For the first time in my life, LeBron James finally seemed human.
Maybe it was his elbow. Maybe it was because, as ESPN’s Tony Kornheiser said, “…he looked like he had his bags packed already…”, or maybe it was just because the King clamped up at the time the light shined on him most.
Whichever conspiracy theory you may want to believe, there is one simple fact:
LeBron did not shine in his biggest moment.
Game 6 hurt to watch. The most emotion I’ve packed into a game. Don’t believe me, look at my tweets. It was like watching a dog eat a baby…
I don’t know how I put up with it, because ever since the beginning of the 2nd Quarter, I knew deep down inside something was wrong here.
The Cavs weren’t themselves, and neither were the Celtics. The Celtics were in 2008 form, and when they are at that level, there is little to do. Especially when the Cavs’ best player looks unsure of himself.
Is it just me, or was everyone else noticing how the aura surrounding LeBron seemed…well…just tired, beat, and done?LeBron would hardly attack the rim and showed no emotion on any possession in Games 5 and 6.
Instead you saw this:
As a Cavs fan, this definitely hurts to say, but at least I have the guts to say it:
LeBron left a nasty smudge on his legacy with last night’s loss. Plain and simple.
The guy didn’t get it done. Everyone was claiming that this was LeBron’s biggest game ever, it was the biggest game in Cleveland sports history, and LeBron left with a big L on his forehead.
It will be remembered forever, and there is nothing he can do about it.
A player who is constantly compared to Kobe, Jordan, Magic, Oscar and all of the other greats still hasn’t won a ring, and his 7th NBA season is now over.
Sure, the guy has 2 MVP awards, and numerous All-Star appearances, broken records, and an Olympic Gold medal, but what else? How does it look that he never has brought a championship to his home?
He has never been on top of the basketball world, and yet we call him King?
I love the guy to death for what he’s brought to Cleveland. He’s brought ticket sales, jersey sales, concession sales, an Eastern Conference title, an explosion of national coverage, and pretty much everything else the Cavs have right now. But he might also be the reason as to why they don’t have something:
An NBA Championship.
Sure, LeBron has Nike, he has the hearts of those at ESPN, and he still have my trust. But how do Clevelanders feel? I don’t think they even know yet…but just wait for it to sink in before the death threats, the riots, and the pressure to hit the Cavs organization.
But at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter who is on the team, who is coaching, or who is making the front office moves; this will all fall on the shoulders of LeBron. It always has, and always will. That might not be fair for a 25-year old, but that’s the reality.
So where does this leave us?
Cleveland is left empty handed, Mike Brown’s job is in jeopardy (see here), the point of bringing in Shaq is now obsolete, and LeBron is left with a big decision to make.
At this point, the Nets aren’t looking too bad.
(To be continued…)
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- * – LeBron (red jersey) link: Y! Sports
- * – LeBron mouthpiece: AP Photo/Tony Dejak via Link
- * – Quicken Loans Arena link: Y! Sports
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