The Bron' Identity
We expect assassin, we get front-line soldier.
We expect to be critics, we become witnesses.
We expect growing pains, we get growth spurts.
This is LeBron James; the child with a man's game. The Ohio Player known the world over. His environment didn't produce him, our expectations can't reduce him. His pride comes not from doing what is expected of him, but from achieving those things that we shouldn't expect from a 21-year-old uber-star; let alone a 21-year-old uber star in the second round of his first playoffs against a team known for bouncing young superstars around for a couple of years.
Freakish athleticism that changes the way the game is played and watched is nothing new. We have seen that through the course of the league's history with post players like Mikan, Abdul-Jabbar, O'Neal and Amare', and with big guards like Oscar Robertson, Magic, and now LeBron.
The demeanor, the decision-making, the dominance, it all goes hand in hand. LeBron is a rare breed of innocence and wisdom; restraint and rage. In one scene, he's biting his nails nervously, The next time you see him? He's drawing the defense and throwing a perfect pass to Gooden for the go-ahead score with 27 seconds left in the game.
Immediately following the two-point win on the Pistons home floor, with his team one-win away from advancing to the Eastern Conference finals and the next game back in the King's palace, here's the King.
"Detroit is a great team. Remember in 2003, they were down 3-1 to Orlando and they came back and won."
The equivalent? You see your ex-girl at the mall while you are there with your much better-looking, much more sensible girlfriend, and you introduce the two. Super gratifying to you, but you play your position and everyone walks away with a respect and understanding of the past, but an acknowledgment of the truth:
Ain't no going back.
20 minutes later at the press conference, LeBron is asked about the perception of Cleveland not being in awe of the Pistons. Here's the Kid.
"It's just basketball," James said. "They're not the Big, Bad Wolf. And we're not the Three Little Pigs."
He's King enough to take the big shots, the criticism, the punishment in the lane and the unending media scrutiny.
He's Kid enough to have the desire to make everybody around him better, and while that aspect of his personality and game have been criticized, its that exact same quality that allows him to pass when its necessary, to drive when its necessary, and to help on defense when its necessary.
In other words, there is no Bean in Bron'.
There is some truth to the old adage "To whom much is given, much is expected." This is very true for LeBron James, and he has delivered on all fronts; by most accounts, quicker than anyone else in NBA history.
And while it is easy to marvel at the Kid's accomplishments on the court, the charisma, the intelligence and the maturity to put it all together into one complete package says much more about the greatness we are witnessing than we could ever imagine.
And while these playoffs may have a chapter on the Wallace Prophesies, its translation will forever remain in the King James Version.
We expect to be critics, we become witnesses.
We expect growing pains, we get growth spurts.
This is LeBron James; the child with a man's game. The Ohio Player known the world over. His environment didn't produce him, our expectations can't reduce him. His pride comes not from doing what is expected of him, but from achieving those things that we shouldn't expect from a 21-year-old uber-star; let alone a 21-year-old uber star in the second round of his first playoffs against a team known for bouncing young superstars around for a couple of years.
Freakish athleticism that changes the way the game is played and watched is nothing new. We have seen that through the course of the league's history with post players like Mikan, Abdul-Jabbar, O'Neal and Amare', and with big guards like Oscar Robertson, Magic, and now LeBron.
The demeanor, the decision-making, the dominance, it all goes hand in hand. LeBron is a rare breed of innocence and wisdom; restraint and rage. In one scene, he's biting his nails nervously, The next time you see him? He's drawing the defense and throwing a perfect pass to Gooden for the go-ahead score with 27 seconds left in the game.
Immediately following the two-point win on the Pistons home floor, with his team one-win away from advancing to the Eastern Conference finals and the next game back in the King's palace, here's the King.
"Detroit is a great team. Remember in 2003, they were down 3-1 to Orlando and they came back and won."
The equivalent? You see your ex-girl at the mall while you are there with your much better-looking, much more sensible girlfriend, and you introduce the two. Super gratifying to you, but you play your position and everyone walks away with a respect and understanding of the past, but an acknowledgment of the truth:
Ain't no going back.
20 minutes later at the press conference, LeBron is asked about the perception of Cleveland not being in awe of the Pistons. Here's the Kid.
"It's just basketball," James said. "They're not the Big, Bad Wolf. And we're not the Three Little Pigs."
He's King enough to take the big shots, the criticism, the punishment in the lane and the unending media scrutiny.
He's Kid enough to have the desire to make everybody around him better, and while that aspect of his personality and game have been criticized, its that exact same quality that allows him to pass when its necessary, to drive when its necessary, and to help on defense when its necessary.
In other words, there is no Bean in Bron'.
There is some truth to the old adage "To whom much is given, much is expected." This is very true for LeBron James, and he has delivered on all fronts; by most accounts, quicker than anyone else in NBA history.
And while it is easy to marvel at the Kid's accomplishments on the court, the charisma, the intelligence and the maturity to put it all together into one complete package says much more about the greatness we are witnessing than we could ever imagine.
And while these playoffs may have a chapter on the Wallace Prophesies, its translation will forever remain in the King James Version.
posted by Mr. Carter at 5/18/2006 01:31:00 PM
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