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Last night was an example of what I'm talking about. All he had to do was hit both free throws and the game would have been over. Of course he bricks one. How can this guy get so much credit, for so many things but he is a marginal player in critical moments of the game? I honestly believe more and more that he was just a hype machine after Jordan left, but he will never live up that and there is a possibility that in a few years he may not even been considered a franchise ball player.
Last night was an example of what I'm talking about. All he had to do was hit both free throws and the game would have been over. Of course he bricks one. How can this guy get so much credit, for so many things but he is a marginal player in critical moments of the game? I honestly believe more and more that he was just a hype machine after Jordan left, but he will never live up that and there is a possibility that in a few years he may not even been considered a franchise ball player.
The problem with LeJudas is he is clearly the most naturally gifted, talented player to come into the league since Jordan (and may even be more athletic than MJ was), but mentally he is mediocre at best...and it's starting to seem more and more that that is who he is, 8 years in and he still chokes in the playoffs and at crucial moments. I know the Cavs have stunk since he left (in large part b/c the team was built solely around him and they had to literally start over from the ground up when he left), but if he can't win a championship w/Wade & Bosh (which, I think they will at some point get at least one, but it's not as simple as those 3 thought it was going to be when they had smokescreens and pyrotechnics promising not 1, not 2...but 7 championships!) he sure wasn't ever going to win one in Cleveland, so for that, I can honestly say I'm glad he's gone and I think Kyrie Irving is a better piece long-term to build around. Not going to say I didn't enjoy watching him play while he was a Cavalier and he brought lots of excitement to the city, but after 30 years of life and no championships for my home team, championships are about all I care about at this point! Sadly, Cleveland sports suck so bad right now, that it is still going to be a long ways off, but hope springs eternal! Hoping the Cavs at least get a top 5 pick this year out of the lottery to add a guy like Kidd-Gilchrist or Jeremy Lamb, and overall they will have 4 of the top 35/36 picks depending on where they finish. If they can get a stud w/that 1st pick, and at least 2 more quality contributors out of those other 3 picks along w/Varajeo hopefully healthy for all of next season, they will have a very good chance to be back in the playoffs in 2013.
Last night was an example of what I'm talking about. All he had to do was hit both free throws and the game would have been over. Of course he bricks one. How can this guy get so much credit, for so many things but he is a marginal player in critical moments of the game? I honestly believe more and more that he was just a hype machine after Jordan left, but he will never live up that and there is a possibility that in a few years he may not even been considered a franchise ball player.
I would say is there ever a player to live up to the hype the nba puts on them? Every other year there's a "the next Jordan" from grant hill to lebron. Hell some where saying Greg oden was the next coming of Kareem. Or Blake griffin was gonna be Kevin Garnett.
The other side of the coin, lebron was not even 19 when he was given those labels. The kid signed a $90,000,000 at 19 yrs old. He didn't ask for the hype, he has only taken the ball and run. You can't fault someone for what others put on him. He really IMO never got the chance to mature. He has been pampered and babied his whole life so when he does something not to the standard that has been put upon him people want to rip him down. If he where brought along like some other players then maybe he would be up to your standards.
The problem with LeJudas is he is clearly the most naturally gifted, talented player to come into the league since Jordan (and may even be more athletic than MJ was), but mentally he is mediocre at best...and it's starting to seem more and more that that is who he is, 8 years in and he still chokes in the playoffs and at crucial moments.
Here's my theory ( ahem clears throat):
For 5 years, Lebron lived up to the hype. Exceeded it even. However, for those first 5 years he was a singular talent surrounded by mostly marginal players, who weren't expected to go anywhere. Remember the 48 point explosion in the playoffs against the Pistons in 2007? Or the 45 point game 7 against Boston in 2008. In both scenarios, his team wasn't expected to win. Because of that, there was little pressure on Lebron, and he performed well, even in pressure moments( also remember in the 2006 playoffs he had like two game winning plays against Washington).
Now, fast forward to 2009, and every season since. He's now 6-7 years in the league at that point. He led the Cavs to 66 wins, while winning MVP. He had played long enough now for people to start whispering aloud about how he compares to Jordan, to Magic, to Bird, not just as a talent but as someone capable of putting a team on his back and leading them to championships. People were seriously starting to talk 'championship favorite' with respects to a Lebron-led team. Expectations are now rising to a fever pitch. The Kobe-Lebron sock puppet commercials start coming out, as the basketball world prepares for an epic clash of the titans, possibly the most hyped singular matchup of NBA giants since Michael and Magic in 1991. Kobe would be playing the role of Magic, the superstar at the tail end of his prime, fighting to stay on top of the mountain, while Lebron was playing the Jordan role, the young superstar MVP with scoring titles, incredible stats and jaw-dropping displays of individual and athletic brilliance, ready to take over the official role as King of the NBA. The NBA couldn't have hoped for a better script in their wildest dreams.
And it is at that point, where all of these expectation have IMO started to wear on Lebron. He's no longer expected to just put up eye-popping numbers. Hell, he can get a triple-double in his sleep. He's no longer the underdog mega-talent on an under-talented team. He's the 'in his prime' 9 year player who is expected to win championships. Not 1, not 2, not 3, not 4.... and so on. And it is this pressure that Lebron James has yet to prove he can handle. Remember when Scottie Pippen boldly declared that Lebron may be the greatest player ever after his epic play against the Bulls in the 2011 playoffs? Talk about pressure, huh? He then goes on to stink it up against the Mavs in the finals, who certainly weren't applying the kind of defensive pressure that Chicago did. He just....folded. Folded under the pressure of being called possibly the greatest player ever. Shrank under the bright lights of the finals.
So, in all of that ramble, I end with one simple point: Lebron James has yet to prove that he has the mental fortitude and ice in his veins, to perform when he's the favorite, and when the expectations are at their peak. It has nothing to do with physical ability, talent or skill, and everything to do with his ability to handle pressure. When you turn it up just high enough, he can't handle it. And after 9 years, you have to wonder if he ever will.
I'm not a huge Lebron fan, I'm a huge Bulls fan and I watched the entire game last night.
What all of you are ignoring is that 40 seconds before making 1/2 free throws he nailed a huge 3 from the corner to put Miami up by 2. That was an icey shot with the game in the balance.
But no one here mentions this, instead they talk about 1/2 FT's and say he choked.
Seriously guys, I think you are all being a little biased and look at Lebron through poo-colored glasses.
P.S. He played 47min too. He sure wasn't fresh down the stretch after carrying Miami bigtime early.
I'm not a huge Lebron fan, I'm a huge Bulls fan and I watched the entire game last night.
What all of you are ignoring is that 40 seconds before making 1/2 free throws he nailed a huge 3 from the corner to put Miami up by 2. That was an icey shot with the game in the balance.
But no one here mentions this, instead they talk about 1/2 FT's and say he choked.
Seriously guys, I think you are all being a little biased and look at Lebron through poo-colored glasses.
P.S. He played 47min too. He sure wasn't fresh down the stretch after carrying Miami bigtime early.
It was a big shot but there was a lot of time left. I won't take that away from him, but that shot became insignificant. The shot that mattered was the free throw, because he literally would have ended the game. That is the definition of a closer. The 3 wasn't going to decide the outcome of the game with 40 seconds left.
What all of you are ignoring is that 40 seconds before making 1/2 free throws he nailed a huge 3 from the corner to put Miami up by 2. That was an icey shot with the game in the balance.
But no one here mentions this, instead they talk about 1/2 FT's and say he choked.
It was a big shot but there was a lot of time left. I won't take that away from him, but that shot became insignificant. The shot that mattered was the free throw, because he literally would have ended the game. That is the definition of a closer. The 3 wasn't going to decide the outcome of the game with 40 seconds left.
It was a big shot but there was a lot of time left. I won't take that away from him, but that shot became insignificant. The shot that mattered was the free throw, because he literally would have ended the game. That is the definition of a closer. The 3 wasn't going to decide the outcome of the game with 40 seconds left.
We've covered this in a similar thread where someone was pointing to another time Lebron missed some FT's and was trying to label him a choker for doing so.
I think I blew up the thread when I posted Bird and Magic, yes THAT Bird....not Birdman doing the same thing.
Sorry, he nailed a 3 pointer without hesitation down 1 with just 40 seconds left....I have to give him props for that.
Even Reggie Miller missed 1 of 2 at key times.
Oh, and the reason Dallas even beat Miami is because they went ape-sheet from the 3pt. arc. Saying Lebron failed is actually insulting to just how insanely well Dirk and the Mavs played. They brought their A+ game, gotta give them credit.
Oh, and the reason Dallas even beat Miami is because they went ape-sheet from the 3pt. arc. Saying Lebron failed is actually insulting to just how insanely well Dirk and the Mavs played. They brought their A+ game, gotta give them credit.
Very true, but also it was very clear to everyone that LeJudas turtled in crucial moments in both Games 5 & 6 during the 4th quarter.
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