NBA Finals 2012: Thunder's Inability to Stop LeBron Sets Up Game 5 Coronation

Between calling Oklahoma City forward Serge Ibaka "stupid" and then nearly dropping a triple-double on the Thunder in the Miami Heat's 104-98 win in Game 4 of the 2012 NBA Finals, LeBron James had a very busy day Tuesday.

James may be set for an even busier one Thursday, because unless the Thunder figure out a way to stop the bleeding quickly, the player labeled "The King" will be crowned as an NBA champion Thursday night.

Not only did James pour in 26 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds in the win that left the Heat one victory away from capturing the NBA title, but the 27-year-old forward also attempted the none-too-easy feat of giving thousands of people a simultaneous heart attack, crumpling to the court in the fourth quarter with what ended up being severe cramps.

Unfortunately for the Thunder, James wasn't sidelined long, hitting a go-ahead three-pointer with just under three minutes left to play. Unless the Thunder come up with an answer for James by Thursday evening, this series appears set to conclude much more quickly than most anticipated.

That's due in large part to the stellar play of James, who has been just as unstoppable in the finals as he has been throughout the postseason. James is averaging 29.3 points. six assists and 10 rebounds through four games in the Finals, and should James continue at his torrid pace, he will become only the second player in NBA history to average 30 or more points, nine or more rebounds and five or more assists per game over an entire postseason.

What's even more incredible is that a player who has been labeled a choke artist in the playoffs will have done so for the second time in his career (only Oscar Robertson has also accomplished the feat).

Perhaps the most surprising part of James' performance in the finals has been his absolute dominance in the post, a facet of his game that his detractors have labeled a weak point for years. That certainly hasn't been the case in this series, as pointed out by Zach Lowe of Sports Illustrated.

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By my count, James used a whopping 19 possessions on post-up plays in Miami’s 104-98 victory in Game 4 on Tuesday. The Heat scored 24 points on those possessions, an off-the-charts scoring rate of better than 125 points per 100 possessions. And that undersells the impact of James’ post game and the mere threat of his backing down a defender all the way from the three-point line.

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As well as James as played, however, and as strong a stranglehold as the Heat would appear to have in this series, the fact remains that Miami hasn't won anything yet. That makes Thursday night's contest easily the biggest, most pressure-packed game of LeBron James' career.

If James falters Thursday and the Thunder force the series back to Oklahoma City, then fairly or not, the "choke artist" calls will begin anew and the pressure will become that much greater.

Heaven help him if the Thunder were to then win Game 6, as the hoopla around a do-or-die Game 7 after the Heat held a three-games-to-one lead would be deafening, and that's just counting what Skip Bayless would have to bray (no, that's not a typo) about it.

That can all be avoided, however, by one more strong performance on his home court against a team that's barely been able to slow LeBron James down in the finals.

If James can do that, and the Heat emerge as NBA champions, then all the folks that have said James can't win the big one will be left dining on crow as James, Dwayne Wade and the Miami Heat celebrate the championship that James promised when he took his talents to South Beach.

The King will have finally earned his moniker, even if most of Northern Ohio would still like to see him tarred and feathered.

Basketball fans in Seattle, on the other hand, would probably like to buy him dinner in that event.

Turns out that bitterness, like a coin, has two sides.

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