LeBron James: Why LeBron's Legacy Needs 2012 NBA Finals to Go to a Game 7
LeBron James and the Miami Heat are just one win away from being crowned the 2012 NBA Champions.
That's good news for LeBron, and more importantly, good news for his legacy.
If he manages to hoist the 2012 Larry O'Brien Championship trophy, there's no doubt that LeBron's lasting legacy will benefit, but it won't benefit as much as it could if the series would take a turn for the worse for the Heat and make it to a Game 7.
Throughout the 2012 postseason LeBron has been an absolute beast, putting up averages of 30.5 points, 9.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game.
In the most important playoff series of his career—the 2012 NBA Finals—he's been even better. He's put up averages of 29.3 points, 10 rebounds and six assists per game, all while shooting 47.2 percent from the field and 81.1 percent from the charity stripe.
In addition to impressive production, LeBron has finally had a few career-defining playoff moments, like his 45-point Game 6 against the Boston Celtics and his "cramp game" in Game 4 against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
If LeBron manages to win the 2012 NBA Title there's no doubt that his legacy will be bolstered by those moments, but there's one more career-defining moment that his legacy could benefit from during his first NBA championship run.
His legacy, especially in his first championship run, could benefit greatly from a memorable performance in a Game 7 of the 2012 NBA Finals.
I know that winning a championship in five games is better than the possibility of the Heat losing the series in seven games. But capping off a memorable 2011-12 season and his historic playoff run with yet another memorable NBA Finals is one for the ages.
LeBron has already silenced a majority of his critics with his clutch-time play in the postseason thus far, but what better way to completely silence all of his critics than to have an opportunity to close out the NBA Finals in a Game 7?
It will be quite a challenge for the Thunder to extend the series to a Game 7, but it's not necessarily out of the question.
All three of the Thunder's losses have come by an average of just 5.3 points, and if James Harden can remember how to play basketball the Thunder certainly has a chance of evening up the series with wins in the next two games.
That wouldn't be bad news for LeBron, as long as he plays as well as he has throughout the postseason in those next two match-ups.
A Game 7 in the NBA Finals would be something that LeBron has never seen before, and it would be his chance to cap off his memorable 2011-12 championship campaign with the ultimate close-out game.
Sure, LeBron won't be sitting in the locker room hoping that the Heat get beat in the next two match-ups, but if a Game 7 happens, he shouldn't be upset.
It could be the career-defining moment that his legacy needs.
