These used to be the moments that suffocated LeBron James. End of a game, the world watching, everyone expecting greatness. A TV camera would catch James sitting on the bench, gnawing on his fingernails during a timeout. He'd take the court, and the ball – and the game – would find their way into his large hands. Too often, he'd give them both to a teammate. The pressure, the responsibility to live up to his enormous talent, was too much for him to shoulder.
No longer is James haunted by his demons. He embraces these moments now, and as the final seconds ticked off the clock late Thursday, James was finally free of the burden he had carried for so long. Finally, the world could call him a champion.
James had walked off the court a few minutes earlier, the Miami Heat's 121-106 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder long since secure. He dominated these NBA Finals, and he saved his best for last with a 26-point, 13-assist, 11-rebound triple-double performance. James hugged his teammates and coaches, screamed and waved his arms. No more doubts. He owned his elusive title.
"It's about damn time," James said after accepting the Finals MVP trophy from Bill Russell. "It's about damn time."
He had come into this with people questioning whether Kevin Durant had surpassed him as the game's greatest player, with the Heat cast in the unfamiliar role of underdogs. Oklahoma City's victory in Game 1 fanned those sentiments. It turned out to be the only jolt the Heat needed.
James took hold of this series in Game 2 and he never let go. He was the league's best player this season, and he was the greatest player on the floor in these Finals. The Thunder never had an answer for him. Not Durant, not anyone. From the moment James threw down a thunderous dunk to open Thursday night, the message was clear:
No more waiting. This night, this season, belonged to him.
"My dream has become a reality now," James said, "and it's the best feeling I ever had."
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