Post by Ricky Johnson on Jun 15, 2011 0:49:01 GMT -6
Taking "Superstar" status away from Lebron James.
By: RJ
It is after midnight on Tuesday, June 14th. From the "coulda-woulda-shoulda" department (henceforth "CWS"), We NBA fans would have just finished watching Game 7 of the NBA Finals, with the Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks tied 3-3. We would either be crowning perhaps the beginning of a Dynasty in Miami, and congratulating Dirk Nowitzki on his first title after 13 years of hard work.
But sadly, for one team anyway, the finals ended Sunday Night.
The Dallas Mavericks capped off an incredible legendary playoff run with a game 6 victory over the Miami Heat, in Miami to win their first ever NBA Championship, 4 games to 2. What as billed as a rematch of the 2006 finals, ended up being a little less epic than originally thought. "CWS" said that One of these teams was just too much talent for the other to handle. That was in fact true, but Dallas was the team that was too much for Miami, not the other way around.
I said earlier that Miami and Dallas should have been 3-3 going into Tuesday. That's because for the first three games of this series, Miami played better than Dallas. Miami should have had a 3-0 lead going into game 4 in Dallas. They handily won Game 1 in Miami, 92-84. Almost every sports writer and analyst was ready to crown the Heat NBA champions then. On top of that Dirk Nowitzki torn a tendon in his hand and it would effect him the rest of the playoffs. The Mavericks best player was hurt, and Miami was up 1-0. Miami would continue the domination for 43 of 48 minutes in Game 2, up by 15 points with about 4 minutes to go.
Then it all changed.
Dallas would go on 22-5 run to win the game 95-93 on Dirk Nowitzki's layup with mere seconds remaining and Miami out of timeouts. Dwayne Wade launched a desperation 3 that fell short, and suddenly the series was 1-1.
Now the writers were talking about Miami's collapse. Dirk's finger was no longer an issue. It was Miami who lost the home court advantage. Miami who blown a 15 point lead and celebrated a bit prematurely. Dallas had all the momentum for Game 3, and they were going home to Dallas for the next 3 games. Now the Heat were in trouble of being closed out in Dallas.
Game 3 was said to the ultimate test ground. 11 out of 11 times since the finals was a 2-3-2 format, the team that won game 3 won the finals. Stuart Scott reminded us a few times. And Game 3 was a battle between Dirk and Dwayne Wade. But it was Chris Bosh who would hit the eventual game winner as Dirk's final shot would rim out giving Miami an 88-86 victory. In history told us anything, it was Miami who was about to win an NBA title, but there were still plenty of problems in South Beach. 1) Were was Lebron James? Sure he had 17 points, and 9 assists, But he shot 6-14 from the field, 1-4 from 3 point range, and more importantly, was passive in the 4th quarter, leaving Dwayne Wade is carry the load. When asked about in the post game, Lebron answered:
"If you can just watch the film again and see what I did defensively, you'll ask me a better question tomorrow."
We all know that Lebron is a good defensive player, but seriously?
Game 4 had an ominous beginning for Dallas are Dirk Nowitzki was fighting the flu. He was clearly wheezing, coughing and just looked ill that night. On timeouts he was covered in his warm-ups and his head was covered with towels. If the Mavericks were ever going to win, someone had to help Dirk. Up stepped Shawn Marion who had 16, Tyson Chandler with 13, and Jason Terry with 17. And still, fighting the Flu, Dirk led the Mavs with 21 as they won game 4, 86-83. Lebron James had his worst playoff game ever, scoring a measly 8 points. Those 8 points came in 45:43 of on-court time for James. his man most of the night was Marion, who again, had 16 points. If not Marion, then Terry, who has 17. He could no longer hide behind defensive play. He didn't shut down anyone. Lebron James for the third game in a row, had disappeared in the 4th quarter.
Dirk was again healthy for game 5, and the Mavs, for the first time in the series, looked to be in total control. They lead the majority of the game, they made less mistakes, and Dirk scored 29, with help from Terry again, who has 21. Lebron James tweeted "it's now or never" before the game, leading people to believe that he would finally break out and do what everyone knows he can do. James did have a triple double, (17 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists) but it wasn't nearly enough as he only has 2 points in the fourth, which was a layup given to him by the Mavs. Speaking of Jason Terry, James guarded him down the stretch, and Terry would make two backbreaking 3's in crunch time, after a very impressive Heat comeback to lead 100-97 with about 3 minutes left. One of those 3's was from about 27 feet away, and in Lebron's face. No longer a stopper, but an all around player? But again, for the fourth straight game, Lebron James was passive, and didn't want to shoot or drive in a big time situation. He deferred to Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade whenever he could. The Mavs would win 112-103.
Now the Heat were in trouble. 4 straight games of James phoning in the 4th quarter. He couldn't seem to figure out the Dallas zone. He wasn't aggressive at all. He no longer took the ball to the basket with any authority. He settled for contested 20 foot jump shots. Shawn Marion, DeShawn Stevenson, and Jason Kidd were making life difficult. In the case of "now or never" the answer was "Never"
And then Game 6 happened. Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavericks were 1 win away from an NBA title, and The big 3 were 1 game away from total failure. So which would rise up? James seemed to finally be poised for a big game. He started 4-4 with 9 points. Then, even earlier than the fourth quarter, he disappeared again. The Heat were sloppy the rest of the game, with the exception of a 10-0 run late in the second with James on the bench. When he entered, Lebron was still not aggressive. He got into the paint and simply passed out to a man on the wing, or Bosh under the basket who would have to make a tough shot. Lebron would commit 6 turnovers, most of them mental mistakes. He was called for an offensive foul using an arm to shove back 5'10 J.J. Barea.
Once he did get to the line, he faltered their too. (1-4) In total, the Heat missed 13 free throws, so he isn't the only one to blame.
Dirk Nowitzki on the other hand couldn't buy a bucket. The Mav's best player was 1-12 at the half. But the Heat didn't take advantage. Instead, even with Nowitzki's poor shooting the Mavericks still lead at the half. Jason Terry had 19 at that point. And in the seconds half, Dirk finally got shots to fall, and J.J. Barea did what Lebron was supposed to: Penetrate to the paint. And Terry continued to hit shots and finished with 27.
Lebron James did finish with 21, but it was too little too late, as the Mavs won their first title 105-95. But more importantly, this was the FIFTH straight game that Lebron James wanted nothing to do with. He did not want the ball in crunch time. He was a little boy playing a man's game.
If these finals taught Lebron James anything, it was how to be a leader. All he had to do was look across at Dirk Nowitzki. Even though he was not shooting well all game, he still got the ball. At big moments, Dirk WANTED the ball in his hands. Game 2: Down 15 with time running out? Dirk was calling for the ball. In Game 3, torn tendon in the finger and all, he WANTED the ball at the end for the last shot. Sick with the flu in game 4? Dirk AGAIN responded. Dirk Nowitzki proved that he is a superstar in the NBA. Lebron James had that moniker handed to him. And now, I'm taking it away.
Lebron James is no longer a superstar. Superstars don't ditch their team to play with friends. I never saw Kobe leave L.A. during those post-Shaq/pre-Pau years. Patrick Ewing never left the Knicks in his prime. Malone never left Utah in his. They simply kept at it. They asked for the help. They stepped up when the game was on the line. Lebron James seemed to be following them in Cleveland. Then he quit on them. Then he left for the Miami Heat to team with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh. Lebron James could no longer handle the pressure of being the "man" on a team. He could never be Jordan, Bird or Magic. He checked himself out of that debate this year. Now Lebron can't even be a "Pippin" He has settled for "Role player" on a team. Lebron James made it clear. He doesn't want to be the best player on a team, he wants a ring, and doesn't care how he gets it. There is a player who Lebron reminds me of: Lamar Odom. That's not a knock on either man. Odom is a good player. He can shoot, he's an excellent defender, passer, rebounder ,and shot-blocker. Lebron can do these things also, and he can drive to the hoop. At 6'8 and 260, he has shown that when motivated, he can do good things. Odom can too, but he's perfectly fine playing 6th man with the Lakers. He could probably lead a team, but he chooses not to. But Odom has 2 rings. Lebron has Zero. Because even Lamar Odom steps up to do SOMETHING when the game is on the line. Lebron James wants no part of that pressure. Even when he puts it on himself and his team. Remember, it wasn't any NBA writer or Analyst who said the Heat were going to win "not 3, not 4, not 5, not 6 not 7" but 8, 9 of 10 championships. It was Lebron James. He asked for this level of pressure. And he still can't handle it.
Look no further than his post game interview in Game 6. His quotes are out there for consumption:
"Because at the end of the day, all the people that was 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. 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 have to get back to the real world at some point."
Translation: I'm rich, and I have a great life. The rest of you little people can stick it, brother. Tomorrow, I'll still be rich, I'll still be a global icon, I'll still be one of the best players in the NBA. And you? Pfft. I don't care what you think.
And I'm not the only one who took it that way. Jim Rome. Skip Bayless, And a host of others took it that way.
So not only did Lebron James talk a big game and not back it up, (biggest drop in points in finals history, disappearing in the 4th.) he let his haters get to him. And not just a little. A lot. A whole lot. In fact, he gave them all the more reason to hate him next year. He "feed the trolls" so to speak.
So, Lebron James quit on Cleveland to play with friends in Miami, then quit on them as well. He has shown he does not handle pressure well, he avoids the ball in crunch time, he is passive in big moments, he doesn't want the ball in his hands at critical times. He can't be the man on his team. He is afraid of missing big shots. Lebron James, is, well... simply put: He just wants to win a championship. He sold his legacy for a better chance at a title. He would rather be a guy on the team than the guy who led the team.
That's not what Superstars do.
By: RJ
It is after midnight on Tuesday, June 14th. From the "coulda-woulda-shoulda" department (henceforth "CWS"), We NBA fans would have just finished watching Game 7 of the NBA Finals, with the Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks tied 3-3. We would either be crowning perhaps the beginning of a Dynasty in Miami, and congratulating Dirk Nowitzki on his first title after 13 years of hard work.
But sadly, for one team anyway, the finals ended Sunday Night.
The Dallas Mavericks capped off an incredible legendary playoff run with a game 6 victory over the Miami Heat, in Miami to win their first ever NBA Championship, 4 games to 2. What as billed as a rematch of the 2006 finals, ended up being a little less epic than originally thought. "CWS" said that One of these teams was just too much talent for the other to handle. That was in fact true, but Dallas was the team that was too much for Miami, not the other way around.
I said earlier that Miami and Dallas should have been 3-3 going into Tuesday. That's because for the first three games of this series, Miami played better than Dallas. Miami should have had a 3-0 lead going into game 4 in Dallas. They handily won Game 1 in Miami, 92-84. Almost every sports writer and analyst was ready to crown the Heat NBA champions then. On top of that Dirk Nowitzki torn a tendon in his hand and it would effect him the rest of the playoffs. The Mavericks best player was hurt, and Miami was up 1-0. Miami would continue the domination for 43 of 48 minutes in Game 2, up by 15 points with about 4 minutes to go.
Then it all changed.
Dallas would go on 22-5 run to win the game 95-93 on Dirk Nowitzki's layup with mere seconds remaining and Miami out of timeouts. Dwayne Wade launched a desperation 3 that fell short, and suddenly the series was 1-1.
Now the writers were talking about Miami's collapse. Dirk's finger was no longer an issue. It was Miami who lost the home court advantage. Miami who blown a 15 point lead and celebrated a bit prematurely. Dallas had all the momentum for Game 3, and they were going home to Dallas for the next 3 games. Now the Heat were in trouble of being closed out in Dallas.
Game 3 was said to the ultimate test ground. 11 out of 11 times since the finals was a 2-3-2 format, the team that won game 3 won the finals. Stuart Scott reminded us a few times. And Game 3 was a battle between Dirk and Dwayne Wade. But it was Chris Bosh who would hit the eventual game winner as Dirk's final shot would rim out giving Miami an 88-86 victory. In history told us anything, it was Miami who was about to win an NBA title, but there were still plenty of problems in South Beach. 1) Were was Lebron James? Sure he had 17 points, and 9 assists, But he shot 6-14 from the field, 1-4 from 3 point range, and more importantly, was passive in the 4th quarter, leaving Dwayne Wade is carry the load. When asked about in the post game, Lebron answered:
"If you can just watch the film again and see what I did defensively, you'll ask me a better question tomorrow."
We all know that Lebron is a good defensive player, but seriously?
Game 4 had an ominous beginning for Dallas are Dirk Nowitzki was fighting the flu. He was clearly wheezing, coughing and just looked ill that night. On timeouts he was covered in his warm-ups and his head was covered with towels. If the Mavericks were ever going to win, someone had to help Dirk. Up stepped Shawn Marion who had 16, Tyson Chandler with 13, and Jason Terry with 17. And still, fighting the Flu, Dirk led the Mavs with 21 as they won game 4, 86-83. Lebron James had his worst playoff game ever, scoring a measly 8 points. Those 8 points came in 45:43 of on-court time for James. his man most of the night was Marion, who again, had 16 points. If not Marion, then Terry, who has 17. He could no longer hide behind defensive play. He didn't shut down anyone. Lebron James for the third game in a row, had disappeared in the 4th quarter.
Dirk was again healthy for game 5, and the Mavs, for the first time in the series, looked to be in total control. They lead the majority of the game, they made less mistakes, and Dirk scored 29, with help from Terry again, who has 21. Lebron James tweeted "it's now or never" before the game, leading people to believe that he would finally break out and do what everyone knows he can do. James did have a triple double, (17 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists) but it wasn't nearly enough as he only has 2 points in the fourth, which was a layup given to him by the Mavs. Speaking of Jason Terry, James guarded him down the stretch, and Terry would make two backbreaking 3's in crunch time, after a very impressive Heat comeback to lead 100-97 with about 3 minutes left. One of those 3's was from about 27 feet away, and in Lebron's face. No longer a stopper, but an all around player? But again, for the fourth straight game, Lebron James was passive, and didn't want to shoot or drive in a big time situation. He deferred to Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade whenever he could. The Mavs would win 112-103.
Now the Heat were in trouble. 4 straight games of James phoning in the 4th quarter. He couldn't seem to figure out the Dallas zone. He wasn't aggressive at all. He no longer took the ball to the basket with any authority. He settled for contested 20 foot jump shots. Shawn Marion, DeShawn Stevenson, and Jason Kidd were making life difficult. In the case of "now or never" the answer was "Never"
And then Game 6 happened. Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavericks were 1 win away from an NBA title, and The big 3 were 1 game away from total failure. So which would rise up? James seemed to finally be poised for a big game. He started 4-4 with 9 points. Then, even earlier than the fourth quarter, he disappeared again. The Heat were sloppy the rest of the game, with the exception of a 10-0 run late in the second with James on the bench. When he entered, Lebron was still not aggressive. He got into the paint and simply passed out to a man on the wing, or Bosh under the basket who would have to make a tough shot. Lebron would commit 6 turnovers, most of them mental mistakes. He was called for an offensive foul using an arm to shove back 5'10 J.J. Barea.
Once he did get to the line, he faltered their too. (1-4) In total, the Heat missed 13 free throws, so he isn't the only one to blame.
Dirk Nowitzki on the other hand couldn't buy a bucket. The Mav's best player was 1-12 at the half. But the Heat didn't take advantage. Instead, even with Nowitzki's poor shooting the Mavericks still lead at the half. Jason Terry had 19 at that point. And in the seconds half, Dirk finally got shots to fall, and J.J. Barea did what Lebron was supposed to: Penetrate to the paint. And Terry continued to hit shots and finished with 27.
Lebron James did finish with 21, but it was too little too late, as the Mavs won their first title 105-95. But more importantly, this was the FIFTH straight game that Lebron James wanted nothing to do with. He did not want the ball in crunch time. He was a little boy playing a man's game.
If these finals taught Lebron James anything, it was how to be a leader. All he had to do was look across at Dirk Nowitzki. Even though he was not shooting well all game, he still got the ball. At big moments, Dirk WANTED the ball in his hands. Game 2: Down 15 with time running out? Dirk was calling for the ball. In Game 3, torn tendon in the finger and all, he WANTED the ball at the end for the last shot. Sick with the flu in game 4? Dirk AGAIN responded. Dirk Nowitzki proved that he is a superstar in the NBA. Lebron James had that moniker handed to him. And now, I'm taking it away.
Lebron James is no longer a superstar. Superstars don't ditch their team to play with friends. I never saw Kobe leave L.A. during those post-Shaq/pre-Pau years. Patrick Ewing never left the Knicks in his prime. Malone never left Utah in his. They simply kept at it. They asked for the help. They stepped up when the game was on the line. Lebron James seemed to be following them in Cleveland. Then he quit on them. Then he left for the Miami Heat to team with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh. Lebron James could no longer handle the pressure of being the "man" on a team. He could never be Jordan, Bird or Magic. He checked himself out of that debate this year. Now Lebron can't even be a "Pippin" He has settled for "Role player" on a team. Lebron James made it clear. He doesn't want to be the best player on a team, he wants a ring, and doesn't care how he gets it. There is a player who Lebron reminds me of: Lamar Odom. That's not a knock on either man. Odom is a good player. He can shoot, he's an excellent defender, passer, rebounder ,and shot-blocker. Lebron can do these things also, and he can drive to the hoop. At 6'8 and 260, he has shown that when motivated, he can do good things. Odom can too, but he's perfectly fine playing 6th man with the Lakers. He could probably lead a team, but he chooses not to. But Odom has 2 rings. Lebron has Zero. Because even Lamar Odom steps up to do SOMETHING when the game is on the line. Lebron James wants no part of that pressure. Even when he puts it on himself and his team. Remember, it wasn't any NBA writer or Analyst who said the Heat were going to win "not 3, not 4, not 5, not 6 not 7" but 8, 9 of 10 championships. It was Lebron James. He asked for this level of pressure. And he still can't handle it.
Look no further than his post game interview in Game 6. His quotes are out there for consumption:
"Because at the end of the day, all the people that was 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. 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 have to get back to the real world at some point."
Translation: I'm rich, and I have a great life. The rest of you little people can stick it, brother. Tomorrow, I'll still be rich, I'll still be a global icon, I'll still be one of the best players in the NBA. And you? Pfft. I don't care what you think.
And I'm not the only one who took it that way. Jim Rome. Skip Bayless, And a host of others took it that way.
So not only did Lebron James talk a big game and not back it up, (biggest drop in points in finals history, disappearing in the 4th.) he let his haters get to him. And not just a little. A lot. A whole lot. In fact, he gave them all the more reason to hate him next year. He "feed the trolls" so to speak.
So, Lebron James quit on Cleveland to play with friends in Miami, then quit on them as well. He has shown he does not handle pressure well, he avoids the ball in crunch time, he is passive in big moments, he doesn't want the ball in his hands at critical times. He can't be the man on his team. He is afraid of missing big shots. Lebron James, is, well... simply put: He just wants to win a championship. He sold his legacy for a better chance at a title. He would rather be a guy on the team than the guy who led the team.
That's not what Superstars do.