2012's Best: The King takes his throne

Via The Urban Daily

By Frank Flores

The year that LeBron won everything. Part of a short series on the best moments of 2012.

Ask even the most casual sports fan in a few years about the most memorable sports moments of 2012, and you’ll get a bunch of different answers. But the one I think will stay with everybody for the next few decades and even longer is that 2012 was the year that LeBron James won his first NBA championship. It was the year that the best player in the league ticked the top task off his to-do list, the year that the King received his crown. And when he was done with that, he went ahead and won his third MVP and second Olympic gold medal for good measure. LeBron simply had one of the greatest years in basketball history.

The title was the culmination of a journey for the most hyped man in sports. From gaining national fame in high school to going first overall to his hometown Cavaliers, to winning three MVPs in four seasons and uttering those poorly planned words about “talents” and “South Beach,” high expectations surrounded and engulfed LeBron. No matter how well he played, it was never quite good enough for our liking. Nine years into his NBA career, that finally changed.

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The game always came easily to LeBron, that much is for sure. But there’s a crucial sliver of difference in the NBA between playing the game well and playing the game successfully. Nowhere was that more apparent than in the aftermath of the Heat’s 2011 finals loss to the Dallas Mavericks. LeBron was in disbelief. He’d worked so hard to get to this point, and then when it mattered most, came up small. The numbers were there, and the Heat were clearly the most talented in the league. But numbers and talent only went so far. LeBron would have to improve as a leader and teammate; he’d have to drag his squad through that championship barrier.

When the lockout-shortened next season began, the Heat promptly beat the Mavericks and then took off from there. They cruised to a 46-20 record that put them second in the Eastern Conference. LeBron led the charge, putting up typical LeBron/MVP numbers (27.1 points, 7.9 rebounds, 6.2 assists) and shooting 53% from the field. More than any other year, though, this season wasn’t about the award.

LeBron, and by extension, the Heat, hit full stride in the playoffs. A 4-1 series win against the Knicks. Down 2-1 to the Pacers, he put up 40/18/9 to tie that series. Two games later, it was over. In the Eastern Conference Finals, a 45/15/5 night staved off elimination. By comparison, game seven was a formality. LeBron, and by extension, the Heat, were back in the finals.

This time, Miami faced Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Heat dropped the first game, and those familiar whispers got louder. Nine years, and no ring to show for all that work. LeBron stamped them out, and quick. It’d been nine years, he didn’t have time to play around. A series that many thought would go the distance went just five. There were competitive moments, but rarely competitive games. LeBron in the deciding game racked up a triple double, and finished the series averaging 30.3 points, 9.7 rebounds and 5.6 assists. The burden lifted, the whispers melted away. Finals MVP. Check. NBA championship. Check plus.

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For many, that’d be a great year’s work. But days later, LeBron was off to London to play for the Olympic team. On a squad full of the best players in the world, he was the best of the best, and also the most versatile. LeBron started out of position at power forward, and against Spain even tooled around a bit at center. He scored at will, and yet knew when to take a back seat to the rest of his fellow all-stars. Like the MVP race and NBA finals, the gold medal at some point became an inevitability. LeBron became just the second player ever to win the regular season and finals MVPs, NBA championship and Olympic gold in the same year. In late 2012, he added Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year to that haul.

Perhaps best of all, though, he closed the book on the Old LeBron, the one with all the numbers and none of the accomplishments. The one who played the game well, but not successfully. Here was LeBron James, triumphant and unburdened, a king with his crown at the end of a truly terrific year.

Frank Flores is a contributor for Began in '96, and writes about the Knicks at Why is it taking so long.