Stop Criticizing LeBron James!

LeBron James stands near mid court after losing game three of the NBA Finals. After just being fouled by Bruce Bowen of the Spurs, upon which LeBron quickly rose up for a three (which he missed) and a continuation foul, James turns toward veteran NBA referee Bob Delaney and says "He fouled me....Right there," while pointing to the spot on the floor where Bowen attempted to grab him. The play unfolded exactly the way he thought it would, while the Cavs were in the huddle, LeBron pointed out that the Spurs had a foul to give, and if someone attempted to foul James, he was going to shoot the three. San Antonio Spurs coach George Popovich admitted in a post game press conference that they talked about fouling LeBron as soon as he got the ball. Everything happened like LeBron thought it would, except Bob Delaney missed an obvious foul call. With his team now down 3-0 to the dominant Spurs, James frustration and disappointment must have been off the charts. So what did James have to say about the play when asked about it in the post-game press conference? "Incidental contact," said James. "Didn't effect the shot at all." This is what type of player LeBron James is. He wins and loses with class. He carried a mediocre Cavs team on his back to the NBA finals....at twenty-two years old. Yet he is the one who the media has chosen to criticize, probably more than any other player. LeBron gets criticized for shooting too much. He gets criticized for not shooting enough. He gets criticized for his defense, shot selection, left hand, field-goal percentage, ability to perform in the clutch, and free-throw shooting. The way the media is constantly all over LeBron, one would think he is a player on his last leg, spending most of his time on the bench.

But what about what LeBron James does do? In four years, he took the Cleveland Cavaliers, the worst team in the NBA, and gave them their first trip to the NBA Finals. Even more impressive is the fact that the team he took was a sub par team without him. Every other dominant team in the 2006-2007 season (Detroit, San Antonio, Phoenix, Dallas, and even Utah, Miami, and Houston) had at least two All-Stars on the roster. LeBron was the only Cavs player even considered for an All-Star selection. This fact demonstrates LeBron's unique ability to make average players play above themselves, as was evident in the Cavs playoff run. Did I mention he is only twenty-two?

After the same game three that was described above, the ABC "analyst"graded James' performance as a C+. This was after a game when James had a game high 25 points, along with 8 rebounds and 7 assists. He was the game's leading scorer, and was 2 rebounds and 3 assists away from a triple double....C+??? Allow me to throw some numbers out there that critics like the "analyst" above don't always mention. In his four years in Cleveland, James has become the youngest player in NBA history to score 50 points in a game, win Rookie of the Year honors, record a triple-double, average over 30 points a game in a season, receive All-NBA First Team honors, score 45 points in a playoff game, lead the league in All-Star voting, etc, etc, etc. He is the only player ever to score 25 straight points in a playoff game, during one of the most memorable fourth quarter/overtimes in NBA history, yet he is criticized for not performing in the clutch and not taking big shots. Besides Oscar Robertson, he is the only player in NBA history to average over 27 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists a game for three straight years, a streak that is currently active. Only LeBron and the Big "O" have done this. Not Jordan, not Bird, not Kobe, not Magic. He is 22.

Let's take a moment and compare LeBron James with the greatest player of all time, Michael Jordan. When Jordan was 22, he averaged 28.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 5.9 assists. The Bulls were swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Milwaukee Bucks. This past season, LeBron averaged 25.1 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 6.0 assists, and led his team to the NBA Finals, a run in which James averaged 29.9 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 6.6 assists, and the media continued to criticize LeBron for not being able to elevate his game in the playoffs. When Jordan was 23, the Bulls were 38-44 and were swept in the first round of the playoffs. At 24, Jordan's Bulls went 30-52 and were swept again in the first round, and at 25, the Bulls were 40-42, and suffered another first round playoff loss. Jordan didn't go to his first Finals until he was 28. That is still six seasons away for LeBron. In addition, Jordan had an outstanding supporting cast in Chicago that included the likes of Pippen, Rodman, Grant, Kerr, Paxson, and Kukoc. That Chicago supporting cast was so good that they went 55-27 WITHOUT Jordan, after he retired for the first time.

I am not trying to say that LeBron is a better basketball player than Michael Jordan. That remains to be seen. What I am saying is that the media expects LeBron James to do things that no 22 year old has ever done. How long is it going to be before LeBron cracks under all of this pressure? Frankly, I am surprised he hasn't melted down already. How can the media constantly be critical of a 22 year old kid who is the best young player in the history of the league? He scores, rebounds, gets all of his teammates involved, is a leader, and a class act. He has never had legal problems, has two children with the same woman (his girlfriend that he plans on marrying), and doesn't criticize teammates, refs, or coaches. It is mind boggling that he is the target the media has chosen.