Right now, in my mind, Miami has proven a Superteam doesn't necessarily get you the success you need to win a championship.
LeBron James has gone down a rollercoaster these past few seasons. The ride started in the summer of 2010 when he announced that he would "take his talents to South Beach" and win "not one, not two, not three, not four, not five, not six, not seven" championships.
So far, things haven't gone so right in James' mind. He originally left the Cleveland Cavaliers to get a better chance at winning a title. So he joined the Heat, teaming up with stars Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, believing that he had a better supporting cast with them than he did back in Cleveland.
Now it appears that James could have been doing better right now against the Pacers had he been with the Cavs team from 2010. And it's sad to say this, but it's true. Judging from these past two seasons, the Heat basically have no chemistry. The Cavs could have done better, honestly. They, at least, had better chemistry at the time.
And it has shown now.
Wade has struggled and has shown much frustration lately. He doesn't appear to have the explosiveness anymore that he did a few years ago. The 30-year-old is starting to show his age. Miami has also noticed how big it is if a star goes down, especially a post-presence like Bosh that has led to Miami's struggles against a dominant Pacers team down low.
With Wade's frustration, as mentioned above, he can't seem to cope with his teammates, or his own coach. With that, he has been ruining the team chemistry all alone. It also seems to mess LeBron's game up as well. James started off hot with 16 points and six rebounds in the first half, but only finished with 22 points total after his dreadful second half.
If the Heat don't win it all this year, James may need to ask himself more questions. Although many people may not see it, I wouldn't be surprised if James ever considered this to himself: "Should I have ever left the Cavaliers?"
James was the poster boy of the league when he was on there. It was a Cinderella story about a boy from Akron ending up playing for his hometown team, having much success there alone. All James had to do was win that championship, but it never happened. He promised he would bring one to Cleveland.
The Cavaliers didn't have the best supporting cast to help James out, which led to his departure. Now the three-time MVP is the most hated person in the league.
James said in an interview with Sports Illustrated this month that he had "lost connection of who he was as a player and a person" last year in his first season as a member of the Heat. Although it sure seems like James is back to normal, putting up an MVP season and dominating the court, he still has troubles.
It clearly shows, especially in clutch situations.
It seems as if James is confused of what to do. Being with stars like Wade and Bosh, he always has to second-guess himself so he doesn't seem like he has a big ego and taking over everything. Which is why we have seen countless times this season of him passing the ball in clutch situations, instead of taking the shot for himself.
It seems as if the King isn't comfortable with his self. Back in Cleveland, James would have been perfectly fine.
It was all good for him. He was the man of the team. He never ever had to second-guess in clutch situations, because he knows it's him taking the last shot. Plus, there was less pressure of him trying to win a title.
James had a chance to win the Finals back in 2007 over the San Antonio Spurs, but the Tim Duncan-led team was able to sweep them. However, there wasn't much complaints towards James, since the team was young and inexperienced.
In Miami, it just seems like there is no excuse for them not to win the Finals. However, looking closely, this team is really bad. All they have his three superstars, but then, what else? They don't have a true point guard, nor a center who can be a bully down low, which has led to their struggles.
James will need a guy like Steve Nash to come next year and help them. However, instead of all of this, James could have stayed in Cleveland, brought some players that would likely help him and everything else would have been alright.
Now he is hated, even in his hometown of Akron.
If the Heat were ever to blow the team up, it would most likely be with Wade being let go and with the squad building around James and Bosh. James would never have to go through that had he stayed with the Cavs.
Or, there could be another option: he could return to Cleveland. James said during the regular season that he wouldn't be surprised if he made a return to Cleveland in the near future and with the way things are going now, he could end up there soon.
Back in Cleveland, James didn't need to worry if he had to pass to another individual. I noticed there really wasn't any "clutch" jokes about James, either.
He was completely fine going "hero ball" in the clutch. I didn't see any worries of him shooting the ball, like a few years ago when he made the game-winner over the Orlando Magic in 2009. He never had to worry about receiving scrutiny for shooting free throws, because he was probably going to make them since there was no pressure on him.
Him leaving Cleveland to be on another man's team (Wade) truly says something about his character. With the way things are going now, James could be going back to where he ended off in Cleveland, being the man with a not good enough supporting cast.
He should have never left in the first place. That off-season, he could have gotten his pieces.
Now he has to live with the decision.
And if all things go wrong, James will always wonder what could've been a happy ending for his career.
Josh Dhani is the founder of FootBasket. He also contributes at Hoops Authority and Eight Points Nine Seconds. You can read more about him at his website. Follow him on Twitter @joshdhani.
