Could a Championship in Lockout Shortened Season Hurt LeBron James?

If the deal is ratified and the season does start on Christmas, fans would be treated to a 66-game season. But with a shortened season, comes the dreaded “A” word. And that word is asterisk.

Come this summer, when the 2011-12 champion is crowned, the winning team will get handed the Larry O’Brien trophy just like every other season.

But soon after the celebration, some fans and analysts will start talking about how the championship will forever have an asterisk beside it, due to the fact the team did not play a full 82-game schedule like past champions.

And this will be the case not matter who wins the championship. Whether the Dallas Mavericks repeat, or Kemba Walker continues his momentum from last year’s NCAA Tournament and leads the Charlotte Bobcats to the championship. Cough.

But there is one team and player who a lockout shortened championship would surely haunt more than the rest. Enter the Miami Heat and LeBron James.

One of the biggest story lines heading into this season will be how LeBron and the Heat bounce back after their poor showing to end last season’s Finals. After the Heat fell to the Mavericks in six games, much of the blame was put on James, who averaged 15 points a contest in the last three games of the series, compared to 20 through the first three.

Thanks to last spring’s playoff shortcomings, LeBron and the rest of the Heat can expect just as much attention and criticism this season as they received last season, as hard as that is to imagine.

And yet, despite all of the past and forthcoming criticism, the Heat will likely remain the favorites to win the 2012 championship throughout the course of the season.

So, let’s pretend the Heat prove the odds-makers correct and win the 2012 championship. LeBron detractors will momentarily be heartbroken, before realizing they can criticize LeBron in his moment of glory.

I can see all of the message boards now, stating LeBron’s championship doesn’t compare to the ones won by Michael, Larry, Magic and Kobe.

Now, let’s take it a step further. What if LeBron ends up winning a championship in 2012, and it’s the only one he wins his entire career. In the eyes of most fans, he would be a hybrid between the Karl Malones of the world and the superstars who have won championships during full, 82-game seasons.

A championship is a championship. A team can only play the number of games the schedule allows. But I can’t help imagining the “A” word coming back to haunt LeBron if the Heat end up winning the 2012 title, in both the short term and possibly throughout his entire career.