LeBron’s two most scrutinised areas of his game, his free throws and ability to perform in late game situations, were the keys to Miami’s win in Detroit last night as the Heat jumped to a record of 13-5.
James has been labelled as a choker, constantly shrinking and disappearing from the big moments. Regardless of the falseness of this, he made a statement last night, hitting 6/6 from the free throw line within the last 90 seconds of the game to ensure the young Pistons went home disappointed.

James put his entire repertoire on show, making plays for himself, for his teammates and getting stops on the defensive end. Austin Daye, the 6’11 small forward for Detroit, had a career night finishing with 28 points, but was unable to score down the stretch as LeBron tightened up on him, forcing others to make plays.

Chris Bosh continued his purple patch of form, contributing throughout the game and critically in the final 5 minutes, finishing with 27 points. Miami didn’t get the bench productivity they would have liked, their rebounding was horrible and were destroyed in that category, and their expert three point shooters (Battier, Jones and Miller) each finished without a triple.

Detroit meanwhile had breakout games from Daye, upcoming star Greg Monroe and rookie sensation Brandon Knight, and they thought they made have pulled off the season’s biggest upset thus far when the Jonas Brother hit a three with around 1:30 remaining. Unfortunately they were unable to keep LeBron out of the paint, who finished them off from the stripe and condemned the young Pistons to a league worst 4-15 record, with a frightening week of 5 games, 4 of which on the road, beginning on Saturday.

Miami host the struggling mess that is the New York Knicks (coming off a loss to the Cavaliers…yes the Cavaliers) tomorrow, then they have a days rest before Derrick Rose brings his Bulls to South Beach. Important few days for Miami to assess where they are at this point. Dwyane Wade is expected to return for the Bulls game, but is questionable for the Knicks visit.

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LeBron James was not at his best, and a game against his former team was slipping away. Chris Bosh made sure that didn't happen.

Bosh scored 17 points in the fourth quarter -- the biggest final period by any Miami player this season -- and finished with a game-high 35 points, carrying the Heat to a 92-85 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night. Bosh shot 10 for 16 and reached the 30-point mark for the fourth time this season as Miami improved to 4-1 against Cleveland since James joined the Heat.

"Whenever I play and I don't hesitate, good things happen," Bosh said. He was all about the points down the stretch, literally and figuratively. The 17-point final quarter matched the third-best of his career, and he capped the night with a pair of finger-wags -- one at one of his shots as it hovered on the rim before falling to begin a three-point play, the other at wife Adrienne after his jumper fell for an 84-76 lead and finally allowed Miami to exhale.

"I think he made the biggest adjustment with this whole situation," James said, referring to the moves that allowed he, Bosh and Dwyane Wade -- who sat out again with a sprained right ankle -- to team up in July 2010. "He's done it before."

The 35 points matched Bosh's high since joining Miami. Kyrie Irving -- Cleveland's No. 1 overall draft pick and heir apparent after James as the face of the Cavs' franchise -- scored 17 points on 7-for-11 shooting. Samardo Samuels made his first seven shots and finished with 15 points for the Cavs, who got an 11-point, 11-rebound night from Anderson Varejao and 10 points from Ramon Sessions.

"We kind of beat ourselves tonight," Irving said. "We had 22 turnovers and we lost by seven points."Former Cleveland State star Norris Cole scored 10 for Miami, and Udonis Haslem grabbed 10 rebounds for the Heat. Miami committed 18 turnovers, leading to 22 Cleveland points, but found a way -- thanks to Bosh -- down the stretch.

"Finally in the last three to four minutes, the ball started the move," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. Bosh made his sixth 3-pointer of the year with 4:26 left, giving the Heat some long-awaited breathing room at 75-67. And after Irving hit a pair of free throws to get Cleveland within three, Bosh went to work again.

He took a pass from James, drove the left side of the lane, got fouled and fell to the court as his shot dropped to set up a three-point play. A minute later, Bosh faked Antawn Jamison into the air and making an 18-footer for an eight-point edge, capped by that salute to his pregnant wife.

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LeBron James is playing some of his best basketball since joining the Miami Heat a season ago. All it took was an injury to the superstar who helped woo him from Cleveland in the first place.

It's foolish to suggest the Heat are a better team with Dwyane Wade out of the lineup -- although a 6-1 record in his absence is eye-opening. But with the shooting guard nursing a sprained right ankle, James has returned to the role in which he's most accustomed -- being his team's undisputed No. 1 option.
He's dominating the ball and the running the Heat offense from the wing, something Cavaliers' fans watched for seven seasons at The Q. They will likely see it again Tuesday night as the Heat (11-5) play the Cavaliers (6-9) in American Airlines Arena.

Miami coach Erik Spoelstra gave his club the day off Monday and James was not available prior to Sunday's 91-82 loss to Milwaukee, denying out-of-town reporters a chance to broach the subject. Needless to say, it's a sensitive topic for the high-profile club and not a new one.

Since the Big Three was birthed a year ago, questions have persisted as to whether James and Wade could coexist in the same offense. The fact they came within two wins of an NBA title is a compelling argument for the affirmative. But there's not another star tandem in the league with such a similar skill set. James and Wade are each slashers capable of carrying ateam offensively.

Wade already has won a title and is somebody who, despite the Finals setback against Dallas, enhanced his reputation as clutch playoff performer. James is missing both credits from an otherwise impressive portfolio. Chris Bosh, the Heat's third wheel, did James no favors in arecent GQ interview in which he said Wade is the teammate who should be taking the big shots at crunch time.
Why?

"Because of his success in the past, given what he's done," Bosh said. "He's a champ. He's an MVP, and he's hit a bunch of last-second shots. That's the time you have to put pride aside a little bit, and do what's best for the team. He's quickest, and he's gonna get a shot off. He relishes those moments."

James isn't going to alter that perception until he thrives in June and makes good on his promise to deliver championships. Until then, he can only keep building on his regular-season dominance. James is off to one of the finest starts of his career -- averaging 29.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, 7.3 assists and shooting 56.4 percent from the field. All those numbers exceed his career totals. In his second season, teammates say James is also more relaxed in his surroundings a year removed from The Decision and the astonishing publicity it generated.

"He's a lot a more comfortable, a lot more himself," Heat center Joel Anthony said. "Obviously, it was a whirlwind of a season last year."Added Mario Chalmers: "He's not thinking as much on the court and the big thing is he's more energetic. [Getting through last season] has taken a lot of pressure off him. He doesn't seem to be worrying about what people say about him."

James told ESPN in the preseason his goals were to have more fun and eschew a villain's role born from a nationally-televised breakup with Cleveland and perpetuated by his post-Finals South Beach diatribe to his detractors: "They have to wake up tomorrow and have the same life that they had before they woke up today. ... They have the same personal problems they had today."Wade's ankle will be rehabilitated before James' image, but his coach appreciates how hard the Akron native continues to work.

"He's very committed and very focused as he was last year," Spoelstra said. "What I've said is if he happens to do that with a smile on his face this year I don't have a problem with that. ... He put a lot of time in over the summer to improve his game. Not many two-time MVPs really have that mindset to [say] 'Hey, I want more and to get greedy and improve more facets of his game' and he's arguably the most complete player already in this game for a long time.

"That has set a tone, a strong message to the rest of the team not to be satisfied with our Finals appearance last year."The Cavs get their first look at James this season on Tuesday. With his friend and teammate still on the mend, it's a look that resembles the player who flourished in a wine-and-gold uniform.

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Brandon Jennings scored 23 points, Ersan Ilyasova added 16 off the bench and the Milwaukee Bucks held Miami to 37 percent shooting on the way to beating the Heat 91-82 on Sunday night. It was the second straight road win for Milwaukee, which started the year 0-8 away from home. Andrew Bogut scored 13 points for the Bucks, who got 10 apiece from Shaun Livingston and Stephen Jackson. LeBron James finished with 28 points and 13 rebounds for Miami, which had won three straight. Chris Bosh scored 23 for the Heat, who got 12 from Mario Chalmers.

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Dwyane Wade should take as much time as he needs to get completely healthy. The way the Heat is playing right now, it doesn’t really need him.

The Heat improved to 6-0 in games without Wade on Saturday with a 113-92 victory against the young and talented Philadelphia 76ers. Chris Bosh and LeBron James combined to score 58 points, or eight more points than the 76ers’ five starters combined. It was arguably Bosh’s best game with the Heat, and James was simply incredible in the fourth quarter.

“Everyone has stepped up their play with D-Wade being absent, and we expect nothing less,” said James, who had another massive line: 28 points, nine rebounds, five assists, four steals and three blocks. “It’s great to get some home wins; it’s great to beat some really good teams, but we’ve got to continue to push forward.”

Wade, who missed his third consecutive game with a sprained ankle, watched from the bench as the Heat showed off its garish throwback uniforms of the 1971-72 Floridians. Nothing says 1970s Miami quite like magenta and orange vertical stripes and the duds made for a festive atmosphere.

Then James went disco inferno in the fourth quarter and burned the place down with his brilliance, scoring 12 points in a span of 4 minutes, 16 seconds. “That’s part of his genius,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.

James was 12 of 17 from the field and Bosh had 30 points on 11-of-19 shooting and made 7 of 7 from the free-throw line. He also had seven rebounds, five assists, two blocks and two steals. It was one of Bosh’s most complete games in a Heat uniform — and he has scored 30 points in two of his past three games — but he shrugged off any notion that he’s thriving because Wade isn’t playing.

“It’s hard work, repetition and getting as many shots up as possible and forgetting the last play,” Bosh said. “I plan to do that when we get lucky and get Wade back.”The Heat (11-4) led by 19 to begin the fourth quarter, but the 76ers (11-5) quickly cut the lead to nine points with a 10-0 run to begin the period. A three-pointer from Jrue Holiday made it Heat 92-81 with 6:44 to play.

LeBron answered with four points in a row, and Bosh followed with a dunk, but consecutive three-pointers from 76ers sixth man Lou Williams kept the visitors within striking distance.

But James was simply too much. He scored 12 points in little more than four minutes to put the game away. His 17-foot fadeaway with 1:53 gave the Heat a 106-89 lead. With that, James and Bosh took well-deserved seats on the bench. Reserve guard Terrel Harris entered the game and finished off the 76ers with a three-pointer.

The Heat outscored the 76ers 32-23 in the final period. For the game, the Heat shot 54.3 percent and led in fast-break points (12-5) and second-chance points (14-9).

Offensively, Spoelstra said the “ball was popping.”The 76ers began the game shorthanded in the middle when center Spencer Hawes was cut from the active list with a strained Achilles’ tendon. Then rookie center Nikola Vucevic went down with a sprained knee, and Philadelphia was really hurting. The Heat outrebounded the Sixers 52-31. Udonis Haslem led the Heat with 10 rebounds off the bench, including four in the fourth quarter.

“They were sharp tonight from the start,” Sixers coach Doug Collins said. “We fought and hung around for a little bit, but they wore us down. We need our full arsenal and then some.”

The Heat was 7 of 16 from three-point range, with Mike Miller going 2 of 4 from behind the arc. Bosh, Mario Chalmers, Norris Cole and Harris also added three-pointers. Of Miller, Spoelstra said, “Every time he lets it go, you think it has got a chance.”

The Heat led by just three points in the third quarter when James Jones ducked inside the three-point line for a 19-footer. Facing harassing team defense, both Holiday and Vucevic missed shots on the next possession and James came down with the rebound. He hustled down the court and found Chalmers wide open in the corner for a three-pointer, and he drained it to put the Heat ahead 63-55.

It would take two more offensive waves from the Heat to put the Sixers away for good. The first came at the end of the third quarter, when Shane Battier’s three-pointer capped off a 12-4 run. The second, which came midway through the fourth quarter, was all James. He went 5 of 7 from the field in the period, scoring on drives to the basket and fadeaway jumpers.

“I’ve seen every defense,” James said. “I’ve seen them all, nothing surprises me. It’s always good when you can have an opportunity in the low post to go one-on-one because you have those shooters out there.

“I’m happy that we have them to be able to stretch the defense, and I use my strength and quickness in the post.”

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When measured strictly by such time-honored sports maxims, the 2011-12 Heat has fared better without Dwyane Wade. Miami is 5-4 in games Wade has played, and 5-0 in those he has missed, with a sprained right ankle likely to sideline him Saturday night against the Atlantic Division-leading 76ers. In the four games LeBron James has played without Wade, the Heat has outscored opponents by an average of 19.8 points, and three of those opponents (Spurs, Lakers and Pacers) hardly were patsies.

On Thursday, before James dismantled the visiting Lakers, TNT studio analyst Charles Barkley asserted that James is "a totally different player" without Wade. "I'm going to challenge him to play like that all the time. He's the best player in the world but, for some reason, when Dwyane is on the court, he takes a back seat."

After Shaquille O'Neal, who was a teammate of each, defended James as a "a pass-first player," Barkley argued that if "something isn't working, it's stupid to keep doing the same thing over and over." He added that when James becomes passive, he tries too hard to make up for it when it matters.

"He's got to take over this team," Barkley said. On Friday, the debate became more extreme in some circles, centering around whether Erik Spoelstra should bring Wade off the bench, or Riley should simply trade him. Wade took notice, tweeting that the "#WithoutWade segment" on ESPN is "quite funny."

"I was watching my son shoot and he missed every shot but once I left #WithoutWade he didn't miss. That's what I was told. L2MS."That means "Laughing To Myself."No, what everyone should do is laugh at it.

Riley's not trading Wade. Not now, and likely not ever. Riley's cutthroat? At times. But he gets emotionally tied to his favorite players and teams: ask P.J. Brown or the 2006 champions he kept together a year too long. Wade's going nowhere.

Nor is Wade becoming a $15 million reserve. Yes, Manu Ginobili volunteered for a Spurs sixth man slot, but Ginobili's not Wade. Plus, that doesn't solve the Heat's recurring crunch-time chemistry issues, since Wade and James would still finish games together.

So those story lines are silly. That's not to say that everything related to the play of James and Wade - together and apart - is entirely unworthy of attention.

For starters, James has certainly seemed more assertive without Wade, though the difference is not dramatically reflected in scoring numbers: James has averaged 32.3 points in four starts without his sidekick, compared to 28.9 otherwise. James' shooting percentage, while excellent either way, is actually six percentage points lower when Wade's in a suit. The number that has shot up with Wade absent? That's James' assist total, from 6.6 in games with Wade and 10.0 without; credit that to increased ball-handling duties plus the presence of more floor-spreading shooters who convert perimeter passes into points.

To the amateur psychologists, the primary effect of Wade's absence is more subtle - it forces James to stay engaged, no matter how he or his teammates are performing. For instance, if Wade was with him Tuesday night, when James struggled throughout the first half against the Spurs, he may have deferred to Wade throughout the second. Instead, he knew the burden was on him, and he came out of the break firing. Contrast that to what happened at Golden State on Jan. 10, when James slinked into the shadows late, as Wade was forcing the issue during a 1-of-8 fourth quarter.

James and Wade are similar players. They knew that when they signed. Throughout their careers, they have operated from the same spots on the floor, and been entrusted with similar responsibilities. Collaboration is an adjustment. In Orlando, before the season, Wade reflected again on coming together: "I think it surprised a lot of people. You don't think me and LeBron would play together. Let's just call a spade a spade. A lot of people wouldn't think that two players like that, egos, similar games, would play together. And you see the success we had, got this close to a championship."

They did. They will again. They will likely win one if, after Wade returns, they keep working to make each other better, to consistently make the numbers work in their favor - so that one plus one consistently equals more than two.

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LeBron James shook off flu-like symptoms to score 31 points, Chris Bosh scored 15 and the Miami Heat won their second straight, topping the Los Angeles Lakers 98-87 on Thursday night.

Shane Battier scored 11 and Mario Chalmers finished with 10 for Miami. James was sent home from the team's shootaround practice earlier in the day to rest, and finished with eight rebounds and eight assists to go with 12 for 27 shooting. Pau Gasol scored a season-high 26 for the Lakers, Kobe Bryant scored 24 and Andrew Bynum finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds.

Miami moved to 5-0 this season without Dwyane Wade, who missed his second straight game with a sprained right ankle. He missed three games earlier this season with left foot soreness.

Bryant put together a great late run to attempt a comeback, banking in a 3-pointer and following that seconds later with a steal and transition dunk that got the Lakers within 94-84 with 2 minutes left. But Derek Fisher's 3-point try on the next Los Angeles possession hit the front of the rim, Udonis Haslem controlled the rebound and James made a 15-foot runner to seal the outcome.

It was the first time James had gone against his former coach in Cleveland, Lakers' boss Mike Brown. At the Lakers' shootaround practice Thursday afternoon Brown said he and James had not spoken in advance of this game and didn't know if they would — but James made sure they did, running over to the Los Angeles bench and grabbing his former coach for a long embrace and a few words.

Brown was asked before the game if going against James would bring out sentimental memories of their time in Cleveland together. "I had a great time coaching LeBron," Brown said. "I wouldn't be in this suit if it wasn't for him."

James showed no signs of illness. In fact, he apparently felt good enough to take on two teams — the Lakers ... and the Miami Marlins. James' momentum carried him over the sideline across from the Lakers' bench in the first half, nearly knocking over none other than Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria, who escaped the collision with the 265-pound two-time MVP unscathed. Loria spent most of the next few minutes laughing. Meanwhile, the Lakers had very little to laugh about.

They shot 31 percent in the first half, their lowest output for any half this season. Bryant had as many field goals in the opening 24 minutes (one, on eight shots) as Heat forward Eddy Curry (1 for 1), who got his first NBA action since December 2009 when he checked in late in the first quarter for a 2½-minute stint in which he made a basket, grabbed a rebound, was charged with a turnover and got a pair of loud ovations from a sellout crowd.

Curry returned for another stretch to start the fourth quarter, finishing his night with six points and three rebounds in six minutes. Curry said earlier Thursday that he lost about 65 pounds to get ready for his comeback, more than half of that since the start of Heat training camp in December.

"He gave us good minutes, good energy," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said during a televised in-game interview. "He's done a lot to get to this point. We're all very proud of him."

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The Heat is getting used to winning without Dwyane Wade. Miami is 4-0 this season in games without Wade, who missed Tuesday’s 120-98 victory against the San Antonio Spurs with a sprained ankle. The Heat, which snapped a three-game losing streak, struggled through the first half at AmericanAirlines Arena but then came to life in the third and fourth quarters behind dazzling shooting efforts from LeBron James and Mike Miller.

James, who played despite flu-like symptoms, led the Heat with 33 points on 12-of-21 shooting. He shot 1 of 6 to begin the game but caught fire in the second and third quarters. James was 11 of 15 from the field and 4 of 5 from three-point range the second half.

Mike Miller, returning to action for the first time this season, had 18 points and was perfect from the field, shooting 6 of 6 from three-point and four rebounds. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said he only planned to play Miller five or six minutes but Miller played more than 15. “He said he was ready to go 10 days ago, and we held him out these extra days,” Spoelstra said.

The Heat trailed 63-49 after the second quarter — the Spurs shot 66.7 percent in the first half — but it didn’t take Miami long to erase the deficit. James made his first three-pointer with 5:23 left in the third quarter to give the Heat a 69-68 lead. It was the Heat’s first lead of the game, and Miami never surrendered it.

“We weren’t playing by our standards, defending,” James said of the first half. “They shot 60-plus percent, and we can’t allow no team, especially on our home floor, to do that.”The Heat made amends, outscoring the Spurs 39-12 in the third quarter. The 27-point differential marked the second largest scoring margin for a quarter in franchise history.

TORRID RUN
At one point in the first half, the Heat trailed by 17 points but a 29-3 run in the third quarter wiped that away and also wiped away any chance of the Spurs’ first road victory of the season. While the Heat shot 75 percent from the field in the third quarter (15 of 20) and 75 percent from three-point range (6 of 8), the Spurs were 4 of 19 from the field for 21.1 percent and 1 of 7 from three-point range for 14.3 percent.

“Clearly a tale of two halves,” Spoelstra said. “It wouldn’t have changed if we didn’t make a change defensively.”James’ four three-pointers were one more than his season total. He also had 10 assists and five rebounds. Not to be outdone, Chris Bosh had 30 points on 14-of-22 shooting and carried the Heat during the first half, when James’ illness appeared to be sucking the life out of him.

Bosh’s highlight of the game — perhaps the highlight of his season thus far — came in the fourth quarter when he did a spin move around defender Tiago Splitter in the middle of the lane before slamming down a powerful one-handed dunk. The impressive display of athleticism gave the Heat a 97-82 lead.

While James began the game sluggishly — later saying he couldn’t catch his breath until the second quarter — he found his reserve tank of energy quickly in the third quarter.

He had 17 points in the period and, along with Mario Chalmers, put on a shooting clinic. James and Chalmers combined to make four consecutive three-pointers. Chalmers, who finished with 13 points, made his second three-pointer of the quarter with 1:30 to play and gave the Heat an 83-70 advantage. Chalmers finished 4 of 6 from three-point range. Spoelstra credited the scoring burst to the Heat’s defense.

MILLER TIME
“Make no mistake about it,” Spoelstra said. “The commitment to activity in the second half was about as good as we can be.”Shortly after Chalmers and James cooled down, Miller took over. He made his first three-pointer with 30.9 seconds left in the third quarter and then had five in the final period. His final bucket of the night gave the Heat a 110-87 lead, and Miller received a standing ovation from the crowd when he checked out of the game.

“They’re all good looks,” Miller said. “Obviously, I didn’t shoot as well as I wanted to last year. Is that because I had broken thumbs? I don’t know. I’m not using that as an excuse, but I feel like I can makes shots. “I felt good tonight and, obviously, they went in.”

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His beloved Dallas Cowboys did not make the playoffs, and that stings for LeBron James. But he'll always have Tim Tebow. Saying he can relate to the Denver Broncos' quarterback on so many levels, James said Friday he has found himself keeping an eye on the former University of Florida star, who faces the New England Patriots on Saturday night in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs.

"Honestly, I've been paying attention to Tebow all year, even while I was watching the Cowboys," James said Friday at Pepsi Center, prior to his Miami Heat playing the Denver Nuggets. "I love to see what a guy can do when his back is up against a wall, when everybody is counting him out."Asked why, James said, "I'm in that same boat, so I root for guys like that."As with James, Tebow has been widely criticized for his perceived shortcomings.

James said that leaves the two as kindred spirits. "I can relate to him a lot," he said. "I can see how the media plays it sometimes and how the critics go at him, and to see him continue to prove them wrong, and if it's a good game or a bad game on his part, he continues to stay positive and move forward. "And that's a great sign, it's a great leader, no matter if you're in that same sport or not."Just as James and the Heat have dominated the South Florida sporting landscape these past two seasons, the Broncos once again own Denver.

Nuggets coach George Karl said Friday that's not such a bad thing. "I enjoy when a city gets turned on to sports," he said. "I think even though it's not our sport right now, it helps all sports. A couple of years ago, when the Rockies were good, I thought that was good for us. I think the same. "I think we all kind of concede the Broncos have the fans here, and they were down for a couple of years, they were in misery for a couple of years. Now they're back. I think their juice and their energy helps us."

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Let’s begin with a fundamental premise, and one that seems particularly popular and relevant in light of the Miami Heat’s overtime letdown in Wednesday’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers: LeBron James is not “clutch.” That much is a statement of fact; it is absolutely, 100 percent true.

But Kobe Bryant isn’t clutch, either. Neither are Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant, Dirk Nowitzki, Paul Pierce, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Jerry West, or any other player you could possibly name. None of these players are clutch because no player can be; the word itself describes but a tiny slice of past performance, and indicates the timing and importance of a particular play rather than a fundamental attribute of any one player.

Jordan, for example, was a fantastic player for a wide variety of reasons, and has highlight reel after highlight reel of clutch plays. But there was no secret formula running through his veins to make him into basketball’s most heralded closer, and he held no magical power to finish games beyond those that made him the greatest player of all time. Things like ball handling and shot creation obviously matter greatly when a game’s verdict is reduced to a single possession. There’s just no basis for belief in some indefinable, intangible, have-it-or-not attribute.

This isn’t a terribly counterintuitive, post-modern perspective – merely a modern one. We’re all logical enough to know that the basketball gods didn’t reach down to give Jordan his fire, and yet we of the N.B.A. world continue to kneel before the altar of clutch.

There was – and is – no innate quality that makes a player prime for the late-game spotlight or doomed to be an afterthought. There are merely the realities of on-court skills and the constructions that observers of the game have built to glorify – or obscure – them. We love the drama and theatrics of a big shot at the end of a close game – who wouldn’t? But that basic appeal alone isn’t enough to turn “clutch” into anything more than a descriptive term, no matter the borderline religious fanaticism toward a game-ender.

None of this makes Jordan’s collection of game-winning and go-ahead shots any less impressive, but they’re impressive for a far more basic and understandable reason than his clutch reputation suggests. Those examples are mere showcases of why Jordan was great in the most general sense. He used the final moments of a close game to prove – in a fashion as convincing as ever – just how great of a scorer (or in some cases, passer) he really was. Jordan wasn’t a winner in crunch time. He was just a winner.

And, contrary to popular belief, so is LeBron James. No player in the N.B.A. is more productive or more valuable, and though James has struggled recently at the end of close games, he still contributes more to his team’s efforts than anyone else.

That’s as true in the first quarter as it is in the fourth; the time on the clock does little to change James’ dominant game, even if it does – as Zach Lowe demonstrated in a post for SI.com’s The Point Forward – bog down Miami’s offense a bit. That’s not an indictment of performance so much as it is a letdown in strategic competence. That can be corrected. It’s a flaw, sure, but not one hard-wired into James’ genome with the concrete certainty that debates over his clutchness often suggest.

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