NBA Playoffs 2012: LeBron James Once Again the Only Contributor for His Team

With Dwyane Wade struggling in this year's postseason and Chris Bosh hurt, LeBron James finds himself trying to carry the Miami Heat on his back, the same way he carried the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first seven years of his career.

James "took his talents to South Beach" two summers ago because he was sick of being the lone star player in Cleveland. He knew that if he was going to win any titles, he was going to need some help, so he joined Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami.

Although both Bosh and Wade have had solid seasons, Wade has been terribly inconsistent in this year's playoffs and Bosh is now injured.

LeBron hasn't exactly received any help from his other teammates either.

Mike Miller, Joel Anthony, Mario Chalmers, Shane Battier and Ronny Turiaf have been hit or miss (mostly miss) throughout the season and playoffs.

When Bosh got hurt, it felt like the Heat were playing 2-on-5 basketball against their opponents with just James and Wade leading the way.

In Game 3, it felt like it was 1-on-5 despite Chalmers' strong effort.

James does have more help than he did with Cleveland, but Wade has been a no-show in this round. Wade has just shot 18-for-58 in the first three games, including an atrocious 2-for-13 in Game 3. 

LeBron, meanwhile, has been shooting over 45 percent and playing solid defense. (He had six steals in Game 2's loss.)

Game 3 might've been LeBron's worst game, and he still scored 22 points, shot over 45 percent, and had seven rebounds. Those numbers could be better, but it's difficult to put up unreal numbers when no one on your team is doing anything.

LeBron finds himself alone, again, with seemingly no help.

And again, if he's eliminated, he'll be crushed by the media and his critics unfairly as if it's his fault that no one on his team stepped up to give him a hand.

It's just too difficult to win it all on your own.

And although James has Wade at his side, he's not contributing the way he should be and neither is anybody else. The supporting cast is just too weak.

The Heat don't have any size to go up against guys like Roy Hibbert, Serge Ibaka or even Andrew Bynum. They don't have a point guard to go up against Russell Westbrook or Rajon Rondo.

If they somehow get past these teams, it's going to be because James is finally going to get some help from his teammates.

LeBron is going to bring it every night, that's a given. Sure there might be a few nights where nothing is there, but that happens to everyone.

Perhaps the lack of contribution for LeBron's teammates will motivate him to take it the extra mile. This in turn will give a jolt to his supporting cast to actually start playing some basketball.

If the Heat find a way to win a title this year, it will absolutely be a remarkable feat. It will be all because of LeBron's efforts and no one will have anything negative to say about that.

It's unlikely, though. There are too many strong teams remaining in the playoffs, and LeBron can't do it all on his own.

His teammates need to start playing with a sense of urgency and realize that their teammate and leader, LeBron James, will absolutely be destroyed by the media and fans if the Heat don't get it done this year.

And it'll all be their fault.

The Heat definitely have the talent to win the title, but if LeBron doesn't start getting help soon, he'll find himself alone in the cold like he was in Cleveland.