FanPost

Big Number 2

Today I didn't even care about the media circus and still found myself turning on ESPN and getting caught in the hype. Now that it is all over I just feel disappointed by all of it: the sell-out decision, the pathetic info-mercial, the hype, and now the non-stop coverage on this new BIG 3. Really? A two-time MVP choosing to play second-fiddle in the prime of his career? What other superstar would choose this course? Any other option would have required courage, and yet, he chose to be Wade's back-up?

I have a gut feeling this is the real LeBron. I had the same feeling after game 6 versus the Celtics. It wasn't just that the Cavs lost or even his stats. It was worse - in the biggest game of the season he disappeared.

I was so sure that he would come out and with his play throw up a big effffff you and tear the Celtics heart out after game 5. I wanted to see basketball greatness - a Russell Crowe Gladiator moment...a massacre with the Celtics carnage on the ground and Bron yelling "Are you not entertained? ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?!!!!" followed by him throwing the ball in the stands and then spitting a big loogie on the parquet floor at the Garden...and all Boston chanting...MVP MVP MVP...

Yeah right. Forget good basketball, it wasn't even competitive - LeBron didn't even engage in fight. Flashback to the Olympics, the gold game vs Spain...when the game was on the line, Bron did NOT want the ball. Every one, every single one of the all-star filled team USA, hot-potatoed the ball as fast as they could to Kobe. The risk of failure was too great, so LeBron gave the responsibility and the potential blame to someone else. When the game was on the line, Kobe alone stepped up to make the plays that changed the game and gifted LeBron with that medal. Kobe knows what LeBron has yet to learn - winning is the only absolution - it is The Final Answer. Winning in the biggest games with everything on the line is what separates Champions from superstars.

Adulations, titles, and glory have all been handed to LeBron without him earning it. And the result? The pressure of expectations and the fear of failure have made him tentative and scared. It's why he can dominate in the regular season when there are 82 games. But in the playoffs, where it is win or die, he simply disappears. It is why when he has the chance to create his team and earn a championship, he sells out and takes second place.

He is not a savior who will bring Championships...or, a King who rules an empire...or even a warrior who will fight for victory till the bitter end... he is an amazingly gifted athlete - period. He has yet to prove anything. Maybe by being second he will learn how to win a championshp.