With the Miami Heat’s 105-95 loss to the Dallas Mavericks in game 6 of the NBA Finals, the questions and noise surrounding this team only got louder. Questions and noise that will linger on this summer like a pimple showing up on your face right before your hot date. It didn’t help that Lebron aired “The Decision”. It didn’t help that there was a rock concert type of party to welcome the leagues prized free agents to the 1city back in July. It didn’t help that this team suffered injuries early to Dwyane Wade, Mike Miller and Udonis Haslem and subsequently started 9-8. It didn’t help that there were reports of a riff between Coach Erik Spoelstra and Lebron James less than 2 months into the season. It didn’t help that every move, word, facial expression and tweet from members of this team was scrutinized like no other team or persons have been scrutinized before.
But most importantly, it didn’t help that THE prized off season acquisition, Lebron James, seemed to shrink in the last 4 games of the Finals. No, let me call it what it is…HE DID SHRINK. 17 pts in game 3, 8 pts in game 4, 17 pts in game 5, and 21 in game 6. One could look at the box score and see that maybe he contributed in other areas of the game, but dont look at the box score. Look at the way he stood around on defense. Look at the way he “checked out” on offense. Simply put, the Lebron James that dazzled and shook off the talk about not being able to close in rounds 1-3, disappeared in the Finals, period.
He came to Miami because he needed help. Wade accepted him in Miami because he needed help too. And when it was time for the help to come through, it didn’t. Not from Lebron James. In crunch time, Lebron went scoreless. Sometimes he didn’t even look at the basket. How does one go from averaging 26 pts in the regular season, to just 17 pts in the finals?
On the other side of the court, Dirk Nowitzki has been validated. After “choking” in the 2006 finals, Dirk and the Mavs returned 5 years later and got what they deserved. And Dirk got his finals MVP. Even when shooting 1 for 12 in the first half, Dirk came out in the second half and shot 7 of 14. He didn’t give up. He never stopped shooting, unlike Lebron James.
In the 2010 conference finals against Boston, Lebron was widely criticized for “quitting” in the 2nd half. Those allegations have seem to stick onto Lebron like a wart. When he came to Heat, fans dissolved that wart and said “hey, it’s a fresh start in a new city. He will bring us a ring”. After witnessing his play in this years finals and his eerily similar conclusion to his 2010 playoff exit with Cleveland, it looks as if the wart has resurfaced. James has 12 months before next years’ NBA Finals to dissolve that wart, for good.
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