The #1 reason LeBron left the Cavs was because he didn’t feel he was getting enough support and had to carry the team. The premise of The Big 3 was that they could share the responsibility of carrying the team from time to time, so they would always be fresh.
You can’t say it has been a failure, because they have been to three straight NBA Finals, so it is working for them (now 1-1, with the 3rd yet to be determined).
Lately though with Wade hurting and Bosh struggling, LeBron has had to shoulder much of the responsibilities of getting the Heat back to the Finals and he is even admitting that it is wearing him down a bit.
“I had been accustomed to being able to start the fourth but the third quarter was so — I was in the paint, defensive rebounding, I was closing out Kawhi Leonard on shooters,” James said. “It took all in the tank from me in the third quarter. So I needed a little breather.”
James averaged 43 minutes in the series with the Indiana Pacers, the most in any seven-game stretch this season.
He averaged 44 minutes in the Finals in each of the past two years, making the 42 he logged in Game 1 a relatively “light” night. Last year he had a bout of cramps during the Finals.
But there is no doubt he’s showing some wear. Privately, James admitted to some that banging with David West in the fourth quarters of the Pacers series wore him down a bit. Now he’s taken the rare step of admitting some fatigue.
“It is tough. But it is what it is,” James said. “I put myself in a position to try to do everything for this team, a little bit of everything, and put myself in a position to win. It’s very challenging mentally, physically. But you have to figure out a way to just have will at this point of the season. There’s not too many days left. There’s no room for excuses.”
LeBron is right, can’t make excuses now (even though the Heat did after Game 1), he is THE KING, so he just has to fight through it. When you are the undisputed best basketball player in the world, no one cares if you are tired.
This is what LeBron James signed up for when he took his talents to South Beach. Better get a V8 and come out strong in Game 2, because if the Heat take another loss, I doubt he will be getting much sleep.