Building Gregg Popovich's Top-Secret CIA Profile on LeBron James

Gregg Popovich has had a week to sit with nothing better to do than break down the Miami Heat, and more specifically what it's going to take to slow down LeBron James in the NBA Finals.

Like a CIA covert operative, Popovich has a unique ability to figure out the specific weaknesses of teams that he's coming up against and is completely capable of devising a game plan to exploit every single weakness of his opposition.

He's a born tactician, and the way he's able to tear opposing teams apart given time to prepare can be truly amazing.

So what might his file on LeBron James look like?

I'm not nearly the master technician that Pop is, but there's no reason why I can't give it a shot.

Subject: LeBron Raymone James

Age: 28

Hometown: Akron, Ohio

Location: Miami, Florida

Occupation: Miami Heat small forward

Aliases: King James, The "L" Train, The Akron Hammer, The Chosen One

Education: St. Vincent-St. Mary's High School

Accolades: Four-time NBA MVP, 2012 NBA Finals MVP, nine-time NBA All-Star, seven-time All-NBA First Team, five-time NBA All-Defensive First Team

Distinction: Greatest basketball player on the face of the Earth.

Physical Characteristics

Height: 6'8"

Weight: 250 lbs

Eyes: Brown

Hair: Black

Distinguishing Features: Enormous frame, elite athleticism, headband hiding receding hairline, multiple tattoos, conservative dress in comparison to teammates.

Strengths

Athleticism

• His ability to run past, jump over or out-muscle most of the league is the biggest advantage of his game. It's what a huge portion of his game is built from and what makes him nearly unstoppable. Athleticism is what makes him dangerous both offensively and defensively.

Shooting

• Deemed a subpar shooter in the past, given his advantages. LeBron is no longer a relatively weak shooter. 
• He is having his best shooting year of his career from nearly every spot on the court; at the rim, from three to nine feet, 16 to 23 feet and behind the three-point line.

Low Post

• Once considered a disappointing low-post player, LeBron has developed a game that is rivaled by few at his position. A flurry of low-post moves acquired over the years include a drop-step, jump hook, full hook and a baseline spin, with a few others tossed in. The back-to-the-basket game is improved, but his face-up game is much more effective.

Vision

• One of the best passing forwards in the history of the game, LeBron is able to control the game without even taking a shot. His 7.3 assists per game put him tied for 10th in the league. The extent of his passing game includes everything from straight-forward running of the offense to ball-reversals in the paint and drive-and-kick situations.

Rebounding:

• LeBron's size and athleticism give him a rebounding advantage over most players at his position. That, plus his ability to read a shot and position himself for a rebound, gives him top-tier rebounding numbers.

Efficiency

• A cornerstone of his game has become incredible efficiency, always looking for the best shot possible, passing the ball if the shot isn't there. His shooting percentage this season, 56.5 percent, is a career-high.

Weaknesses

There are very few areas that are legitimate weaknesses in LeBron's game, but they do exist.

10-15 Feet

• Statistically speaking, the only area in which LeBron is actually below-average is from 10 to 15 feet. His 40.7 percent rate from that range is below the league average. The only problem is that he attempts just 1.2 shots per game from that range.

Public Perception

• LeBron is one of the most self-aware players in the history of the league. He may not be strongly effected by negativity, but there's a possibility that there is a small impact, evidenced by his negative perception by the public in 2011 and Miami's failure in the NBA Finals.

Larger Men Straight-Up

• One thing learned from the series against the Indiana Pacers is that larger men, namely Roy Hibbert, can stop a LeBron James drive, if played correctly.

Favorite Plays

Isolation Drive

• The basis of a LeBron-run offense is him taking his defender off the dribble and getting to the rim. He's bigger, stronger and faster than whomever may be guarding him, so he'll take advantage of his situation.
• Lesson Learned: Have help defenders readily available.

Pull-Up Three-Pointer

• A much-improved shooter, LeBron's pull-up three-pointer is much more effective than in years past. It's a crowd-killer, a timeout-forcer and a demoralizer all at the same time.
• Lesson Learned: Don't sag off too much.

Elbow Slash

• Another advantage of being extremely fast, a slacking defense will incur the wrath of LeBron noticing a space while he's off the ball. He streaks to the rim, getting the ball in the process, and throws down a dunk or knocks in a layup.
• Lesson Learned: Constant awareness is key.

Post-Up

• In part because of his improvement, and seemingly because of the public's constant complaints that he didn't have a low-post game, LeBron has developed a tendency to post up and call for the ball. His size allows him to get position, but he's much less effective with his back to the basket.
• Lesson Learned: Avoid the post face-up, try to force a jump shot.

Conclusion

There is no "stopping" LeBron James much in the way any other superstar in the league can be stopped; there is only slowing. He has scored fewer than 20 points just five times this season (although twice in the postseason) and shot below 45 percent just seven times.

In essence, a "bad" game from LeBron in the postseason would be something along the lines of his Game 3 performance against the Indiana Pacers; just 22 points, four rebounds and three assists on 47 percent shooting.

A worse game is possible but shouldn't be planned on.

The game plan should be tilted more toward stopping those around him, rather than toward him specifically.

This message will self-destruct when removed from the San Antonio Spurs' practice facility.