Stephen A. Smith is not having any of what LeBron James said on the ‘Mind the Game’ Podcast with JJ Redick about the 2011 Miami Heat falling short on overall roster depth and talent, which then led to their shock Finals loss to the Dallas Mavericks.
“LeBron James, that is some straight bulls**t. You’ve gotta be kidding me. I know that you didn’t just say that with the cameras rolling. That’s bullsh*t. Somebody’s gotta say it.”
Stephen A would say that LeBron was the sole reason behind that Finals loss, using LeBron’s achievements in the NBA after that moment to prove he knew how to produce a winning impact but wasn’t that elite in 2011.
“You didn’t lose to the Mavericks because of your roster. You lost because of you. Because you aren’t who you are. The LeBron James who ultimately learned how to become a champion. The LeBron James whose resume elevated and changed forevermore, who showed us he can be a champion and reminded us again by winning back-to-back championships. Who ultimately overcame a 3-1 deficit and beat the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals. You were not that dude in 2011.”
After lambasting James’ underperformance in the Finals, Stephen A. made it clear that the blame for 2011 falls squarely on LeBron and this series is why James will never be better than Michael Jordan.
“That was not about your roster, that was about you. Period. There’s no way around that. The roster didn’t stop you from averaging 25 throughout the season, getting to the Finals, and being up 2-1 in the Finals even when Dirk Nowitzki was scoring. What stopped you was that you were nowhere to be found in the fourth quarter. That’s not something we’ve ever had to say about Michael Jordan and that’s why you’re No. 2 on the Mount Rushmore.”
Stephen A’s response came out because of what James had said on the ‘Mind the Game’ podcast with JJ Redick, criticizing the lack of a complementary roster in that series.
“Obviously my first year in Miami, yeah we had a Big 3, everyone said it’s a superteam… But we had to build our team around all minimum guys, which was still okay but we didn’t fill out the complimentary guys enough. Yeah, we had Rio, we had Udonis… But you know we didn’t have enough as far as enough complimentary guys to actually make it all work, and we still made it to the Finals.”
James averaged 17.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 6.8 assists in the 2011 NBA Finals, living up to being the villain the media had made him out to be, as people rejoiced when the fan-favorite Mavericks brought the Heat down.
LeBron James Admits He Played Bad In The 2011 NBA Finals
During the latest ‘Mind the Game’ podcast, the conversation around the Miami Heat with LeBron was far more nuanced than the 30-second clip of James complaining about the roster that’s gone viral. James openly took accountability for his poor play in the series.
“I played like sh*t… I told myself the way I played was unacceptable.”
(Starts at 00:48)
In the larger clip, James explains why Erik Spoelstra deserves the credit for what the Heat went on to do in the 2012 and 2013 NBA Finals, as the 2011 loss allowed him to revamp his style of coaching. In the same way he’s sharing the praise for what they achieved, it’s fair for him to also share the blame.
Multiple factors go into a Finals loss. While LeBron’s underperformance was one of the biggest ones in 2011, it’s clear that the organization and fellow players like Dwyane Wade all understood the larger factors that led to their downfall. Ultimately, Miami did get to celebrate two championships, but the loss in 2011 was shocking for the entire basketball world.
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