Game 5 Was Another Example Of A LeBron James Choke, But Not In The Way You Think
LeBron James is probably the best player on the planet right now. However, the Miami Heat superstar has a nasty little habit of not coming through when the chips are down. Game 5 against the Boston Celtics is a great example of that. The Heat had the Celtics on the ropes but let them roar back to steal a victory.
In the first half, a LeBron James choke was the last thing everyone thought about. He was on fire and dominating everything in his path. In fact, LeBron started 7 of 9 from the field. He finished an awful 4 of 16. The second half was a different matter. In third quarter, LeBron was a paltry 1 for 7. He showed signs of life early in the fourth, before he disappeared.
It may not have been as much of a choke as it was LeBron playing on fumes. However, you have to push through that in the playoffs. Look at Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. Their wills to win often overcame fatigue in big moments.
A LeBron James choke is something that tends to get overplayed in the media, but it keeps happening in bad situations. LeBron has plenty of chances to end the narrative, but he keeps reinforcing it. As much as you may doubt me, I want LeBron to succeed. I want him to embrace the fact that no one can stop in him in the paint. Instead, he settles for jumpers way too often.
He still attempted to create chances for his teammates, but all that does is reinforce the notion that he doesn’t want the ball in big situations. People will take games like this and instantly label it a LeBron James choke. In this case, I have to agree. He had the chance to end the Celtics and he let them off the hook.
LeBron James just can not shake his reputation. It is a bad thing, but until he steps up big it will always remain.
Riley Schmitt is a writer for Rant Sports.
