LeBron Turns the Page, Embarks on his Championship Chapter

If only we had known then what we know now.  Last summer we all watched with baited breath as Dwyane Wade made sneaky visits to the Bulls, LeBron James was wined and dined by the Knicks, and Chris Bosh was rumored to land anywhere from Houston to Los Angeles.  But after seeing the emotion and hearing the words of Wade, James, and Bosh after this latest series, it seems there was never any doubt where the three would end up.
 

The Boston Celtics had a mental stranglehold on Miami for most of this season; fear was literally struck into the hearts of the Miami’s big three by Boston, especially James.  The Celtics were tougher, stronger, smarter, more experienced; they were the better team.  Last year with Cleveland, James actually gave up in the conference semis against the Celtics.  He may as well have played the series with a white flag hanging out his pocket.
 

We did it.

In this year’s series, which the Heat just claimed in five close games, you could see the relief in Miami every time they won.  After Game Four, in which the Heat took a commanding 3-1 series lead, James and Wade found each other immediately and collapsed into each other with a massive and prolonged embrace.  It seemed to say, “We did it.  We won a pivotal game in their house, and we did it in the clutch.”
 

When the Heat polished off the aging Celtics Wednesday night, the emotion was even more apparent.  As the buzzer sounded and the scoreboard read 97-87 in Miami’s favor, James fell to the court overcome with relief, joy, and the sense that his career had finally turned a corner.  The first words of his on-court interview thanked the Celtics for teaching him what it takes to win in the NBA, for molding him into the competitor he has become.
 

LeBron also mentioned in his postgame comments that he loved his time in Cleveland, but that it showed him he could not beat a team like Boston by his self—an unintentionally arrogant statement, for which James is notorious, that contains the truth we as writers seek but simultaneously condemn.
 

With the Celtics vanquished for this year, and perhaps done for good as a championship contender—next year Pierce will be 34, Garnett 35, and Allen 36—James has to feel that his path to championship glory is finally traversable.  The Lakers’ early exit on the other side of the bracket has to be uplifting as well.  Sure, the talented Bulls, Mavericks, Grizzlies, and Thunder remain as possible foes in these playoffs, but none will have the mental edge or championship mettle to intimidate the boys from South Beach.
 

So now, as much as some of us might despise the thought, we may be looking at a sustained run of dominance from the much hated Heat.  As the odds-on favorite to win the title this year, and with James at the tender age of 26, Bosh at 27, and Wade at 29, Miami should have at least a 5-year window to pile up titles.  There’s been a changing of the guard in the Association, and while plenty of teams may retool and build superstar trios of their own, there is no possible duo as potent as James and Wade.
 

Turning the Corner

For years we’ve seen James as a brilliant singular talent, an entertainer, and a regular season force.  At the same time we’ve prophesized that he was destined to fall short in the playoffs, that he didn’t possess the Jordan, Kobe, or Bird DNA.  With the way things look now though, we may have to completely shift the paradigm on James.  He has a chance now to win his first title and to win multiple rings after that.

LeBron shook the non-clutch label and beat the one team that was clearly a mental road block for him over his career.  Now we may see what James is capable of when he plays without fear and without anything to prove, when he focuses solely on basketball.  It could be positively awe-inspiring.

James has won two MVP awards and put up mind boggling numbers since he stepped on the NBA hardwood, but haters have always been able to comfort themselves with his playoff failures.  That may no longer be the case as the Heat seemed poised to take the mantle as kings of the NBA.  With championship failure or success, legacy is the first thing to be discussed.  At age 26, James may be writing a new chapter in the book of his career, and if he wins rings like I think he now can, the title of that chapter could be, “The Best There Ever Was.”
 

--from Adam 

(first image from nydailynews.com, second from usatoday.com)