Rejecting the blame at critical moments? Is James "selflessness" great or cowardly?

LeBron James, one of the most all-round players in NBA history, has four championships in hand, and the data explodes, but the controversy about him never stops - especially the pass choice at a critical moment. What black fans love to joke about is: "In the last 5 seconds, is the ball in James' hands? Don't worry, he will definitely pass it!" Today we will talk about the "historical passer"'s "blame-black art" in the moment of life and death.

1. Pass = cowardly? James' "Invisibility at Critical Moment"

James' key ball ability is actually very strong, with a shooting percentage of 49.2%, which is higher than 99% of the league's players, but why are they always scolded? Because his choice was too "reasonable" - so reasonable that it drove fans crazy. In the 2013 Eastern Conference Finals, the Heat fell 2 points behind. James broke through and passed it to Bosh in the bottom corner, but it was cut off and the Heat lost. Similar situations repeated in 2014 against the Hawks and 2015 against the Spurs. In the last attack, the ball will always fly to the hands of a teammate in a corner at the most tense moments, and then... make a mistake, and ruin the game.

2. "Team first" or "afraid of taking the blame"?

James himself said: "At critical moments, I will choose the most correct way of playing, whether it is to shoot by myself or pass by." It sounds selfless, but compared to Kobe and Jordan's "I will bear the last shot", James' style seems "not hard enough". In the 2016 finals G7, Irving made a key three-pointer, but in the last moment, James chose to pass to Love who was open, and almost failed. Black fans will say: "Will a real super giant give his destiny to his teammates at this time?"

3. Passing master or psychological game?

Of course, James' pass also has a masterpiece. The 2009 Eastern Conference Finals G2 won the Magic, the 2013 Finals G7's key mid-range shot, and the 2018 first round G5 won the Pacers, proving that he is not without the killer instinct. But more often, his "big picture" makes the game complicated - for example, in the 2020 Finals G5, he scored 40 points, but passed it to Danny Green in the last attack, and ended up hitting a three-pointer and the Lakers lost. After the game, he said, "I believe in teammates." But the fans just want to ask, "Do you believe in them or dare not shoot by yourself?"

4. James' "passing philosophy": genius or flaw?

Judging from the data, James' key assists even exceed the sum of the three point guards of Paul, Parker and Deron, but this just makes black fans even more unhappy: "Why do you, as a striker, play like a point guard at the last moment?" His supporters will say that this is "basketball IQ", while opponents will mock this is "escape from responsibility." After all, the label of the super giant in history is often the "terminator" rather than the "assistant king".