LeBron’s legacy hangs in the balance

I realize we would all take LeBron’s paycheck if it meant we had to deal with his “pressure.” I think it’s insulting to ask people to categorize the pressure James is dealing with versus our military or the firefighters in northeast Arizona. Anyone with a clue understands the point and it’s OK to be left unsaid.

Accepting the fact that few of us go through the same pressure as first responders and the military experience, how’s it going at work today? Is it a normal day or do you feel a lot more pressure than normal?

If every single person you interact with at work has been looking at you wondering if you’re going to do your job, LeBron James knows how you feel. The same thing happened to him Tuesday.

The bigger issue is his Thursday. It’s time for him to let Tuesday go. Thursday night LeBron James has the highest challenge of his career. Is he one of the greatest players of all time or is he a mentally weak man?

For thousands of professional athletes, this is an unfair question. Rarely do athletes fail due to mental weakness. Most of them fail just because they weren’t the better player that day. Some fail because it takes every ounce of their talent just to make that level of sports and they’re just not good enough to succeed at the highest level. Their success is just being there.

It is fair to ask the question when the subject is LeBron. It is a fact that he is one of the most talented basketball players in the history of the game. It is my opinion that he is the most talented player in the history of the game. With that title comes a high level of expectations. It is undeniable he was completely unfocused in Game 4. If he’s great, we’ll see it Thursday night.

What if we don’t see it in Game 5? This is bigger than a talk show host writing a blog. It’s bigger than just a good player having a bad series. This is about how history and his co-workers will look at him. Thursday night has short-term and long-term ramifications. If he struggles Thursday night, Miami’s title will always be Wade’s title. He could only recover by dominating an NBA Finals with an injured Wade sitting out. Mike Miller can score 8 points in an NBA Finals game, James can’t get away with those numbers.

As you work, do your co-workers believe in you? Right now, James’ do. If Tuesday night happens again in Game 5, they won’t. Thursday night will forever forge the opinion his teammates have of him. This is so much more than coming off a bad game. This is James answering the question to his teammates whether he’s even in the foxhole with them.

I think James is going to be incredible in Game 5. I think Miami will be incredible. There are hundreds of journalists and talk show hosts questioning James’ ego. So many think James’ performance is inversely proportional to the success of Wade. I don’t see how you come up with that assessment. If James cared to shine on his own at the expense of Wade, he wouldn’t be in Miami in the first place.

James could have stayed in Cleveland if he wanted to be a one-man band. If he wanted a little more help but still wanted the entire spotlight, he would have chosen New York after Amare was signed. He said no to both. LeBron James wants to win an NBA Championship with Dwyane Wade, not in spite of him.

There were things on James’ mind in Game 4 that we may never learn. His own legacy in the face of Wade wasn’t one of them. LeBron James will close out Games 5 and 6 in legendary fashion. LeBron James will win his first NBA Championship.

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