Miami Heat: 5 Things LeBron James Must Do to Shed 'Choker' Label

LeBron James isn't a "choker." In no way, shape or form can I sit here and believe that LeBron James is a choker, when I've seen him so many times in the past perform feats late in a game that proven closers have never done before.

So easily have we forgotten that James once scored 29 of his team's final 30 points in a crucial game during the postseason. So easily have we forgotten that James was the main reason why the Miami Heat made it to the NBA Finals with James Jones as its sixth man. So easily have we forgotten that James was the closer in series against Philadelphia, Boston and Chicago last year.

Man, who would have guessed that averaging 17 points per game in the NBA Finals could make you forget about that. We get that he did screw up royally in the finals, but are we immediately going to deem him as a "choker" because of that even though he quietly decimated the NBA's top two defenses in Chicago and Boston?

LeBron has his shortcomings, trust me we'll get into it, but that doesn't make him a choker. However, we can't list him at all as being "clutch" because he doesn't maintain consistency. In order to be known as a "clutch" player, you need to be able to have your team rely on you in those situations night in and night out instead of when you're just feeling it.

LeBron and the Heat are currently 19-6. It's a much better start from last year, but we have also already had to deal with analysts poking and prodding James with ideas that he isn't clutch. So we'll do the heavily lifting for the analysts by stating five ways James can shed that pesky and ignorant "clutch" label.

Play the Fourth as Any Other Quarter

When comparing the fourth quarter to the first three quarters, you won't notice much of a difference.

After all, what's the difference between the 12 minutes in the fourth quarter and the 12 minutes in the second quarter? Each quarter has the same exact amount of time. The only difference between the fourth and its three predecessors happens to be the fact that the game comes to an end following its conclusion. The fourth quarter represents your final charge and your last chance to will your team to a victory.

LeBron James holds the fourth quarter in too high of regards. For three quarters, he's the LeBron James we know; throwing down huge dunks, hitting shots from impossible angles, driving at will and making the right passes. Once that third quarter buzzer sounds, however, James appears to become the player we've become accustomed to seeing.

There's no difference in the 12 minutes between the fourth quarter or the first, second or third. Those 12 minutes go by as fast as they do in previous quarters. It's all about how you perceive and differentiate those 12 minutes from the other quarters. You can't look at the end of the fourth quarter as the last chance effort to being playing your fullest potential, you need to play it as you would any quarter.

Once LeBron hits that fourth quarter, he completely changes his game. He's hesitant on whether he wants to pass or shoot, has a considerably worse shot selection, attempts to be the hero with deep jumpers and makes all-around bad decisions at times. He's an amazing player when he wants to be, but that fourth quarter completely changes his outlook on the game.

James needs to go out there and play the fourth like he would in the first, second or third. So what if the game ends in 12 minutes, those 12 minutes need to be treated like any other. Just because it's the fourth quarter doesn't mean it becomes hero time. Play the game right and play it like you did in the previous 36 minutes.

Play with Confidence

If you're a member of any type of regulation sport, confidence is key.

There is absolutely no better trait to have during the late moments of a game than confidence. If you have that confident mentality that leads you to believe you're able to do something, the chances are much higher that you're going to complete that task because you've set your mind to it. If you set your mind to anything, you're capable of doing it and so much more.

This applies to everything, especially to All-Star small forwards on the Miami Heat that have had trouble in the past in making positive plays at a late juncture in the game. If you look at the body language of guys like Dwyane Wade, Kobe Bryant or Carmelo Anthony in those same spots and situations, you will see a completely different player that emits an exuberant amount of confidence if you analyze their body language.

Take a look at LeBron James at that point or Dwight Howard when he goes to the line for crucial free throws. They immediately have a smaller chance of making the shot, compared to guys like Bryant, Anthony and Wade, because of their confidence level. If they don't believe in themselves, then they give no reason for their teammates or every single person in the arena to believe in them and offer their support.

Watch James' body language the next time he has the ball in his hands and it's late in a close game. He's not as energetic when it comes to driving because he's too worried about losing the ball or missing the shot, which might explain why we see James taking so many 20-foot jumpers in the final minutes of the game. Even though it's a low percentage shot, James looks at this as the safe route.

There shouldn't be a safe route for James. He's a player that relies heavily on his confidence throughout the game and he needs to transition that from the first 36 minutes to the final 12. If he doesn't have the confidence to believe in himself in making the right plays and hitting the big shots, he'll never snap out of the funk he gets into when he's struggling during those moments.

Better Decision Making

Let me take specific examples from the Heat's 97-93 victory over the Chicago Bulls to explain just how awful LeBron's decision making can be.

There's 1:40 left in the game and the Heat are up by eight points. The Heat decide to run a fast break for some reason and get the ball under the rim where they miss. No matter, however, as LeBron James grabs the offensive rebound only to immediately put the shot back up. It's all good, though, because James gets the ball back with another strong offensive rebound.

It's at this point, James should have turned around and either dribbled it to the three-point line or passed it out. The game is completely in the Heat's momentum and all they basically need to do is run off a few more seconds and play some solid defense for another possession or two to secure the win. So what exactly does LeBron do when he grabs the second offensive rebound?

He gets set up for a wild fadeaway before throwing the ball out of bounds because he had no shot and none of his teammates were expecting him to take a shot. The Heat turned it over and the Bulls came a few Derrick Rose free throws away from blowing a double-digit lead in the final minutes. Forget James' missed free throws and jumpers, not resetting the play after grabbing one of those offensive boards was by far the worst decision he could have made.

All James has to do is get it to the perimeter, waste 20 seconds and put up a shot. Even if it doesn't go in, the Heat are still up by eight points with a little over a minute remaining. Instead, they throw the ball away and give the Bulls a few more chances to stage a comeback. That's a poor mistake by James and he's done it in the past.

Take for example in the Heat's 103-101 win against Minnesota. The Heat were up by two points with less than 24 seconds remaining after forcing the Timberwolves miss. James has the ball and all he has to do is make the free throws and put this game on ice. Instead, he throws the ball 50 feet to Udonis Haslem only to see it intercepted by Kevin Love, who comes back and ties the game.

I've stated in the past that it's James' decision making that is the worst aspect of his game in the final moments. He can miss all the shots he wants, but as long as he's making smart plays and finding a way to involve himself in the game with rebounding, facilitating or defending then there's not going to be a problem.

I know I said before that James should look at the fourth quarter as any quarter, but when there's less than two minutes remaining you need to make the smart conservative play on every single offensive possession. Throwing full-court passes to Udonis Haslem and making two ill-advised decisions against the Eastern Conference's best team record wise are simply asinine decisions that shouldn't be happening.

Once again, it's James trying to be the hero. He needs to relax in those situations and play the smart basketball that he played all game. When the game is nearly wrapped up and time is winding down, James and the rest of this Heat team just need to play smart. There's no need for big plays. Big plays are exciting, but smart plays are the ones that win games.

Play Your Game

Despite all of LeBron's shortcoming's that analysts persistently speak about, it's extremely difficult to argue why he isn't the best player in the league.

It's tough to argue with someone who led a team as inept as the Cleveland Cavaliers to back-to-back 60-plus win seasons. It's tough to argue with someone who has won two MVP's and has been to two NBA Finals. It's tough to argue against a player that's currently averaging 29 points on 55 percent shooting, nine rebounds, seven assists and two steals per game on a team that's chock full of talent.

You can put him up against Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant or Derrick Rose, there are simply too many aspects to James that puts him clear ahead of all of them. His strength and physicality allows him to drive to the rim at will, his speed gives him the clearance to play all over the court and his athleticism allows him to jump buildings in a single bound.

Thus the reason why we had to look at James' problems in the clutch. We had to find some sort of kryptonite to his game. Since it's been found, many have poked and prodded at James' inability to come through in the clutch at times, while completely ignoring the fact that he was the one most likely carrying the team for the first 36 minutes.

There's always a need to point out the negative in someone and then proceed to lambast that player for as long as possible.

What James needs to do in the fourth quarter is to simply play his game. He's too physical of a player to corral in a one-on-one setting and he's too smart of a facilitator to not get the ball to the open player when being double-teamed. Not to mention with that little post game he's got going on, LeBron shouldn't have any problems in the fourth.

The problem is that he looks at the quarter a different way instead of perceiving it to be another quarter, when all he has to do is continue to play the game he's been playing for 36 minutes. There's no reason why he should be taking ill-advised jumpers, making comical decisions and not driving to the rim simply because that 12 minutes carries a little more significance.

In the fourth quarter, all James needs to do is play his game. Continue driving to the rim at will, don't settle for jumpers, make the smart pass and play solid defense. LeBron's game carries him for 36 minutes and the only person stopping it for the final 12 is himself.

Failure Isn't an Option

If you round up all of the ideas that have been compiled in this slideshow, you'll clearly see that this is purely a mental deal. The only player capable of stopping LeBron James is LeBron James and no one else. The fact that he can be so dominant for 36 minutes and have you convinced that he's one of the greatest players in NBA history and then lay an egg in the final 12 minutes is on no one else but James.

James is the most imposing physical figure the NBA has seen since Shaquille O'Neal stepped onto the scene. He's as unstoppable as you can get in an one-on-one setting in today's league. You can hate all you want, but there isn't one player currently in the NBA that can defend James for 48 minutes and have him frustrated. The only player capable of getting LeBron frustrated is no one else but him.

When you lose your confidence, you're already setting yourself up for failure. Not at one point in those late-game situations does the thought of failing even begin to creep across your mind. The thought of failing gives you no reason to win a game. If you go into that setting with the thought of possibly failing, you're going to fail nearly every single time.

People with that type of mentality never succeed. Only the optimists get by in life with success and LeBron has yet to prove to be an optimist consistently at the end of games. Look at his demeanor, body language and the type of shots he's taking and you will see a player who is completely different from the one you saw in the previous 36. He wasn't thinking about failing then, but once the situation came up the thoughts begin to creep across his mind.

Half of sports is mental. You can be the greatest physical specimen to step onto a field, court or rink, but it won't translate to wins unless you have the right mentality. The only players who lead their teams to championships are those who are smart enough to win. In the end, it doesn't matter how athletic you are, it solely comes down to if you have a strong enough mindset to make it through tough stretches.

LeBron needs to let his game do the talking. We're well past last NBA Finals debacle. It's a brand new season which means we need a brand new LeBron James. This isn't Cleveland where you can dance on a sideline during a regular-season win. You're in a new setting that actually has given you the talent to succeed and you must follow through on the promises that were sent out prior to the start of the season.

Start out by winning a championship. That can do a lot for your confidence. Even before that point, however, LeBron is still going to need to look only towards success, never failure. It sucks to lose, but it happens to everyone. Winners like Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson never sulked about losses because they were already on to the next game and how they could improve themselves.

Failure can never be an option. If the ball is in your hands and time is running out, the only thing that must be on your mind is making the shot. Not once does the thought of missing cross your path, because once you do it's over. Physicality helps you get to those points, but it's your mentality that guides you to winning.