10 Harsh realities about LeBron James

Boston Celtics v Cleveland Cavaliers - Game Four

#5 He lost the chance to emulate Michael Jordan in June 2011

Miami Heat v Dallas Mavericks - Game Five
Tyson Chandler and Jason Kidd shut down LeBron James in the 2011 Finals series

Going into the regular season, the Miami Heat were the hot favorites to win the title over double defending champions Los Angeles Lakers. After the Lakers' elimination and the Heat breezing their way to the Finals series, oddsmakers were only giving 1/2 odds to people who wagered on Miami, while the Mavericks' odds were 8/5.

But LeBron James underperformed for the first time in his career during a playoff series. He was third in the Heat roster on points per game, and at various points in the series, even role player Mario Chalmers was outperforming him.

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LeBron's underwhelming performances opened the door for the Mavericks, as they roared back from a 73-88 deficit with 7:14 remaining in Game 2 to win 95-93. LeBron and Wade's premature celebrations after Wade's corner 3 to make the score 88-73 in the Heat's favor were wildly ridiculed on social media.

He didn't show up in the 4th quarters of the 4 subsequent games, and his 8-point performance in Game 4 was his worst outing as a flu-ridden Dirk Nowitzki produced a Jordanesque performance to make the series 2-2. The Mavericks closed out the series with 2 resounding wins, and LeBron's performance in that Finals series was called out as the greatest superstar meltdown in any American sport.

Since then, LeBron has a 3-3 record in the Finals. But if he had performed to his usual level in that series, he would now be 4-4 or better, instead of owning a dubious losing record in Finals. His championship window is fast approaching its end, and it is exceedingly unlikely that he will exceed Jordan's total of 6 NBA championships.

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Edited by Yash Matange
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