By TOM SPOUSTA
Published: June 8, 2011
DALLAS ? He?s been criticized for being too unselfish, sacrificing his stardom for the sake of the Miami Heat, but LeBron James again was oddly absent in the clutch Tuesday night, suggesting a slump might be the real reason for his vanishing act.
As the Dallas Mavericks clawed back from a 9-point deficit, the stage was set for James to thwart them and re-emerge as a dominant force in these N.B.A. Finals. Instead of crushing their comeback, James and the Heat succumbed to the Mavericks? defensive pressure and fell into a 2-2 series tie, with Game 5 here Thursday night.
?I?ve got to do a better job of being more assertive offensively, and not staying out of rhythm the whole game,? James said.
James was so off-key in Game 4 that he looked reluctant to even clear his throat for a signature solo. He took 11 shots all game, making three, and finished with eight points in the worst playoff performance of his career.
Those totals were especially glaring when compared to the efforts of Dwyane Wade, who was 13 of 20 and scored 32 points, and Chris Bosh, who was 9 of 19 for 24 points. James? fellow stars were the only Miami players to reach double figures.
?The fact that it happened in a loss is the anger part of it,? James said. ?That?s all that matters to me. If I had eight points and we won the game, I could be satisfied. The fact I could have done more offensively to help our team, that?s the anger part. Myself, I?ll come back in Game 5 and do things that need to be done to help our team win.?
If so, James needs only to look to his scoreless fourth quarter for motivation. He attempted only one shot, and as Dallas defenders DeShawn Stevenson and Shawn Marion turned up their intensity, he also committed two turnovers.
?He struggled. Point blank, period,? Bosh said. ?We?ve all done that at times in our careers, and it happens. But he?s a resilient guy. ...For LeBron, he just has to bounce back and be himself, play his game and be the great player that he is. We know he?ll bounce back. We need him. Everything else will be fine after that.?
Wade tried to take control with James effectively handcuffed, but nobody else could ignite a spark. The Heat scored 14 points ? half of those by Wade ? and had six turnovers in the fourth quarter.
?We?ll have to look at the film,? Heat Coach Erik Spoelstra said of James. ?Obviously we could like to get him involved. He?s a very important piece to what we do. So we?ll work to help make it easier for him next game.?
James? unassuming role was reflected by his team-high nine rebounds and seven assists, statistics the Heat would gladly sacrifice in exchange for more points and a few spectacular dunks. Through four games against Dallas, James has averaged 17.3 points, ranking third on the Heat behind Wade?s 29.8 and Bosh?s 18.3.
?If I feel like I need to come to the gym and get some extra shots up, I will,? James said when asked how he might shake his shooting malaise. ?If I feel I need to do that, just to get my shot back and my confidence with my shot going, I will do that after practice tomorrow.?
In the waning seconds, James provided an enduring image into his struggles as he chased Mavericks? guard Jason Terry into the backcourt, trying to foul him as quickly as possible with the Heat trailing 84-83. Terry, who James had shut down in the Heat?s two victories, scored eight of his 17 points in the fourth quarter, a role reversal James doesn?t have to swallow.
?He?s having to facilitate a lot of times for his teammates and get them involved,? Terry said of James. ?But we?re just trying to get our hands up, distract him a little bit.?
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