Heat vs. Clippers: LeBron James Chokes Again, Proves He Still Does Not Have 'It'

So, at what point do LeBron James apologists stop giving the self-proclaimed "king" the benefit of the doubt?

After a miserable NBA Finals performance that saw James post a plus/minus stat of minus-35 (and for those of you who may be unfamiliar with that stat, that means LeBron's team was 35 points better when he wasn't on the floor) and get outscored by Dirk Nowitzki 62-18 in the six fourth quarters of the series, many said that LeBron would be back with a vengeance in 2012—that he would shake the demons of his poor postseasons of the past and carry the Miami Heat to prominence.

Well, on Wednesday night in a 95-89 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, James gave no indication that he is ready to do so. "The Chosen One" missed three free throws in the final 78 seconds of the fourth quarter, allowing the Clippers to upend the defending Eastern Conference champions in overtime. That was not the only thing James did that cost Miami this game, though.

Yes, I already pointed out that LeBron missed three free throws in the closing moments of the game, but I did not mention that, over the course of the entire night, James went 9-of-17 from the charity stripe, missing four foul shots during the fourth period total. Think about it: If he makes just one of those free throws, the Heat win the game.

Then, with 2:15 to play in the fourth, LeBron was whistled for an offensive foul when he ran over Blake Griffin. That wasn't all, though.

After missing a jumper that would have given the Heat the lead with 33 seconds remaining, James then fouled Chauncey Billups on a three-point attempt with 28 ticks to go. Billups then proceeded to give LeBron a lesson in free-throw shooting, knocking down all three to put Los Angeles up 86-84.

On the ensuing Miami possession, James would get fouled and make one of two free throws. After missing the second, Dwyane Wade made an outstanding heads-up play by knocking the ball off of DeAndre Jordan and out of bounds, essentially giving LeBron a mulligan. Surprise, surprise, James would get fouled again and—surprise, surprise—he would only make one of two from the line, sending the game into overtime. Also, on that foul, LeBron really should have had a three-point-play opportunity, as he missed a very makeable layup.

So, let's take a look at what James did in that overtime period, shall we?

3:51: LeBron James missed jump shot.

2:41: LeBron James missed jump shot.

2:04: LeBron James missed jump shot.

Look, I completely understand that this was only one game (a regular-season contest in January, at that) and that if this type of performance was not something that James' name has become synonymous with, it would be no big deal. However, LeBron's name has become linked to these types of choke-jobs and, therefore, it is a big deal.

James is an incredibly talented physical specimen, but he clearly experiences some type of mental block in high-leverage situations. We saw it in the NBA Finals against San Antonio in 2007, in the Eastern Conference finals against Orlando three years ago when he was invisible in the decisive Game 6, against Boston in the second round two years ago when he was infamously accused of "quitting" on his team and last year in the finals against Dallas.

So, my question is, when are we going to stop making excuses for this guy and acknowledge that he just isn't very good (and that is being kind) in big spots?

Yes, he has his moments, as he hit some big shots in the playoffs against the Celtics last season and had an impressive series versus Chicago, but then he goes and does things like absolutely lay an egg on the NBA's biggest stage in June and put forth performances like he did last night with regularity during the season.

One of the biggest problems with LeBron is that he is one-dimensional offensively. Yes, I said it. The player that many consider to be the best on the planet is limited. He is without a doubt a great slasher and phenomenal at drawing contact, but that's it.

He doesn't have a good jump shot, he has no low-post game to speak of and he is absolutely clueless as to what he should do when the ball is not in his hands.

Based off of that, you can see why James is not exactly old reliable with the game on the line. He has to either finish around the rim or make his free throws in that situation, and, as we have seen plenty of times in the past, LeBron frequently has trouble doing both of those things, particularly in the clutch.

We keep hearing that James has been working on his low-post offense for a couple of years now. Well, where is it then?

When LeBron was in Cleveland, we heard all of the talk that he didn't have enough help. Well, now he has Wade and Chris Bosh at his disposal, and yet, he is still the same LeBron James we saw when he was wearing a Cavaliers jersey: a player with an extraordinary amount of physical ability who cracks like a Jordan almond under any type of pressure.

Let's just face it: LeBron does not have "it." Michael Jordan had "it." Kobe Bryant has "it." Nowitzki proved last year that he, too, has "it."

There is still time for James to prove me and his multitude of doubters wrong, but something tells me that is never going to happen. Why?

Because he does not have "it."