After LeBron James’ first season with the Miami Heat, this is what he had to say about his imperfections:
“I lost touch with who I was as a basketball player and a person. I got caught up in everything that was going on around me, and I felt like I had to prove something to people, and I don’t know why. Everything was tight, stressed.”
You could say that LeBron learned a lot following the 2011 Finals loss to the Dallas Mavericks, but it’s more about what he realized. The changes he made came from the knowledge he already had and it was just a matter of relaxing and thinking straight.
This is not to say the Dallas Mavericks didn’t deserve credit where credit was due. The Mavericks came into the 2011 Finals with a picture perfect strategy and didn’t allow LeBron to be the player he was. Dirk Nowitzki flat out earned that NBA title but LeBron used this series as a meaningful lesson that fixed his future.
Instead of worrying about what others thought about him, LeBron got back to the basics of playing his game. There was no need to think too much about how he could satisfy others because that’ll automatically happen by him being the basketball maniac that he is.
LeBron James has become a man of confidence over the years and this year he looks more certain about himself than ever before. Of course, success all starts with the talent you have but your mentality and work ethic as a player is what puts you over the top. Now, instead of being stressed out and trying to prove himself, King James just serves as the player that he always expected himself to be.
Self-confidence and individual attitude hasn’t been everything for LeBron, though. From the start of last season, James has somewhat assured his teammates that he would take care of whatever went wrong. Instead of acting as a part of the so-called “Big Three,” James has taken Wade and Bosh under his wing and made them more comfortable as his sidekicks.
It seems as though LeBron has certainly figured out how to put the pieces of the puzzle together. In the span of a long NBA career, there are always habits than can be changed and different approaches to take. James has led the Miami Heat to their third consecutive NBA Finals and he knows what has to be done in order to complete the task. Now, it’s just a matter of executing and delivering.
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