LeBron James Is Maverick from the Movie "Top Gun"

I will celebrate my second wedding anniversary this July. Before getting married my wife wasn't much of a movie watcher. So I've spent the past couple of years introducing her to some of the great films: Star Wars saga, Lord of the Rings trilogy, Jurassic Park, Mission Impossible, X-Men, Shawshank Redemption, Remember the Titans, Hot Rod, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, and many more.

About a month ago we watched the Tom Cruise classic Top Gun.

That film and the character "Maverick" were brought to mind the other day watching LeBron James vanish in the fourth quarter of multiple NBA Finals games. The comparisons between Lebron and Maverick are inescapable.

(We'll just get it out of the way that the Miami Heat did, in fact, lose to the Dallas Mavericks. That has nothing to do with the comparisons here, however. And it also has nothing to do with Maverick Carter, LeBron's business partner. Interesting coincidences though.)

LeBron James is a young and dynamic player in the midst of his prime. He is more talented and gifted than any other player in the league. He is smart, stylish, confident, and a little cocky.

He is bold and daring in the way he plays. He takes chances and pushes the envelope. He can make crazy fall-away shots (that would generally be considered a "bad" shot) look effortless.

He is dominant on both the offensive and defensive end. When he is on his game there isn't another player in the world who can check him. For the start of his career he was a solo act, a one-man show. Whether by his own choice, or out of necessity, he did it all on his own for seven years.

But he couldn't win. That's why he chose to team up with someone who already had a championship, Dwyane Wade.

What about Maverick?

The most skilled pilot there is, he can pull off stunts with ease that other pilots wouldn't even dare to attempt. He knows every trick there is and pushes them to the limit.

He is smart, gregarious, very cocky, and incredibly good looking (Did I just write that? I guess so. Can't avoid the truth though, Tom Cruise is a stud. Moving on...). He likes to do things his own way on his own terms. The thought of being a "wingman" is repulsive to him.

His greatest skill is also his greatest danger... he thinks he's invincible, and flies like it.

Maverick is also a fierce competitor who can't stand his biggest rival, "Iceman." Though at times it seems as though Maverick may win the Top Gun competition, Iceman wins out in the end.

However, Maverick is eventually forced to team up with (champion) Iceman and work together. (This is where this analogy breaks down. Mav and Ice teamed up to fight for their country while LeBron and Wade teamed up to win an NBA championship. Slight difference I suppose, but no analogy is perfect.)

What ended up bringing Maverick down? It was the death of "Goose." Without his partner and best friend the indomitable Maverick lost all his confidence and the aggressive drive that made him great. In the midst of a fierce dog fight against hostile migs, he left Iceman to fend for himself.

The same thing happened to LeBron in the Finals. Against Boston and Chicago he looked like who he truly is (or who we think he is), the greatest basketball player on the planet. Then something happened and it all went away. He began playing hot potato with the basketball and refusing to step up in the clutch, deferring to Wade at every turn.

The look on his face told the whole story... the confidence and drive to be great was gone.

But why?

What was LeBron's "Goose dying" situation that caused him to loose his nerve and shrink in the pressure of the Finals? Trouble with a friend? Girl problems? We may never know. (We can at least be grateful that he's a very fine dresser, sparing us the "privilege" of seeing him in his tighty whiteys.)

What we do know is that Maverick was able to channel his feelings for Goose to re-discover that greatness and find the will get to back in the fight where he dominated just as if he had never left.

What about LeBron?

Full disclosure here... I'm a Cleveland Cavaliers fan and I thoroughly enjoyed watching LeBron shrink from the moment and run away like a scared dog with his tail between his legs.

But the basketball fan in me (as well as the part of me that worshiped LeBron for seven years) longs to see him regain his greatness and get back in the fight. I want to see him do things on the basketball court that we didn't think were humanly possible. I want to see him turn on that switch that says "no one can stop me." I want to see "The King" again.

Hopefully we will. We'll see LeBron regain his form and put up another MVP season. He'll grace us all with a magical Finals performance that leaves us in awe. Then LeBron and Wade will embrace in a giant, macho man-hug as the confetti falls all around.

And through choked back tears Wade will say, "You can be my wingman any time."

LeBron will quip back, "Bulls**t! You can be mine."

You can follow me on Twitter @ClevelandFlack