Anyway, you know how in "Black Swan" Nina (Natalie Portman) was already great at being the White Swan but still needed to master the Black Swan to be an effective Swan Queen? Then after a lot of crotch grabbing, hallucinations, and a bunch of other insanity, she blacked out and not only performed the Black Swan, but also became the Black Swan? Well I think that's what happened to LeBron James this season (well, besides crotch grabbing and hallucinations...hopefully), and now he's the Black Swan. Allow me to further explain:
LeBron is like Nina, Pat Riley is like Thomas, the Miami Heat are like the ballet company, and the NBA season is like the production of "Swan Lake."
When the season started, LeBron was playing well, but everywhere he went he was being viciously booed. Even in cities he never considered in free agency over the summer, like Philly, Memphis, and New Orleans, the boos rained down every time he touched the ball. Plus, the Heat were losing and weren't playing good basketball.
At this point LeBron was still only the White Swan. He accepted his Decision, but he was visibly uncomfortable trying to "dance" the Black Swan.
Then, at his lowest point (when the Heat fell to 9-8 after a loss in Dallas), things began to change. Miami ran off a couple wins against Washington and Detroit, but it wasn't until the Heat's trip to Cleveland to face the Cavaliers on December 2nd did he start transforming into the Black Swan. Instead of running from the boos (and the were deafening) and trying to block them out, he embraced them and used them against his opponent. That night he scored 38 points in just 30 minutes of play in a 118-90 Heat victory.
The Heat were now on a tear and won 21 of their next 22 games. In that 21st win again Portland Sunday, LeBron fully became the Black Swan. The crowd at the Rose Garden was raucous, and by the 4th quarter he had totally embraced the villain role he had been cast. He even egged on the crowd at one point, which he's never done before this season. LeBron finished with 44 points, 13 rebounds, and 6 assists as the Heat won in overtime. And that's how LeBron James became the Black Swan.
Fortunately for the Heat, instead of dying at the end like Nina, LBJ only tweaked his ankle at the end of the Clippers game.
*****
Now, let's discuss this infamous tweet during the mist of the Cavaliers being blown out 112-57 by the Lakers Tuesday night. I'm sure you've all seen it, but just in case:
Let me start by saying this: If you thought this was a shot at the Cavs players and not owner Dan Gilbert, you are a moron, and I have no use for your opinions on anything. That was absolutely, 100%, without a doubt aimed at none other than Comic Sans Dan. You shouldn't even be considered a sports fan if you don't remember Gilbert saying, "Until he does 'right' by Cleveland and Ohio, James (and the town where he plays) will unfortunately own this dreaded spell and bad karma."
LeBron's tweet is CLEARLY a shot at Gilbert's letter, specifically that excerpt, and to think otherwise is simply idiotic.
With that being said, I totally disagree with LeBron's handling of the fallout caused by The Tweet. Instead of owning it, LeBron chose to act like not only did he not write it, but it had nothing to do with the Cavs blowout that was in progress at the time. "It wasn't even a comment from me, it was someone who sent it to me and I sent it out," LeBron said. C'mon son! We already let you slide on the whole "I didn't even know what contraction meant" shit, but stop acting like you're totally oblivious to the world. The Tweet was meant for Comic Sans Dan, own it, and move the fuck on.
Now, as far as the loss last night to the Clippers is concerned, I'm not surprised. Forget that old Clippers stigma, that is a pretty decent team. And it's not like this was a luck thing, they've beaten a whole host of the NBA's best teams including the Spurs, Bulls, Nuggets, Thunder, Hornets, and now Heat. Besides, if LeBron doesn't roll his ankle down the stretch, Miami most likely wins that game. LeBron drained a 3 just seconds after getting hurt and cut the Clips' lead down to 2. After that point, he was ineffective on both ends of the court, and the rest is history. In all honesty, the Heat probably would've been better off if they subbed in James Jones until LeBron was ready because he was a liability on the floor in the last few minutes. He was limping around badly and basically reduced to a spot-up shooter, and if I'm gonna have a spot-up shooter in the game, I'd much rather it be James Jones.
