If LeBron decides to adapt his game to whatever the team needs—scoring, rebounding, defense, or passing—then Cleveland has a great chance of winning.
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I find it extremely difficult to like LeBron James. This is partly because I grew up in Chicago and had the amazing fortune of witnessing the Michael Jordan era—six championships in all. I spent night after night at the Chicago Stadium and later the United Center watching a player at the top of his game compete with intelligence, guile, and ferocity. He was a one-of-a-kind. Therefore, a player such as LeBron James, with Jordan-like skills and ambition, automatically puts me in a defensive posture.
The second—and perhaps more grounded reason—is that I don’t think LeBron truly understands what makes a sports dynasty work. It’s not just talent. Plenty of teams have talent. Talent is a ticket to the game. In my opinion, sports dynasties require personal sacrifice, team chemistry, and shared purpose. My experiences working as a business coach and consultant show me that successful organizations work as hard at collaborating with and supporting each other as they do pursuing individual greatness or competing with one another.
And back to my fond childhood memories of Michael Jordan, he spent the first seven years of his career attempting to will his team to victory on his own. He then adjusted his game. He focused on what the team needed him to do in a particular series or game situation. If they needed shut down defense, he played it. If they needed three-point shooting, he did it. If they needed expert passing, he found a way of delivering assists. In short, he adapted his game in service of the team’s particular need.
So, I bristled when I heard LeBron James’ response Sunday night to a reporter’s question about his confidence level going forward in the series. He said: “I feel confident because I’m the best player in the world. It’s simple.”
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LeBron’s comments brought me back to a time when I actually did not like him at all. It was the year 2010, when James made his free agency move to the Miami Heat. For those who recall, his “decision” about which team to join created a carnival-like atmosphere in the sports world. ESPN ended up producing a special called The Decision, during which he revealed his selection, for which James endured massive and vocal criticism. He later expressed some amount of regret over how he handled the entire experience.
But for folks like me—accustomed to larger-than-life and self-indulgent professional athletes—his hubris was over the top. His delivery of the news on the show seemed to suggest that the entire fate of the world rested on this choice. I vowed at that point to root against James at every available opportunity.
The Heat qualified for the NBA finals but lost in humiliating fashion. My schadenfeude was in full effect.
Then I started to see things change with his game and visible communication. He seemed to improve his game (at least on offense), doing what it took to win and not shouldering the entire burden. And his communication patterns shifted. He seemed to talk more about learning and evolving as a player and less about dominating the other team and going it alone. I was sensing wisdom and maturity, both qualities I greatly admire.
We can all learn from our experiences—why not LeBron?
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Then he shocked me. He actually returned to Cleveland, a small-market, low profile city. He said that he did so because he cares about the city and the team (being from the Cleveland area originally and playing for the team his first seven seasons). I was wondering: Is all this a ploy or is he genuine about what he’s saying?
Then came the struggles. Despite a strong ensemble cast of teammates, the Cavaliers got off to a horrible start. The coach was publicly reviled and LeBron and the rest of his team seemed at a loss for solutions.
LeBron didn’t throw his coach or teammates under the bus in any way. He seemed determined to overcome the adversity and get better. And it worked. The team finished the regular season on a roll and carried this momentum into the playoffs. After dispatching a collection of strong outfits (including my cherished Bulls) they landed in the finals ready to take on the upstart Golden State Warriors.
While LeBron has posted some of the most spectacular scoring statistics in NBA finals history, his team is behind three games to two, and things aren’t looking good. The Cavaliers are dealing with several serious injuries to key players and are struggling to stop the Warriors’ high-powered offense.
So, I stop and think to myself… What will help the Cavaliers come back from this deficit and win? LeBron’s greatness? Maybe, but I think it depends on how he chooses to manifest his abilities. If he chooses to take his top ability—to score—and do it better than anyone’s ever done before, they lose. If James hypothetically scores 80 of his team’s 90 points, and the Warriors score 91, the series is over.
If LeBron, however, decides to adapt his game to whatever the team needs—scoring, rebounding, defense, or passing—then Cleveland has a great chance of winning.
This is basketball—not golf. In golf, pure individual achievement is rewarded. In basketball, it’s about team success.
Which LeBron will show up?
Photo credit: Flickr/Craig Hatfield