It amazes me just how much of a no-win situation LeBron James is in. Don't get me wrong, everyone remembers the Decision and I will agree with everyone who says that it could have been handled a different way. But the way that LeBron gets criticized it unlike anything that I have seen.
After the Finals performance last year, he was crucified and criticized for not being a closer. The criticism has continued this year at various times - not taking the final shot in the All-Star game, passing to Haslem versus the Jazz, etc. Last night in a game against the New Jersey Nets, the Miami Heat were trailing for the majority of the game. Lebron James was 5-6 from the field and 7-7 from the line in the final five minutes of the game, scored Miami's final 17 points, and outscored the Nets team 17-12 to lead Miami to a comeback win.
In the ESPN analysis after the game, all the analysts could talk about was how terrible the New Jersey Nets' defense was in the final minutes of the game. Critics will look at that performance and point out that it was against the Nets and he needs to prove it on the big stage in the Finals. Yet, the same critics will be the first to criticize him for not taking the final shot in the All-Star game - a game that truly counts for nothing. So what's created is a no-win situation that may not be resolved until LeBron James and the Miami Heat win a championship. In either case it was interesting to see the commentary about LeBron versus the Nets' defense, when if another player had made the same plays with the same result, that player would have been applauded for his will, effort, competitiveness, and closing ability. But, just my two-cents. Here is a rundown of some of LeBron's baskets during that 17-point outburst:
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