LeBron James: Where Will He Rank Among All-Time Greats If He Gets First Ring?

After two consecutive wins over the Chicago Bulls, not only have the Miami Heat proven that they are capable of beating the Bulls after losing to them three times in the regular season, but they are also only six wins away from winning their second championship in franchise history and finally putting the constant criticism to bed once and for all.

LeBron James led the charge in Game 2 with 29 points, but it was Chris Bosh once again with a big game to help the Heat pull out a win. Bosh finished with a near-career postseason high of 34 points in Game 3 only two games after he scored 30 in a Game 1 loss. These impressive numbers coincidentally came after the Bulls' Carlos Boozer claimed that the Heat only had two great players prior to the start of the series.

Miami has this conference finals series going exactly to plan after stealing a game on the road and then winning the first of consecutive home games. The Heat improved to 7-0 at home after the 96-85 Game 3 victory and are now only two more home wins away from advancing to the Finals, where they would take on either Kevin Durant and the upstart Oklahoma City Thunder or Dirk Nowitzki and the multidimensional Dallas Mavericks.

Nearly every member of the team has been getting in on the act of helping this team pull out victories in its past two playoff games, with the big three getting support from players that they didn't expect to step up this deep into the postseason.

After his first game back, where he scored 13 points in Game 2, Udonis Haslem finished with eight points and four rebounds in Game 3 off the bench. Those are consistent numbers that the Heat have been waiting for all season to come off the pine, and it only makes the team more well rounded now that it can look forward to some production off the bench to go along with the big three's already inflated numbers.

Speaking of those big numbers, Miami has been getting solid production from its big three all postseason long. Bosh is beginning to pick up the pace after two of his best postseason games, Dwyane Wade is having another solid campaign on both sides of the ball as a team leader, and LeBron James is leading the Heat in nearly every statistical category at 25 points, nine rebounds and five assists.

Without a doubt, James deserves plenty of credit for the Heat's playoff run. He was huge against the Boston Celtics in Games 4 and 5 with clutch baskets to secure a series win and also helped lead the Heat to a victory in Game 2 in Chicago, where the Bulls had only lost five out of 41 games during the regular season.

LeBron is going harder than ever at a championship, and this is the best team he's ever been a part of, making the chances of winning it all the better. James' sole purpose for departing Cleveland over the past offseason and joining Miami was to secure his first title, and game after game he is proving why he deserves it and how no one can seemingly step in his path of completing this objective.

Andre Iguodala wasn't able to stop him.

Paul Pierce's effort was hardly noticeable.

Luol Deng and the MVP? They'll need to put some more pressure on James and the rest of this Heat team if they want to make this series a bit more competitive.

LeBron isn't having his usual postseason averages of over 29 points, eight rebounds and seven assists per game, but he is doing something much more important: willing his team to victories. Over the past few games, James has been able to lift the Heat during clutch moments late in games, where he has usually wilted in the past. His late-game play is far different from the regular season, where he was criticized in nearly every close loss for not being able to lead the team to a win.

Apparently he was saving it all for the postseason. I'm not sure if it was the best plan, but it's working now, and I'm certainly not going to argue over it.

James is as close to the title as he's been since 2007, when he made it that far for the first and only time in his career. He went six games with the Orlando Magic in the 2009 Eastern Conference finals but was never in control of the series like he is now against the Bulls. He didn't even make it past the conference semis last year, falling in six games to the same Celtics team he just beat in five games.

LeBron joined Miami for the purpose of those failures. He wanted to take his talents to South Beach to have teammates that would help support him in his endeavors of solidifying his spot in the Hall of Fame and helping him to his first championship. That dream that he envisioned during the Heat's summer celebration is now nearly becoming a reality, as only six wins separate James from the title.

How would we look at James if he actually did win a title in his first season with Miami? Would we love him or hate him more? Would we begin to give him the respect that he's deserved throughout the season? James has warranted enough criticism over the course of the regular season and even in this postseason and is now only a few wins away from an easy, quiet summer.

People already claim James to be not only one of the best players in the league, but also one of the best in the history of the game. His unheralded athleticism is unmatched by any other player that has played the game, and the progress he has made in only eight years, and only at 26 years old, is the type of progress you see from only the greatest of players.

LeBron already has two MVPs, made it onto seven All-Star teams, five All-NBA first teams, one All-NBA second team and three All-Defensive teams and has led the league in scoring for one season. James also led the Cavaliers to back-to-back 60-plus-win seasons and also led the team to its first championship appearance in franchise history in 2007.

With a résumé like this, all James is missing is a title. LeBron certainly has the accolades and the overall game to be considered one of the best players in league history but would only reassure himself a spot near the top with a title. The championship has been the only accolade eluding James over the past eight seasons, and it could be a guarantee if he and the rest of this Heat team can keep up at the pace they're going.

Say LeBron were to have a ring on his finger by the end of June. Put aside all your hatred for the guy and your overall disdain for him leaving Cleveland, no matter how badly you think it was the wrong move, and try to consider if James is truly qualified to be recognized as one of the greatest. He certainly has the accolades and the game, so why can't he be?

He would still only have one ring if he does secure it this season, but he would have that one ring and break the ice. With that one championship in tow and the possibility of an improved and healthy roster for next season, we could look forward to James and the Heat performing the feat of winning multiple titles.

If James can fulfill his words and win those five-plus titles, there is no doubt that LeBron would be recognized as one of the best to play the game. He has the stats, the awards and possibly the ring(s) to solidify himself as one of the greatest. With a title this year, LeBron's legacy at the top of the NBA has only begun.

Maybe throw in a few more MVPs, and then it really wouldn't be fair.