By the time the final buzzer sounded in South Beach, LeBron James walked off the court with another performance to remember – 33 points, seven rebounds and four assists, including the final 10 points to close the series against a Boston Celtics team that has made life a living hell for him in the past year. Along with exorcising the ghost that was Boston, LeBron also took the time to apologize to Cleveland fans for good measure.
Two birds, one stone for LeBron. All's well and good for the two-time MVP.
But if you think the work's over for him, well, you better think again.
You are fooling yourself if you think LeBron has already vindicated himself after beating a Celtics team that lacked a formidable frontline and played with an injured Rajon Rondo in the past three games. Sure, beating the Celtics was nice, and it definitely made LeBron and his legion of fans feel good. However, we're just halfway through the road, and LeBron needs to show more if he wants to get over the biggest display of ego and self-centeredness on national TV in the circus called “The Decision.” The only way LeBron can truly get over it is by winning it all, and right now, he's in the perfect position to do so. Things, however, just got a whole lot tougher.
Facing a hungry and confident Bulls team, the pressure is on LeBron to carry the Heat past the team with the best record in the league, the best player of the season, the best coach of the season, and a bench that runs second to none.
Can LeBron James carry the Heat to the finals? (AP Photo)
The pressure is on LeBron ever since he made that decision to bring his talents to South Beach and promised multiple championships to the franchise. Now that the glamour of the decision and all the pre-season parties are over, the excuses are running out. Their average showing in the season is now in the past, and now he's playing for a cohesive team that just ran through the first two rounds of the playoffs, it's easy to say that the championship is LeBron James' to lose. Now comes ultimate question: Would LeBron step up to the challenge?
The Heat are coming into the series as favorites, despite playing without the homecourt advantage for the first time in the playoffs. However, don't expect them to be exactly the fan favorites when the series begins later. Chances are most of the people watching all over the world will be rooting for the Bulls – a team that's known to win games without much glamour while being led by a soft-spoken MVP and a system that puts revolves around reliabilty and accountability.
The reason why the Heat are coming into this series as the antagonists is because they aren't exactly built the way the Bulls were. Miami is a team that has garnered much attention from the start, led by a polarizing two-time MVP who up to now is being looked by many as a guy who left his former team hanging. And although I can't say the hate that they've been getting from some irrational fans is warranted, let's just say that whatever they're getting now is a result of the things that they've done in the past. The decisions, the parties, the pretensions, and all the guarantees that they've made in the past are now being cashed in. And if they finish with anything less than a championship, they'd have to endure a whole year of embarrassment, haunted by the things they vowed to do but failed to deliver.
Now, does LeBron even care about what the fans are thinking about him now? With eight wins away from winning it all, I doubt it. But does he have that fortitude to deliver his team to the promise land? And be made accountable for what he does, and be man enough to accept responsibilities should they lose fail to win eight games in the next 14 games or so? We'll see.
The thing is, LeBron has put himself in a position where everyone is watching and criticizing his every move. LeBron sure loves the spotlight, but now that he's in it, will he do the things necessary for him to be remembered? It's put up or shut up time for LeBron James. It's time to show up what you're made off, Bron. (CJ)