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| Are LeBron detractors much like his talent..part of his destiny? |
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| Leading the 10% = Skip Bayless of ESPN |
Does he earn all of that with his willingness to "play the game" in the world of social media? Maybe he keeps the fuel going, but this fire started long before he even took his seat on the throne. This social experiment that we call King James was canonized way back in high school.
I can recall it now. Every time a Slam magazine or Sports Illustrated came out back then, it referenced some kind of up-and-coming high school star. Kobe and KG had already broken onto the scene before LeBron, but the anticipation for this guy was unlike any other. Yeah, they tried to tag team him with Sebastian Telfair, who was also a legendary high school player at the time, but I don't remember him being called Prince Sebastian. King James was tagged with his royal lineage so early in life that he had to make a serious decision way back then. He had to decide whether or not he would deflect the label or own it. LeBron tattooed himself with the words "The Chosen One", and he did it long, long ago.
Since that time, this man has played the game the right way and improved at doing it every year of his career. He continues to get better and to display the game of a champion. In game 2 against the Spurs, LeBron created for his team on 4 straight plays to close the game for good, but in the minds of the revisionist (Skip Bayless) LeBron did almost nothing in that minute and a half. There is so much wrong with that suggestion that I don't know where to begin, but I will take a deep breath and clarify it for Skip and anyone else who seems unclear about winning basketball.
This won't take long, because I only have to refer to the losing coach, Greg Popovich. He complained that his team allowed the ball to get too sticky down the stretch and it cost them the game. In fact, he insisted that it will be the death of them in this series if they do not fix it because LeBron is too good. Pop' didn't say this because LeBron scored all of the final points, because he did not. In fact, of these 4 key possessions that I previously mentioned, LeBron only scored 1 freethrow when he got fouled on the only shot that he took. The other 3 possessions went as follows:
LeBron attacked and found Bosh in the corner twice for a 3 point shot. The first one he missed, but the Heat got back, defended and blocked out the Spurs to secure the rebound before LeBron goes back down court to give Bosh another look at it, which he made. Considering the Indiana Pacer game, Bosh had now missed two key jumpshots late in key games after a good pass from the King, so the 3rd pass was an immense display of trust. The next possession, LeBron rove and got fouled on the shot, but only made that one free throw. The following possession, the Spurs double teamed the ball away from his hands, forcing Bosh to make a decision with the ball. Bosh eventually drove at the basket, attracted the double team and found D-Wade for an easy layup. All was created by the decision to double team and deny the ball away from LeBron, and LeBron telling Bosh to attack the basket. Bosh tried to force the ball to the King who deferred but dragged the double team away from the lane, which created the space for Wade's eventual layup.
Somehow the John Paxson/Steve Kerr/Chicago Bulls championship jumpshots have gone to distant memory. Jordan was so appreciated during his time, that revisionist' now think that he actually took every game closing shot and can hardly remember how necessary it was for Jordan to create for teammates in order to win championships. Revisionist' also watch LeBron create like a magician and tell themselves that they are watching a local clown act and not the great Houdini himself.
Just as weird people know they are weird, peculiar behavior recognizes itself and seems quick to answer to "Why". Why do we hate a player who is defining and redefining the game that we thought Jordan would rule forever? This mere argument is gaining heat because LeBron is putting the heat on everyone who stands above him. Kobe has already taken a back seat in the debate. LeBron might not be the best player the game has ever seen, but he intends to be, and very little seems capable of stopping him. Except public opinion.
No matter how great a performance Ali put on in the ring, millions simply tuned in to see his destruction. His mouth earned much of that hatred, but his skill backed up his mouth more often than it did not. LeBron doesn't talk like that. Tiger Woods could be a more modern equivalent to the peculiarity of LeBron hatred. He was also a chosen legend who is living up to the hype and threatens to surpass them all. LeBron isn't a philanderer like Tiger. To be labeled "chosen" embodies more than a messianic connotation, it virtually insures a messianic journey.
Christ was as much beloved as he was reviled. LeBron may not see his plight on such a spiritual level, but he did seem willing to confess that he is comforted in God whether he wins or loses. Though he plugs out of the social media world during the playoffs, he still understands the sentiment regarding who he is as a person and as a player (why do you think he unplugs?). He know's when critics take advantage of the cramps that took him out of game one. He realizes that some people who never lived in Cleveland still hate him for "The Decision". He knows the good, the bad and the ugly of his public persona. He might even be coming to terms with the fact that it would have NEVER been any other way.
The spirit of envy and hatred isn't something any one of us proudly embraces, but all of us clearly experience it from a giving or a receiving perspective. All have been victims. All have been perpetrators. Back in the day, athletes used to get ridiculed for their "show me the money" mentality, but today they face "how dare you control your career" critics. Athletes had no control before LeBron demonstrated how it is done. By the time Carmelo did the same thing in my hometown of Denver, no one seemed to care anymore because the blueprint was out. Denver also lost a legend in Dikembe Mutombo for reason's that Mutombo could have dictated in the favor of Denver, and did not. Yet, thousands of Denver natives and Nugget fans, remain forgetful and forgiving of both Mutombo and Anthony, but can not stand LeBron because of "The Decision"?
Personally, I don't totally buy it. I believe there are a significant number of people who celebrated when Tiger Woods fell from his mantle and there are those (maybe the same people) who needed LeBron to justify their disapproval with the kid who they called the King. They criticized him similarly when he only threatened to win with Cleveland. It only got louder when he refused to stay. Now, the room to criticize him is narrowing swiftly. Why?
Because he is worthy of the throne he was anointed to assume. He may not have arrived there in a fashion that his critics appreciate, (joining Wade and Bosh in beautiful Miami instead of having them come to kinda grey Cleveland is a problem for some) but he has arrived, and "He" is the King no matter who he assigns to close out matches. +Skip Bayless and anyone else who does not recognize all-time greatness will have to enjoy his career much like we do that of MLK and Muhammad Ali. In total hindsight if at all.
LeBron might not realize it now, but one day when he is old an gray he will look back on his detractors and realize the sheer necessity of them all. Because of those who say he is not ...whatever, he works on his game to prove them otherwise. His paint domination of big man Boris Diaw when San Antonio attempted a last minute adjustment in game 2, proves his complete ability to own any position on the court. In post game interviews, Greg Popovich seemed baffled as to what to do about LeBron's play making ability admitting that double team or no double team, there is no easy way to stop LeBron. Spur's officials are scrambling to contact the Oberto beef jerky man to see if he can implement that 2-3 zone that he says is needed against LeBron.
LeBron will force the entire league to either design some variation of a zone to defend him or they must build a team that utilizes perfect passing execution for an entire game and an entire series. According to Popovich, his Spurs, who are the closest thing to that model, will not win with anything less.
...and neither shall LeBron. His quest demands a fuel that passion alone can't fully provide. He is on a mission that needs a nice chip on the shoulder. Michael Jordan achieved a lot in his career and some of it came from those who told him that he could not. Before it was all over, the world would willingly eat from a pair of his highly priced athletic shoes and the voice of his detractors became muted. Michael had many reasons that we could be critical of his career, on and off the court. LeBron may as well, but the quality of the competition and the quality of the performances keeps falling in favor of the King.
If you want to be the King, the messiah, the second coming of MJ, then you must assume the throne like any good King does.......by force. In addition, you are going to be crucified for your namesake alone, and you will only be called the best player to ever play when the argument fully tilts in your favor, and not a moment sooner.
Fortunately, this King wouldn't have it any other way.
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