I'm Starting to Buy Into the Narrative

[FlashTheKilla]

Mods, if you feel we can't discuss this civilly, please lock.

I'm starting to buy into the narrative. Yes, that horrible one, the one that we have denied, denied, denied, the one that we all hate, the one that has been repeated over and over: That LeBron James simply isn't clutch. That he gets the shakes, that he gets nervous, that he shuts down mentally, that the pressure takes control instead of vice versa. I've been the first one to defend LeBron. I defend his decision making down the stretch. When he passes, it's always the smart basketball play. When he shoots, he had the mismatch, it just didn't go in. You guys know the drill. I've gained a lot of love for him throughout his tenure here with the Miami Heat. The guy is one of the greatest basketball players we've ever seen. EVER. 3 MVPs by the age of 27. Like, are you serious? I'm so damn glad to have him in a Heat uniform, regardless of whatever happens now and in the future.

But, like I said, it's becoming harder and harder to defend him. Allow me to site some statistics taken from the general board: In the last 5 minutes of each game this series (including the OTs), LeBron James is shooting 25% from the field and has 1 total assist. Now, tack on the Mavericks series, the infamous elbow in his last season as a Cav, his Finals sweep by the Spurs. Tack on all the times we've personally watched him blow a closeout, whether in regular season or post. (Sure, he's had his fair share of strong closeouts, but I'm inclined to say that he's had more blown ones than strong ones.)

All of this brings me to this: Heat fans, can you defend LeBron as a closer? Is there any evidence left, or is the evidence to the contrary too overpowering? I ask you to bring your best arguments here. I ask you to re-convince me. I don't want to believe that what the analysts have been saying all along has been true. Is Lebron a closer? If not, what is it going to take for him to become one? Does he need a coach that inspires him? Does he need a team that is so blatantly full of role players that he has no choice but to make the final on-floor decisions?

I still believe LeBron can become that guy. But what's it going to take?

[EscapoTHB]

We have lebron and wade. Why isn't wade closing these games for lebron? Its not like he doesn't have the ball in his hands. The problem we have is that neither lebron or wade is clutch. If just one of them was **** would be fine.

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[SweetTouch]

David Locke ‏@Lockedonsports
RT @nbastats: MIA's shooting 47.7% when LeBron's on the court but only 33.3% when he's on the bench. (Sounds like Cleve with him and without)

[FlashTheKilla]

David Locke ‏@Lockedonsports
RT @nbastats: MIA's shooting 47.7% when LeBron's on the court but only 33.3% when he's on the bench. (Sounds like Cleve with him and without)

Sure, this is something that helps to prove how absolutely incredible LeBron is as a player. But as a closer? Doesn't do much to help that argument.

[infinite11285]

It certainly looked like he closed out the first 3 rounds of the playoffs last year to me. This year he's carried the Heat despite routine slow starts from Wade (it was the same story last year too).

To ask him to be the primamry scorer, defender, fascilitator, closer, exerting 110% effort at all times without getting tired and playing 40+ mins a game is a burden no other elite player has ever had to endure in the history of the game. Let's be honest here, he isn't even being utilized properly under Spo, he's being run into the ground.

[CablexDeadpool]

Lebron does everything for the team

The team does nothing for him, it's that simple.

[FlashTheKilla]

So you guys believe that by lessening his burden he would be able to perform better in the closing moments of a game?

[SweetTouch]

Just a simple 1 minute rest in the 2nd half. There was this article showing how his stats are better with rest. But I guess that's asking for too much

He's doing a lot more then what he had to do at Cleveland. I'll tell you that

[EscapoTHB]

So you guys believe that by lessening his burden he would be able to perform better in the closing moments of a game?

The catch-22 is that if you lessen the burden on Lebron, there's no close game to close at the end.

[CablexDeadpool]

So you guys believe that by lessening his burden he would be able to perform better in the closing moments of a game?

Yeah, I mean the guy plays 40 plus mins because the rest of the team is horrible.

With the Cavs Lebron actually had these things

Legit big men that can actually guard the paint and dunk
Shooters that can actually knock down shots


With the Heat he has Wade who wants to play only in the second half and an underutilized Bosh

So now he does everything, the reason why he has become a better defender and a better this and a better that is because he has 2.

So in the fourth when it came to crunch time with the Cavs he could go off because he could coast in between the action with the Cavs.

[infinite11285]

So you guys believe that by lessening his burden he would be able to perform better in the closing moments of a game?

Yes. For one he's a MUCH BETTER player now than he ever was in Cleveland. Secondly being a closer is much more than just scoring points. He impacts other aspects of the game as well that lead to victory. However if he's being run into the ground, then expect him to dissappear because mentally he knows he isn't physically capable of performing due to fatigue.

[infinite11285]

I'm all for this clutch discussion but he's averaging 32/10/4 on 50% shooting in the Celtics series. What is he supposed to do? Score 22 points in the first 43 minutes and then 10 points in the last 5 minutes? That doesn't make any sense.

[EscapoTHB]

So you guys believe that by lessening his burden he would be able to perform better in the closing moments of a game?

Yeah, I mean the guy plays 40 plus mins because the rest of the team is horrible.

With the Cavs Lebron actually had these things

Legit big men that can actually guard the paint and dunk
Shooters that can actually knock down shots

He didn't really. Especially in the playoffs. Which is why they always lost.

At some point you just have to realize Lebron is cursed, and that how great he plays will always be proportional to how **** his teammates play. If we traded Lebron for Deshawn Stevenson this team would probably win 5 straight titles. Mike Miller would hit all of his 3s. Battier knock down that corner 3. Bosh would average 25/10. Wade would be clutch again and have a mid-range jumper.

7 years in, I have yet to see any of Lebron's teammates not play drastically below their capabilities playing next to him. There's no explanation for it. It just is how it is. It's a strange voodoo. And if Riley is smart, he'll move Lebron on this summer.

Lebron is the best player in the league, but he'll never win a title.

[FlashTheKilla]

I'm all for this clutch discussion but he's averaging 32/10/4 on 50% shooting in the Celtics series. What is he supposed to do? Score 22 points in the first 43 minutes and then 10 points in the last 5 minutes? That doesn't make any sense.

This is a good argument, as well. I guess my refutation to that would be (and I'm playing Devil's advocate here, so forgive me): Why the production drop off when it matters most? If he's producing at that level throughout the game, why can't he continue at that level for the last 5 minutes?

[CablexDeadpool]

So you guys believe that by lessening his burden he would be able to perform better in the closing moments of a game?

Yeah, I mean the guy plays 40 plus mins because the rest of the team is horrible.

With the Cavs Lebron actually had these things

Legit big men that can actually guard the paint and dunk
Shooters that can actually knock down shots

He didn't really. Especially in the playoffs. Which is why they always lost.

At some point you just have to realize Lebron is cursed, and that how great he plays will always be proportional to how **** his teammates play. If we traded Lebron for Deshawn Stevenson this team would probably win 5 straight titles. Mike Miller would hit all of his 3s. Battier knock down that corner 3. Bosh would average 25/10. Wade would be clutch again and have a mid-range jumper.

7 years in, I have yet to see any of Lebron's teammates not play drastically below their capabilities playing next to him. There's no explanation for it. It just is how it is. It's a strange voodoo. And if Riley is smart, he'll move Lebron on this summer.

Lebron is the best player in the league, but he'll never win a title.

What are you serious?

The reason why his teammates suck next to him is because they just suck.

And Wade haven't had a jumper for about 3 years.

And Shane is old

Miller has been ass for about 4 years..

Lebron always had crappy GMs, crappy owners and crappy owners who surrounded him with crap.

[CablexDeadpool]

I'm all for this clutch discussion but he's averaging 32/10/4 on 50% shooting in the Celtics series. What is he supposed to do? Score 22 points in the first 43 minutes and then 10 points in the last 5 minutes? That doesn't make any sense.

This is a good argument, as well. I guess my refutation to that would be (and I'm playing Devil's advocate here, so forgive me): Why the production drop off when it matters most? If he's producing at that level throughout the game, why can't he continue at that level for the last 5 minutes?

He's tired and Wade has the ball in the last 5 mins.

[infinite11285]

I'm all for this clutch discussion but he's averaging 32/10/4 on 50% shooting in the Celtics series. What is he supposed to do? Score 22 points in the first 43 minutes and then 10 points in the last 5 minutes? That doesn't make any sense.

This is a good argument, as well. I guess my refutation to that would be (and I'm playing Devil's advocate here, so forgive me): Why the production drop off when it matters most? If he's producing at that level throughout the game, why can't he continue at that level for the last 5 minutes?

Dude how can you expect him to produce at a high level during the final 5 minutes, after playing the previous 43 minutes? When he's fresh (during the beginning of games), he produces at a high level. When he's tired, he doesn't produce at a high level. It's not too difficult to grasp the concept.

The big issue is Wade playing poorly to start games and even more poorly towards the end of the games (closer) despite getting rest.

[Moggs24]

Honestly I think Van Gundy hit the nail on the head yesterday. I think the title or bust pressure has really weighed on these guys negatively. They look tight in the closing minutes of games. But besides this I think Lebron simply has no way to score without getting to the hoop. The Celtics aren't letting him get to the hoop and he is rendered useless. The Celtics are able to hit open jump shots late in games and we are not, that is the difference in this series.

Last year against the bulls and C's Lebron hit several late game pullups. This year his confidence is not their on his shot late in games.

[Heat_team02]

I'd like to see Lebron play his natural position, small forward, the entire game instead of pidgeon holing him into mismatches with Garnett where's he's having to expend energy trying to keep KG from catching lob passes that are out of his reach to defend. I'd also like to see his playing time cut down. These long stretches do wear on the human body.

Look at Cole. He looks like the 1st 5 games of the season in terms of quickness. I wonder if rest has anything to do with that?

[infinite11285]

I'd like to see Lebron play his natural position, small forward, the entire game instead of pidgeon holing him into mismatches with Garnett where's he's having to expend energy trying to keep KG from catching lob passes that are out of his reach to defend. I'd also like to see his playing time cut down. These long stretches do wear on the human body.

Look at Cole. He looks like the 1st 5 games of the season in terms of quickness. I wonder if rest has anything to do with that?

LeBron's natural position is PG. He came into the league as one and played his rookie year as one. Why not play a lineup of:

PG Bron
SG Wade
SF James Jones
PF Bosh
C Turiaf/Anthony

??