Lebron James 4th Quarter Splits (Lebron's Passiveness)

[Bulls4LifeX]

I think Lebron should just forget what people say and be, Lebron. When he makes a mistake he takes it so hard, Wade in the Orlando game shot the game winner before going to overtime, he missed and smiled and we all knew he will shoot it again. Rose the same, one thing that Rose said from last year is not peing passive in the clutch and this year he has done a great job finishing games. I think Lebron especially in losses this year has been alwful in the 4th quater. But he has to learn to shut out the critics and if you lose you lose and if you win you win. In close games, all that Lebron has to do is post up, he will get fouled 90% of the time, nobody can guard him 1 on 1.

[DWadeno3]

I see him as more of a jumpshooter now than in Cleveland. Wouldn't a jumpshooter be more reliant on rhythm than a rim attacker? I mean Wade doesn't seem to have this issue at all. Doesn't matter who's in the game, as soon as you put him in, he can be firing on all cylinders. Lebron has to establish himself early to have confidence in his skill-based game late. Because he doesn't have the high percentage drives to fall back on, he tends to just play passive if he's inserted with only a few minutes to go, because why shoot jumpshots when you've got Wade there to create higher percentage buckets.

LeBron is a much better jump shooter now than he was in Cleveland, which is why I claimed he needed more rhythm in Cleveland to actually catch fire than he does with us. In the Philly game, he didn't score that much in the 4th and only had one jump shot, which was a huge won for us though. He wasn't in a pretty good rhythm prior to it, but had the ability to create a well-balanced jump shot and easily nail it.

But if this is true, why were his 4th quarter numbers so much better in Cleveland? If he was more of a rhythm player then, why was he blowing the rest of the league out of the water late in games?

This is because of my previously made statement: While he was great, he was also put in a perfect situation to be great. He was pretty much surrounded by great shooters to space the floor combined with big guys who were able to set good screens or be threats out of the pick and pop. This way, LeBron could freelance a lot more while also having the sole responsibility on his shoulders, which ultimately pushed him to Miami.

[SideshowBob]

This is because of my previously made statement: While he was great, he was also put in a perfect situation to be great. He was pretty much surrounded by great shooters to space the floor combined with big guys who were able to set good screens or be threats out of the pick and pop. This way, LeBron could freelance a lot more while also having the sole responsibility on his shoulders, which ultimately pushed him to Miami.

But see, that explanation would work if that were true during his entire tenure in Cleveland. Prior to 2009, his teams had awful spacing on average, (even the team that went to the Finals was only ranked 18th in 3P% and 15th in 3PA). The only decent pick'n'pop player (heck the only consistently decent offensive player) he had from 05-08 was Ilgauskas. Varejao wasn't really a major player yet, and the second best big he had was Gooden, who was a 12 points on 53.6% TS guy for 3 yeasrs. I'd hardly call those earlier Cavs teams "tailor-made" for Lebron to succeed, and yet, we saw the same 4th quarter dominance then, with an even weaker jumpshot than 09 and 10 (when he was a little over league average from midrange).

[EscapoTHB]

I think the problem is not that he doesn't start the fourth, it's that he comes in at the 6 minute mark and not the 8 or 9 minute mark. 6 minutes is too little time for a key contributor to get going, particularly if Wade has got something going in the meantime.

Fortunately this is just Spo limiting Lebron's minutes in the regular season. Come playoffs he and Wade will play virtually every minute.

Which you just hope Lebron doesn't lose his legs. I thought in the finals on defense last year he looked out of gas.

[bluerain]

IMO it's mix of alot things. Lebron handles are OK for his size, but lately he has been fumbling the ball alot, and really fr most part of it that players are getting away alot fouling Lebron on his dribble penatraction, hacking and not getting calls. In Celv eland these calls would be fouls

More offense charges are called against him now, and thses things are why IMO why his a little passive. He window were all ready limited on how he attacked the rim, so thus official has taken most of his bread and butter on attacking. Think back to the very first game he played as a Miami Heat, he played like the Cleveland Lebron against the Celtics. How many times he got to the foul line. Games are no longer called the same for these guys.

[EscapoTHB]

Lebron goes to the line plenty. I think his new bread and butter play is posting up. He's money on the post up now, and demands a double or triple team, and is killing teams out of that.

I feel like we don't go to Lebron in the post enough in fourth quarters. It makes more sense to start the ball with Lebron on the post on every play in the fourth quarter, see if a double comes, and then rotate, and have Wade or Bosh attacking from the weakside. There is not a player in this league that can stop Lebron in the post.

The promising thing though is when we played the Bulls, it seemed like Lebron was refusing to do anything BUT post up Deng. So it seems like he was trying that out for the playoffs.

I think Lebron has another gear or two that he's going to hit in this year's playoffs. Just hope it's to the end this year.

The way Bosh is playing this year though, we might be able to still win it with a sub par Lebron finals.

[BigDaddyPR]

Finally someone sees what i have been arguing about with my hater friends.

Lebron should start and play the whole 4th, for him to be an effective offensive player he has to be in a rhythm , he is not a pure shooter, he needs attempts to get in the flow of his offensive game and that is very hard for him to accomplish when he enters when theres only 7 or 8 mins left with Wade already in his game, warm, and we all know Lebron is not going to take the game from him, so he limits his attempts (thats what you should focus on his 4th qtrs) and concentrates on creating for others and defending. At the last minute of close games now people want him to take the last shots when he knows he is not in rhythm. It is easier for Wade, cause Wade is a better mid range shooter, and imo a better, more polished scorer. (noticed the IMO right). Lebron should play the whole 4th, Wade should enter by the 8 min mark.

My humble opinion.