An Incomplete Legacy, An Incomplete Understanding

Hype.

Scouts create it, writers and the media expand it, and fans soak it all in. It’s something that’s made up of more than just a simple definition:

hype (n):
1. greatly exaggerated publicity intended to excite public interest in something such as a movie or theatrical production

2. somebody who or something that is extensively publicized

3. a deception or dishonest scheme

LeBron James has been scrutinized, criticized, publicized, queried, defended (both rationally and irrationally), blasted (same), and placed at the forefront of the sports world since his lackluster game 5 performance on Tuesday night.

To put it simply, it was an utter disaster. That’s the critical side. There’s no defending a 3-for-14, 15-point, seemingly apathetic performance in a crucial game 5 of any series from a superstar of LeBron’s lofty status.

Did he deserve to be criticized for it? Yes. But the question nobody seemed to be asking was why. He averaged 29 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists per game during the regular season and claimed his second consecutive MVP. That could be one reason for ridicule. His team also had the best regular season record, his organization did all it could to bring in the players necessary to augment the city of Cleveland’s quest for a title, and he seemingly had the career experience to conquer any demons left in his way of a championship. Then game 5 of the 2010 Eastern Conference semifinals happened, and it all went down in flames before it was even over.

However, players are apt to having bad games in critical moments throughout their careers. It’s sports. Someone wins, someone loses; some fail, some succeed; some let us down while others exceed expectations we never fathomed. But what makes LeBron James different? What makes him worthy of such distinctively unparalleled expectations? It’s hype.

When LeBron James was drafted in 2003 at the age of 18 as the #1 overall pick by the Cavaliers, David Stern shook his hand, congratulated him, then subsequently handed him a virtual bag of gift-wrapped hype. He was the hometown kid from Akron; immediately became the savior of Cleveland basketball and received a lucrative shoe deal with Nike before he ever stepped on the NBA hardwood; scored 25 points and dished out 9 assists in his first ever NBA game; became the youngest player in NBA history to score 40 points in a game (age 19); became the youngest player to record a triple-double (age 20); became the youngest player to be named All-Star game MVP (age 21); recorded a triple double in his playoff debut against Washington in 2006 (32 points, 11 assists, 11 rebounds) in the greatest playoff debut in NBA history; put together one of the greatest playoff performances in NBA history in game 5 of the 2007 Eastern Conference finals in Detroit, as he recorded 48 points, 9 rebounds 7 assists and scored 29 of Cleveland’s final 30 points as the Cavaliers defeated the Pistons in overtime; went to the finals as a pleasant surprise in ’07 after upsetting the Pistons in that series; won his first MVP award in the 2008-09 season at the age of 24; left everything but his carcass on the court in the Eastern Conference finals that same season (averaged 38 points per game in the series), and got penciled into “The List” as he watched his team crumble before his eyes; earned his second consecutive MVP this season, put up gaudy numbers, led his team to the Eastern Conference semifinals after a 61-win season, and now we’re here. All while he graced the cover of Vogue, generated an entourage, starred in countless Nike ads, and carried a compelling aura the NBA hadn’t seen since Michael Jordan.

LeBron came into the league with more hype than any professional athlete prior, met those expectations in unprecedented fashion; and now that the Cavaliers have been eliminated by the experienced yet aging and creaky Boston Celtics, LeBron James has legitimately failed in epic proportions for the first time in his career. Everything was put in place for him to do nothing less than reach the prominence of an NBA title, and he didn’t do it.

When was the last time a 25-year old was virtually obligated to win an NBA title? Never. LeBron was expected to do whatever it took to win a title this season, no matter how much adversity he would have to face or what it took to do so. In other words, the hype LeBron James was handed and dealt with throughout his career created a fabricated portrayal of who he really is.

Asking James to do what was expected of him this season was no different than asking Jordan to do what he did in his heyday. Michael Jordan is the most competitive athlete to ever play any sport. Period. When something was expected of him, he did it. When he met the face of adversity, he crushed it and made sure everybody saw it, too.

Who said LeBron James attained these attributes? He isn’t the hyper-competitive athlete that had proven to crush the face of adversity. Yes, he proved over and over again that he could live up to hype unlike any professional athlete before him, but never had LeBron James proven or even been in a legitimate position to prove he could rebound from a position of vulnerability or infamy.

Hype has forced us, as fans, to view LeBron as this type of player when he has yet to even display shades of Jordan or Kobe-like ruthless competitiveness. When hype morphed into false prospects, everything broke down.

LeBron lives for the big moments, the big stages, the corporate image and the entourage. He takes the limelight and soaks it up like Magic Johnson, and is a frontrunner like Shaquille O'Neal in some ways. He’s succeeded through the hype with ease throughout his career because it’s all in his wheelhouse. Some have said his fascination with the spotlight is what has tarnished his career, albeit that exact mentality is what propelled his career and created the basketball player we’ve all become witnesses of.

He began his career in the spotlight and hasn’t obtained a teammate that even came close to that luminance. When Magic came in, Kareem was there. When Kobe came in, Shaq was there. Jordan came in on top, but we’re talking about mere mortals here. Every mortal superstar came into the league with someone else in the spotlight before they were allowed to eventually step in. LeBron never lived through that experience, and it’s the chief reason why he is who he is. He’s a superstar by nature, and he’s never had to work for that. Granted, his talents made him deserving of that; but when someone doesn’t have to work for something, they sometimes abuse it. When someone doesn’t experience something traditional, things happen untraditionally. When LeBron finally met the traditional adversity experience that every superstar experiences in his NBA career, his swagger diminished.

Whether his elbow injury was serious or not, he had an elbow injury. Injury was something LeBron admitted he never had to play through in his life; something the traditional superstar brazenly overcomes.

He was playing for a poorly coached team; something the traditional superstar is capable of overcoming.

He was playing for a sub-par team with no playoff urgency; something a traditional superstar is able of overcoming and altering.

He was playing in front of the most nervous crowd in the history of the NBA once the Cavs trailed by a large margin in game 5; something the traditional star would have been able to revoke. The summer of 2010 was hanging over the arena, and home-court advantage had virtually vanished.

But there’s one thing LeBron James did do comparable to the traditional superstar: he failed.

Magic Johnson choked away games 2, 4 and 7 of the 1984 NBA finals; Jordan’s Bulls lost to the Pistons in the playoffs for three consecutive seasons before winning a championship, and he would find his team down 2-1 later in his career after he shot an atrocious 3-for-18 in game 3 of the 1993 finals before he would rebound from that performance; Kobe Bryant scored 20 points and committed 7 turnovers in a 32-point blowout elimination defeat to the Spurs in 2003, went 4-for-13, 8-for-25 and 7-for-21 in games three, four and five of the 2004 finals in defeat, completely shut down in the first round in 2006 against the Suns in game 7 and took only three shots in the second half, and choked in both games 4 and 6 of the 2008 finals as the Celtics manhandled Kobe’s Lakers (notice the plethora of Kobe failures. Not singling him out. Just saying).

Now we have LeBron James, game 5, 2010 Eastern Conference semifinals. The day the basketball world shifted on its axis. The day that sparked LeBron James’ imminent departure from Cleveland.

Game 5 conveyed more than just a bad game from a superstar and his team. It portrayed that Cleveland is nowhere near LeBron’s quintessential future stage. Everything about game 5 in Cleveland was the polar opposite of LeBron’s preferred ambiance.

You could say he’s had a taste of Shaq syndrome and has been in comfortably auspicious situations throughout the majority of his career. In game 5, he faced an unusual situation of pressure he’d never encountered previous. Cleveland basketball was on his shoulders and the crowd was tense and anxious. The only time the crowd had been comfortable all postseason was when their team had a sizeable lead, and when that wasn’t there and the game 5 deficit began to grow, the crowd started booing.

Now I don’t mean to get personal here, but as anyone who reads my column on a regular basis can attest, I’m a Warriors fan. I know how a true, loyal crowd and fanbase is supposed to operate. Under no circumstances do you boo your best player when your team is down and you need to rally from a large deficit in a critical game. Ever.

However, the boos were understandable. This was a matter of life and death for those fans. Just remember though, those boos will have a vast impact on LeBron’s future. From the way he’s wired, he needs a fanbase similar to Golden State or New York to boost his ego and facilitate the glamour. That type of stage is fitting for him, not overcoming the atrocities and demise of a city in one night.

LeBron James doesn’t come out of situations such as game 5 of the 2010 Eastern Conference semis with an unbelievable victory and a confident, simple fist-pump. LeBron’s makeup is that of an athlete who loves what he does, works hard at it, takes the glamour along with it, portrays confidence yet embraces his teammates with the jubilation of an equal counterpart, conveys an inviting and captivating aura, and astonishes onlookers with his mind-blowing talents and performances time and time again. He's the unconventional NBA superstar, and the trials he's beginning to face at this point of his young career is displaying so more than ever. Whether these traits produce championships is yet to be seen, but what's certain is this: we have approximately 8 fascinating years to find out. This has merely begun.

Hence, the aforementioned attributes point to LeBron James leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers this summer. Whether it’s to the New York Knicks (the perfect LBJ lifestyle, possible superstar sidekick), the Chicago Bulls (the best team he could possibly sign a max deal with, the opportunity to play alongside Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah and a possible superstar sidekick), or the New Jersey Nets (Russian billionaire owner, can hang with Jay-Z, nice young pieces, possible first pick in the draft, A.K.A John Wall), his genetic makeup calls for it. Maybe the 2009-10 season fell into place perfectly for LeBron James; because now, maybe he won’t be depicted as something he’s not.

One statement stood out over the others in James’ post-game press conference Thursday night:

“You’ve gotta go through a lot of nightmares before you accomplish your dream.”

Cleveland proved, ultimately, to be LeBron’s nightmare on Tuesday. Now he can leave the discomforts of the city behind and accomplish his dream. Just like the mere definitions of the word “hype,” there’s a lot more to his career than what he’s done and what he will do. Read the three basic definitions of the word and you’ll see LeBron’s career, look at who he really is you’ll see what he’ll become.

LeBron has already shown that we shouldn’t worry about the latter, but we will. It’s in our nature. It’s who we are.