LeBron James' Post Game Could Be Key to an NBA Championship for Miami Heat

When you're LeBron James, it doesn't take a lot to know what you have to improve in your overall skill set since the media has no problem in addressing those issues for you.

The criticism of his ego has long been the focal point of James' 'weaknesses,' but even that has been on the decline since he has set that aside since taking the spotlight off of himself in Cleveland and transferring it to himself and two other superstars in Miami.

For a player with as big an ego as James, it certainly does make you question yourself when you realize that the player considered to be the league's best was willing to take a pay cut, sacrifice his stats and the adoration of a city, and share the limelight with two other superstars as a means to finally obtain a championship that he was never going to get in Cleveland.

Now that his ego was out of the way, the media could then look towards James' next biggest weakness which would definitively be his overall ability to perform at a consistently positive rate in pressure moments.

He continued to reassure this theory in the regular season as he failed to step up on the number of occasions that the team deferred the ball to him in those types of situations rather than the proven clutch player in Dwyane Wade.

Once again though, James proves the media wrong...sort of. LeBron was absolutely abysmal in the NBA Finals averaging only 17 points, but he was absolutely prolific in the team's journey getting to that point.

He completely overshadowed his teammates in late-game situations as he stepped up a number of times to down the Philadelphia 76ers, Boston Celtics, and Chicago Bulls in the final minutes of nearly every game.

That's two of James weaknesses down, but what about that one glaring weakness that was exposed in the NBA Finals? That glaring weakness that I speak of is James' back-to-the-basket game, otherwise known as his ability to post up.

Veteran defender Shawn Marion made it a purpose to make sure that whenever James would drive, he would have to score on a post up. Marion proved right as James truly had no answer and could barely produce in the paint when his back was to the basket.

With the zone defense keeping James from driving and his jumper not dropping as it previously was in the series before, he was left without any scoring options and was basically a body and nothing more. James was Joel Anthony with better court awareness and it all could have been avoided had he known the art of the post up.

Playing with your back to the basket isn't as simple as many players make it. You need to have a great understanding of where the rim is at all times, possess the strength and agility to post up and make a quick move when the shot is taken, and have superb footwork, since you will need to create new ways to post up as not to have defenders become too knowledgeable of your post moves.

Much like how Hakeem Olajuwon did with his 'dream shake.' Olajuwon was such a dominant post presence on offense because of the crafty footwork that he possessed that would keep defenders hesitant and wondering what move he could possibly complete next.

Taking tips from a player of this caliber about his NBA livelihood was one of the smartest moves James has made over his eight-year career. He set his ego aside and made a grown-man move by looking for help from elsewhere to improve his game and help his team. This is the first time in James' career that he has made such a move and it can only spell success.

Especially considering Olajuwon's past work with Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard, with both players now possessing a better understanding of playing in the post on offense.

If a 32-year-old Bryant and a nearly inept offensive center like Howard could learn and begin to exhibit an immediate improvement in their post game, then it shouldn't come as a surprise if James begins to have more successful post ups at a higher rate next season.

Word is that James did show improvement in his post game at one of the latest pick-up games that NBA players have been showcasing across the country.

If James learns how to successfully post up with consistent positive results, I'm not one to make guarantees here, but I can vouch even higher for the Miami Heat to win a championship.

For one, James is the league's most prolific athlete and can attribute that to his exceptional size, strength and speed. If James posts up, there would be no defender that could be strong enough to contain him nor fast enough to react to his shots.

LeBron is too strong for most power forwards and is too fast for power forwards, which would leave defenders at a quandary on how exactly they defend a player that's listed at 6'8" and reportedly 275 pounds.

Not to mention, it would also make the offense run a lot more fluently. Rather than having two players who strictly rely on slashing with the occasional jumper, the Heat could have both players switch off their roles by having either Wade or James post up.

With Wade already being an exceptional post player, it would only add to another dimension of this Heat offense if they could have James consistently post up while Wade drives and vice versa just to keep defenses on their toes.

With less attention focused on the perimeter with the threat of either James or Wade driving, the offense becomes a lot more spaced which frees up more opportunities for both players as well as Chris Bosh, who makes his living in the mid-range.

If James can perfect the post up, he would also attract double teams in the post, which would free up the shooters waiting along the perimeter as well as slashers who cut when their defender is focused more on James.

Sort of like a Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O'Neal deal, which has proven to be successful in the past.

James learning the art of the post up benefits everyone on this Miami Heat team. While the team gets more open looks from LeBron taking up attention in the post, James also has a new move to add to his repertoire rather than relying on a driving game and a jumper that only seems to fall when he's in the middle of a hot streak.

Having an athlete of that caliber posting up on small forwards who pale in comparison to James' athleticism would only allow more high percentage shots for James and an increase in his overall production.

To think that as soon as next season, James could become even more dominant than he already was. Defenses can limit driving and a jump shot, but defending a post up is extremely difficult when either the offensive player is consistent or the defensive player doesn't have a clear understanding of how exactly to defend the post up.

Once a player consistently scores from that near, defenses will have to adjust and that will only lead to more scoring opportunities for other players.

Having teammates like Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh certainly helps to ease the tension at times.