Miami Heat: 3 Things LeBron James Must Do to Win His First NBA Title in 2012

LeBron James is in his ninth year in the NBA, and it's about that time where he needs to turn the corner and start winning some championships to help not only build but solidify his legacy.

Every prior season, LeBron has had an excuse as to why he wasn't able to win his first NBA ring.

In Cleveland he could always fall back on the "there was no real talent around me" excuse, and there's no debating the validity of that excuse, as Mo Williams and a 38-year-old Shaquille O'Neal doesn't count as legitimate talent.

Last year in Miami he was able to use the "we didn't have enough time to come together" excuse, and while the legitimacy of that one is highly debatable, it's at least a somewhat reasonable excuse.

WIth that being said, this season is truly "championship or bust," as LeBron has nothing to fall back on if he fails—aside from the fact that he's just not good enough to lead a team to that elite level.

If LeBron wants to win his first title this year, putting the icing on the cake of his historically efficient season, there are certain things he absolutely must do, starting with taking the reigns of the Heat's offense.    

Facilitate the Heat's offense out of the gate

While LeBron James is listed as a 6'9'' and 250 lb. small forward, he's quite possibly the most productive and most efficient point guard on his team. 

Throughout the regular season, LeBron led the Heat in assists per game with an average of 6.2, which is 2.7 more assists than the Heat's actual starting point guard, Mario Chalmers.

No, LeBron doesn't need to be the Heat's starting point guard, but the offense does need to run through him. Running the offense through LeBron means getting him a legitimate touch on the ball every half-court offensive possession.

When LeBron facilitates the Heat's offense, it runs with a level of efficiency—stemming out of LeBron's NBA-leading PER of 30.80—that it lacks when LeBron isn't involved. LeBron has the highest court awareness of any member of the Heat and is also the best decision maker the Heat have, which is why he needs to touch the ball every offensive possession. 

Defend the opponent's top player for the entire game

In the two games the Heat have played against the Knicks in this year's playoffs, LeBron James has put Carmelo Anthony on lock-down.

Sure, 'Melo is averaging 20.5 points per game in the series, but those points are coming on a seriously sub-par 36.6 field-goal percentage.

The fact that 'Melo is jacking up 20.5 field-goal attempts per game in the playoffs and only making 7.5 of those field-goals per game shows the kind of impact LeBron can have on the defensive side of the ball.

LeBron's physicality and determination on the defensive side of the ball is one of his greatest assets, and his hopes of winning his first NBA championship hinges on his ability to lock-down the best player on his opponent's team.

LeBron is without a doubt the most physical defender on the Heat's roster, and while he certainly can't hold a player scoreless, he can make their matchups with him an absolute nightmare all game long, and that will help him win that elusive NBA title.    

Continue to defer to Dwyane Wade in the clutch

Let me start this off by saying that I am in no way, shape or form saying that LeBron James isn't clutch. I just think he can serve a greater purpose in those "clutch-time" moments than being the go-to scoring option.

As mentioned before, LeBron is the Heat's best point guard, and that's exactly the role they need him to play when the game is on the line. Committing to that role doesn't mean that LeBron can't score in the clutch, it simply means that he will be directing the Heat's offense when the game is on the line.

A major part of being a "clutch" player is knowing when it's time to defer to someone else on your team who may have a better opportunity than you, and that's something that LeBron is more comfortable doing than most players in the league.

LeBron's willingness to hand the reigns of last-minute shots and game-winning moments over to Wade is going to be fuel for his detractor's fire, but it will also be at the foundation of winning his first NBA title.

There's a high likelihood that the 2012 NBA Finals will go through South Beach, much like the finals did last year. If LeBron wants to capture his first ring instead of letting it slip through his hands like last year, he must focus on the three key concepts included in this article.