It didn’t seem that Carter offered James advice about how to handle the questions regarding his fourth-quarter disappearances or the queries about how such a gifted player could look timid at times on the court. It just seemed that Carter wanted to stand near LeBron, as if to show the media he was free to penetrate that inner circle, like a made man.
James stood there stoically, seemingly not interested in interacting with the segment of the NBA world he finds most dis tasteful: the media. And he seemed unprepared and reckless during his interview following the 105-95 series-clinching Dallas victory.
James should have known he was going to be pressed about his performance, the hype surrounding his departure from Cleveland and signing with Miami and the bravado he and his teammates displayed all season. Yet, it seems his public image and the perceptions of outsiders carry little weight with James. He made a fool of himself Sunday night when he said those who criticize him are highly unlikely to enjoy the same lavish life, the same adulation, and the same success he has.
“At the end of the day, all the people that was rooting on me to fail … they have to wake up tomorrow and have the same life that they had before they woke up today,’’ he said with little emotion. “They have the same personal problems they had today. I’m going to continue to live the way I want to live and continue to do the things that I want to do with me and my family and be happy with that.
“They can get a few days or a few months or whatever the case may be on being happy about not only myself, but the Miami Heat not accomplishing their goal, but they have to get back to the real world at some point.’’
Regardless of whether that statement is true, the worst thing a professional athlete can do is flaunt his wealth and lifestyle in the face of the working man. For someone who wanted to be Michael Jordan as a youngster, this was about as far from MJ as one could get.
