Dwyane Wade putting LeBron James in the shade – NBA Finals Special
LeBron James was huge in game-3 of the NBA Finals, especially down the stretch. Although no one seemed to be able to stop the charging Dirk Nowitzki, LeBron managed the next best thing, he took out Jason Terry. Just like he did against Derrick Rose in the closing periods of the Eastern Conference Finals, LeBron made big defensive plays that ultimately led to a Miami Heat win.
He also scored 17 points and made 9 assists - a good performance all around. However, that’s not what people are going to be talking about in the coming few days. The talk is mostly going to be about Nowitzki and about Dwyane Wade.
Those are the two players that have elevated themselves into the forefront of the NBA Finals 2011. The end of game 3 was quite symbolic and it might be how these whole Finals are remembered.
There was Dirk Nowitzki, playing the role of one man army as he knocked down shot after shot to breathe life into the otherwise flailing Dallas Mavericks offence. Then there was Dwyane Wade who answered back for the Miami Heat and stopped his team becoming the victim of another Mavs comeback.
Chris Bosh knocked down his odd shot while LeBron hounded the Mavs on defence and set up some teammates on offence. It’s a clear picture and it shows Dwyane Wade, instead of LeBron James, as the leader of the Miami Heat.
NBA Finals are often the defining moment for the greats of the game. For all his good work on both ends of the floor, LeBron James seems to be playing second fiddle to Dwyane Wade. Wade is averaging around 33 points in his 9 NBA Finals appearances. LeBron lost in the Finals, the last time he was there and this time he has 20.3 points per game. That is a significant gap. For the player widely acclaimed as the best in the NBA, it’s a bit underwhelming to say the least.
After the win in game 3, Dwyane said to the gathered press, "I've been here before so just trying to lead," Wade told reporters after the game. "My guys did a great job of following."
Notice that? Dwyane Wade is the leader of the team. It’s his “guys” who follow. Would we have heard comments like these from Scottie Pippen after an NBA Finals game? They sound more like what Michael Jordan would have said. And correct me if I am wrong, but wasn’t LeBron James supposed to be in the Michael Jordan mould?
James decided to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers in order to win an NBA World Championship. The NBA ring has to be won because he knows that’s how greatness is measured. LeBron is now on the verge of winning an NBA championship ring, however Dwyane Wade’s superb form could mean that greatness might manage to elude him.
LeBron was asked about his performance after the game, particularly in the fourth quarter when he had just 2 points and he said,
"I'm a two-way player, since D-Wade had it going ... we allow him to handle the ball, bring it on offensively."
To be fair to LeBron, he has shown tremendous professionalism and put himself on the line for his team and that’s the mark of a great player. He is doing what he needs to do in order for the Miami Heat to win the NBA Finals. The glory however goes to the leader.
As such, LeBron’s own legacy might suffer because of this.
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