LeBron James: What will be the next “Decision” for the Miami Heat superstar? – NBA Feature: Part - 1
Over the course of last year, much column space has been devoted to maligning “The Decision” that took LeBron James to the Miami Heat. Alongside Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, he formed the latest “Big Three” of the NBA, one many
believe could turn out to be the most dominant in the future.
The first year together for the trio was a rollercoaster ride to say the least. After the intense media scrutiny before the season even began, the Heat and LeBron toiled through the first half of a year and as expected, became
the most riled NBA team in all the land.
Off court issues aside, the Heat had considerable problems on it. The newly assembled super squad failed at times to find rhythm, and the chemistry between the triple ripple was often lacking. LeBron James and Dwyane Wade went
through a tense period where it was believed the two were vying to be the leader of the team and the go to guy at clutch.
All through it, the team suffered. However, sometime around the All-Star Weekend, things started to click for Miami. They surged through the rankings and ended up at the second place in the Eastern Conference, looking ominously
strong heading into the playoffs.
The reason behind Miami’s changing of gears as the season progressed was not a single one. To the naked eye it seemed obvious, the team had gone through some turmoil together, grown closer and the superstars had become more familiar
with each other’s game.
However, there was also a subtle change made in their play that only became noticed more, once the playoffs ran deep. That was a compromise between the two biggest names on the team. In layman’s terms, Wade gave up some of his
alpha dog privileges to LeBron. In the sense that James now was the pivotal figure for the Heat’s offense, he made the plays. The ball was to be in LeBron’s hand and Wade would be the cutter, the spot up shooter or whatever other role, the team required of
him.
For his part, King James made some concessions as well. Primarily, Dwyane emerged as the bigger scoring threat as the playoffs went on. As James was embroiled in his responsibilities of setting up plays and leading the team on
both ends of the court, Dwyane was given the freedom of doing anything as he pleased.
LeBron would still drive to the rim, he would still be up there in terms of scoring, but there was a visible undertone of caution and an element of being laid back in his offensive game, which became increasingly apparent as the
playoffs went on.
James was criticized to no end, especially in the Finals, for exactly this reason. His numbers continued being phenomenal overall, notably a triple double in a losing effort, but his progressively lower scoring numbers drew the
ire of many fans and analysts.
James was labelled a choker. He faced the ire of many for his perceived shirking of responsibility late in games and for generally being put in the shade not only by the awe-inspiring Dirk Nowitzki but also by his own teammate
in Dwyane Wade.
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