If he lost Game 6, the scrutiny towards him would be even worse than his loss to the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals last year.
James responded with a 45-point outburst along with 15 rebounds and five assists. James also played much differently than he usually did.
He had that look in his face. The killer instinct. He had the Kobe Bryant mentality. He wanted the ball: anytime, anywhere. He found out he was unstoppable and probably discovered he is the best player on the planet at this moment.
And the Heat tied the series. They saved themselves from falling into a huge role. They were already the most criticized team. The hating will not stop until they win a title.
And then came Game 7.
Could James pull off the same magic? At the start of the game, it sure didn't look like it. The Miami Heat struggled for the whole first half until the ending. James didn't have the killer look. He just felt too comfortable and it didn't look good, as the Heat committed tons of turnovers.
However, Miami capitalized off the first half with a James steal. James then passed it to Dwyane Wade who immediately passed it back to LeBron for the dunk. At halftime, it was 53-46. Once the second half hit, Miami started taking control.
Especially LeBron.
Midway through the fourth quarter, Miami started taking the game in their hands. It all ended when James hit a long three-pointer to put the Heat up, 91-84. Wade added the extra fuel to the fire, hitting a crazy jumper with a foul to put the lead up to 12.
Miami ended up winning, 101-88.
James finished with another remarkable performance, having 31 points and 12 rebounds. He showed killer instinct and clutch in the second half. Instead of settling for jumpers, the whole second LeBron drove down the lane.
No one could stop him.
Wade would finish with 23 points while Bosh had 19 points and eight rebounds. Shane Battier also played a huge role, having 12 points off of four three-pointers.
"We decided to come together and play together for a reason," Wade said.
The Heat just attacked the rim and it was the key to the victory. Now the Heat will have a chance to get an NBA title again.
And maybe, just maybe....
LeBron can finally get that first ring.
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.
