NBA Cleveland Cavaliers

LeBron James Needs 2015 NBA Title to Solidify ‘King’ Stature

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USA Today Sports Images

USA Today Sports Images

At the three-fourths mark of a particularly odd NBA season, what remains is a bit unheard of: the Golden State Warriors and Atlanta Hawks are currently sitting at the top of their respective conferences, Oklahoma City Thunder will likely end the season as an eighth seed, James Harden is carrying the Houston Rockets and Dwight Howard into the playoffs and the Los Angeles Lakers are a lottery team.

Not to be left out of the scrum, LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers are coming out of a soap opera-type season. I’m talking about a rift in chemistry, power struggle, injuries and gaping roster holes that needed to be filled. However, even with all the drama, the Cavs have managed to pull themselves out of the muck and are sitting pretty at the No. 2 seed in the East.

It’s an interesting story surrounding a grown-up James returning home. After learning how to win championships in Miami, the reigning king goes back to the place that once burned his jersey and cursed his name because he felt as if he owed them a title. He joined the city’s prince Kyrie Irving – who has never been to the playoffs – and coerced a fed-up-in-Minnesota Kevin Love – who also has never seen the light of playoff-days — to join them.

It’s been an uphill battle for James and Co. as they try to get used to each other. Any team that has James coming onto the roster is going to undergo massive changes in roles: first bananas are going to shift to second, the guy that has been the saving grace (Irving) now takes a back seat, while the guy that’s supposed to be the final piece to the puzzle (Love) feels like he doesn’t fit in.

However, just like in Miami, James’ understanding of his role as the centerpiece doesn’t prove to be a hindrance to his teammates. Through trial and error, the Cavaliers slowly climbed their way out of the heap. They are more in sync with each other and possess a better sense of identity. Early on in the season, fans saw James in coaching battles with head coach David Blatt, but since has learned his role in when to take over and when to take a backseat.

In his 13 years in the league, James has combated pundits that constantly try to strip him of his dominance in the NBA. The intangibles are abundant: “he isn’t clutch,” to “he chokes,” from “he can’t play with his back to the basket,” to “he can’t do it again” and “he needed Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade,” etc. – you get the idea.

And while all of that might have been true at certain points in his career, James has consistently overturned any kind of criticism laid at his feet and it shows in his game.

During his time in Miami, James’ three-point percentage improved from 33 percent to 40 percent. He put in a massive amount of work during the summer — both physically and mentally –  after losing the title to the Dallas Mavericks, which showed in the following series against Oklahoma City, and again in his first title matchup against the San Antonio Spurs.

The 2013-2014 campaign against San Antonio was a different story. The Spurs were firing on all cylinders as they closed out Miami in five games, despite James averaging 28.2 points and 7.8 rebounds throughout the series. James left Miami in the offseason and eyebrows were raised on how long his second tenure with the Cavaliers would last before he ditches them for another team with a more promising supporting cast.

Coming back home has been James’ biggest challenge yet. With 16 games left, James has endured roadblock after roadblock, even some of the ones he caused and received the aforementioned flack as a result of it. Yet for all the questions he answers, several more come to the surface:

Can he lead an inexperienced team to the Finals? Can he win a championship in Cleveland? Will he surpass Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabar?

From the second he stepped foot into the league as an 18-year-old superstar, he has had more doubters than accolades, and even as the accolades started to pile up, the pundits multiplied even more. James’ career is built around tearing down every “he can’t” thrown in his direction, so it’s become less of a matter of “if he can” but more of “when he can.” But even still, as James’ career progresses, haters are gonna hate.

Being King has its price, and James has paid his dues time and time again. Only seasons can tell for LeBron, but as he approaches the tail end of his prime, the current 2015 season couldn’t be any more crucial in the legacy to live up to his nickname.

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