NBA Playoffs: LeBron James Can't Close for Miami Heat Without the Opportunity

It goes without saying that LeBron James is arguably the best, and most talented, basketball player on the face of this planet.

The man can do it all—shoot, pass, score, rebound and dish the ball—and he's proven through the course of his career that he can be the most dominant person on a basketball court on any given night of the year for the Miami Heat.

But, of course, we all know the one part to his game that everyone and their mother loves to critique once in a while—closing games in the final minute and getting the 'W.'

The two-time MVP has hit some big shots throughout his career and has made big plays in big moments, so it's not like he has no clue how to finish a game. But when people want to talk about LeBron and his struggles, it always leads back to last year's NBA Finals from Game 2 and beyond.

After going through a year in which he was criticized and hated more than ever before, LeBron has taken what's been given to him in this lockout-shortened season and has made the best of it and will more than likely add another MVP trophy to his collection by the end of it all.

He's had big games and made big plays this year, and of course he's made some questionable decisions in the final minute.

Game 4 on Sunday against the New York Knicks was more of the prior than the latter of that statement.

A nine-point fourth quarter highlighted by a three-pointer in the face of Carmelo Anthony and an and-1 conversion to the dismay of Tyson Chandler set the stage for what would be "King James'" coming-out party to close a game in the playoffs yet again.

Then, down by two with the final possession, head coach Erik Spoelstra drew up the play on the white board—for Dwyane Wade. The rest is history, which is why the Heat and Knicks will be playing a Game 5 in South Beach on Wednesday.

Now before people get all crazy and leave hate comments about if I question Wade getting the last shot, I know the man can close games. He's proven it time and time again that he can do it, more times than LeBron in certain aspects. This trait is why he's a Finals MVP and a regular All-Star every year.

But there's a fine line between who should take the last shot and who needs to take the last shot, especially for the Heat with their trio of stars including Chris Bosh.

Simply put, LeBron James earned the right to take the last shot on Sunday.

The way he was playing in the final minutes of that game—and considering what he's done to the Knicks in the majority of this series—there's no reason or valid statement that can answer why Spoelstra did not run something for this man in the final play of regulation.

This is nowhere near the first time that Spoelstra has deferred to let Wade take the final shot and, to his credit, he's made his fair share of big-time buckets.

But, to use a line that Stephen A. Smith used on "ESPN's First Take" this morning, the Heat were playing with house money up 3-0 on a team they've dominated in each game this series. What more did the Heat have to lose, other than going back to Miami to close out the series in five games?

Other than the usual LeBron haters coming out of the wood works and saying he can't close games, there's not much he, nor Miami, could've lost.

Drawing up a play where this man is standing in the corner and running an isolation play for Wade is unacceptable and disrespectful and only adds fuel to the fire of the haters. How's he going to show he can win a game if he's standing in the corner with no chance to make a play?

I will say, however, that LeBron's decisions to pass more than shoot on the last play are very questionable, and that's still a trait he needs to clean up if he wants to shut his critics up.

But this is the problem that Miami was bound to face when they brought their trio to South Beach. When you have two, sometimes three, closers who can win you a game, it's these kinds of debates that spark ever so bright. And this, no question, puts a ton of pressure on Spoelstra to make the right decision.

However, no one, other than 'Melo on that day, was going to better James on offense if he wanted to take the last shot. If he gets the ball with Anthony guarding him, nine times out of 10, LeBron will get you the points you need.

But we'll never know how that goes if Spoelstra can't draw up an isolation play for James of some sorts to get him the ball. It's occurrences like these that have Heat fans in an uproar for Pat Riley to take over as coach, because people believe he would let LeBron take the final shot with the way he was playing.

It will become a lingering problem if Spoelstra can't make the right decisions in the final minutes of a game, though it's a tough one as is. Give the man a chance to make a play, and if it doesn't work, then move on to the next game. 

Trying to satisfy two superstars can't be a fun task to deal with, but if yesterday didn't prove that Spoelstra needs to better understand the situation, then this will be a big problem.

Unless you're Skip Bayless, then what happened yesterday was the best possible thing that could've happened.