Now with four championships to his name, it’s easy to forget that it took LeBron James nearly a decade to win his first title. After several valiant efforts with an underpowered Cleveland Cavaliers roster, LeBron notoriously joined the Miami Heat in 2010. Viewed as the favorite to win it all in 2011, LeBron and the Heat embarrassingly fell to the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals. So when his team was on the brink of elimination once again in 2012, the four-time MVP knew his legacy was on the line.
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LeBron had already engaged in several high-intensity postseason battles against the Boston Celtics in the past. But things were different this time around. Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Kevin Garnett were beginning to show their age as James was entering his prime. He also had two All-NBA teammates by his side in Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. There were no excuses.
Yet, James once again found himself down in a playoff series to Boston. Heading to TD Garden down 3-2 in the 2012 Eastern Conference Finals, the pressure was on like never before. Many predicted the Heat to once again crack under the pressure, but James, who had the most to lose with another playoff loss, simply wouldn’t allow a repeat of the 2011 Finals.
“We know if we lose Game 6, this is maybe the most failed experiment, the most highly publicized failed experiment,” James’ former Heat teammate, Shane Battier, said on Pablo Torres Finds Out. “And there’s blood on everybody’s hands.” But Battier would soon witness a version of LeBron that hadn’t come out until that memorable contest.
“That was the inflection point for his entire Hall of Fame career,” Battier said of LeBron’s Game 6 masterclass. The former forward and Torres both agreed that LeBron’s career would be viewed in a completely different light if the Heat came up short. “Of anybody, LeBron knows like he has the most at stake. The most,” Battier continued.
“[LeBron] was very calm that day, he didn’t say [a whole lot] … But like, I’m gonna tell you what, when that motherf***er has that look. Man, let’s go,” the two-time champion continued. “It’s like when Adam turns into He-Man … Almost like an aura around him. We’re just like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is unbelievable.'”
In a defining performance, LeBron posted 45 points, 15 rebounds, and five assists in a suffocating 98-79 victory. Meanwhile, Rajon Rondo was the only member of the Celtics to score more than 12 points (21), as all of Boston’s Big Three struggled immensely. Miami would go on to finish the series with another double-digit win in Game 7 before dominating the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Finals.
LeBron’s first championship often flies under the radar because of OKC’s youth and inexperience. Rather than claim that he had an easy path to his first ring, detractors have to simply look at the series that came before and what transpired. “It was the greatest game I’ve ever seen anybody play,” Battier said adamantly.
“Given the stakes, given the gravity of the situation, given the historical implications. Historical … I’m always going with LeBron [over Jordan] for a simple reason. LeBron did something twice that I don’t think Jordan could’ve done once. He won two NBA titles with Shane Battier as his starting power forward,” the 13-year veteran added with a laugh.
Torres and Battier both agree that the LeBron vs. Jordan debate is a never-ending one. But without LeBron’s heroics in that fated Game 6 elimination game, those conversations never would have taken off in the first place.
