2011 NBA Playoffs: Can We End "LeBron Not Clutch" Discussion Once and for All?

In Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Boston Celtics, LeBron James hit a huge three-pointer and then followed it up with a layup to seal the deal. We all fell off our chairs because of LeBron's spectacular play. The critics were silenced temporarily, as the Heat advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals.

Tonight in Chicago, on the road in a hostile environment, LeBron James came through again. It was the sloppiest of fourth quarters. Only 24 points were scored combined by both the Heat and Bulls. However, LeBron James in a 73-73 game came through.

When everyone took the quarter off, LeBron James rose to the occasion. He scored nine of the last 12 points which was part of a 12-2 Miami run leading them to the 85-75 victory. Isn't that clutch? Isn't that what his critics are saying LeBron can't do?

Fact of the matter is, LeBron is just as clutch as anybody can be. Tom Haberstroh in an ESPN article on May 12, 2011 puts it best:

"Time and time again, we're reminded that there are clutch performances, but not clutch players. LeBron has been clutch in his career and he has not been clutch in his career. Kobe Bryant has been clutch in his career and he has not been clutch in his career (he shot 25 percent in the last five minutes of the game within five points here in the playoffs). Michael Jordan has been clutch in his career and he has not been clutch in his career.

As human beings, we don't like randomness. And when it comes to the outcome of a critical basketball shot, randomness happens. So to fill in the gaps, we plug in artificial storylines and forced narrative. To make sense of it all, we have created a basketball mythology."

Basically, can we put an end to all of this LeBron is not clutch talk? He's shown that he can be clutch. It's not like he's never taken a game into his own hands the same way Bryant and Jordan have. Everyone seems to forget LeBron's historic performance against Detroit in 2007 when he scored the Cavaliers' final 25 points in a double-overtime game. This included a game-winning layup in double-overtime.

Point is, sure there will be some moments when LeBron does not take over a game. But who in basketball history has taken over every single big game consistently throughout his career? The answer to this is simple: nobody.

LeBron James is just like Kobe and Jordan when it comes to being clutch. At times he is and the world falls in love with him, and at times he isn't and he gets bashed by the media. We, as a society, lose perspective so easily.

Perspective is easily gained, but people have a hard time keeping it. We lose sight of the fact that LeBron has had moments of unbelievable and spectacular play in his career and we bash him for that senselessly.

We are also susceptible to the opposite scenario. When Kobe Bryant was draining buzzer-beaters left and right in the 2010 season, we labeled him as the greatest closer of all-time. Folks, there was a guy named Jordan in the '90s who was providing us with similar heroics.

LeBron proved he was clutch four years ago in that Detroit series. He validated himself again last week against Boston and tonight in Chicago. If he goes on a long stretch where he does not perform well in the final two minutes it does not make him any less of a player. But we will still hear criticism.

Perhaps a championship will silence everything once and for all, but a championship for LeBron is only a matter of time. It's foolish to think that the Heat will not win a title in the next six years with that stacked team. So people are eventually going to lose the "LeBron doesn't have a ring" excuse. And then what?

These criticisms are stemmed from "The Decision." People still have not gotten over it and they will continue to bash him. Again, society lost complete perspective because of "The Decision." People need to understand that it wasn't murder. It wasn't rape. It wasn't a multi-billion dollar financial fraud. It was a bad conference, nothing more.

Derrick Rose was nowhere to be seen in Game 2 towards the end of the game. If LeBron had played the same way Rose had tonight, the media would be all over him. We don't hear anything negative about Rose because it's society's way of trying to forget about James and attempting to build a new American icon and hero.

We praise his MVP press conference. We praise his good games, but then when he has a bad game the media doesn't bash him the same way they would bash LeBron.

Has Rose done more than LeBron has in the playoffs? No, he hasn't. LeBron still has taken a team of misfits to the NBA Finals with probably one of the most clutch performances in the decade.

So why aren't we seeing Rose get bashed tonight?

Instead we see an article on Yahoo! Sports bashing LeBron for not defending Luol Deng before he drained a 60-foot buzzer-beater.

Really?

How often do those go in anyway? How often do we see people making dumb fouls in that situation which result in free throws? Sixty-footers rarely go in.

Quit fussing over the tiniest of details in LeBron's game. The Lakers a few weeks ago were giving up on layups. That's more of an issue then not defending Deng on a half-court shot.

People need to regain perspective. It's unbelievable how much of it was lost because of a press conference.