LeBron James' View Outside of Himself

You got the sense during the rough and tumble series between the Boston Celtics and the Cleveland Cavaliers, that LeBron James began to see the light—that all of the poor shooting blended with the flashes of brilliance were all a big set-up for his future success.

So he decided to soak it all in.

He knew there would be no Eastern Conference Finals appearance courtesy of a Boston Celtics' home court loss, so it became time to direct the next episode of "The LeBrons."

He cursed at his mom on national television and we called it playoff intensity.

He referred to himself several times in the third person, mostly addressing concerns that he and the Cavaliers getting their behinds kicked was not a question of if, but when.

LeBron James is so physically talented, he has no scoring help whatsoever, and you think to yourself, "the kid has no help, and he's keeping his team alive in the playoffs every year."

But then you realize that you have the view of LeBron James that he wants you to have—a vision of a poor superstar with no help.

And if you are truly introspective, you realize both he and you are screwed up in the mind.

LeBron won't hear the replays of him saying, "A LeBron James team never gets desperate." He'll mostly hear the sound bite of "we have to get better."

But deep down he knows the truth is that he has to get better.

Deep down, LeBron James knows he's already been surpassed by the likes of Chris Paul, Deron Williams and Joe Johnson in terms of making his team better.

And you know it, too.

You know just from watching games that there's no way Chris Paul can do with Tyson Chandler what LeBron James can't do with Zydrunas Ilgauskas.

That Joe Smith could be the versatile forward to LBJ as David West is to CP3.

That Daniel Gibson, Delonte West, and Wally Szczerbiak could play every bit the part of Jannero Pargo, Peja Stojakovic, and Morris Peterson.

And you both know that the difference is the will to make everyone else better.

You both know that LeBron is too talented not to take all of the meaningful shots, but that he's too young to differentiate a meaningful shot versus a bull rush to the basket hoping for a foul.

You both know the shooters need to shoot, and not just when it suits LeBron's pass out of a triple-team in the paint.

No, LeBron James won't come out and make the excuses of a petulant star. He won't name names, blame coaches, blame refs or any of that. He's been raised in front of cameras and had enough handlers to know that complaining and whining doesn't make for good shoe sales or Vitamin Water pitches.

But he'll do and say the things that make you believe that he's not as much at fault as he really is.

And you'll believe him, because you are a witness.

Or are you?