NBA Playoffs 2011: LeBron James Finally Emerging as a Clutch Player

A tight game throughout, Game 2 of the Eastern Conference playoffs between the Miami Heat and the Chicago Bulls was going to come down to which team would have a player step-up and take the game over.

Tonight wasn't the hometown hero Derrick Rose or Dwyane Wade's night to shine, instead it was LeBron James' time to show the world he is as clutch as it come.

With about 4:40 left in the game, the score was tied at 73-73, then James hit a momentum-stealing three-pointer en route to scoring nine points in those final minutes and played suffocating defense on Rose and Deng, which left the Bulls with little offensive firepower.

LeBron has been criticized for not being clutch down the stretch all season long, however, he has stepped up in the past two series of the playoffs. LeBron stepped-up and closed-out the Celtics in Game 5 scoring 10 points in a row during the final minutes sealing the series-clinching Game 5.

Tonight's performance only solidifies the face that James has taken the burden of not being a closer this season off his shoulders. The Heat will be that more tough to beat now that James seems to have found his confidence in closing out games and will have Chicago looking to Rose to score more than the two points that he did in the fourth quarter of Game 2.

With the remaining games between the Bulls and the Heat shaping-up to be grueling, defensive battles, the team with the best closer will have the edge. It will be interesting to see how Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls answer Sunday night in Game 3 in Miami when the heat is on.