan base, many took it as an act of arrogance and thought the team had over did it. Proving just that, LeBron would then make one of the most criticized statements in the history of sports when he proclaimed the team would win, "Not 5...Not 6...Not 7...," implying that they would win 8 NBA titles during their tenure. Whether or not he was in the heat of the moment and just joking around, after his first failed attempt I think the smart thing to do would be to rephrase his prediction considering he was virtually a non-factor in the series as the team was (-) from the floor in games 3-6 when LeBron was on the court.
Prior to Game 4 in Dallas, Wade and LeBron were caught on camera mocking and poking fun at Dirk Nowitzki's 101 degree fever. Finishing the night 3-for-11 from the floor with a whopping total of 8 points, LeBron seemed to be the one who was ill. After eventually losing the game which tied the series at 2-games apiece, LeBron told reporters that Game 5 was the most important game of his career. He then answered by shooting 8-for-19 from the floor with only 17 points to show for in route to a 112-103 loss. With a chance to redeem himself two days later, LeBron would improve from his disappointing Game 5 effort by scoring 21 in a 105-95 loss at home.
As if his poor Finals performance didn't warrant enough criticism, his post-game presser did when he opened up another can of worms by saying:
"All the people that were rooting on me to fail, at the end of the day they have to wake up tomorrow and have the same life that they had before they woke up today. They have the same personal problems they had today. I'm going to continue to live the way I want to live and continue to do the things that I want to do with me and my family and be happy with that. So they can get a few days or a few months or whatever the case may be on being happy about not only myself, but the Miami Heat not accomplishing their goal. But they got to get back to the real world at some point."
While I'm sure he meant something entirely different than what he said and the way he said it, the media along with the fans took it as an easier way to say, I'm better than you. And anytime you have to personally clarify what you meant like LeBron did the following day via Twitter, it probably should have been left unsaid. Many believe the whole world against LeBron thing has been blown out of proportion, but the truth is all the negativity aimed towards him has only been brought upon himself. He also just happens to be the biggest name in sports today which comes equipped with having your every move being observed under a microscope.
Though I'm not from Cleveland, Ohio nor have I ever been there for that matter, I feel for the fans considering LeBron was looked at as somewhat of an icon and a savior to be the one that finally leads the city to a championship. The fact that he's an Akron, Ohio native and would not only turn on his hometown, but in the way that he did it, just baffles me. Without their superstar, the Cavs join the city-wide mediocrity led by the Cleveland Browns who haven't won a Championship since 1962 and their baseball counterparts -- the Cleveland Indians who currently own the second longest World Series drought in Major League Baseball (62 years), only behind the Chicago Cubs (102 years).
Also joining the criticism attack on LeBron was Cavs owner Dan Gilbert who has had a history of bashing his former All-Star. After their Finals collapse which saw the Dallas Mavericks reign victoriously on Miami's home-court, Gilbert tweeted: "Congrats to Mark C.&entire Mavs org. Mavs NEVER stopped & now entire franchise gets rings. Old Lesson for all: There are NO SHORTCUTS. NONE!" James' former Cavs teammate Mo Williams who was among those heartbroken about LeBron's decision to join the Heat also chimed in through his Twitter account by saying, "Dallas just healed my HEART." And though LeBron is hoping he'll wake up one day with the whole world forgiving him for all he's said and done, that's a bit of a far cry considering he barely finished the first year of his six-year, $110 Million contract.
If the NBA encounters a lockout, it'll just give the rest of the basketball world a longer time to spew hatred on the one they call the 'King'. But since his team isn't the one being dubbed as Champions, it looks like instead he'll be referred to as Prince James for yet another year.
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