I'm not claiming to have watched every second of the NBA Finals. Nor am I an expert in what it's like to be a global icon (not yet, anyway.) But LeBron James can definitely be harshly judged on the back of the Miami Heat failing to win a championship.
I'm not disputing the fact that James is a fantastic basketball player. I've heard some pundits talk about the fact that he doesn't have a "signature moment." That is pure bullshit. How are these for "signature moments:
1) LeBron completely taking over the game and annihilating the Detroit Pistons in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals in 2007. He scored 48 points including the team's final 25 points.
2) LeBron's game winning shot in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals in 2009. That shot was off the hook.
3) The entire playoff series against the Bulls this year. As a Bulls fan, I watched in horror as the Eastern Conference Finals tilted the Heat's direction in large part because of the self-titled King.
So LeBron already has "signature moments." He is not lacking those. What he IS lacking is a ring. ANYONE in the world that wants to say LeBron is better than Michael Jordan (or even Kobe Bryant) should break their own back, have a friend (because they'd be theoretically paralyzed after a breaking their back) grasp their head, bend them backwards, and stick their own head into their own asshole. LeBron is a great player, but using superlatives like "Best ever" when referring to LeBron should earn the offender a grundle stabbing with a jagged tree branch. Are you listening, Scottie Pippen?
So while Jason Kidd, Dirk Nowitzki, and the rest of the Dallas Mavericks deserve to be praised for winning a championship, most of the media and rinky-dink blogs (like this one) would rather hate on LeBron. And why shouldn't we? LeBron did this to himself. The well documented "Decision" and the WWE-esque party that followed set up this group of assholes for only the highest of expectations. They failed. So what does LeBron do now? Here are some hints for this assclown:
- Take classes - Look, LeBron didn't have to go to college. I get it. He was primed to make millions of dollars. But he learned nothing about how to handle himself in public. I would encourage him take some media relations classes or something academic to grow the intellectual portion of his brain.
- Be sincere - LeBron feeds the public canned lines over and over and over. It's old. To be honest, Tiger Woods owns this same flaw. Listening to LeBron give lines that he thinks are going to go over well is maddening. Shaq may have gotten in trouble from time to time by being outlandish, but people can relate to him as a person. In fact, people feel like they know who Shaq is (even if they don't.) LeBron should call up Shaq and get some pointers- after all, they were teammates in Cleveland, right?
- Fucking win - No one gives a shit about what LeBron might say or what off court antics he might get into if he wins championships. Winning cures all. It is best to fly under the radar until actually accomplishing tangible great things. LeBron has blown any chance at a low profile and has probably made tons of money off of it. However, the double edged sword of that self-inflated fame is that criticism is coming his way in tsunami sized waves. He deserves it all.
- Make a difference in the 4th quarter - LeBron has to have the absolute worst ratio of any basketball player in the history of the world in this:
4th Quarter Performance/Overall Talent
That is not a distinction any player would want as their legacy. LeBron absolutely needs to work his ass off to become a clutch player who wants the ball when the game is in question. Work with D. Wade and Chris Bosh to understand each others' roles. I literally don't think they know what their personal roles are during the entire game let alone in crunch time.
King James is quite the interesting case study. For someone who thinks so highly of himself, he is more insecure than a teenage girl. I think we saw the "real" LeBron in the 4th Quarter of the last 5 games- and that adds up to an insignificant 11 points. I know I and a whole hell of a lot of others are cheering against him.
5 comments:
After writing this, I saw LeBron's post game which was immature at best. I also saw a pre-game pep talk he gave which can only be described as "wooden"- like a tree. Not like the great UCLA head coach of the 60s and 70s.
It is so easy to dislike this mofo.
If I'm Maverick Carter and one day when I kill him in his sleep, I will be, I tell him he has three things to do this offseason:
1. SHUT THE FUCK UP. No more Twitter. No more anything. Complete shutdown.
2. Have him go to the Derek Jeter School of Answers so that when he does have a mic in his face, he never ever says anything stupid again.
3. GET A POSTGAME! Jesus Christ, the Mavs weren't even scared about putting J-Kidd on him because they knew that he no game on the block. He's been doing this for almost a decade now and can't play with his back to the basket.
Whatever, screw him. I'm just another poor person that doesn't have as much money as he does.
Those are fantastic ideas, G$. It is amazing that Jeter rarely, if ever, says anything dumb while being on the most valued franchise in the US. LeBron says dumb things constantly. He should definitely get his Twitter license revoked.
I fully agree on the post game point. I didn't mention it in the post, but thought more about it this morning and realized that it is absolutely ridiculous that this guy doesn't play with his back to the basket EVER. When people at your site want to talk about him being a "complete player"- that is completely inaccurate until this asshole can receive an entry pass, go up and under, and dunk on fools.
Just to be contrary, I've never been a big fan of the "championship argument" for deciding who's the best player. Even in a sport like basketball where one player can dominate the game, the winner is still more often the better team overall, rather than the team with the best player. That being said, a team's best player has to be the best player when it matters, and Lebron obviously wasn't up to the task this year.
None of that means I don't love to hate on him though. I don't even watch basketball regularly and I hate that guy's ego.
I will agree with you to an extent Dread. Dan Marino was a hell of a QB and competitor but didn't win a championship. I can't argue that he wasn't awesome. I will say that it opens the door for people to argue that John Elway was a better QB due to 2 championships even though Marino was probably "more talented."
My biggest problem with the LeBron after watching the playoffs this year is that he shrinks in the biggest moments. When he plays well in a 4th quarter, it's almost by accident. This is ok for a less talented player- not ok for someone like LeBron who believes that they are an icon.
Derrick Rose didn't play his best in the Eastern Conference Finals, but I would never question his effort. I would, however, question LeBron's effort in the Finals. Big difference.
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