Now that the Miami Heat have won the NBA Championship, 4-1, over the Oklahoma City Thunder, how does this first championship expand LeBron James’ legacy?
Even without a title, James had already amassed quite an impressive resume. 3x MVP, 8x All-Star, scoring champion, and so on. Now, add James’ NBA Finals MVP and his Finals stats, which are Oscar Robertson-type numbers! James led the Heat in points per game, rebounds per game, and assists per game during the 2012 Finals.
Legacy and lasting power, for me, come down to the players who had it all—the championships, the MVP’s, the All-Star games, the blistering stats, and great playoff and championship moments. The Finals game-winning moments.
On the outside, James’ numbers are spectacular, other than his scoring in the 2011 Finals.
2007 Finals: Cleveland Cavaliers v San Antonio Spurs
27.3 ppg 6.7 rpg 6.0 apg
2011 Finals: Miami Heat v Dallas Mavericks
17.8 ppg 7.1 rpg 6.8 apg
2012 Finals: Miami Heat v Oklahoma City Thunder
28.6. ppg 10.2 rpg 7.4 apg
Only looking at this, you’d think James really put it together. He increased his assists and rebounds in each Finals. And, James had his biggest scoring output in this year’s Finals. Let’s give him credit; James has put his complete game together, except for one crucial area.
The 4th quarter. Dig deeper, and here’s what trends James has in the 4th quarter of the NBA Finals:
2007 Finals
In games 1 and 2, which essentially determined the series by putting Spurs up 2-0, James did not score late in the 4th quarter. In game 2, he did not score in the last 4-plus minutes. In game 3, however, James went down swinging like a champ. You have to respect LeBron’s 12 points in the 4th quarter, and his clutch bucket with 6.9 seconds left in the game to cut the Spurs lead to 73-72. He missed a three-point attempt that would have tied the game for overtime. So, in two of the three biggest games in the series, James did not show up in the final period.
2011 Finals
Critical games aside, LeBron did not show up in the 4th quarter of a single game in this series, until the sixth and final game, in which he scored 7 points. In game 2, LeBron did not score a field goal in the 4th quarter. In game three, he had one basket. And, in game 4, LeBron did not even score in the 4th quarter, again. That was a game where if the Heat had won, they would have been up 3-1 and they would have probably won the series. James had 8 points on 3/11 shooting in the game. In game 5, he had two points in the 4th quarter, and the Mavs won 112-103.
Crunch time in almost every single game in the 2011 series was not “LeBron time.” When it came to the 4th quarter, James had 5 points in game 1, but he only scored 6 points in the fourth quarter of the next four games of the series, combined.
2012 Finals
In LeBron’s 2012 Finals’ win he still did not impress in the 4th quarter. Only in two games did LeBron score in the final 2:00 minutes of the game. In games 1 and 2, LeBron scored a crunch time bucket, but the Heat only won one of those games.
LeBron did not score in the last 2:00 minutes of 75% of the Miami Heat wins. But, you have to let him off the hook for game 5 because James was subbed out at about the 3:00 minute mark, and the game and the series were out of reach.
Regardless, LeBron James never scored a field goal with less than a minute remaining in a single game in the 2012 Finals.
Kevin Durant actually led all players in 4th quarter scoring in the 2012 Finals with 9.8 ppg. LeBron James scored 6.4 ppg, ever so slightly more than his counterpart Dwayne Wade (6.2 ppg).
Overall, in NBA Finals (2007, 2011, and 2012), 4th quarters LeBron James seems to do four things frequently: miss shots, make turnovers, get rebounds, and get to the free throw line.
Winning his first title, though, does cement LeBron James’ legacy as a phenomenal player. Yet, even with a title, LeBron has not put himself among the game’s all-time elite. Sure, he’s one of a kind, and he’s one of the best of his generation, if not the best.
But, when I think back about the greats of the game, the legends, I remember the Finals’ game-winning shots. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s clutch hook shot to win game 6 of the 1974 Finals against the Boston Celtics.
In Ervin “Magic” Johnson’s first Finals, as a rookie, he replaced the injured Kareem at center and had 42 points and 15 rebounds to close out the series in game 6 against Dr. J and the Sixers.
Larry Bird’s 1984 game-winning turnaround over “Magic” Johnson
http://youtu.be/DPEHglCapG8
Johnson’s triumphant game-winning baby hook shot over Robert Parish and Kevin McHale in 1987 in the Boston Garden.
Magic’s Baby Hook:
And Jordan’s two game-winning shots against the Utah Jazz in 1997 and another in 1998.
Jordan’s “Flu Game”
Jordan’s “Last Shot”
These are such memorable games.
But, LeBron does not have one of these in the Finals moments. No matter what was made of the “cramp” game, LeBron did not score in the last 2:50 minutes of that one, either.
Cleary, LeBron needs to win another title. Besides, he promised “not five, not six, not seven…”
And, in that series, LeBron must produce in the 4th quarter in every game, or at least most of them. To truly cement his legacy, LeBron must make at least one game-winning shot in the NBA Finals. Without at least one, James will never equal the legendary status of icons like Larry Bird, Ervin “Magic” Johnson, and Michael Jordan.
Rob S. De France is a College and University Instructor of English Composition living in Los Angeles. He has a B.A. in English and an M.A. in Rhetoric and Composition. De France has played, coached, and officiated competitive high school basketball in California for many years. Recently, De France, his wife, and another colleague started an internationally read magazine at Shwibly.com.
