LeBron James: The man and the journey

LeBron now had to face up to the reality and show the world how versatile a scorer he could be. He didn’t have a great start as he struggled and failed to score over 20 points for the first three games of the series. He went 5-29 from beyond the paint in the first three games, and couldn’t find any offense going. It was time for him to dig deep down and so he did. He wasn’t ready to quit, as he pounded the glass, raked in rebounds, dished and orchestrated the play and just kept on fighting through. His best game yet was maybe in Game 6 when he led the Heat from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter to a 3-point lead. Yes, maybe he almost threw the game away with his two costly turn-overs in the final minute, but he also hit the clutch three to get the Heat within 3. Ray Allen may have saved the day and Chris Bosh may have won it for them with his crucial blocked shots on Green and Parker, but it was LeBron who put the Heat in a strong position with his explosive performance. If it were not for LeBron, the series would have been over in 6 games. It was surely not perfect, but then again it was very special.

Yes, there are some people who may claim that LeBron got a lot of help. It did help that Dwyane Wade suddenly showed up. It did help that Chris Bosh had a big game 5 and 6. It did help that Shane Battier made his mark with his 18-point Finals performance. It did help that the veteran Spurs seemed exhausted and blew away Game 6. It did help that Tony Parker wasn’t half the player that he was against the Grizzlies. It did help that Tim Duncan couldn’t make the game-tying jump hook over Battier with 37 seconds left in Game 7. It did help that Ray Allen made one of the greatest clutch threes in all of NBA post-season history.

Yes, he had the help that he needed. But nobody wins it all alone. LeBron was the heart and soul of the team as he closed out the series with an imperious Game 7 performance, amassing 37 points on 12-23 shooting and raking in 12 rebounds – highlighted by his dagger 17-footer jumper to seal the game and the series – his hyperbolic 5-7 shooting from beyond the arc, and his big-time defensive shutdown of Tony Parker. LeBron fought through the demons in his head and around him, as he took up the challenge and backed himself to make the open jumpers. Conviction, as they say, is the biggest game-changer and his desire and conviction showed as he turned one of his biggest frailties into his go-to move and made the Spurs pay.

As they always say, life’s battles don’t always go to the stronger or faster man. Sooner or later, the one who wins is the one who thinks he can. LeBron was the stronger, smarter and the faster man already. It took him a while to think like one.

As he stood with the NBA Finals trophy and his NBA Finals MVP trophy, he just looked at the media and the fans with arrogance and superfluous confidence. It was a look of vindication, of vendetta maybe, and of defiant conviction. As he aptly put it, “I’m LeBron James. I’m from Akron, Ohio. From the inner city. I’m not even supposed to be here.”

Finally, it was the frustration venting out. They rebuked his last ring, saying it was in a lock-out season, the Thunder were not experienced and Miller, Battier and Chalmers won it for the Heat. He repeated it in an 82-game season, against the seasoned Spurs, and did it in the grandest way possible.

Jordan may have picked Kobe over LeBron and his reason was: 1 < 5. We still can’t dispute that, especially with the Black Mamba doing what he did to LeBron in the All-Star game. LeBron may defy that, and may still have to fight against slanders about his flopping, his constant complaining to the refs, his receding hairline and even Nate Robinson blocking him.

It doesn’t matter to the king as long he keeps on gathering the rings. It is two now and he may actually fulfil his prophecy of winning “not four, not five…”. About the Jordan and Kobe comparisons, I guess they can wait till he wins at least five.