LeBron James Is Miami Heat's Most Important Player, NBA Finals Proves It
It's amazing when you see players who have performed like an All Star all season put up embarrassingly low numbers in big moments.
There are a multitude of reasons for why things like this happen. Emotional pressure, fatigue, nerves or maybe, they are just not cut out for the big stage.
So, what do you say about an NBA superstar who has performed well all playoffs, but at the end is seemingly quivering at the thought of taking shots himself?
People say the greatest players are created in those moments when it is all on the line. These players come up big without hesitation. When defeat is burning a hole in their dream to win it all, they step up to the challenge and come out victorious.
LeBron James is one of those players that seem to shrink in the big moment. But that is only if you look at things from one side.
You could make a case that he is the better clutch player on the Miami Heat because of the things he did against Chicago and Boston. Dwayne Wade’s clutch only showed in the playoffs in one game against Chicago and a game or two against the 76ers">Philadelphia 76ers, the team the Heat was supposed to sweep in the first round.
Although the Boston Celtics were injured and their age became their game highlight instead of their talent, snatching a game away from a championship-caliber team in the last moments is a task that any other player in the league would not take lightly. Just ask the New York Knicks how hard it as to just win one game against the Celtics in the postseason.
LeBron James came up big when it was time. He carried more than one game when Wade’s scoring ability was questioned.
However, his performance in the NBA Finals has been nothing short of puzzling. The 3-2 series lead that the Dallas Mavericks have over Miami further drives the point home that James is the most important player on the Miami Heat squad.
There is no excusing the facts that sit before our eyes when observing James' mediocrity in the fourth quarter. In actuality, you see similar results when observing the entire team’s numbers in the fourth quarter.
In the last series against the Chicago Bulls, Miami was 42.3% in the fourth quarter.37% of those shots made were produced by LeBron James. It is not a secret that if he had collapsed during those moments, the Chicago series would have ended much differently than it did.
In this Finals series against Dallas, where it was predicted that LeBron James and Dwyane Wade would come up with a ring, Miami has been 49.2% in the fourth quarter. This should show more series wins than two.
The problem with this statistic is that it does not account for what Dallas was doing on the other end of the floor. While Miami may be shooting better in the fourth quarters of this series, the Mavericks have been able to have their way on the opposite end, creating a lack of chemistry among Heat players. Who has been primarily responsible for that chemistry?
LeBron Raymone James.
Dwyane Wade will retire as one of the greatest players in the game, but he has scored 20-plus points in all three of Miami’s losses to the Mavericks. In any of the previous series, there was only one case where James scored 20-plus and the team lost.
In the other two losses against the Boston Celtics and the Chicago Bulls, he only scored 15 points. James, when he plays well, gives the team the boost in confidence and energy they need to contribute along with him.
His contribution may not have always been offensive, but the team was always one up on their competition because it had a prolific scorer, defender and passer all wrapped up into one number six-wearing player.
Now, it seems his talents have submerged and he is only emerging as a point guard type of contributor. Miami has been forced to look to Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to win it all, and that will not allow Miami to be successful.
It would not fly in the regular season and it most definitely will not do the Heat justice in the NBA Finals. They need all their pieces stacked and ready for lift-off. But James is twiddling his thumbs, waiting for his moment to come.
Wade and Bosh have exasperated their personal efforts.
At this point, there is nothing left for them to do but wait for something big to happen. Dwyane Wade has said it in a post-loss press conference. He knows that LeBron will do something big.
But, waiting until it is do or die to prove something will not pacify those who feel like he does not belong there in the first place.
Reports swirling that he only flew the coop to head to Miami so that Dwyane Wade could win him a ring are more common than ever. I am sure he does not like being implicated as using Wade’s talents as a crutch.
The public does not realize that Dwyane Wade cannot win the games by himself.
There are some plays where I think that he is the second coming of Jordan. But without James making big plays as well, Wade is just another high-scoring loser. The argument has been made that James needed Wade to win a ring, but the argument can also be made that Wade was not going to win another ring without LeBron.
Yes, he won back in 2006, with his clutch performance and the help of Shaq. But to say that he would have been able to win this series against the Dallas Mavericks alone is false.
It's proven every night he plays his heart out with no consolation.
Not to mention, it was Wade’s time to resurge. He only averaged 18.8 points in the Chicago series. People are excusing this because he never plays well against Chicago, his hometown. Wade needs to shake that feeling. LeBron is averaging 17.4 points in this series and Miami cannot get their momentum going.
Yes, Dwayne Wade was their first leader and he has the biggest voice. When he speaks, players listen.
But, when it comes to winning games, the team needs LeBron James to be LeBron, or they will be using this series as bulletin-board material during the next regular season. And Dallas will finally have their first ring.
