Miami Heat: Why LeBron James Is Not an MVP or the Next Michael Jordan

Remember way back when LeBron James used to actually attempt to take a big shot at the end of a game? Well, those days are apparently gone as James once again passed up the big shot and has left me wondering how he can be considered for MVP.

There is no doubt that James is having a great season. It seems he's putting up 35 points every night while grabbing rebounds and creating points with relative ease. But that alone doesn't make someone an MVP.

You can have all the great games you want in the first 47 minutes, but if you choke or don't show up in the final minute, that's all people will remember.

As an MVP, you have to not only be the go-to guy at the end of games, you have to want to be that guy. And as much as the Miami Heat have tried to make James just that, he has thwarted all their efforts to do so this season.

That fear that James clearly has is one not shared by his fellow superstars around the league. You'd be hard-pressed to find Kevin Durant or Kobe Bryant, two annual MVP candidates, pass the ball up in the closing seconds with the game on the line.

But James consistently does just that. The most valuable players in the league take that shot while James defers. Anyone see a difference here?

I would even make the argument that if you took James off this team, they would be almost as good as they are now with a few more notches in the loss column.

I can't say the same for the Oklahoma City Thunder without Durant or the Los Angeles Lakers without Kobe. Unfortunately for James, his supporting cast will always diminish his place amongst the greats of all-time.

James has a huge advantage playing next to the guys he's playing with. And, in turn, that allows him to defer and attempt to hide behind the other stars on his team in big spots. I wouldn't be surprised if the amount of pressure he had in Cleveland was something he needed to rid himself of by playing alongside two of the finest basketball players in the league.

But as evidenced by the scrutiny he continues to receive, no amount of stars in the lineup will alleviate that. And it shouldn't. If you want to be considered the greatest, the only way to shut up the critics is to prove them wrong.

And James continues to fail in that aspect.

Furthermore, this comparison that is being made to Michael Jordan is illogical. While other Kool-Aid drinkers will say he's better than MJ, the truth is, that in reality, he isn't.

Would Jordan pass the ball off to Horace Grant at the end of a game? Hell, I doubt he'd even pass it off to Scottie Pippen if given the chance. Jordan knew, much like James should've, that he is the best option to shoot the ball at the end of a game.

Not Udonis Haslem who is shooting 41 percent from the field as opposed to James' 55 percent.

If you doubt MJ is better than James, just ask yourself one question: Which star would you rather give the ball to in the closing seconds of a game? And, of course, did Jordan ever have the type of supporting cast that James has in South Beach?

Absolutely not.

The novelty of James putting up a ton of points, rebounds and assists night in and night out is getting old. We understand that for the first 47 minutes of every game that James is the best guy on the floor.

We understand that for the first 47 minutes, he's the greatest athlete and basketball player on the planet.

That isn't debatable.

But sometimes, and especially in James' case, that won't be good enough. Because like I said, have all the big games you want, if this continues, James' legacy will be marred by his fear of the big shot first and foremost while his nightly output will take the backseat.

If he ever wants to be considered as one of the greats and even simpler, the MVP, he needs to start acting like one. Take the ball in a big spot and do what MVPs do: win.