Alright, so LeBron James isn’t really missing but he may as well be in the 4th quarter so far in the NBA Finals.
Now I know LeBron had a triple double last night (17-10-10) which is great. That’s always a nice feet to accomplish, especially in the NBA Finals. Furthermore, I’m sure all the LeBron slaps out there are going to hang their hat on that triple double and continue to proclaim the greatness that is King James. Now I’m not going to go out and try to make it seem like LeBron isn’t a good player. He is a good player, he is a VERY good player, he may even be great. BUT, he continues to be absent from the game when it matters most, which is what may very well separate LeBron from greatness (that and maybe his off the court personality, but if that’s the case I will remind everyone of Kobe or Jordan).
During the final 5:59 of last night’s game, tied at 100-100, LeBron tried his hand at a 17 foot 3-pointer over Jason Kidd that missed. On the other end Dirk drove to the basket (he could’ve been called for a travel) to put Dallas up. LeBron then followed up Dirk’s drive with a drive of his own. However 2 points from LeBron were negated when he was called for charging. Following a Shawn Marion missed layup LeBron tried another 3-pointer that had the same result of his first one within this 5:59 time frame. After a Jason Kidd three pointer that all but sealed the game, LeBron bowed down to Jason Terry and a three of his own.
Again what happened last night wasn’t an isolated incident for LeBron. In five games during the finals LeBron has a total of 11 points in the 4th quarter while Dirk has 52.
Now this series isn’t over by any means, BUT Miami needs LeBron to show up in the 4th quarter if they want to win. If this doesn’t happen, there’s a good chance that Dirk will be hoisting that NBA championship trophy while LeBron is left there wondering what went wrong, again.
Source: The Big Lead, ESPN, Yahoo Sports