I feel bad for LeBron tbh...

[ChrisRichards]

Seriously speaking, the guy is doing absolutely everything in his power throughout his career to win an NBA championship. From his first NBA Finals appearance carrying Larry Hughes and Boozer to this year's sorry ass Miami team. Plain and simple, Lebron needs help. I know people are going to point at the fact that he has Wade, but D Wade is not even a Top 10 player this post season.




And to add salt to injury, unlike great organizations like the Lakers, Celtics and Spurs who surrounds their franchise players with HOF coaches and quality role players, Miami offered Lebron Eric freakin Spoelstra! I can't help but imagine Lebron with a big man like Bynum and Gasol or players like Ibaka, Westbrook and Harden or with a coach like Jackson, Popovich or even Doc Rivers. For some reason, the greatest player of his generation has wasted his career with Mike Brown and Spo. Ridiculous.



At this point, Lebron is going down the same path as Karl Malone and Barkley. I hope Pat resigns next year and just keep his share as a minority owner. We need a new GM that has balls to break this trio because its not working. Obviously, Wade is not going anywhere but I sure do hope they package him for another talent to help Lebron win a championship. Heck, trade him to Orlando for Dwight and absorb Hedo's contract if they have to.

[100%duncan]

:cry

[Latarian Milton]

bron just not a leader imho, nigga should wait till he turns 35 or so and signs for vet min with some true contender, running the coattail and winning a ring for himself before retiring like payton did tbh

[Spurs9]

:lol Miami can't win with Bosh/Wade/Lebron on the same team
:lol Winning 8 Championships together
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pT-I8jQDQ7c
The reason why Miami won't win together....

http://coolhoops.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/K3SPU.jpg

[100%duncan]

bron just not a leader imho, nigga should wait till he turns 35 or so and signs for vet min with some true contender, running the coattail and winning a ring for himself before retiring like payton did tbh

Bandwagoning at its finest :lmao

[LkrFan]

Me too. :depressed

[HarlemHeat37]

Lebron hasn't received much blame from Heat fans, tbh, anybody that consistently watches the team realizes that he has been run into the ground..he does most of his damage in the 1st quarter and gets progressively worse, mostly due to fatigue..no player in NBA history has as much responsibility as Lebron, tbh..

KG blocking his shot in the 4th is a prime example..

Wade has received a lot of backlash from Heat fans, and while he deserves some of it, Spoelstra and the shooters deserve most of the blame..

[Latarian Milton]

Bandwagoning at its finest :lmao

we know it's the philibeaner who cost us our championship run last year, and this year he's putting us at the brink of elimination now.

FUCK the philibeaners, FUCK you all :ihit

[Jt.ONE]

your sig is starting to look kinda useless, chrisrichards :lol

i do feel bad for lebron though, such great talent possibly wasting his prime years

[Venti Quattro]

But sometimes I find it hard to feel bad for him. He brought it to himself. I'm not going to lose sleep if he wins the championship, but I will never forget his self-serving, narcissistic spectacle The Decision.

[LnGrrrR]

Lebron hasn't received much blame from Heat fans, tbh, anybody that consistently watches the team realizes that he has been run into the ground..he does most of his damage in the 1st quarter and gets progressively worse, mostly due to fatigue..no player in NBA history has as much responsibility as Lebron, tbh..

KG blocking his shot in the 4th is a prime example..

Wade has received a lot of backlash from Heat fans, and while he deserves some of it, Spoelstra and the shooters deserve most of the blame..

If anyone is to blame for the Heat, it's certainly not Lebron. Lebron hasn't wilted, he's made plays... can't ask for much more from him. And I'm a Lebron hater.

[2pac > Kobe]

http://i1.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/263/866/403.gif

[HarlemHeat37]

:lol it's self-serving and narcissistic to raise 6 million $ for kids..

Now I've heard it all, tbh..

[The Reckoning]

that dumbass deserves all the bad karma being flung at him. fuck that guy.

[tesseractive]

Lebron hasn't received much blame from Heat fans, tbh, anybody that consistently watches the team realizes that he has been run into the ground..he does most of his damage in the 1st quarter and gets progressively worse, mostly due to fatigue..no player in NBA history has as much responsibility as Lebron, tbh..
Look at the shit sandwich that David Robinson (pre-Rodman) or KG (pre-Boston) was surrounded with. There've been NBA superstars with a lot less than Wade and Bosh around them.

On the flipside, look at the way Chris Paul spends 3 1/2 quarters creating for others, then only takes over in the last 5 minutes. Your stat lines won't be as huge that way, but that's how you keep something in the tank to win games with.

[Ashy Larry]

he had 30 and 12 .... and other than Wade and Bosh in limited miniutes, poo from everyone else. Spoelstra is done after this season if they don't win .......

[LA24]

Plain and simple, Lebron needs help.

No, he has all the help he needs already. He just needs to man up and take the alpha dog role. He still defers too much at critical moments of the game. At the last olympics, he claimed he was the leader of the team, but when it mattered the most, Kobe took over. Until Lebron's mentality changes, he will always struggle winning the ship without a ton of help. If he had Kobe's or MJ's mental strength, he'd be working on his 3rd ring.

[HarlemHeat37]

Look at the shit sandwich that David Robinson (pre-Rodman) or KG (pre-Boston) was surrounded with. There've been NBA superstars with a lot less than Wade and Bosh around them.

On the flipside, look at the way Chris Paul spends 3 1/2 quarters creating for others, then only takes over in the last 5 minutes. Your stat lines won't be as huge that way, but that's how you keep something in the tank to win games with.

Have you seen Miami's offense when Lebron sits, or steps back?..it's atrocious..

You proved my point, tbh..Lebron does just as much for his team as David Robinson or KG, despite having 2 other star players on his team..that should not be the case..

There have been many sources that have reported that Lebron may be unhappy with his role in Miami, because he left Cleveland so that he would no longer need to play every possible role for his team..he did not join the Heat to play the same role he did in Cleveland..

Part of it is due to Wade's struggles and Bosh's injury, but most of it is on the coach..

[100%duncan]

we know it's the philibeaner who cost us our championship run last year, and this year he's putting us at the brink of elimination now.

FUCK the philibeaners, FUCK you all :ihit


bron just not a leader imho, nigga should wait till he turns 35 or so and signs for vet min with some true contender, running the coattail and winning a ring for himself before retiring like payton did tbh

Does not compute. :lmao

[HarlemHeat37]

:lol Kobe has always played 1 role on his team..he's a scorer with occasional playmaking..

The Lakers hid him on defense, while Ariza and Artest guarded the opposing team's best player..he had 3 7 footers on his team and a DPOY candidate in Artest, along with the GOAT coach drawing shit up..

It's easier to perform in clutch time when you can maintain your energy by only having to play 1 role, all game..

[ducks]

wade and james have to go for 80

their is NO high fiving each
their is NO CHEMISTRY ON THE HEAT
IT COULD BE JAMES FAULT
heat won without james

[Donkeybong]

Stern sending a message to the rest of the league about colluding to form superteams.

[Donkeybong]

:lol Kobe has always played 1 role on his team..he's a scorer with occasional playmaking..

The Lakers hid him on defense, while Ariza and Artest guarded the opposing team's best player..he had 3 7 footers on his team and a DPOY candidate in Artest, along with the GOAT coach drawing shit up..

It's easier to perform in clutch time when you can maintain your energy by only having to play 1 role, all game..

:cry

[Baron Davιs]

pT-I8jQDQ7c

[LA24]

:lol Kobe has always played 1 role on his team..he's a scorer with occasional playmaking..

It's easier to perform in clutch time when you can maintain your energy by only having to play 1 role, all game..

True, Kobe doesn't play both ends of the floor much anymore. But have you seen him during the first 3 runs with Shaq ? He was doing everything and performing in clutch as well. He wasn't afraid of the moment or big shots.
Regardless, I still think James will eventually get over the hump despite his mental shortcomings. But honestly, he has no excuse not to win now. Boston are the underdogs and are old.

[HarlemHeat37]

Kobe is more clutch than Lebron, didn't say otherwise..

However, even if Miami had won these clutch time games, they shouldn't even be in close games vs. this Celtics team in the first place, tbh..their offensive system is atrocious and their shooters can't shoot..

[Venti Quattro]

Kobe is more clutch than Lebron, didn't say otherwise..

Am I reading this right?

[mercos]

I do not feel sorry for him. He is paying the price for making the wrong choice in going to Miami. The Heat's big three are not a good match or a title trio. Despite the NBA's reputation of being a superstar's league, you can't just throw any three star players together and expect to win it all.

Lebron and D-Wade are to similar players. Their strengths overlap, and thus talent (and ultimately money) is wasted. Bosh is a jump shooting big that does not dominate the paint. The Heat would have been a lot better off if they had signed Lebron or D-Wade, matched one of them with Bosh, and used the extra money to sign better shooters and a defensive big to pair with Bosh.

Lebron could have went to almost any team in the league. There were several teams he could have gone to and had a much better chance at winning a title. He made a bad basketball decision, and he is now paying for it on the court.

[LA24]

their offensive system is atrocious and their shooters can't shoot..

If that's the case why's Lebron deferring to his teammates so much ?
The last 7 minutes, I was thinking, why is he passing so much ? That's his time to take over. He's a beast. And he's good enough to win them the game on his own. That's what I don't get. If he's going to go down, he should go down shooting. Seems like he just wants to blend in and become a good role player almost when it counts the most.

[KD4MVP]

Can't say i do.

[ChrisRichards]

Regardless, I still think James will eventually get over the hump despite his mental shortcomings. But honestly, he has no excuse not to win now. Boston are the underdogs and are old.

Thing is this is Lebron's prime year. If he couldn't show his willingness to take the shot now, he will not develop that next year or in any of the few remaining years of his career. Lebron is just not the guy who will "force" a shot. He will always make the right play.

And Lebron does have an excuse this year. I'm sorry but outside of Wade, Miami's roster is trash tbh. They are heavily relying on Haslem, Joel Anthony and Turiaf for crying out loud!

If Bosh is healthy then there won't be any excuses.

[DeadlyDynasty]

Am I reading this right?

:lol

[ChrisRichards]

I do not feel sorry for him. He is paying the price for making the wrong choice in going to Miami. .
Not a lot of choices tbh. There was no future in Cleveland and New York is a mess. Hindsight is a beautiful thing.

[DeadlyDynasty]

btw, Mike Miller is absolutely terrible...just awful.

Jones and Battier have sucked ass as well.

Chalmers is a keeper...he's improved immensely and will continue to do so. He's also not afraid to take big shots. Keep the big 3 + Chalmers and scrap everyone else.

[LnGrrrR]

Not a lot of choices tbh. There was no future in Cleveland and New York is a mess. Hindsight is a beautiful thing.

Pretty sure Chicago was an option...

[TIMMYtoZO]

:lol This offseason discussion for Miami should be postponed until AFTER they win the 2012 championship. Miami is still winning this championship. I just don't see them failing. I just don't. I see a team making things real difficult for themselves, but even that will be something they will overcome.

[Venti Quattro]

btw, Mike Miller is absolutely terrible...just awful.

:lmao I was campaigning for det guy to join LA in the summer of 2010.

:cry he can shoot and create space for the bigs down low
:cry his shooting can help Kobe have more working room and save mileage
:cry he is a decent defender too
:cry he's a classy locker room glue guy

Glad it didn't turn out that way.

[oh crap]

fuck that prick. couldn't be happier, tbh.

[ChrisRichards]

Pretty sure Chicago was an option...
I remember that. Who knows what. Rose is injured leaving Bron with Deng, Noah and Boozer. Good team tbh, not sure if they can win a chip. But having Thibs is a good thing. Lebron needs the ball though, so does Rose. not sure how that would work tbh.

[100%duncan]

Pretty sure Chicago was an option...

Dayuuuum.

[#41 Shoot Em Up]

Seriously speaking, the guy is doing absolutely everything in his power throughout his career to win an NBA championship. From his first NBA Finals appearance carrying Larry Hughes and Boozer to this year's sorry ass Miami team. Plain and simple, Lebron needs help. I know people are going to point at the fact that he has Wade, but D Wade is not even a Top 10 player this post season.




And to add salt to injury, unlike great organizations like the Lakers, Celtics and Spurs who surrounds their franchise players with HOF coaches and quality role players, Miami offered Lebron Eric freakin Spoelstra! I can't help but imagine Lebron with a big man like Bynum and Gasol or players like Ibaka, Westbrook and Harden or with a coach like Jackson, Popovich or even Doc Rivers. For some reason, the greatest player of his generation has wasted his career with Mike Brown and Spo. Ridiculous.



At this point, Lebron is going down the same path as Karl Malone and Barkley. I hope Pat resigns next year and just keep his share as a minority owner. We need a new GM that has balls to break this trio because its not working. Obviously, Wade is not going anywhere but I sure do hope they package him for another talent to help Lebron win a championship. Heck, trade him to Orlando for Dwight and absorb Hedo's contract if they have to.

Yous a faggot azz nigga

[mercos]

Pretty sure Chicago was an option...


I thought so too, and I thought that was the best option. One superstar already in place, a great coach coming in, and much better role players. If Lebron went to Chicago, I am very confident they would have won the title last year.

[ChrisRichards]

:lmao I was campaigning for det guy to join LA in the summer of 2010. .
I heard LA needs knowck down shooters. We'll trade him for MWP. :lol

[LA24]

Lebron is just not the guy who will "force" a shot. He will always make the right play.

But he's good enough to create his own shots. And sometimes, making the right play isn't passing to an inferior player. It's knowing you have a better chance of scoring even if someone else is wide open. Anyways, I digress. I think I've made my point. Lebron had a solid game though. But I just sense he could've been even better and carried them to a win despite all the other "excuses"...he's too good.

Boston's missing people from injuries as well. Basketball's a mental game, and Boston's superior in that category whether they win this series or not.

[tesseractive]

Not a lot of choices tbh. There was no future in Cleveland and New York is a mess. Hindsight is a beautiful thing.

Virtually any team in the NBA would have been happy to have him. Hell, he could have signed for the midlevel somewhere if he'd wanted.

But really, all he would have had to do to lock up some rings was sign with Chicago. They even had the cap. A ton of really solid supporting players, some second-tier stars, played really well as a team, all they were missing was an alpha dog. Literally could not have been a more perfect situation, and you could have just cancelled the Finals for about 5 years straight, because it would have been over for anyone else.

Instead he decided to form a microwave team with stars whose games didn't really complement each other and a decided lack of either quality role players or team cohesion.

His call. His DECISION.

It's all on him, so I give him no sympathy.

[Donkeybong]

If Lebron went to Chicago there would have been only one other threat in the East in Boston. Lock for ECF every year.

[Venti Quattro]

I think I've made my point. Lebron had a solid game though. But I just sense he could've been even better and carried them to a win despite all the other "excuses"...he's too good.

LeBron had a solid game but he was scoreless for 8:00 in the fourth. Ouch.

[LA24]

yea, that was my point.

[jeebus]

LeBron had a solid game but he was scoreless for the last 8:00 of the game. Ouch.

son, according to espn, he had a layup with 10 seconds left

:cry so clutch :cry

[Venti Quattro]

son, according to espn, he had a layup with 10 seconds left

:cry so clutch :cry

Yeah, sorry for that. I corrected it. What I meant is that he was scoreless for 8 minutes in the fourth. Still, that sucks.

His two field goals:

8:10 LeBron James makes 25-foot three point jumper (Dwyane Wade assists)
0:09 LeBron James makes driving layup

[dbreiden83080]

Not a lot of choices tbh. There was no future in Cleveland and New York is a mess. Hindsight is a beautiful thing.

His Cavs made the finals and won a ton of games in his tenure.. He didn't have to leave..

[LnGrrrR]

I see a team making things real difficult for themselves...

Funny... you didn't see that before the series started. :lol

[jjktkk]

bron just not a leader imho, nigga should wait till he turns 35 or so and signs for vet min with some true contender, running the coattail and winning a ring for himself before retiring like payton did tbh

[ChrisRichards]

But he's good enough to create his own shots. And sometimes, making the right play isn't passing to an inferior player. It's knowing you have a better chance of scoring even if someone else is wide open. Anyways, I digress. I think I've made my point. Lebron had a solid game though. But I just sense he could've been even better and carried them to a win despite all the other "excuses"...he's too good.

He doesn;t always pass to inferior players. Wade also likes to ISO during crunch time. Can't say I blame Lebron for allowing Wade to do that considering Wade has seniority over the team in a sense.



Boston's missing people from injuries as well. Basketball's a mental game, and Boston's superior in that category whether they win this series or not.
Bosh>Bradleys value to their respective teams fwiw.


His Cavs made the finals and won a ton of games in his tenure.. He didn't have to leave..

Cleveland was just not an attractive place for a guy like Lebron tbh. :lol

[ducks]

son, according to espn, he had a layup with 10 seconds left

:cry so clutch :cry

he sucked when it counted at home

[Sean Cagney]

Yeah he does well alot, but his 2 ppg or less and less than 40% in last years finals says he does not show up when it really counts! PERIOD. He is a great player though.

[ducks]

he also is not a point guard

[lurker]

http://i46.tinypic.com/2hzu6g7.jpg

[Jacob1983]

Lebron is a douchebag and a diva but isn't it funny how he gets all this shit but there are several NBA legends and greats that choked more in the playoffs than him yet he gets more shit? Dominique Wilkins, Chris Webber, Tracy McGrady, Iverson, Chris Mullin, Tim Hardaway, etc...

[LnGrrrR]

Lebron is a douchebag and a diva but isn't it funny how he gets all this shit but there are several NBA legends and greats that choked more in the playoffs than him yet he gets more shit? Dominique Wilkins, Chris Webber, Tracy McGrady, Iverson, Chris Mullin, Tim Hardaway, etc...

Because Lebron is better than all of those players. And, I could be wrong, but those players didn't predict multiple championships before they had even played a game with the team they were on.

[Sean Cagney]

Because Lebron is better than all of those players. And, I could be wrong, but those players didn't predict multiple championships before they had even played a game with the team they were on.

He said how many titles? NOT ONE NOT TWO but......... Before he won one right?

[Jacob1983]

True but maybe Lebron just isn't as great as everyone says he is?

[Deuce Bigalow]

http://i.minus.com/ibf1YHjJBfRXye.gif

[Jacob1983]

KG could fuckin rip Lebron's head off with his bare hands. LMAO

[HI-FI]

i don't hate lebron, i don't necessarily feel sorry for him either. he made his "decision" and it backfired. I enjoy watching him play, I consider him a better overall player and teammate than kobe, even if he never wins as many championships.

i'm sure lebron can be a diva or douche at times, but he still has a way to go to outdo Kobe in the narcissist/rapist category. I think Lebron is probably a good guy, just misguided.

no idea where his career will go. i don't even know if he would have won a ring by remaining in Cleveland.

[Sportstudi]

your sig is starting to look kinda useless, chrisrichards :lol



A better comparison than the age would be years in the league as Jordan played 3 years in college. After this year James has spent 9 years in the league (03-04 - 11-12). That equates Jordan's career from 84-85 - 92-93. Sure, the outcome might change as Miami can still ring this year. But right now it looks like this:

After 9 years in the league:

NBA titles: Jordan 3 / James 0

NBA Finals app: Jordan 3 / James 2

MVP awards: Jordan 3 / James 3

You can also add NBA Finals MVP: Jordan 3 / James 0

Case closed.

[Koolaid_Man]

Seriously speaking, the guy is doing absolutely everything in his power throughout his career to win an NBA championship. From his first NBA Finals appearance carrying Larry Hughes and Boozer to this year's sorry ass Miami team. Plain and simple, Lebron needs help. I know people are going to point at the fact that he has Wade, but D Wade is not even a Top 10 player this post season.




And to add salt to injury, unlike great organizations like the Lakers, Celtics and Spurs who surrounds their franchise players with HOF coaches and quality role players, Miami offered Lebron Eric freakin Spoelstra! I can't help but imagine Lebron with a big man like Bynum and Gasol or players like Ibaka, Westbrook and Harden or with a coach like Jackson, Popovich or even Doc Rivers. For some reason, the greatest player of his generation has wasted his career with Mike Brown and Spo. Ridiculous.



At this point, Lebron is going down the same path as Karl Malone and Barkley. I hope Pat resigns next year and just keep his share as a minority owner. We need a new GM that has balls to break this trio because its not working. Obviously, Wade is not going anywhere but I sure do hope they package him for another talent to help Lebron win a championship. Heck, trade him to Orlando for Dwight and absorb Hedo's contract if they have to.

hey suck on some hairy balls and die - ok :lol

[EasyD]

Wow, this kid is really evil, twisting the knife in the wound. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SMUPnkuslQ)


http://i.imgur.com/AB9Vs.png

[urunobili]

trade for the #1 pick for Wade and Bosh in 3,2,1...

[tesseractive]

True but maybe Lebron just isn't as great as everyone says he is?

The guy has 3 regular season MVPs. He's the only guy in the history of the NBA who's a member of the 3 MVPs 0 rings club.

I think he's earned the criticism fair and square.

[Venti Quattro]

While LeBron James experiment teeters on collapse, Erik Spoelstra reveals Heat's softness (http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nba--as-lebron-james-experiment-teeters-on-collapse--erik-spoelstra-reveals-heat-s-softness.html;_ylt=AhHR1aBfT8LsdFNLcbxJfIe8vLYF)

MIAMI – As his superstars stayed back in the losing locker room, Erik Spoelstra made an unprompted, revealing plea on the stage. No one had led him with a question, but the coach of these Miami Heat delivered an unmistakable message to LeBron James. Here was the disciple of Pat Riley, flinching, covering up, expecting the worst of the world, and proclaiming his concern about the ability of his fragile stars to construct a wall between them and the doubt that dooms seasons.

"Our focus is to fight any kind of noise from the outside, or any human condition," Spoelstra said late on Tuesday night. The human condition is this: He's begging his Heat stars to do something they didn't do a year ago, when they lost a series lead, lost the momentum, lost the edge and lost their way going into a Game 6. Please, please, don't collapse under the weight of our frailties again.

Spoelstra knows his superstar, his leader, and made an appeal that counterpart Doc Rivers wouldn't need to do with Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo still playing in their 40's.

Fight the human condition? As defensive concession speeches go, Spoelstra hit all the code words for his own apprehension over the gathering storm of a Heat Armageddon.

He had to know that he possibly coached his final game at AmericanAirlines Arena with this startling 94-90 Game 5 loss, that losing in the conference finals would leave him with nothing but a notebook of cool Doc Rivers plays to bring with him to Charlotte.

"I never thought we would be in this situation," Dwyane Wade said.

That's the problem for the Heat, and a year after they collapsed in the NBA Finals it's a mindset that still hangs over them. He was talking about going down 3-2 to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals, but this was a reflection of something bigger.

All along, they believed this would be easy, that the NBA would lay down for them. Two years ago, they believed this resembled Team USA, that most of the league would crumble like Angola to them. Now, they lose a Game 5 to the Celtics, a team they've had every chance to discard, and here's how LeBron James talks about one more playoff night, when the Heat couldn't match the Celtics' resolve, execution and championship character.

"We played good enough to give ourselves a chance to win," James said. "That's all you can ask for."

In what universe is that all the NBA's three-time Most Valuable Player can ask for? To play well enough for a chance to win?

There's no way James believes that because his talent is too great – too historic – to sound so resigned to this fate. The Heat need to understand that this is unacceptable, that the sloppy play, the turnovers, the abject failure to run a play, to spare themselves breakdowns, eats away to his core.

As a Cleveland Cavalier two years ago, James was a mess upon his arrival in Boston for Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. He had completely tanked Game 5. His disposition, his determination, has been exemplary in these playoffs. His game has been largely efficient, and almost always spectacular. Yet, he's had moments in the fourth quarter where he could've made plays, made shots, that would've crushed these Celtics. And it hasn't happened.

This is a contrarian basketball culture that will make excuses for him: From Spoelstra to the complementary players, from Wade to Chris Bosh. James deemed them championship-worthy, cast his lot here, and he's responsible for the results. The MVP gets the glory and he gets the blame. Miami is good enough to beat Boston, and anything short of victory is a failure for the ages.

"At this point, it's not about schemes," Wade said. "It's not about play-calling."

Which is good news for the Heat, considering Rivers has reminded everyone why, along with Gregg Popovich, he's one of the NBA's two best coaches. When he disguised his man-to-man as a zone in the fourth quarter, the Heat were lost, and the Celtics had a chance to make that relentless comeback full of Rondo loose ball tips for assists, Michael Pietrus 3-pointers, Kevin Garnett rebounds and a Paul Pierce 3-pointer over the out-stretched arms of James in the final minute.

People wanted to make a big deal out of James and Wade refusing to go to the interview podium in a loss when they never miss the chance in victory. At this point, who cares anymore?

The only relevance to James' words in the locker room is the absence of malice over losing, the sense that a Game 5 loss when Rajon Rondo, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen missed 32 of 43 shots is somehow palatable. Hey, we were close. We had our chances. What else can you ask for? The superstar doesn't ask for anything else: he demands it. Of himself, of others.

Down 3-2 on the way back to Boston, losers of 15 of their past 16 games at the Garden, Miami should still be the favorite in this series. After all, they have Bosh back now, and he played well in his 14 minutes. He'll play a bigger part on Thursday night, and this ought to be liberating for the Heat. Full-strength, full speed to a comeback victory in the Eastern Conference finals. They were constructed to win these games, these series, but the leadership won't come out of the protégé spitting out the endless stream of Riley-isms out of the old man's crises manual.

"It's probably like a boxer," Spoelstra said. "You just got to go back to your corner right now. We all just have to huddle up and lean on each other. We're the only people we can depend on right now. That can be a very powerful thing."

And on and on Spoelstra droned Tuesday night, the wrong voice trying to send the proper message of solidarity and belief. Spoelstra can't counter Rivers on a tactical level, but he does know the psyche of his team, and he rushed quickly in the aftermath of this debacle to throw a blanket over his players to protect them from the harsh cold coming in the next 48 hours. The Heat don't need pep talks out of Spoelstra, but a game plan for victory. Mostly, they need James to declare his greatness and deliver to the magnitude of the moment. For his own sake, his own peace, he has to rage against that Celtics monolith, those banners, his own gory Garden history, and get these Eastern Conference finals back to the shores of Biscayne Bay for a Game 7 on Saturday night.

Two years ago, he had gone to Boston for a Game 6, and the excuses for losing surrounded him everywhere. From Mike Brown to his Cavaliers supporting cast, from Kevin Garnett to Paul Pierce, circumstances declared James free of responsibility for that loss. Not this time, not this team. James can't let these Heat go down in the conference finals, because no longer is it good enough for the Heat to simply give themselves a chance to win, to declare the Celtics great, proud champions and say, hey, there's no shame in losing to them.

The shame will be downright debilitating, and there has to be a part of James that will rage against that possibility now. Wade insisted he never imagined that the Heat would be in this predicament, but here they are, Game 6 again, stumbling, reeling and fighting to hold everything together. When the coach could've proclaimed his unwavering confidence in these Heat, the first words out of his mouth reflected his keen understanding of history.

"We normally respond really well to desperation," Wade said.

Desperation is the cusp of elimination, and Miami couldn't have possibly reacted worse to it a season ago in the Finals. Now, the Heat get to show the progress they've made, the maturity, the poise, the championship DNA that exists somewhere within them. Now, the Miami Heat get to reveal themselves in the purest, truest way on Thursday night at Boston Garden, and the truth about this diabolical basketball creation comes tumbling out into the light now. Whatever they are, they show themselves now. Whatever happens, LeBron James and the Miami Heat own it. Whatever happens, history gets to the judge now. And this is merely the Eastern Conference finals. They weren't created to hang that banner, but the big one, and that feels far, far away now.

And yet somehow, some way, they have to stop fighting the weight of this burden, and embrace the entirety of this experiment. One more loss, and Armageddon awaits for this franchise and its stars. One more loss, and the wall could come tumbling down on LeBron James, these Heat and a world that may see a modern basketball superpower dismantled before everyone's eyes.

[jeebus]

http://i.minus.com/ibf1YHjJBfRXye.gif

the equivalent of hack-a-splitter. turned the series around.

[Findog]

Heat as constructed are too top-heavy. They're not built to survive an injury to one of their big three and Wade has been playing like ass for the most part these playoffs.

Here's the problem when you have two #1's, and a #2 playing the role of a #3. On the one hand you have an All-Star #2 guy slotted in the role of a #3 guy, but you're paying Bosh damn near #1 money to play that #3 role. It would make more sense to pay a guy #3 money to be the #3 guy. They should trade either Wade or Bosh for a starter and some role players. They have no balance and depth to their roster. With the salary cap the way it is, for the Heat to win a title, they can't afford any significant injuries to their top three players. Also, their two best players overlap in their skillsets. LeBron does the same things and performs the same role as Wade, he just does it much, much better. Too often their crunchtime offense is Wade and Bron going dueling banjos. It doesn't work.

You can't trade LeBron, he's the best player. If I were Miami, I'd trade Wade this summer for a decent starting center and some role players to fill out the rotation.

[JoeTait75]

You can't trade LeBron, he's the best player. If I were Miami, I'd trade Wade this summer for a decent starting center and some role players to fill out the rotation.

I think Wade would be the last guy they trade. A.) he's the most popular player in the history of that franchise and B.) because of his age and the perception that he's on the backside of his career, they'd probably get less for him than they would get for either of the other guys.

imo if any of the three go, it's going to be Bosh.

[OZWIN]

He should have just stayed in Cleveland as he was doing big things there. The season he left they were doing fine and the team wasn't even that bad. LeBron should have stayed with Cleveland.

[CavsSuperFan]

Real talk here…LeBron (like Malone & Barkley), is one of the best players to ever play in the NBA…But he has shown that he does not have what Larry, Magic, Kobe, Duncan, Garnett & MJ have…The heart of a Champion…Blame Riles, blame Spoel, blame Bosh, but in all reality LeBron is weak in the knees when the game is on the line…

[DMC]

Needs help. He's got Wade and Bosh. If the Spurs had those three, they would be unstoppable because they would play team basketball. The Heat let their towel boy coach the team. Surely Spo is Pat Riley's bastard child.

Also, the super friends experiments don't always produce champions, but they do produce competitors and better teams.

[Goran Dragic]

IMO it'd be stupid to break the big 3 up. Spoelstra and shooters missing wide open shots is the obvious problem in Miami. As DD said, Chalmers has developed nicely and looks to score at the right time. Keep him and the big 3. Scrap everything else.

[Findog]

I think Wade would be the last guy they trade. A.) he's the most popular player in the history of that franchise and B.) because of his age and the perception that he's on the backside of his career, they'd probably get less for him than they would get for either of the other guys.

imo if any of the three go, it's going to be Bosh.

Bosh is an All-Star caliber big man, and that team might work a lot better with Bosh moving up to be the #2 guy. Wade still has quite a bit of trade value. You can still get a starter and maybe a couple of bench guys for him. I agree that for PR reasons they might be really gun-shy to trade Wade, but I don't know about trading Bosh either. Bosh knows where the bodies are buried, so to speak, about what went down pre-The Decision. I'm pretty sure these guys made up their minds long before they left Cleveland and Toronto to join forces in Miami and there was quite a bit of tampering and collusion.

[DMC]

IMO it'd be stupid to break the big 3 up. Spoelstra and shooters missing wide open shots is the obvious problem in Miami. As DD said, Chalmers has developed nicely and looks to score at the right time. Keep him and the big 3. Scrap everything else.

They need Bonner and Blair.

[JoeTait75]

To me the big mystery of LeBron is that he didn't used to have this... issue with crunch time and the fourth quarter. He was phenomenal for the Cavaliers in all those series against Washington, against Detroit, in 2008 against Boston and in '09 against Orlando.

Usually a guy either has it or doesn't have the clutch gene right from the start. It's a little baffling when a guy goes from having the clutch gene to not having it.

[HarlemHeat37]

Honestly, it's starting to look like a fatigue and over-usage issue IMO..he's gassed by the 4th quarter..

In Cleveland, he had the same offensive responsibility, but he didn't have to put in the same defensive effort..he was able to conserve energy for the 4th quarter, where he did not have nearly the same "closer" issues as he does in Miami, as JoeTait said..

Lebron joining the Heat was supposed to decrease his load, but it has actually increased..that's on coaching, tbh..the problem is compounded by Spoelstra's system, which is based on players swarming on D, killing their energy, especially James..

He improved his jump shot, he improved his post game, the issues are still the same..

What other player in NBA history has been asked to play the following roles: primary scorer, primary playmaker, top rebounder AND defensive anchor..

I can't think of any player that had the same level of responsibility..possibly KG in Minnesota?..

[Brazil]

:cry Lebron is working too much
:cry chosen one cannot do everything
:cry he is tired
:cry that's not his fault

[KD4MVP]

Bosh>Bradleys value to their respective teams fwiw.





No shit.

- They are also missing Jeff Green, Jermaine O'Neal.
- Ray Allen has bone spurs in his ankle.
- Pierce isn't 100%.

And Bradley is a HUGE piece to that team, one of the better perimeter defenders in the league.

Series aint over though.