LeBron James cramped up in Game 1 of the finals, the Heat lost and his critics cackled. But even then, the feeling was that his haters howled so heartily because they knew they wouldn’t get the chance to do it for long.
And, sure enough, James came back to pour in 35 points (on just 22 shots) with 10 rebounds, three assists and two steals to lead the Heat to a series-tying victory. Was there ever any question that James, on his way to a third straight championship, would get the last laugh?
James got carried off the floor in Game 1 with severe leg cramping. He was going to get clowned for that, this being the social-media age and all. The memes were good.
But it seems condemning James for his human failures has become about more than just having a good laugh. Why is it that so many people seem to hate LeBron James so much?
Surely some of it is jealousy because he’s young, rich, popular and so damn good. But the derision of James seems to go beyond that.
Was it The Decision? Yeah, it was dumb, but that was nearly four years ago. There has to be some kind of statute of limitation on stupidity.
Is it the flopping? No doubt it's unseemly, especially for a player of James' size, but it's the way of the league now. Do you want James to stand while others flop to gain an advantage?
The NBA’s critics (a group that inevitably includes people who never actually watch the games) complain that there’s no defense. They should love James, the best defensive player of his and probably any generation.
Has there ever been a player who can guard all five positions effectively? Consider that James shut down Derrick Rose, who at the time was league MVP, during the NBA finals in 2011. And then James did the same to Kevin Durant during the 2012 NBA finals.
Think about that: James, a 6-8 forward who is built like a tank, stymied the quickest point guard in the league and a long-limbed 6-10 scoring savant who can get his deadly shot off at any time. They were arguably the second-best players in the league at the time. And James did this in the finals!
People complain about the NBA’s isolation-heavy offense and its volume-shooting superstars. And here is James, an efficient scoring machine and an excellent, unselfish passer—he once again set up Chris Bosh for a key basket Sunday night.
“Even if he is hot, he’ll still hit you if you’re wide open,” Bosh told the Miami Herald. “And that’s what makes this team special because your best player is willing to sacrifice a shot, a good shot for a great shot.”
Critics dismiss the NBA as a league of thugs (that word now subbing for a less socially-acceptable racial slur). James has never been in trouble with the law and last year married his high school sweetheart, with whom he has two sons.
Relatively speaking, James does not have a big ego. He has the supreme confidence necessary for all elite athletes, of course, but the guy really could be a lot more insufferable considering his status. After Game 2 he didn’t even take the change to talk smack about his detractors.
"What happened on Thursday was Thursday," James said. "My whole focus was how I was going to try to help this team even this up and just try to make some plays."
It’s the irrational hatred of James, not the man himself, that’s become unbearable. He’s well on his way to becoming the greatest player in NBA history, and deep down inside his critics know it, so I guess they are forced to let out their frustrations by flaming him for the moments when he falters.
They better make it quick, though, because it never takes long for James to shut them up.
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