NBA Playoffs 2012: Mythbusting the 10 Biggest LeBron James Criticisms

If any one of us received the same amount of criticism and lambasting as LeBron James has in the last two years, we would all curl up in the fetal position and never leave our rooms for the rest of our lives.

LeBron has been bashed unfairly for about two seasons now. Sure, Cleveland Cavaliers fans were a bit upset that he left Cleveland, and he probably could've announced his decision in a different way, but the attacks he has received have been way over the top.

It's not like he murdered or sexually assaulted someone. He hasn't committed insurance fraud or even a crime of any sort.

All he did was exercise his rights as a free agent and decide to try to win a title. He took less money in order to win.

Isn't that what we want from our athletes these days?

Seems like fans are suffering from player envy. Let's mythbust the 10 biggest LeBron James criticisms. 

LeBron James Quit on the Cleveland Cavaliers

Many people, including Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert, say that LeBron James quit during the 2010 playoff series against the Boston Celtics.

"

He quit. Not just in Game 5, but in Games 2, 4 and 6. Watch the tape. The Boston series was unlike anything in the history of sports for a superstar.

"

Hmm...

A little bit of an overreaction, don't you think?

Let's look at the numbers from that series.

LeBron vs. Celtics: 2010	PTS	REB	AST	Result
Game 1	35	7	7	W
Game 2	24	7	4	L
Game 3	38	8	7	W
Game 4	22	9	8	L
Game 5	15	6	7	L
Game 6	27	19	10	L

LeBron James averaged 27 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. 

He flirted with a triple-double on a nightly basis, and this was without any help on his team. It's easy for people to point out Game 5 and say that he quit because of his unusually low point total.

But isn't it more likely that he just didn't have a good game? After all, it's not like they were playing the 2012 Charlotte Bobcats in this series. They were playing a Boston Celtics team that was stacked with Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Rajon Rondo and Paul Pierce. 

Obviously they're going to slow LeBron down eventually.

He didn't quit. 

He just can't do it all by himself.

It's preposterous and unfair to say that he did. Gilbert points out that he also quit in Games 2, 4 and 6.

Really?

He had a triple-double in Game 6. 

Just look at his numbers. There's nothing more left to say. 

LeBron Ruined the Cavaliers Organization

People always obliterate LeBron for not informing his team that he was going to leave. 

But let's analyze this situation for a second.

Had LeBron announced to the world that he wasn't going to return, the Cavaliers would've had a difficult time having their fans renew season tickets. No one was going to renew if they knew LeBron wasn't coming back.

Instead, season ticket sales stayed at a high level, and this was because the deadline to renew season tickets was well before the start of free agency. Because of this, the Cavaliers ranked second in paid attendance last year, drawing 20,562 fans nightly in an atrocious season. 

That ugly season they had last year allowed them to obtain the No. 1 overall pick. Thus, they drafted Kyrie Irving, who could easily win the Rookie of the Year award this year. He's a star point guard in the making, and the Cavs' future looks extremely bright with him in their backcourt.

The Cavs are just a couple of years away from making the playoffs again.

LeBron didn't ruin the organization—the front office did, by not surrounding LeBron with enough quality players to make a run for a title in Cleveland.

LeBron James Is Not Clutch

Many people have a problem with LeBron James not being clutch.

He may not be as clutch as Kobe Bryant or Michael Jordan, but that doesn't mean he's not clutch. Those who think LeBron isn't clutch, have short-term and long-term amnesia.

Do you not remember LeBron making shot after shot late in games in last year's series against the Boston Celtics? Or what about his clutch defense against Derrick Rose in last year's Eastern Conference Finals?

Or what about his legendary performance in 2007, when he scored his team's final 25 points in a 48-point, double-OT victory against the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals?

We can even look at Thursday night's victory at Madison Square Garden in Game 3 against the New York Knicks, when he scored 17 points in the fourth quarter.

LeBron James is clutch.

Has he been clutch in the Finals?

No, but Kobe wasn't clutch in Game 7 against the Boston Celtics back in 2010 either. That doesn't mean Kobe isn't clutch.

It only means it's hard to be clutch—the fact that LeBron has done it so many times in different situations, shows that he's definitely a guy I'd love to give the ball to in the last quarter. 

LeBron James Is Arrogant and Selfish

Let's start with the claims of LeBron James being arrogant.

Most point to "The Decision" or his postgame comments after the Dallas Mavericks won the title, when he came out and said the following:

"

All the people that were rooting on me to fail, at the end of the day they have to wake up tomorrow and have the same life that they had before they woke up today. They have the same personal problems they had today. I'm going to continue to live the way I want to live and continue to do the things that I want to do with me and my family and be happy with that.

So they can get a few days or a few months or whatever the case may be on being happy about not only myself, but the Miami Heat not accomplishing their goal. But they got to get back to the real world at some point.

"

First of all, as arrogant as it sounds, LeBron is dead on. There's nothing incorrect about that statement, and he was obviously frustrated from all the lambasting he received last season. He actually handled himself quite well despite all the bashing he received in the last two years. 

That being said, it is a tad arrogant—but to say that LeBron is the only arrogant athlete in the world is foolish.

Have you heard Andrew Bynum do a local television interview? Forget interviews, have you seen Andrew Bynum?

The fact of the matter is all multi-million dollar athletes are arrogant to some extent.

As far as LeBron being selfish, that's also hogwash. He took less money to win championships. We bash athletes all the time for leaving their original team for more money, but we're crushing LeBron because he wants to win a ring?

Makes no sense, and it's highly hypocritical of the media and the fans.

LeBron James Is Not the Best Player in the NBA

If not him, then who?

Kevin Durant? He can't play defense.

Kobe Bryant? He may have the better legacy, but LeBron's the superior player today.

LeBron James is the best all-around player in the game. He creates, he defends, he scores, he does it all.

There isn't one thing that LeBron isn't great at. The numbers show it, and Cleveland's drop off after he left exemplify that notion, too.

Folks, LeBron has been the best player in the NBA for five consecutive years now. He's had the highest player efficiency rating (PER) every year for the last five seasons. He's consistently dominant. Just because he doesn't have a championship ring, doesn't mean you wouldn't want him on your team destroying opponents on the court.

In fact, his PER hovers over 30 almost every year. That's just amazing. This season he had the highest (as usual), with a PER of 30.80.

Second place? Chris Paul, who had almost four fewer PER points.

The gap between LeBron and everyone else is almost as wide as the Grand Canyon. It's not even close. LeBron is and has been the best player for years. 

LeBron Is Taking the Easy Route to a Title

This one is my favorite excuse. 

It literally shows how small-minded some people can be when it comes to discussing LeBron James.

They say that just because LeBron James joined Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, that he took the easy route to win a title.

Yes, there is no doubt that winning a title with Wade and Bosh is a lot easier than winning one on your own in Cleveland with Mo Williams and Antawn Jamison. 

But why is that a criticism? 

No one, I repeat no one, has won a title on their own.

Last year's Dallas Mavericks team was a collection of extremely solid players like Dirk Nowitzki, Tyson Chandler, Jason Kidd, Shawn Marion and J.J. Barea. 

Kobe had Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum and Shaquille O'Neal.

Tim Duncan had Manu Ginobili, David Robinson and Tony Parker.

Dwyane Wade had Shaq. 

Paul Pierce had Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen.

Most importantly, Michael Jordan had Scottie Pippen, a Hall of Famer, and at one point he had Dennis Rodman, another Hall of Famer.

Everyone has had help. 

One can argue that Jordan had more help than James. Jordan had two Hall of Famers on his side, and it's fair to argue that Chris Bosh isn't going to be enshrined as one of the greatest players ever. LeBron just has Wade on his side. 

LeBron Deserves the Criticism He's Receiving

False.

The only people who truly deserve the hatred LeBron James has received in the last two years are terrorists, murderers and rapists.

Obviously not everyone has had extreme disdain for James, but there have been numerous fans who have expressed unwarranted hatred toward the superstar.

He's a basketball player who hasn't committed a crime.

Get over it. 

LeBron James Will Never Win a Title

This is like trying to deny the inevitable.

LeBron has too much talent within and surrounding him to not win a title. 

If not this year, it will eventually happen.

He has a solid decade left in him. It's difficult to think that he's going to go through that decade without a ring. 

He's so hungry for one right now, that it might even happen this year. 

And just because he hasn't won yet, doesn't mean he's never going to win. Never forget that it took Michael Jordan close to a decade to win his first ring. 

It takes time! Winning championships aren't easy!

It'll eventually come, and those denying it are in for a rude awakening. 

Even If LeBron Wins This Year, It Shouldn't Count Because of Condensed Schedule

OK, then in that case, if your team wins, I could say the same thing, right?

See how foolish that sounds?

Teams still have to win four best-of-seven series in the playoffs to win a title. The regular season is irrelevant for a team like the Miami Heat. Everyone knew they were going to make the playoffs. 

So why wouldn't a championship by the Heat mean as much this year? 

In fact, one can even argue that this 66-game condensed schedule has been even more grueling for NBA teams. It's been more difficult to stay healthy because teams are often playing four games in five nights. 

Just look at all the injuries around the league. Derrick Rose and Kobe Bryant were banged up all season long. Playing too many games in a short span can do that to you.

If LeBron can win a title this season, it may be even more astounding. 

LeBron Tarnished His Legacy with the Decision

Don't kid yourself. 

You wanted to find out with everyone else where LeBron wanted to go.

LeBron James was the biggest free agent in years, and everyone wanted to know where he was going to play. The Decision was a fantastic way for people to find out immediately.

And if you hated it so much, why did you watch it?

And why is it okay for high school athletes to host press conferences every year to announce which college they're going to, but it's unbelievably selfish for the world's greatest basketball player to do the same thing?

It just doesn't make sense, once again.

Finally, The Decision helped raised tons of money for children. This ties back to the "LeBron being selfish and arrogant" gripe. If he only cared about himself, he wouldn't have donated that money.

When one looks at all of these LeBron criticisms with perspective, he or she realizes just how foolish some of them are.

It's OK to not like an athlete; that's what makes sports fun. 

But to take it to this level is absurd and unfair.

It's come to a point where even if LeBron wins five titles, fans will still find a way to hate.

Perhaps LeBron was right and they should worry about their own problems.