By John McMullen,
Dallas, TX - For a guy that supposedly wants to defer in big moments, LeBron James sure made things difficult for himself before Game 5 of the NBA Finals when he described the contest as "the most important of his life."
He recovered from his lowest-scoring postseason game in 90 career outings with a triple-double of 17 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, the first in Miami postseason history and the seventh of his career. But, the Heat fell to the Mavericks, 112-103, falling behind 3-2 in the series.
"The only thing that applies to me is a win. Win or a loss," James said afterwards. "I could have made a couple more plays for my team, but at the end of the day, all it is about a win or a loss. And a triple-double means absolutely nothing, you know, in a loss."
James' triple-double on Thursday was just the 29th in Finals history, certainly an impressive feat at first glance. However, the fourth quarter struggles continued. He was held to just two points in the final frame for the second straight game, and those came with 29.6 seconds remaining when the game was decided.
Hollow triple-doubles are nothing new for "The King."
His last game in a Cleveland uniform featured an impressive line of 27 points, 19 rebounds and 10 assists, something the James sycophants used as proof that LeBron did all he could to help lift his overmatched teammates over a veteran- laden Boston Celtics club peaking at the right time.
That, of course, conveniently ignored that the Cavs were the favorites in that set coming in, along with his nine turnovers in the game, the slumping shoulders when things went bad and the now familiar willingness to defer big shots to those same teammates everyone dismissed. Teammates I might add were good enough to help LeBron get 66 wins in 2008-09 and 61 a year later, more than the 58 he recorded this season with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.
A triple-double is usually the hallmark of truly great all-around players. Only four or five guys in all of basketball have the skill to put up numbers like James did in a losing effort last night.
That said, I'll take the closer, the assassin over a glorified Andre Iguodala any day.
Give me the guy who wants to take over the game in the waning minutes. Give me the player that longs to sit in an interview room in front of 200 media members and explain why the game-winning shot went in or fell off the rim.
James has 11 points in the fourth quarter during this series. In comparison, the Mavs' Dirk Nowitzki, who absolutely craves the ball in tight situations, has 52.
A facilitator may help you win an NBA championship but you can bet he's setting up a player with ice in his veins, an executioner that thrives with a dagger in his hands.
The Miami Heat are still in this series. The 2-3-2 format heavily favors the team that earned home-court advantage in the regular season. Game 5 in North Texas was simply a swing before things shifted back to Miami for Game 6 on Sunday and, possibly, a winner-take-all Game 7 next Tuesday night.
Remember the Celtics took Game 5 in Beantown over the Lakers last year only to lose the two subsequent games in Hollywood.
The Heat have to win two straight games on their home floor to earn the NBA title, something they are certainly capable of doing but expecting James to play the hero and take over things offensively in the fourth quarter is just wishful thinking at this point.
D-Wade...You're up.
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