Throughout the playoffs, Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James deflected questions about his legacy, comparisons to Stephen Curry and what a championship would mean to Northeast Ohio. After winning Game 7 on Sunday, he's been a lot more open.
First, James got emotional in his postgame interview. Then he spoke about the 52 years of heartbreak that have defined Cleveland sports. Then he revealed that his "secret motivation" was a doubter in Miami. And on Monday, through Instagram, he sent a message directly to his critics.
A list of things James didn't appreciate:
1. People saying he lost a step
2. People questioning his drive, leadership and commitment
3. People saying he doesn't have a killer instinct
4. People saying he shouldn't have gone to Cleveland
5. People saying he got former Cavs coach David Blatt fired
6. People saying he got former teammates traded
7. People saying he can't win with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love
8. People saying he loves his teammates too much
9. People saying he can't bring Cleveland a championship
Some people -- maybe some of the same ones who yelled these things the loudest! -- won't love this gloating. To them, I say chill out. James is on a high right now, and he earned the right to talk back to those who doubted him.
Instagram, by the way, was not the only outlet James used to address those who he felt had underestimated him. In an interview with Sports Illustrated's Lee Jenkins, he directly said what everyone should have known all along:
"I think people forget sometimes," James says. "I think they forget what I've done, and how long I've done it, and they doubt me for some reason. I've felt that way for a long time." He spent the past year hearing that Golden State was the best team in the league and Steph Curry the best player in the world. The James epoch had apparently expired. In that tiny coach's office, next to a closet filled with suits and dress shirts, he grits his teeth and shakes his head. "That's how this came about."
The lesson: When players say they don't pay attention to the media and to outsiders, take it with a huge helping of salt. Especially when the player is as aware of his place in the league and its history as James is.
Maybe James does a better job than most of insulating himself from the day-to-day news cycle, but he never completely ignored it. That would be pretty much impossible. Like just about all of his peers, he knows exactly what is said about him, and he uses it as motivation.
