LeBron James' Miami Vice: A Heat Win in the Finals Could Still Tarnish the King

From the moment he made his selection on "The Decision," many NBA fans suspected that LeBron James felt he could not propel the Cavaliers to a championship.  The most scathing of these critics suggested that the superstar was title shopping, opting to take less pay for a perceived "bargain bin championship" aided by Dwayne Wade.

Most sports enthusiasts will agree that winning marks the athlete's legacy, and world titles are the ultimate mark of this pursuit. 

As such, James would simply argue that to be marked as a champion will serve as a justification to his commitment to excellence, both personally and on the scoreboard, albeit in Ohio or Florida.

Yet, make no mistake, fans are watching with scornful eyes to see how "the King" responds in Miami, trailing 3-2 in the series to Dallas.  LeBron has yet to break out in the Finals, and the low point came in Game 4.  

James shares his initials with the likes of Larry Johnson (L.J.), yet oddly the basketball superstar struggled to match even a touchdown (6 points) on the NBA stat tracker Tuesday Night. Even as the evening marked an opportunity to lead the NBA Finals 3-1.

American sports fans love their team's hometown heroes, but as the zip codes are breached, fanatics love nothing more than to see the hero fall.

Losing the championship to Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavericks would be a hard blow in the court of public opinion, regarding James' stature as the best player of today.

Yet, even if the Miami Heat win the Finals, LeBron's legacy could be tarnished.  Many critics of James' offseason cited their displeasure, offering opinions such as "championships plural in Miami wouldn't equate to a lone Cavs title to cement his rank."

Wade has led Miami in scoring and played such a critical role in both Heat wins.  NBA fans spanning both coasts are seeing a Heat team that could have lost in five games, if not for their superstar:  Dwayne Wade. 

And, they're watching their collective watches as the seconds tick off toward tip-off of Game 6. 

LeBron would be wise to become aggressive to the rim and to use his physical presence to win a game in this series.  So far, basketball "people" are scratching their collective heads, waiting for the moment when James shows enough confidence in his skills to want the game in his hands.

Make no doubt about it; it has not happened to-date.

If Dwayne Wade has two more great games to couple mediocre showings by basketball's apparent "prodigal son," the Heat could hoist the trophy early next week.

And, when this happens, all of the interviews will go the same way.

"A title is a title, and we're all blessed to be champions.  We all had to work together to create the matchups that any one player had to take advantage of.  Nobody was replaceable."

Jargon will not replace common sense, though.  At the very least, it won't replace cynicism.

Unless James dominates and leads the Heat to the plateau, word will spread like wildfire through the annals of history about the time that LeBron jumped on the back of his buddy in South Beach to ensure his legacy was not the likes of Reggie Miller, Patrick Ewing and so many other greats.

We'll be talking about the time LeBron James bought one.  And the biggest cynics will talk about how the next great NBA icon is in the future of the league.

Game 6 is Sunday night.  The Heat realize they must win, but James knows he has to show up.