The Once Future King

Photoshop by Payton Wales

DALLAS -- LeBron James was a no-show June 7 in Dallas, turning only 8 points and 11 rebounds. Looking as if he were running on fumes drew comparisons to last year's playoffs, where it was widely agreed upon he quit on his Cavaliers teammates.

Tonight might be his last chance to prove these incidents were just a fluke. A chance for the Once Future King to prove he isn't just a spoiled prince but the leader everyone wants him to be, the one everyone thinks he can be.

For years, it's been about LeBron's greatness, his potential, his God-given abilities. Yet in the same breath, fans heard everything wrong about him -- his lack of maturity, his inability to be clutch, his unwillingness to step up in the moment, his selfishness off the court, coach killer, the Decision. It's been talked about to the point that the mere mention of his name invokes nausea.

Tonight is a chance to end all of it. A chance to put all the haters in their place, prove them wrong. He needs to. He has to. His legacy is at stake, and if he doesn't do something now, if he doesn't show up tonight, he may never be able to shake the monkey off his back, even if he wins a title in the future.

Tonight may not be an elimination night, but it's significance is still significant. Tonight can reveal a pattern with the King. Tonight can give fans some insight into the psychosis of the man that is LeBron James. It has the potential to reveal to them what he cares about in his life, how he views his own legacy. It all hinges on him, and how he plays tonight.

No one is saying he has to drop 55 points on the Mavericks or even 30. But he has to show up, he has to produce, he has to leave an imprint on this game. The talk of tonight's game cannot be about how Dirk Nowitzki played through fever and injury. It must be about the redemption of James.

If it's not, his legacy will take a hit, one it may never recover from. Though fans may say he was great when his career is done, if he fails tonight, if he fails this year, he will never have the chance to be considered "The Greatest."

Tonight is a chance for him to start giving answers, to stop leaving questions. Tonight, LeBron James can take a step toward what he claimed was his seven years ago when he arrived in the NBA. Tonight, he has a chance to take control of his kingdom and he must. If he doesn't, he may never get a chance again.

The light for greatness shines only briefly. When it does shine, it is up to us to step into it and give the world a glimpse of who we are, if only for a minute. We get a chance to establish a legacy, to legitimize our gifts. The light is shining for James right now and it will never be brighter than this season.

Tonight, we find out if James really wants to be king, or just a jester, content to live vicariously through the idea of what could have been.

Mavericks Find New Life in Game 4 Victory

Photoshop by Payton Wales

DALLAS -- One man had the flu, the other flew the coup Tuesday in Dallas.

For three quarters in Game 4 of the NBA Finals, Dirk Nowitzki looked like something you would see in the movie Dawn of the Dead. Sick from the flu and not sleeping the night before, it looked like the Mavericks' usual hero was laboring and going through the motions.

In the fourth quarter, however, he looked like Lazarus resurrected.

Fighting through a severe sinus infection, Nowitzki found a way to deliver his usual fourth-quarter magic, scoring 10 of his 21 total points in the quarter while also sparking a 21-9 Dallas run to propel the Mavericks to an 86-83 victory and a 2-2 series tie.

"Just battle it out," Nowitzki said about playing through the illness. "This is the Finals. You have to go out there and compete and try your best for your team. So that's what I did."

Nowitzki, whose fourth-quarter heroics in these playoffs have become something of legend, found that legend growing when he hit another game-winning layup with only 14.4 seconds in the game.

The win also found Nowitzki's supporting cast jump into the scrum and help their leader. Tyson Chandler, 13 points and 16 rebounds; Shawn Marion, 16 points; Jason Terry, 17 points; and DeShawn Stevenson, 11 points, were all major contributors in the win, especially the latter, who manged to play lockdown defense on LeBron James.

James, who is considered one of the league's most unstoppable players, was held to only 8 points on 3-of-11 shooting, the lowest point total of his seven-year career. The single-digit scoring performance ended his streak of 433 straight games in double figures.

The poor performance also drew eerie parallels to last year's Conference Finals against the Celtics, where it was widely considered James quit or became disinterested in his team's outcome. James' poor performance could be also be attributed to exhaustion, considering he has averaged 44 minutes per game in these playoffs.

"I've got to do a better job of being more assertive offensively," James said. "I'm confident in my ability. It's just about going out there and knocking them down."

Despite James' poor outing, the Heat still managed to keep the lead for the majority of the game thanks to Dwyane Wade. Wade, who led all scorers with 32 points, kept the Heat competitive all game. But with 30.1 seconds left, Wade missed a crucial free throw that would have tied the game.

Seconds later, Wade fumbled an inbounds pass but managed to knock the ball to Mike Miller for a potential tying 3-pointer with 6.7 seconds left. The shot fell well short and the American Airlines Center erupted in loud cheers upon realizing their team avoided the dreaded 3-1 deficit. No NBA team down 3-1 in a Finals series has come back to win.

In a series that many critics thought the Heat would run away with, the Mavericks have shown a high level of fortitude and fight on the way to a series tie. So far, the margin of victory in all four games is the lowest it's been since 1998.

"This series is a jump ball," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "These guys live for these type of moments. It's about execution and disposition in the fourth quarter, being able to close out. We have a golden opportunity in the next game."

The Heat may have the opportunity June 9, but the Mavericks seem to have the momentum, and their bench, a renewed vigor. The only thing anyone can be sure of is this series will remain just as unpredictable in its last three games as it has been in its first four.

Bosh Last-Second Shot Secures Game 3 Win For Heat

Photoshop by Payton Wales

DALLAS -- Dwyane Wade looked like a man possessed June 5, refusing to let the Dallas Mavericks defeat his Miami Heat. But it was Chris Bosh who became the Game 3 hero.

Bosh, who had 18 points on the night, seemed timid throughout the night, passing up wide-open shots on numerous occasions and drawing the criticism of many. But all of that came to an end with 39.6 seconds left in the game when Bosh hit a 17-footer to give the Heat the win, 88-86.

"This series is turning out to be an absolute series of endurance, mental and physical," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "We didn't expect anything less than the competitive physicality of this game tonight. Our guys really competed. At times it was a little uneven, but we found ways to make plays on both ends of the court, to grind this game out in a very enduring win."

The Heat were up 81-74 with 6:32 left in the game and seemed poised to close it out. But Dallas, much like in Game 2, had other intentions, sparking a fourth-quarter rally behind Dirk Nowitzki's heroics. Nowitzki, who had 34 points and 11 rebounds on the night, put up 12 straight points in the fourth quarter, including one if his patented off-balance fadeaways.
 
The rally wouldn't be enough this time though as Wade just wouldn't let the Heat resign. Wade, who scored 7 points in the fourth quarter and 29 on the evening, relentlessly attacked the Mavericks defense, hitting big shot after big shot to keep Miami ahead every time the Mavericks threatened to take the lead.

Wade also had 11 rebounds on the night. When asked about the win, Wade said, "We felt this was a must-win, and we put it upon ourselves to get the home-court (advantage) back."

The final seconds saw Shawn Marion play lock-down defense on LeBron James, forcing a 24-second violation, leaving the Heat pounding their heads with frustration. Jason Terry then missed a jumper from the elbow, which opened the opportunity for Bosh to hit his game-winner.

"I don't know the number of times we climbed out of holes," Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said about the loss. "But it's just always going to make the game harder."

Dallas, who was without center Brendan Haywood, found it hard to aggressively protect the paint, worrying about foul trouble for most of the game while also stumbling on offense. While Nowitzki has been consistent, the rest of his starting five has not, struggling to produce points to help the 7-foot power forward.

Jason Kidd had 9 points in the loss and Marion only added 10 to close out the night. It goes without saying if the Mavericks are going to win Game 4, they will need to receive bigger contributions from their starters in what Nowitzki said is "basically a must-win situation."

The Game 3 victory bodes well for the Heat historically. Since the NBA Finals went to the 2-3-2 format in 1985, the winner of Game 3 in a tied series has won all 11 times.

The Heat will look to extend their lead against Dallas June 6 at the American Airlines Center.