Did LeBron James engineer his own demise? The burden of being too good

Things are not going well for the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals. Game 1 was a blowout, Game 2 little better. Game 3 will see the Cavs return to cloudy Cleveland after two games in sunny California, but will that even help? And is all of this LeBron James’ fault?

Even Superheroes get grounded

LeBron James’ NBA career has played out thus far a lot like the plot of a superhero comic. Viewed as a future savior of the league while still back in high school, King James burst onto the scene in Cleveland as anointed royalty before ever winning a thing. He led his team to their first ever Finals appearance, in 2007 against the San Antonio Spurs, bringing joy to the city but no title. And he wanted a title.

This is where LeBron James may have set the wheels in motion for the trouble his team is currently facing. In 2010, amid the flashy nonsense that was ‘The Decision’, James famously decided to take his talents to Long Beach, joining Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami to form what was essentially the best superteam that had ever been engineered. The ’80’s Los Angeles Lakers and the ’90’s Chicago Bulls were amazing groups of players, but they are distinctly different to the modern superteam Pat Riley created in Miami in 2010.

And it worked. Two titles in four years. Mission accomplished, the superhero returned to his home state, quieted his haters with his dedication to the home team and set about helping to create a new superteam, this time with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love in tow. A bad 2015 finals performance against the Golden State Warriors led to a renewed LeBron in 2016 and a year ago the superhero and his squad bested a largely homegrown Warriors team and reclaimed his place as the most dominant force in the NBA.

The superteam backlash

After the 2016 defeat, the Warriors’ Joe Lacob decided something had to be done and the team in Oakland needed to be bolstered. Enter Kevin Durant and the beginnings of what is currently looking like an unbeatable group of guys. And this could all be laid at LeBron’s door. His excellence, the fact that he was just too good for his own good, forced Golden State’s hand and now his team is being laid to waste, along with the rest of the NBA.

Is there still a shot? 

Obviously there are still those pointing out that a year ago the Cavaliers were also 2-0 down and roared back to win it all. So can LeBron rise from the ashes of the disasters out on the West Coast and engineer such a storyline again? Personally I believe that’s doubtful.

In 2016 the Cavs 3-1 comeback was greatly aided by Steph Curry and Klay Thompson losing their touch. This year Curry is making 46% from the floor and 45% from three point line through the first two games. Factor in Durant, who shot 60% from the floor and 52% from the three point line over his last four games, and Klay Thompson waking up from a semi slump to make four of seven three point attempts in Game 2. The chances that all three men will suddenly go cold in Cleveland are slim, very slim.

It can still be done, for sure. LeBron could bring his AA++ game onto the court in Cleveland, Kyrie Irving can bring his too, the hometown crowd’s cheers could bolster them along to a couple of wins. Then LeBron could snatch one back in Oakland and get to a Game 7 and it’s a whole new competition right? Except that’s a far-fetched storyline, even for a comic book. In reality it’s more likely that Cleveland get one or two wins and then watch as the new superteam loft the trophy again, the result of the other superheroes having joined forces to take LeBron out.