Winning a Conference Semifinal series doesn’t earn you a championship ring. All it does is guarantee you a spot in the Conference Finals. But for LeBron James, I’m sure it feels like a bit more than that. Last night, the Miami Heat ousted the Boston Celtics from the playoffs and for the time being, I think it’s OK for him to have a mini internal celebration, although their work is far from over.
For a good portion of the second half of the season, LeBron James had to listen to criticism about his inability to close out games. The critique was justified (but magnified because of who he is) because time and time again, he would miss shots down the stretch. I thought it was also an indictment of head coach Erik Spoelstra because it didn’t necessarily seem like he had a game plan in late game situations. It appeared to me as if the play he continued to draw up on the sidelines was “give it to LeBron and everybody else, get out of the way.” Regardless of what transpired in the game leading up to that point, LeBron always got the ball. There were games where Wade was hot, but final plays were still drawn up for LeBron which led me to question certain things.
But last night, at least for one night, LeBron erased those moments from our memory. It made it even more significant for him because it came against Boston. The team in which he, not the Heat, has a rivalry against. LeBron doesn’t like them and they don’t like him. But they respect one another.
Boston was down 3 – 1, so naturally it was a must-win for them. But I also thought that the Heat absolutely had to close it out last night. If they were to lose that game, I don’t think there was anyway in the world they would’ve won Game 6 in Boston. Then with the series tied at 3-games apiece, the media would talk about how big of a collapse it would be if the Heat lost the series. That kind of talk would’ve gotten to the Heat in a big way. Miami is a mentally fragile team so that surely would’ve impact their potential Game 7 performance significantly.
However, I didn’t think they were going to be able to pull it off last night. They trailed for much of the second half and Boston always seemed to have a 5 – 7 point lead as the game neared it’s end. Then with a few minutes to go, LeBron flipped the switch. Yes, Dwyane Wade led the team with 34 points and carried them in the first half, but LeBron needed that sort of ending for his confidence heading into the later rounds. Miami ended the game on a 16 – 0 run and LeBron had the final 10 points. Those 10 points to propelled him past his nemesis. What a difference this year’s Game 5 against Boston was compared to last year’s Game 5.
When the final horn sounded, I wasn’t surprised at all that everyone on the Celtics (except Ray Allen) walked off the floor without shaking hands with the Heat. I would’ve been shocked if they did. They don’t strike me as the type of guys that would congratulate a team like Miami for eliminating them. But I was, and still am absolutely amazed that no one is talking about that. Why isn’t that a big deal? A few years ago when LeBron’s Cavs lost to the Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals, LeBron walked off without congratulating Dwight Howard and company and he was crucified in the media for that. But not a peep this year when the Celtics did it. Strange.
He handled the post game festivities very well with one exception: he apologized. I can only imagine how the backlash that he received from his decision to join the Heat impacted him personally and I’m sure that fueled his decision to apologize last night. But I really wish he had not, because it gets his haters and Cleveland even more upset with him because the apology is “too late.” Also, I still don’t think he owes anybody anything. Not the Cavs, Dan Gilbert – nobody. That notwithstanding, he was also very classy in paying respect to the Celtics and how them forming their “Big 3”, that was the blueprint for him coming to Miami.
But again, they still have two more rounds to go through and two tough opponents. But at least for one day, a tiny burden has been lifted.
If you’re looking for your everyday, predictable basketball talk, then go somewhere else, because Kevin Burke of The Kevin Burke Project brings provocative, thought provoking content about basketball as only he can. Kevin also hosts The Hoop Doctors weekly podcast show, which you can subscribe to for free on iTunes. Follow Kevin on Twitter and Facebook
