Lebron James put his team on his back. Dwyane Wade was good in these playoffs, but inconsistent. Chris Bosh missed nine games. This was Lebron James' team. The Miami Heat became the first team in NBA history to win three playoff series when trailing at some point in the series.
Trailing 2-1, against the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Semi-finals, James had one of the best playoff games in NBA history. He put up 40 points, 18 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. Before this game, there were questions about Miami's future. Erik Spoelstra was on the hot seat. Many thought they were done. Bosh was out for the series. Wade was struggling. Miami was down by nine points at halftime in game four. Lebron James took over and dominated the second half and Miami never looked back in the series.
Trailing 3-2, against the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals, Lebron single handily beat the Celtics. He went for 45 points, 15 rebounds, and 5 assists. Wilt Chamberlain and Elgin Baylor are the only other two players to ever have a 45 point/15 rebound game in the history of the NBA playoffs. He went 19-26 from the field shooting a remarkable 73%. Lets not forget the Miami Heat normally did not win in Boston. They had only one win in their past 16 trips to the TD Garden. This was the first time in James' NBA career that he had that look on his face. Before tip-off you just got the sense he was going to dominate. This was the best game Lebron James has ever had in my eyes. Down 3-2, on the brink of elimination, and you lead your team to a 19-point beat down against a veteran bunch with championship experience. 
Down 1-0, against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Finals, it looked like Vegas was right having Oklahoma City as the slight favorites. Once again, James put the Heat on his back. He went for 32 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, and was a perfect 12-12 from the free-throw line in a 100-96 victory.
All three of these wins occurred on the other teams home-court. James averaged 39 points, 13.6 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per/game in these three games. He shot a remarkable 57% from the field. For everyone who said he does not have a knack for being clutch were flat out wrong.
His 2012 playoff stat line is simply "King" status. 30.3 points/game, 9.7 rebounds/game, 5.6 assists/game, 2 steals/game, and nearly 1 block/game. He shot a remarkable 50% from the floor. This stat is stunning because James averaged 22 field goal attempts in his 23 games during the playoffs. This is one of the best stat lines any NBA great has ever had in the playoffs.
Lebron James scored 697 points during the playoffs, 16th most in NBA history during one post-season. James is the only player in NBA history to record 650+ points, 200+ rebounds, and 100+ assists in a single post-season. Wilt Chamberlain, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and Michael Jordan can't say they have accomplished this feat. He became the eighth player in NBA history to have three regular-season MVP's and win an NBA championship. He is the 10th player to win a regular-season MVP, Finals MVP, and NBA Championship in one season. Just to show how great of an accomplishment this is I am going to list the other nine. Willis Reed, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Moses Malone, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon, Shaquille O'Neal, and Tim Duncan. Furthermore, to show how hard it is to win a regular-season MVP and a Finals MVP in the same year, you have to go back to 2003 in any of the four major sports (NBA, NFL, MLB, and NHL) to find the last guy to do this. Martin St. Louis did it for the Tampa Bay Lightning when they won the Stanley Cup in the 2003-04 season. James has scored at least 25 points in 15-straight playoff games passing the previous record of 14-straight. The previous record was held by: Lebron James. In his playoff career, James has led his team in points, rebounds, and assists 25 times. Larry Bird ranks second. He did it 13 times. James became the fifth player in NBA history to record a triple-double in a closeout game on Thursday night. The other four: Magic Johnson (2x), Larry Bird, James Worthy, and Tim Duncan.
I think it is safe to say this was one of the best playoff performances any NBA great has ever had.
James has done this before in the post-season, but never in the NBA Finals. During his two previous trips to the Finals his teams were a combined 2-8. He never scored more than 25 points in his NBA Finals career before this year. In 2007, when his Cavaliers battled the Spurs, it was obvious why they lost. It was Lebron James vs. one of the best teams of the 2000's. He didn't have a chance. Last year, against the Dallas Mavericks he was simply trying to hard to prove a point to the world. He learned his lesson the hard way. This year, he finally matured and went back to being Lebron James. Instead of trying to prove to everyone else, he just wanted to prove it to himself. Mission accomplished. 
In the 2012 NBA Finals James averaged 28.6 points/game, 10.2 rebounds/game, 7.4 assists/game, and 1.6 steals/game. He shot 47% from the floor and 83% from the free-throw line. Lebron James finally got the monkey off his back. In game four, with the game tied 94-94, James hit the biggest shot of his career. He pulled up with one and a half legs, shot clock winding down, and drained a straight-away three to give Miami a 97-94 lead with under three minutes to go. They never looked back in the series. That shot was the biggest shot in Lebron James' nine-year NBA career. (James 3-pointer to cement legacy. Go to :54 of clip to jump to 3.)
I understand a lot of people still love to hate Lebron James because he chose to bring his talents to South Beach. "The Decision" was the right decision for James, but the way he chose to do it was wrong. It has been nearly two years since "The Decision", and it is time to move on. The dancing around party the day after "The Decision" was childish and immature. Everyone deserves a second chance and it is time to get over those two days. Kobe Bryant was accused of rape, Michael Vick served nearly two-years in prison for his dog fighting crimes, and people forgave them. It is time to move on and realize people make mistakes. Time has past and it is time to forgive him for making an immature decision. If this is the worst decision he has made he has to be doing something right. Athletes are getting DUI's left and right, getting in trouble off the field/court, and James record has been clean off the court. It is time to give credit when it is due. Lebron James is a top-10 player to ever play the game. (If Magic Johnson is saying it, I am going to agree with one of the best players to ever lace them up.) 
James still has a lot to prove. One championship will not be enough for James if he wants to be considered as a top-five player to ever play the game. He is on the right path to become one of the games best. We should all feel privileged from what we just witnessed. It was one of the best post-seasons any athlete has ever had. It was something great to be apart of. Michael Jordan and Lebron James were both 27 when they won their first ring. Only time will tell if James will be mentioned with Michael Jordan as the best to ever lace them up. (He has a long way to go to ever be mentioned with MJ, but no one thought MJ would get six rings when Chicago was getting bounced in the playoffs during Jordan's first six seasons.) I do not want to hear the argument that James had to go to another team to win it all. That should not play a role in him being considered one of the best to ever play. Michael Jordan played with two of the best players in NBA history. Magic Johnson played with a boatload of great players during his career. Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal formed one of the best duo's in the games history. Larry Bird was apart of some of the best teams to ever play. Cleveland never attempted to get James help, so he had to go elsewhere to put himself in line to win a championship. You can't win a championship by yourself, it takes at least two-stars to win it all, along with good role players. James gave Cleveland seven seasons of everything he had, but the franchise didn't return the favor. He did what was best for his career. Since his decision to leave, he has led Miami to the NBA Finals in his first two-seasons, and it sure looks like they will be running the East for the near future. "The Decision" was the best decision James ever made. He just went about it the wrong way, but it is time to let bygones be bygones, and simply tip your cap to one of the NBA's best to ever play. 
- UPCOMING BLOG NEXT WEEK PREVIEWING NBA 2012 DRAFT & MOCK DRAFT
No comments:
Post a Comment