LeBron James or Roberto Luongo: Who's the Bigger Goat for His Team's Loss?

LeBron James and Roberto Luongo are both professional athletes who have more in common than meets the eye.

LeBron James is a talented NBA player and Roberto Luongo is a talented NHL goalie. LeBron James has been an All-Star and so has Roberto Luongo.

However, the biggest similarity between these two players was their lack of performance when it was crunch time.

LeBron James and the "Big Three" failed to win the NBA title, and Roberto Luongo and the Sedin twins failed to hoist Lord Stanley's Cup.

Fans and pundits have isolated on both of these men for being responsible for their respective team's finals losses.

The question remains, who was the bigger goat? Was it "King" LeBron James, or was it Roberto Luongo?

Pre NBA Finals: LeBron James

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

MIAMI, FL - JUNE 12: LeBron James #6 of the Miami Heat drives against Shawn Marion #0 of the Dallas Mavericks in the second half of Game Six of the 2011 NBA Finals at American Airlines Arena on June 12, 2011 in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressl

In the regular season, LeBron James did what he was expected to do. LeBron and the "Big Three" dominated the regular season and most of the playoffs.

In the regular season, LeBron averaged 26.7 points per game, 7.0 assists per game, and 7.5 rebounds per game.

All of these are very respectable numbers, considering you have to share the ball with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh.

Moving on to the NBA Playoffs, LeBron James was still on his game. 

Throughout the postseason, James averaged 23.6 points, 5.8 assists, and 8.3 rebounds. However, things took a turn for the worse once the Heat squared off against the Mavericks in the NBA Finals.

Pre Stanley Cup Finals: Roberto Luongo

Rich Lam/Getty Images

VANCOUVER, BC - JUNE 10: Roberto Luongo #1 of the Vancouver Canucks makes a glove save against the Boston Bruins during Game Five of the 2011 NHL Stanley Cup Final at Rogers Arena on June 10, 2011 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo by Rich L

Roberto Luongo and the Vancouver Canucks had one hell of a regular season.

For starters, Roberto Luongo was absolutely stellar. Luongo posted a  38-15-7 record with a 2.11 GAA and a .928 SV%. These numbers were enough to earn Luongo a Vezina Trophy nomination.

Roberto Luongo was considered one of the major reasons the Canucks won the President's Trophy and posted a franchise record of 54 wins and 117 points.

To quote Pierre McGuire, many people were pumping the Canucks' tires up this year. They were touted as the top team with a great top line, and a great goaltender.

Similar to LeBron James, Roberto Luongo was monumental in getting his team to the Finals. Sadly, the similarities of these two players carried over to when it mattered most for each player.

LeBron James During the NBA Finals

Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

DALLAS, TX - JUNE 09: LeBron James #6 of the Miami Heat stands on the court with his head down against the Dallas Mavericks in the fourth quarter of Game Five of the 2011 NBA Finals at American Airlines Center on June 9, 2011 in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO U

LeBron James didn't seem to catch a break during the NBA Finals. As we all know, during the 2011 NBA Finals, James finshed with averages of 17.8 points, 6.8 assists, and 7.1 rebounds per game.

As a result of this, the Miami Heat were beaten in six games by the Dallas Mavericks.

Many people claim LeBron was virtually invisible in this series.

Those people were right.

One reporter during a postgame press conference asked LeBron about his lack of fourth quarter scoring. LeBron responded, "Didn't you see that defense I was playing?"

In all honesty, LeBron James is not paid to be an all-star defender like Dwight Howard. LeBron is not paid to be a player who averages double-digit rebounds, blocks and steals per game

LeBron was intended to be compensated for "Taking His Talents to South Beach" by putting points on the board and winning an NBA Title. LeBron scored in the Finals but did not accomplish either goal. 

For a more intensive breakdown, LeBron James scored 18 total points during the fourth quarter of the NBA Finals. Over six games, that averages 3.0 fourth-quarter points per game. That does not win championships. 

Roberto Luongo During the Stanley Cup Finals

Harry How/Getty Images

VANCOUVER, BC - JUNE 15: Roberto Luongo #1 of the Vancouver Canucks looks on during Game Seven against the Boston Bruins in the 2011 NHL Stanley Cup Final at Rogers Arena on June 15, 2011 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo by Harry How/Getty

Roberto Luongo had a dreadful Stanley Cup Finals, and that is putting it mildly. In the seven-game series, Luongo was 3-4 with a 3.28 GAA and a .888 save percentage. Luongo allowed 23 goals in the seven games played.

This includes an 8-1 loss in Game 3, a 4-0 loss in Game 4, a 5-2 loss in Game Six, and a 4-0 loss in Game 7.

Roberto Luongo did not play like the goalie he was during the regular season. Roberto Luongo did not play like the goalie he was during last year's Olympics. 

Roberto Luongo is a big reason why the Canucks did not win the Stanley Cup, but is he the biggest reason?

Both Men Are Not Press Conference Friendly

Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

MIAMI, FL - JUNE 12: LeBron James #6 and Dwyane Wade #3 of the Miami Heat answer questions after the Heat were defeated 105-95 by the Dallas Mavericks in Game Six of the 2011 NBA Finals at American Airlines Arena on June 12, 2011 in Miami, Florida. NOTE

Another big similarity between Roberto Luongo and LeBron James is neither man pulls any punches during postgame press conferences.

The following slides will show how both men react when an open mic is in front of them. 

LeBron Addresses His "Haters"

Ouch, LeBron, words like that aren't going to win you any Lady Byng Trophies...oops, wrong sport. My NHL fans will appreciate that last line.

Roberto Luongo Makes a Foreboding Statement

Roberto Luongo decided to critique future Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe Winner Tim Thomas' goaltending style in the media session after Game 5.

The irony, Luongo would give up bad goals in Game 6 and was pulled very early. Luongo ended up eating his words, and rumor has it that they tasted like Vancouver's own Boston Pizza.

Who Is the Bigger Goat?

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I have presented the facts in the case of Roberto Luongo and LeBron James. 

Their rap sheets have been read, analyzed, and evaluated. This was a tough decision. A lot of factors played into my final ruling. In the case of who the bigger goat is, it has to be...

Roberto Luongo

Elsa/Getty Images

VANCOUVER, BC - JUNE 15: Roberto Luongo #1 of the Vancouver Canucks looks on prior to Game Seven against the Boston Bruins in the 2011 NHL Stanley Cup Final at Rogers Arena on June 15, 2011 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Im

As bad as each player was in their respective finals, Luongo's performance hurt his team more than LeBron's hurt the Heat.

Luongo's overall numbers did not give the Canucks a chance to win. Yes they made it to Game 7 of the Finals, but a team as good as the Canucks needed to show up.

Luongo gave up a lot of goals. The Canucks did not score a lot of goals. When your goalie isn't stopping pucks, it hurts even more when you are shooting blanks.

LeBron James didn't score a lot of points. Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh did score points. 

If Luongo did not have so many implosive games where he gave up multiple goals in such a short span, maybe the Canucks could have stolen one of those games and would have hoisted the Stanley Cup in Game 5 or 6.

LeBron's performance was at least decent, whereas Luongo's was just plain awful.

I realize both sports are vastly different but, at the same time, when you are a superstar you are expected to perform, and neither player did. LeBron James just performed a little more than Luongo did.

Comments, Questions, Concerns?

For more  NHL and New York Rangers news updates and alerts, 

Follow Tom Urtz on Twitter and at SportsHaze NYC