I have never enjoyed watching LeBron James play. There's always just been something about him, even stemming back to his high school days when he burst onto the scene, captivating basketball fans everywhere.
Sure, even then, and certainly now, he's showed that he's a helluva basketball player, probably the best in the world. Yet, there was just something that is oh so irksome about him.
That disdain for the King grew and grew and grew, coming to a head when James uttered those words about taking something that belonged to him to some beach to join forces with a couple of other NBA megastars.
Every time I've gotten the chance, I've criticized him for his actions and his antics, both on and off the court.
So in full disclosure, I've never been a fan of his work, regardless of his age, team or anything else.
But then, Thursday night happened. And after that, all I could really say is "Wow."
James' performance in the fourth quarter of Game 5 of the Eastern Conference final may well end up being one of the most memorable of a career that will no doubt be capped by an early-autumn celebration in Springfield.
The knock on LeBron has always been that he can't close. He's not clutch. He doesn't make shots when it matters most. He's long been compared to Alex Rodriguez (before the ring), and that is not an endearing sentiment.
Something has changed this year, though. James was incredible as the Heat more or less rolled through the Celtics in the second round. And he somehow took his game to an even higher level in the conference finals, with the exclamation point coming in the fourth quarter of Game 5.
With the Heat down by 12 (thanks in part to James missing his last nine shots), he made some of the biggest plays you'll ever see in that situation. First, there was the 3-pointer to get them to within five, at 77-72.
Then, with a minute to play, James hit another 3-pointer, this one to tie the game at 79 all.
What followed, however, may have been the most impressive sequence of James' performance. James dug in on defense and forced Derrick Rose into a turnover. He then took the ball down the court, waited for the right moment, and like a cobra, he struck. He elevated for a jump shot — the same area of his game that has been most-often critcized — and nailed it. Miami took the lead, and they never gave it back.
You don't have to like LeBron, and practically no one outside of South Beach seems to, but you have to admit that that was clutch.
Now, you have to give credit to someone like Dwyane Wade, whose four-point play and another 3-pointer were instrumental in the comeback. And yes, there will always be a cloud hanging over LeBron's head for having to join up with Wade and Chris Bosh to get to where he wants to go.
But, let's face it. Wade and Bosh didn't make those shots for LeBron. The most polarizing basketball player in the world made shots when he needed to make them. He's done it all year, as much as it hurts to admit it.
If the Heat do lose to Dallas in the NBA Finals, it's beginning to look like it won't be because of LeBron James.
If James is going to play at this high of a level for the coming years, it's going to be tough for anyone to knock him and the Heat off.
That doesn't mean we still can't keep rooting against them, it's just going to be a little bit harder to get what we want.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to dig up my Dirk Nowitzki jersey and hope that LeBron reverts to his old ways in the Finals.
I'm not counting on it, though.
Has LeBron James' postseason performance changed your view of him as a player at all? Share your thoughts below.
