Greatness Achieved

June 21, 2012 will go down in NBA history as the night the King finally got his ring, and his crown. LeBron James posted a 26pt-13asst-11reb triple double to stamp out the youthful OKC Thunder and win his first NBA title, thus completing the most anticipated, hyped, scrutinized, and hated-on rise to greatness in NBA history. To his legion of doubters, Lebron has justifiably earned the right to tell them "what can you say now?" The kid from Akron did what NBA fans feverishly demanded he do for the better part of 10 years- let his game do the talking while he won the ultimate prize. LBJ dominated the Finals, the playoffs, and the season like few players have ever done before. If you're a LeBron and Heat hater, which a large portion of the public is, it can be hard to put aside your team allegiances and personal gripes. But by removing ourselves from our coveted social media opinions for just a moment, we can appreciate LeBron James, the basketball player and the man, and be happy for him. Imagine the burden of a nations's collective expectations thrust upon you since age 16. Imagine millions upon millions of people ritualistically rooting for you to fail. Imagine being the best player in the world, and over 50% of the public views you as a choker, traitor, and villain. In the face of this pressure, LeBron put on a display of consistent, all-around, brilliance throughout these playoffs that maybe only 3 or 4 other players have achieved before. Even the most hardened LeBron detractor would admit (maybe a few beers deep) that it's hard not to feel a little bit of tangible joy for The Chosen One.

LeBron rediscovers what makes him LeBron

 I will not even attempt to deny at that over the past two years I been immersed in the never ending tsunami of LeBron hate. It is beyond well documented that since the two most egregious Public Relations...decisions, in the history of athlete management, LeBron has become perhaps the most polarizing basketball player ever, and certainly the symbol of the social media era of sports coverage. I hated him for not staying in Cleveland and accepting the burden of his hardened hometown's 38 year-old title drought. I hated him for not opting for New York and the chance at an unseen level of basketball immortality. I hated him for his arrogance, his hubris, and his unthinkable shrink-job in last year's finals. 

But in these Finals, LeBron answered all the old doubts with a refocused, under-control, nearly flawless game. Playing like some mad scientists' splice of Scottie Pippen, Shawn Kemp, and Magic Johnson, LeBron proved to be unstoppable in the post, unflappable on defense, and unparalleled with his passing and decision making. Not only did LeBron find his 3-point shooters off the double time and time again in these Finals to devastating effect, each pass was delivered in perfect position for Battier/Chalmers/Miller to load and launch in rhythm. It didn't matter if it was a cross court pass fading towards the wrong side of the court or a one handed whip off penetration. But the unreal passing ability has always been there. More notable was the fact that LeBron finally got his ass in the paint. He dominated the offensive boards, showed a patient and surgical low post game, and unleashed a barrage of twisting, powerful finishes over the Thunder Bigs. While LeBron has often been asked to assume point guard duties and play a perimeter-oriented game in the past, the 2012 Finals showed that, at his best, The King's domain is really the paint (18 ppg in the "dungeon" during the series). Throw in his ferocious, hounding defense on KD, fast-break killing shot-blocking ability and control of the defensive glass, it was perhaps the most complete domination in Finals history. LeBron was smart, he was intense, he put up insane numbers (29-10-7), he was a leader, and he was clutch. Plainly: LeBron was perfect.

 But the true revelation was not LeBron's game. It was that with his performance, he may have finally provided the alpha-dog counterpoint to the blueprint that Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant mapped out for leading a team to the title. You know, the prevailing view that you have to be be on a plateau above your teammates, you have to possess a maniacal quest for dominance, and you have to hate. As we waited for LeBron to become the next Jordan, the next Kobe, lamenting (and loving) the fact that he would never have the same makeup as the preeminent champions who came before him, we never stopped to think that maybe LeBron would be the one to break the mold. After accepting his Finals MVP, LeBron readily admitted that since The Decision, he had lost what made him, him.

                                          

 "Last year, I played the game with a lot of hate, and that's not how I play, I play the game with a lot of love."

Jordan and Kobe (post-Shaq) spent their careers playing the older brother to their teammates. They were supportive and complimentary when their teammates got the job done, but if you crossed them, made the wrong move, or didn't come through when it counts, it's your ass getting thrown under the bus, or your face getting punched in. Maybe LeBron wasn't meant to play that role. Maybe he was meant to be the benevolent one- the big kid who plays the game with joy, compassion, heart, and love. Not the unforgiving older brother, but rather the proud daddy of his basketball family.

In the past, LeBron has been justifiably defiant in the face of his critics and detractors. But something happened after that Finals collapse to the Mavericks last year. He was hurt by a type of failure and adversity that he had never experienced before. LeBron retreated into his house and relived his excruciating performances, game by game. In doing so, The King was confronted with an inconvenient truth- he is fallible. But as the old cliche goes, you must be broken down before you can be built back up. Months later, after a summer in the gym and a post-up apprenticeship under Hakeem Olajuwon, LeBron re-emerged as the man and player we all hoped he would be for so long. He was solely dedicated to winning, as humble as someone of his prodigious gifts could be, and genuine and upfront about his past failings. He decided he would be himself, only better.

When I saw him curl that trophy into his arms like a proud new father on Thursday night, I finally realized it. Wow, I am truly happy for LeBron James. Above all else, what we asked of LeBron was greatness. With the ring on hand and more to come, The King has finally earned that distinction. #6 could have easily had his Gladiator moment on Thursday night, spewing the hate right back into our collective grill. But King James, of course, took the high road. He basked in the moment and allowed himself to be truly, utterly, happy.

For now, the pop-culture psychologists and arm-chair quarterbacks are seemingly out of ammunition. The prevailing conversation about LeBron has changed. The question will no longer be "why can't he win it?" but rather, "how far can he go?" At 27 years old, The King is now firmly entrenched in his prime and the Jordan projections are already flowing. The freakish physical gifts are not going away, and LeBron now has the intangible understanding of what he needs to do on the court and how he needs to carry himself off of it for his team to win it all. Whether he wins two, three, or six titles, only time will tell. In Durant, LBJ has a rival who could possible keep him from "Jordan territory." But if we have learned anything, LeBron's legacy will not be "the next Michael Jordan." He will not be the next Kobe, Larry Bird, or Magic Johnson either. He is LeBron James, and for now, you can't call him anything other than great.