As LeBron James’ never-ending litmus test comes into view one more time it’s worth remembering Michael Jordan wasn’t always perfect in the NBA Finals.
It gets forgotten sometimes since the accomplishments of the greatest playoff performer in NBA history — and arguably sports history — are now nearly two decades old and obscured by blanket statements like the one I just made.
But despite his perfect record — the six NBA Finals MVP awards and six championships in six appearances — Jordan wasn’t always flawless.
In 1996, his first Finals appearance after his flirtation with professional baseball, Jordan arguably had a LeBron-like moment — which is to say the best player in the world and the best on the floor didn’t play all that well.
With the Seattle Supersonics’ Gary Payton getting all up on him, Jordan shot just 41.5 per cent from the floor, his worst-ever mark in the Finals. In Game 6 with the Bulls reeling from two straight losses and badly in need of righting the ship, Jordan turned in a 5-for-19 clunker. He turned the ball over five times. The game turned on Dennis Rodman’s 11 offensive rebounds and Seattle’s 20 turnovers.
But who remembers that? The Bulls won the game, won the series and Jordan was the Finals MVP for the fourth time in four tries.
It’s relevant because once again James seems at a fork in the road.
On Thursday night James will have a chance to win his second consecutive championship with the Miami Heat and likely his second straight Finals MVP award. If he can pull it off in nearly any shape or form it will quiet the doubters for another day. He will be that much closer to having a chance to meet or surpass Jordan’s apparently perfect standard.
That’s what James’ career is about, for better or worse. It’s partly a product of our ‘instant classic’ age where every career is constantly being evaluated and partly the fate James chose for himself when he got ‘Chosen1’ tattooed across his back as a teenager and predicted eight or more championships for himself when he signed with the Heat in 2010.
But Thursday night’s game isn’t about matching Jordan or even keeping pace. Even if James delivers one of his signature performances — such as the 45 points, 15 rebounds and five assists he put on the Boston Celtics when the Heat were facing elimination in the Eastern Conference final last year — all it does is keep him in the conversation.
What is really at risk as the Heat try to ruin the San Antonio Spurs’ last stand is the possibility that James could one day equal or surpass Jordan and that it could be squandered before ever really getting off the ground.
A loss and James’ personal Finals record will drop to 1-3. A subpar performance in a do-or-die game and very quickly James’ curious habit of standing idly by during key moments could come to define him. Any chance of matching Jordan will be gone forever.
James will be playing to be No. 2 on any all-time list and Jordan’s legacy will be secure.
James barely escaped to fight another day. For three quarters in Game 6 he looked like he does at his worst. With chubby Boris Diaw covering him — what do you think Jordan would have done to Diaw, by the way? — mainly by standing 15 feet away and daring him to shoot uncontested three-pointers, James looked like he’d lost faith in himself.
Sure he finished with 32 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds but after three quarters James had made just three of 12 shots and Miami trailed 75-65. If Ray Allen misses a game-tying three to force overtime, James is already done.
But James’ struggles are a common theme. Four times James has been in the NBA Finals; four times he’s shot a significantly lower percentage from the floor than during the regular season. When he’s standing around looking confused, it almost appears like he’s the perfect machine with a glitch in his hard drive.
In 2007 the Spurs made a 22-year-old James, then an emerging superstar, appear mortal by daring him to shoot from the perimeter. He couldn’t — hitting just 35.6 per cent from the field — and the Cavaliers were swept. In 2011 James nearly covered himself, especially down the stretch. In the six-game series he averaged just 2.2 points in the fourth quarter on 25 per cent shooting.
The past two seasons have been about exorcising those flaws and this past season James emerged nearly flawless. He shot 56.5 per cent from the floor and 40.6 per cent from the three-point line and improved his post game. By any reasonable standard he was unguardable.
But the Spurs, betting that under pressure James would revert to his old ways, have backed off, reducing James’ ability to penetrate and have been rewarded as James has either shot poorly (he’s hitting on just 29.2 per cent of this three-pointers in the series) or not at all.
What will James do in Game 7?
Again it’s worth remembering that Jordan wasn’t always perfect, but by the time he struggled so mightily against Seattle he was already a three-time NBA champion. He’d already won three Finals MVP awards. No one questioned Jordan’s will.
The Seattle series may have been Jordan’s worst Finals performance in six tries, but he still found a way. He got to the foul line a staggering 67 times. He won ugly, but mostly he won and that obscured everything else.
If James wins and keeps winning, the story will become about him overcoming his struggles. Jordan’s legacy will remain in sight.
But if the Heat lose Game 7 — if James can’t find a way — his chances of being the greatest player of all time will be gone with it.
The Chosen1 will have to find another goal; supplanting Jordan will be out of reach.