Feeling the Heat

June 9, 2011 - It is the morning before Game 5 of the 2011 NBA Finals and the eyes of scrutiny are focused more than ever on LeBron James. For all of the 'King's' shenanigans this past year - from July's "The Decision" to last Sunday's sharp-tongued post-game presser response [http://www.khq.com/story/14847142/lebron-calls-out-reporter-for-controversial-question] - LeBron had earned much criticism and scorn throughout the league. For the most part he's answered haters with brilliant on-court play and quick-witted podium retorts but following a very noticeably feeble performance in Game 4, the magnifying glass is now set to burn a hole right through his #6 jersey.

LeBron of course, set himself up for this much scrutiny. Spurning his hometown Cavaliers and "taking (his) talents to South Beach," forming his own "Big Three" (under suspicion of some collusion with D-Wade, Chris Bosh and Heat management), predicting the Heat will win the next eight NBA championships in a massive pre-season celebration and calling yourselves "The Heatles," all in a matter of a few months can do that.

But this is LeBron's chosen path - to chase World Championships while hanging from Dwyane Wade's coattails - and for all we know, he may be content with that. Heck, 'The King' might even actually be happy with that. So for all the criticism in the past couple of days about how passive and deferential LeBron was at crunch time in Game 4, it could be that he had planned it that way - to provide support to a sizzling, MVP-worthy D-Wade showcase. He did contribute eight points, nine rebounds, seven assists and a couple of blocks to Wade's 32 and Bosh's 24 points.

NBA observers and fans however, cannot fathom how a basketball star as gifted as LeBron James could be content to hang back and be so un-involved on a stage as big as the Finals. At 6'8", freakishly athletic and built like a tank, LeBron's talents have oftentimes been compared to those of hoops legends Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan - but only better. Former Jordan running-mate Scottie Pippen even had this controversial assessment recently: "Michael Jordan is probably the greatest scorer to ever play in the game, but I may go as far to say LeBron James is probably the greatest player to ever play the game." All that praise and LeBron goes and does a bad Pippen impression in Game 4. Pippen would have at least taken some of the offensive load off of His Airness and attempted more than one field goal in the fourth quarter.

Dallas guard DeShawn Stevenson opined that LeBron "checked out" in the fourth. "(LeBron's) not getting the same looks," Stevenson said. "He's trying to find other guys and Dwyane Wade has it going, so I think he's deferring. At the same time, it's good for us. It's a positive for us." While LeBron is quick to dismiss Stevenson's view ("Talk is cheap," LeBron retorted) he cannot be oblivious to the truth: that an offensively-shy LeBron is good for the Mavericks. Not when there really is nobody human on the planet who can handle LeBron one-on-one.

But we've seen LeBron's shy side before. It was just a year before, in fact, when he looked disinterested and perhaps distracted in the middle of the Eastern semifinals against the Boston Celtics. LeBron's poor 15-point showing in Game 5 doomed the Cavaliers' 2010 title hopes and triggered his nasty divorce from team owner Dan Gilbert and the City of Cleveland. Could this be an indication of LeBron's mental threshold with a series on the line?

"I understand what is at stake," 'The King' said this morning. "This is a big game, probably the biggest game of my life. I'm approaching it that way. Not probably, it is."

However LeBron approaches tonight's crucial Game 5 the heat will surely be on. Question is whether James will be turning it up or sweating under it.