How Critical Game 7 vs. Indiana Pacers Will Shape LeBron James' Legacy

LeBron James and the Miami Heat will be defined by their Game 7 performance against the Indiana Pacers.

Win, and they go back to being the poster-team for success, an outfit on the verge of making history, still capable of going down as one of the greatest factions in NBA history.

Lose, and everything has the potential to change. For James, for Dwyane Wade, for Chris Bosh—for everyone.

It's cruel, but it's true. Even those who consider every season that doesn't end in a championship a failure wouldn't be able to hang their heads too low after putting themselves in a position to make a third finals appearance in as many years.

James doesn't have that option. He didn't retreat to South Beach to simply contend. He could have done that with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

And he didn't come to Miami to win a championship or two either. A player as talented as him, we're inclined to believe he would have corralled a ring or two wherever he played, Cleveland included.

The Chosen One joined forces with Bosh and Wade in Miami to build a dynasty. Not just any dynasty, but the greatest regime of all time. Better than that of the Los Angeles Lakers or San Antonio Spurs or Boston Celtics. More dominant than anyone had ever seen.

For a while, that's where James and the Heat appeared to be headed. Losing to the Dallas Mavericks in the 2011 NBA Finals wasn't a part of the plan; reaching the finals in just their first season together was.

One year later, they dismantled the Oklahoma City Thunder. James had his first ring, and all was right in Miami.

That first championship was a building block, and it was destined to be the first of many.

Eight or more was the initial prediction James made, but we knew better. He had only signed on for six years. And he may not even have the opportunity to win six (now five). Opting out after his fourth season would leave James with the ability to sign wherever he wanted once again. He could leave.

But he wouldn't. So long as the Heat are winning championships and are willing to incur the heavily punitive luxury taxes they would inevitably be forced to pay, James wouldn't go anywhere. Miami is the place for him.

Only...what if it's not?

Referring to James' decision to reside in sunny South Beach as a mistake would be a grave lapse of judgment in itself. He won his first career ring with the Heat. There should be no regrets. Depicting his tenure in Miami as anything other than a success is then an exaggeration.

If only that last part were true.

Falling to Indiana in Game 7 would force James to take a long, hard look at where he is, at what he's done and if it's enough to satisfy his need to win in excess.

He needs to look at Bosh—at his 11.3 points and 3.7 rebounds on 41.1 percent shooting during the these Eastern Conference Finals—and wonder if that's a harbinger of things to come.

He needs to look at Wade and figure out if his sidekick's poor performances laced with a knee injury and wrapped in self-denial are part of a permanent regression.

He needs to look within himself, to see if Miami is still worth him putting his legacy on the line. Not that James will be prepared to request a trade before next season. He won't.

Leading into next year, nothing is going to change. James will still be with the Heat, as will Wade and (barring an unforeseen trade) Bosh. Believe that.

Also believe that falling in Game 7 would force the Heat to start from almost scratch. One championship in three years isn't the makings of a dynasty—it's emblematic of a team that won, of a team that was good.

James didn't flee Cleveland to be "good." He wanted, he needed, to be great.

Lose to the Pacers and that innate desire becomes more conflicted than it was in 2010. And a championship in 2014 won't present a resolution. The Heat will have risen to the top only to come crashing down before; it could happen again. James will still have a decision to make.

A win keeps his dream alive. The Heat won't be guaranteed their second consecutive championship, but it will remain a possibility. 

Inquiries into Wade's knee and the team's potential next season will still be lodged if they win that title; it just won't matter as much. James will have his second ring, and the Heat will be toeing the lines of dynasty status, just like they—just like James planned.

To get there, to even entertain the notion of winning that second ring, the Heat must first go through the Pacers. They're what's standing between James and his supposed destiny.

Passing them is the only way to actualize it. Fail, and it's a slap in the face. Why? Because a loss impacts James' legacy more than a win.

Once again, the Heat are supposed to win. That's why James is in Miami. A second ring won't solidify his reputation, but it will enable it to grow. A loss stunts its maturation. It puts everything James has worked for in Miami at risk, and it renders James incapable of making the same promises he did nearly three years ago.

It forces him (and the Heat) to charter what was supposed to be the unknown (failure). And you always fear what you don't know.

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*All stats in this article were compiled from Basketball-Reference unless otherwise attributed.