Cavalier performance has James in hot water

SIDELINE CUT:The reaction in Cleveland against their favourite son LeBron James after being knocked out of the title race has been unforgiving, the common complaint being that he did not just quit on his team. but "quit on the city"

THERE IS sporting pressure and then there is the life of LeBron James. Over the past week James, officially regarded as the best player in the NBA (and therefore on earth), inexplicably disappeared during what was supposed to be his time.

Branded as overall favourites ahead of the NBA finals, the Cleveland Cavaliers crashed out of the series against an aged and crafty Boston Celtics team. The best-of-seven series ended late on Thursday night after Game Six, with the Celtics winning 94-85 in front of raucous home fans and James looking like a lost soul as he stood around trading embraces with the victors afterwards.

The rivalry had spun irrevocably in the fifth game and the shockingly indifferent display by James. The series was balanced 2-2 going into that match and the teams had returned to Cleveland. Nothing in the previous matches had hinted at what would happen: a complete capitulation by the Cavaliers as the Celtics inflicted a 32-point beating, drawing sustained boos from the home crowd.

Afterwards, James was subject to intense and anguished criticism in various media publications and radio and television shows, and nationally it was inevitably suggested James’ accolade as the NBA’s most valuable player for the second year running had been lightly earned.

The defeat was made more painful by the fact James, born in Akron, Ohio, and therefore considered a Cleveland local, may never play for the Cavs again. In July, he becomes a free agent and a number of teams – most notably the perpetually dysfunctional New York Knicks – are clamouring to secure his signature.

James may be the most exceptional athlete on earth: a compact 6ft 8in with the power of a sprinter, the ball-handling skills of a point guard and an array of attacking skills that have made him an unstoppable force in his six NBA seasons.

From his mid-teens, James’ sporting life was ordained. He seemed anointed, drawing international attention with his performances for his high school and skipping the formality of college by declaring himself eligible for the NBA draft at the age of 19. His life was mapped out by his talent.

Happily, the mediocre Cleveland Cavaliers had first pick in that 2003 draft and could build a new team around their local phenomenon. Since then, he has promised to be the one player with sufficient physiological prowess and skill to exceed the pyrotechnics of Michael Jordan. There is famous footage of James messing about before a television commercial where he starts shooting jump shots – from his free-throw line– to the far end of the court, with perfect, effortless form. He could, it seemed, do anything.

Season after season seemed to be building towards an inevitable championship win with the Cavaliers, and this year his team started as clear favourites. That is why the public reaction against James has been so unforgiving, the common complaint being that he did not just quit on his team, but “quit on the city”. Even Celtics head coach Doc Rivers said he had never seen anything like the opprobrium heaped upon James, and he put it down to the saturation media coverage.

James is one of the most heavily scrutinised athletes in the world. The rewards that come with that are lavish – with endorsements, James’ earnings come in an estimated €32 million per annum, and, at 25, he has declared his intentions to join Warren Buffet in the billionaire club.

Articulate, charming, grounded and aware of the importance of showmanship – his pre-game ritual includes tossing a cloud of crush chalk above his head like a shaman – James has become the prototype modern sports man.

But his failure to win when it matters has begun to overshadow his staggering athletic potential.

With 10 minutes left in Game Six against Boston late on Thursday, James collided with Celtics bruiser Glen “Big Baby” Davis. In the slow-motion replays, James is captured trying to break his opponent’s fall, half-carrying him as the pair thundered across the court, and smiling afterwards. It was a generous gesture at the wrong time: there was no evidence of a desperate need about James and little to suggest he found this experience as searing as did the thousands for whom he is a folk hero.

It was not as if he played badly in the match, making the sixth “triple-double” of his play-off career – hitting double digits in points scored, rebounds made and assist passes. The problem was he didn’t take possession of the game and silence the arena and did not manufacture a Game Seven back in Cleveland. Had he done that, all would have been forgiven.

There was something oddly vulnerable about James in the minutes after the first great setback of his career. He faces a stark choice. A bigger club, particularly a landmark club like Knicks which have not won a championship since 1973, would seem a perfect fit for a persona as cinematic as James. But going elsewhere would be tantamount to running out on his home city and state.

If he signs with Cleveland for another four years, he will earn a further €30 million. But if he fails to win an NBA championship in that time, he will be 30 years old and fast on his way to becoming the great unfulfilled talent in world sport.

The window is brief. Already, they are beginning to talk about a sensational young point guard from Chicago named Jalen Fleming, who has NBA scouts drooling and has already been invited to take part in a few practice sessions with the Knicks players. He is 10 years old.