LeBron James: This Wasn’t The Plan

By Joshua Howe | May 11, 2015

May 10, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; The Cavaliers Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) celebrates with teammates after scoring the game winning basket in the second half of game four of the second round of the NBA Playoffs against the Chicago Bulls at the United Center. The Cavaliers won 86-84. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports /

When LeBron James returned to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the plan was rather simple: bring together a group of young, talented guys in order to win a championship. James was at the center of it all, of course, with Kyrie Irving already there to be his new wingman. Kevin Love joined soon after.

LeBron and the Miami Heat saw firsthand last season what happens when one guy tries to carry his team to a title. They made it through the lackluster East, only to be throttled by record margins against the San Antonio Spurs in the Finals.

People seem to forget that despite the Spurs crushing the Heat and effectively ending the LeBron-in-Miami era, James himself had a great series (save the cramping in Game 1). He averaged 28.2 points, 7.6 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game on 57.1 percent shooting from the field and 51.8 percent shooting from three.

Even so, the Heat fell in five mostly uncompetitive games.

Unfortunately for LeBron, history seems to be ready to repeat itself only one season later. Cleveland has been doused with injuries, taking blow after blow throughout the season and now in the postseason.

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First it was Anderson Varejao going down back in December with a torn Achilles. Then Love got hurt in the first round against Boston. Now Kyrie, Iman Shumpert, J.R. Smith and James himself are all playing with nagging injuries after their scrappy win against the Chicago Bulls in Game 4.

If Cleveland had succumbed yesterday, this series would’ve been over. It just would have. The Bulls are healthier (get well soon, Pau Gasol!) and Derrick Rose is playing like Derrick Rose again. The Cavs are so decimated with injuries that every trip up the floor looks like a struggle.

But competitors never surrender. They never give in. LeBron James is a competitor. He’s still the best player in the world when he’s right, and even when he isn’t (like in the second half of Game 4) he’s probably going to get it done when he sets his mind to it.

He’s doing what he did for the Heat last season, now another year older, another year with more wear and tear on his tires. It’s growing ever more evident as time goes on; James is more frequently appearing to be mortal.

Yet despite his weakened state and the rest of the bogged down roster looking like they were playing with hundred pound weights on their shoulders, LeBron summoned his basketball brilliance one more time and finished the game with a buzzer beater from the corner.

Timofey Mozgov and J.R. Smith hit some big shots and played well down the stretch, but the rest of the team looked like they were constantly wading through molasses. Luckily for them, LeBron’s shot saved everything.

This time.

But what about next game? And the game after that? And the next series? Can we even talk about the Finals? At this rate, whoever comes out of the West might as well be automatically given the Larry O’Brien trophy.

The Cavs’ series is now a best-of-three and they have regained home court, but that doesn’t mean much when a large portion of the roster has been obliterated by injuries. If they’re going to win this series, LeBron James has to be the best player on the planet every single game.

It saddens me to say it. I know he’ll rise to the challenge, just like he did yesterday. I know he’ll give it his all and that that might just be good enough to will his team as far as the Finals. But is it worth it?

LeBron has become Atlas again, draping the hulking mass of Cleveland onto his shoulders and carrying them forward step by painful step. Yet this is part of James’ legacy: that at multiple opportune moments, his teams either just aren’t good enough or are hurting enough that they fall apart around him.

Great players find a way to get it done. LeBron has time and time again throughout his career. And he’s going to give it his best shot once more. But this wasn’t the plan.

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