National LeBasketball Association

LeBron James has created an absolute frenzy over his entire existence on and off the court. He’s spawned thousands of armchair psychologists across the sports world, and turned everyone from Skip Bayless to Rashard Lewis into trending topics on Twitter. LeBron has become a topic of such national interest you’d have to believe a 24/7 news channel focused only on his every action would be fairly successful. Right, that’s ESPN.

As each subsequent fourth quarter passes by in the NBA Finals without any indication LeBron is present, the chatter is amplified. The haters are gleeful and multiplying, and the apologists find their task more difficult. Everyone is confused. One moment LeBron is proclaiming “it’s time to get myself going,” and “this is the biggest game of my career,” and the next he’s reverting to his uninvolved alterego in the fourth quarter, watching while the Heat offense sputters. As LeBron appears increasingly indifferent, the world around him seems to obsess even more.

The fascination with LeBron has always been there. At 26, LeBron’s been in the media spotlight for exactly a decade. But it was always spectacle or admiration, not the psychological analysis and crazed feelings he’s brought upon himself recently. It can all be traced back to the months leading up to, and immediately following, the Decision. He shattered his Ohio fanbase, pissed off the fans of several cities, and left his competitive spirit and leadership up for debate. Those months and the following year have confirmed that LeBron has indeed taken the torch from Kobe as the NBA’s most polarizing superstar. If the past year has not provided enough evidence, the playoffs have driven the point home. He’s been glorified for his late-game scoring rampages against the Celtics and Bulls, and vilified for the ease at which this inevitable dynasty was rolling through opponents. Scottie Pippen increased the Lebron spotlight when he made that sacrilegious step over the line that separates Michael Jordan from everyone else. Jordan’s shadow was always looming over LeBron, as it has over Kobe, Iverson, Vince, and McGrady before him. But bringing Jordan’s name into the spotlight has allowed every minute misstep of LeBron’s to be compared to the time-polished version of MJ, the idol whose every flaw has been smoothed over in the past 12+ years.

The obsession with these flaws and LeBron’s repeated disappointing performances has created a vicious cycle in which LeBron plays a game, and is torn down immediately following it. Every storyline has been completely bashed into the ground. Does he have what it takes? Is Dwyane Wade the real leader? Did (player’s name) sleep with (woman in LeBron’s life)? Would MJ do that? He’s truly become a complexity for columnists to write about. With Kobe, the issue was always a balance between selfishness and winning. With LeBron, no one has any idea how to react, what to expect, or how to rationalize what’s happened. He’s been completely humanized. The Mavericks seem emboldened by his lack of aggression, as Terry, Stevenson, and Marion repeatedly attempt difficult shots or dunks with LeBron in front of them. Marion feels free to verbally tee off on LeBron on the court, while Terry and Stevenson have said whatever they want off of it, and have managed to be right.

If the Heat lose, though, expect media torture. We expect nothing but greatness from LeBron, and when he falls short, we crush him. Every subsequent playoffs will bring more pressure.

All of that said, this could go away if the Heat win the next two games. If LeBron has a huge role in it, good for him. If not, he’ll suffer backlash but it will eventually be forgotten. No one remembers that Cedric Maxwell won the Finals MVP during the first of Larry’s championships. No one remembers some terrible shooting performances from MJ in the Finals. No one remembers Jerry West lost 7 of his first 8 Finals games. And no one remembers Kobe going 6-24 in Game 7 last year. Winning erases all mistakes, fair or not. The narrative will be flipped to “LeBron wasn’t doing enough” to “LeBron was just helping his team win.” That “lack of aggression: will be flipped to a “desire to facilitate”. And the world will get off his case and find a new ringless star it can try to figure out.