I’m just going to forewarn you: this post is pretty much about LeBron James. I’ll leave it up to you to click the X if you’ve already heard enough about the guy this week.
“This is a big game, probably the biggest game of my life, well, not probably, it is. And I’m approaching it that way.” -LeBron James prior to game five.
Yes, he had a triple double. No, I didn’t think he played very well, and I certainly didn’t feel like he played as if it was “the biggest game of [his] life.” With Dwyane Wade visibly hobbled by a sore hip and the Mavericks playing like the offensive juggernaut we saw in the first three rounds, the Heat needed some points–or something–from James down the stretch. Not only did he fail to provide them, but he didn’t even appear to have a burning desire to provide them. I like LeBron James, and I think he took waaaay too much sh!t for clunking a few late-game shots during the regular season, but even I have to admit that he really dropped the ball here. Down three with six minutes to go, LBJ assisted on a D-Wade bucket. His team was within one, and it was anybody’s game… but Miami needed this LeBron…
…in order to take advantage an opportunity to head back to Miami with a 3-2 lead that would’ve all but ensured an NBA title. Instead, they got this LeBron…
2 points, 1-3, 0 rebounds, 0 assists, 1 TO
And the two points were scored when it was all but decided, too. Miami had this series tied up at 2-2 with nine total fourth-quarter points from LBJ entering last night’s game. They could’ve used some more production from LeBron down the stretch of a couple games, but they were still in a pretty good position without it. In game five, though, they NEEDED LeBron. Like I said, Dwyane Wade was hobbled by a banged-up hip, and Chris Bosh is… Chris Bosh–a great player, but not a guy who’s going to out-do Dirk Nowitzki in crunch time. This was LeBron’s cue, but he never got the memo, apparently. He did take two shots in the final three minutes–each one for the lead–but that was hardly enough, and not what I would like to have seen from the guy. He was called for a charge on his only aggressive rack attack (that play came between the two jumpers)… so, I don’t know, I guess he tried to make a little something happen… but he didn’t really appear hungry to rip this crucial game from the clutches of the Mavs… which is a tad unsettling. I kind of figured he’d come out in beast-mode for this one after the whole game-four debacle, but I guess all the hype either doesn’t motivate him or completely destroys him… one or the other (Says my main man DeShawn Stevenson: “Different guys are different. [word?] Kobe Bryant feeds off stuff like that. He looks for it every time. LeBron’s a different kind of person. Obviously he’s a freak of nature, able to do a lot of things, but everybody in this league is built different.”)
Or maybe I’m just reading too much into this and he simply didn’t play all that well down the stretch in a big-time L, I don’t f@ckin’ know. It’s hard to figure with this dude. I’m not saying he’s going to be able to be the guy from game five of the Boston series every night–that was an incredible display that will be remembered forever if Miami comes back and wins this title–but couldn’t (and shouldn’t) he at least try to be that guy in this type of situation? I mean, it would be one thing if D-Wade was feelin’ it, or if some sort of other plan was working… but he wasn’t, and it wasn’t. Basically, Lebron’s number was dialed, and he didn’t pick up the phone.
The good news? Even with this damaging loss (you know the story; series tied 2-2, the winner of game five wins whatever percentage of the time… it’s high), all the Heat need to do is win two games at home. LeBron shows up big and helps the Heat achieve a comeback? It’s quite possibly the craziest story in the history of NBA basketball, and no one gives a flying f@ck about what LeBron did in game five… or four… or any other game of this entire season, aside from the ones where he delivered. I’m not saying that that’s how it should be, but that’s how it is. So, LeBron still has a chance to essentially send all of this stuff I just typed straight to the recycle bin… but this is his final opportunity to do so, and it’s looking like an awfully daunting task at this point.
Looks like the Mavs could have me eating some serious crow, eh? I believe the word I used to describe their fate a few days ago was “toast.” While I’m not writing Miami off, you’ve got to figure that Dallas would have to choke it a little bit to lose now. They haven’t exactly been known to choke throughout these playoffs. You know Dirk can taste it right now… and you know he’s hungry. I wouldn’t be surprised to see an absolutely MONSTROUS game out of the dude coming up here. He dropped another 29 last night in a rather routine performance. He didn’t have to play hero down the stretch because JJ Berea finally showed up (17 points), J-Kidd hit a huge three (13 points), and Jason Terry was excellent (21 points). It was Terry who hit the dagger from about a yard beyond the three-point line…
I’m not gonna give LeBron any trouble for that. What can you do? Dallas was making those shots in this game. They hadn’t been able to do so in the first four, so I guess they were due. Miami better hope they don’t make ‘em in games six or seven (if there is one).
Fun fact: this is the first time Miami has dropped back-to-back games in the 2011 playoffs.
Fun fact: Dallas finished up the third quarter with DeShawn Stevenson, Brian Cardinal, and Ian Mahinmi on the floor… and they won.
Fun fact: Mario Chalmers gave Miami 13 first-half points… and they lost.
