Championship Will Expose Critics More Than It Will Validate LeBron James

Just like this NBA Finals was unofficially billed as the "matchup within a matchup" between Kevin Durant and LeBron James, a championship for James will ultimately prove to be the "story within a story".

This was never about a coronation to "officially" anoint LeBron James as the best basketball player in the world.

That's just the storybook ending critics want you to believe.

In reality, the  smear campaign that followed James for the past two years was never about his ability to get it done, or "not one, not two, not three", or The Decision, but the fact that he broke the one unwritten rule of basketball set by none other than Michael Jordan- there's no "I" in team, but there is one in "icon".

And that's what fans of the NBA felt they were robbed of the moment LeBron James decided to join Dwyane Wade.

It's true.

And I can prove it with two words- Kobe Bryant. 

There is no better testament to the mark that Michael Jordan left to the sport of basketball more so than the guy many believe he passed the torch to.

Take a second to consider whether you really believe that Kobe Bryant is the second coming of Michael Jordan or a gifted basketball player who simply followed the rubric of how to be "like Mike".

Consider that Kobe idolized Jordan so much that he not only tried to emulate the man's game, but his approach to it as well. 

Because I don't believe anyone that tells me Kobe Bryant was born with the same competitive chip in his brain that Jordan had.

If that were the case, he would have never quit on his team in the Lakers infamous playoff series against the Suns, forcing Charles Barkley to literally call him out on national TV.

Nor would he have been so preoccupied with scoring this year, at his team's expense, while Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol were left to take the flack of the Lakers subsequent failures. 

Face it-Kobe never had the same chip on his shoulder that Jordan had when it came to competition.

That's why you see him smiling and making whimsical comments during interviews, while Michael Jordan still carries the same cold-blooded spirit today that he did when he was in his prime.

Want to know the difference between Kobe and MJ? Kobe kisses his daughters at the end of big games, as the cameras look overhead. Michael Jordan, meanwhile, probably said this to each one of his kids the first time he held them:  "there ain't no Santa Clause, alright. Now, rent is due on the 18th, and depending on how much you cry, I'll decide whether I'm talking about your age or the month. Got it? Cool. Get out of my face, you smell. Love ya."

In case anyone thinks I'm exaggerating, take the next 30 minutes to re-live Jordan's hall of fame speech. Or, if you're really pressed for time, just listen to an edited version of the song Hit 'Em Up by 2pac Shakur and you'll get the picture.

The point is that Jordan was a hall-of-fame jerk as well, and he built a nice lineage in the NBA since his departure, including: Kobe Bryant, Paul Pierce, Carmelo Anthony, Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady, Kevin Garnett, and so on and so forth.

Meanwhile, LeBron dared to establish his own standard in the NBA.

So let's recount all the knocks on LeBron that he has addressed over the course of these playoffs.

1) He's not clutch. Um, please refer to game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals when his team was facing the brink of elimination against the Celtics and just continue on from there.

2) He never won a championship. Please refer to game 5 this Thursday night.

3) He needed the help of another superstar to win a championship. Please refer to his 3rd MVP this past season as well as his stats throughout the NBA playoffs. Oh and then look at Wade's declining numbers. By the way, don't forget that Jordan had Pippen for all 6 of his championships, and that Kobe had Shaq for 3 championships and Gasol for the other two.

4) He passes the ball in pivotal moments when he should be attacking the basket. This is actually my favorite knock of all, because, while someone like Kobe Bryant attempts to score the game winning basket as two guys are covering him, LeBron James is trying to make the smartest basketball play.

Which actually brings us to the biggest point of all-

Anyone who hates LeBron James after these NBA Finals is only doing so either because a) they resent him for making basketball the team game it really is, especially during crunch time or b) they resent him because he represents the people in this world who were born into greatness and didn't have to work as hard to earn it.

It's time people finally admit it.

If not to the world, then to themselves.