NBA Finals 2011: LeBron James Gets Triple-Double, Still Won't Silence Critics

Sometimes, it seems that no matter how LeBron James does, it will never be enough to satisfy those who have taken aim at the bull's-eye he placed on his back last summer following "The Decision" to take his talents to South Beach.

Having a triple-double is no small feat, particularly in what was as close to a must-win game for him and his team as they could possibly have without actually being eliminated from the playoffs.

And yet here are the Miami Heat, one loss away from what, for them, would still be considered falling short of their season-long expectation to win a championship.  

King James played an excellent all-around game and showed all game why he is one of the top playmakers in the league today.

But the truth is that in reality, he did not do enough, and his critics will have real reason to critique his performance tonight in spite of the triple-double.

I am by no means a LeBron James-hater. Recently I wrote an article explaining how I believed he could really begin to be considered as one of the all-time greats if he helped his team win a title this year.  

I still believe that, but this is the time where he needs to do what all-time greats do: rise above all the media pressure, the expectations of fans and the constant double teaming employed by the Mavericks. 

He needs to take over the series, similar to what happened in closeout games against the Boston Celtics and Chicago Bulls earlier in these playoffs.

Rather than merely having good games, he needs to close those games, hit big shots, and will his team to victory.

The triple-double he recorded tonight was probably the quietest one that I have ever witnessed. On the one hand, LeBron did an amazing job of involving his teammates and putting them in positions to make big shots.  

On the other hand, he missed big shots on key possessions down the stretch, not even making a field goal in the fourth quarter until the game had already gotten out of hand.

Most notably, he has been seemingly disinterested on the defensive end.  

The Miami Heat are successful when they play swarming defensive, getting blocks and getting into the passing lanes in order to force turnovers and get easy buckets in transition. But thus far in this series, he hasn't seemed as focused as in previous series, which seriously weakens the Heat's ability to slow down the Mavs.

Thus far, Dirk Nowitzki has been the best player on the floor for most of the Finals.  

He hasn't always shot the ball well, but in the fourth quarter of each game, he has been right there making the shots that his team needed in order to be up 3-2 instead of being swept out in four games.

No one doubts that LeBron James wants this title as badly as anyone. He understands that his critics will continue to define him by his shortcomings in the postseason until he has one.

For most players, a triple-double is enough to show critics that they are doing all they can to help their team win.  

But from LeBron, it is not enough. After all, the Heat still lost the game.