Maybe it has something to do with growing older. Maybe it has something to do with seeing the generation of players I grew up with are starting to retire. Maybe it is slightly growing tired of hating players. I have no idea why, but in my life as a sports fan, I've come around on greatness. For years, it was fun watching the little guy win, watching the beauty of competition. It takes a while to realize every now and then it is fun to watch greatness, in awe of these people who can perform spectacular acts. It happened for me with Roger Federer and Tiger Woods. It happened with Sidney Crosby. And now, for me, it is LeBron James.
What LeBron James has done in these last two games shouldn't mean that much. He's already a four-time MVP (should have been at least five - the Derrick Rose MVP is going to stick out awfully in 20 years), with two titles, and an array of statistical accomplishments across both offense and defense, scoring and passing and rebounding, that leaves him nearly unparalleled in the history of the NBA. Still, watching him do what he did has been absolutely beautiful.
Maybe it was the tangle with Draymond Green, and getting upset at this crazed lunatic that wears number 23 swiping at him and calling him a 'bitch' (or worse), but whatever it was it triggered something in LeBron. It was as if he just said 'Enough, I've had it with this team.' He's had with them, with people saying Steph is better, with people saying he is past his prime, with people saying he isn't clutch, that his impending 2-5 NBA Finals record is worse than going 2-0. Like Samuel Jackson's infamous line at the end of Snakes on a Plane, LeBron had had it with these mf-ing Warriors - and he unleashed Holy Hell.
LeBron was incredible in Game 5, dropping a 41-16-7 line. People still weren't too happy, noting he did it without Draymond in the lineup against him. So he dropped 41 again in Game 6, with another 11 assists - some perfectly timed touch passes to Tristan Thompson and JR Smith. LeBron seemed to want to show the viewing public not only wasn't he the best scorer in the league - he may be the best passer as well. There were no excuses or 'buts' you could attach to Game 6. Draymond played. The Warriors were whole. He was facing elimination. And he did that.
The only reason anyone has ever criticized LeBron James is because he is so good, so physically gifted, so ethereally talented, that we all expect him to play like he did in Game 5 or Game 6 every game. Expectations have never been higher, partially because no one has hit those highs as much as LeBron has since Jordan retired. It is telling that you can have an open discussion on what the best LeBron playoff performance has been and people can argue legitimatiely for 2-3 other games over the past two.
LeBron James is 31, and despite him seeing a perfectly inhuman ageless cobra, there are signs he is on the decline. His shot had dropped off this year. His effort on defense has been declining for years. He had picked up a few injuries - including missing 10 games last year to 'rest up.' He is conserving his energy to really explode in these perfect moments that need his brilliance the most.
The Warriors are favored for Game 7 and they should be, but it is just one game now. LeBron, if he does what he did in Game 5 and Game 6, can lead the Cavs to a title - it will be the crowning achievement for King James. Even if he doens't, the series will serve as a lasting reminder of who owned the NBA from 2005 until whenever he stops wanting to be The King.
