LeBron Under Fire After Loss
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Anytime the Miami Heat win, it's a ho-hum night. But when the Heat loses, it's the end of the (sports) world. Wednesday night's loss against the Clippers provided plenty of fodder for fans to be in full Armageddon mode.
Most of the consternation with the Heat's loss was laid at the feet of forward LeBron James.
The perennial All-Star had been shooting 80 percent from the free throw line inexplicably threw up brick after brick in the Clippers game.
James did what everyone had wanted him to do in the game. He attacked the post and repeatedly went to the free throw line.
But whether it was a mental block or something else, James was shaken by the misses and they came in bunches.
But it wasn't just LeBron that played poorly in the game.
His fellow big-three members, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh played just as bad down the stretch in the fourth quarter.
Just how bad was the Heat in the fourth quarter? They ended the game by not scoring a field goal in the final seven-and-a-half minutes or regulation.
All that people will remember is that LeBron couldn't put in a free throw in the game, however.
It brought back flashbacks for fans to the NBA Finals when James shrank in the spotlight of the Finals.
For LeBron, the only way that he will be able to erase this theme is for him to carry the Heat late in the game and make his free throws.
He's improved his post-up game immensely since last year and now the last step is to hit the free shots when he gets them.
