LeBron knows himself, and that's all that matters

There are people in this world who will never forgive LeBron James for leaving Cleveland, even if only for the way he did it.

Don't be one of them.

LeBron made a poor decision to air his decision on T.V., perhaps, but that shouldn't define him at this point.

As for the rest of us? We're just disappointed when it comes to LeBron, and that is understandable. LeBron gave us so much to hope for when he was in Cleveland. The Michael Jordan 2.0 talks weren't that far off. Now, LeBron's game has plateaued. His shooting hasn't improved. He's still getting by on a hefty amount of skill and talent when the rest of us see potential for absolute greatness. It's like a movie that starts out on Emmy-pace, or at least amusing-pace, only to fizzle out after the first half. You know what I'm talking about, Funny People. 

The problem is that all the analysts were right about LeBron and how he'd fit on the Miami Heat, primarily the part about him and Wade clashing. The Heat will probably win the title next year, but LeBron cannot be the same LBJ that he was in Cleveland with Miami. It just won't work, and it's not best for the Heat.

In Cleveland, LeBron didn't have a No. 2 scoring option even close to Chris Bosh's level, let alone Dwayne Wade. He was the nucleus of that team, the best scorer and the best passer. Even when Jordan retired, Scottie Pippen led the Bulls to the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals. Think Mo Williams and/or Antawn Jamison could have done that with the Cavaliers?

Between the two, Wade is a better scorer, and it's probably better for the Heat to keep it that way. LeBron can still thrive as a distributor who averages 25 points per game. Wade, on the other hand, will not thrive nearly as much as a No. 2. They're both All-Stars, no matter who handles the bulk of the scoring, but that pinewood derby car is going to go faster if you put the bulk of your weight, or talent in this case with LeBron, in the back seat.

The thing that seems to bother us that LeBron is OK with that.

We've seen him carry a team. We've seen him do things that very few players in the history of the NBA can do. LeBron James is still the best player on the planet. When he's on, he's amazing. Trust me, I've seen it first hand. Heck, we've even seen him be a pretty darn good closer as well, just not in the 2011 NBA Finals.

Let's look at those stats. LeBron averaged 3.0 points per game in six fourth quarters, and up until the sixth game of the series, he had only scored 11 fourth quarter points.

Now let's look at the truth that only LeBron James seems OK with accepting: the Miami Heat don't need big fourth quarters from him every night. They don't even need him to score late most nights. We see this as some great tragedy, as if LeBron were a child who disappoints us by not wanting as much for himself as we want for him.

But LeBron understands something that many of us don't. It's something that's guided him through his decision to go to Miami and it's guided him since. He understands the the Miami Heat, and most importantly, he understands himself. 

There's a great line in The Departed. SIDE NOTE: I know, I know. You're thinking, "Yeah, there's a hundred great lines in The Departed." And you're absolutely right. That movie is pregnant with brilliant writing and acting. But the one I'm thinking of is when Leo's talking to the shrink about being in prison. Vera Farmiga (the shrink) is going through the meeting and checking off her to-do list of inquiry into Leo's life but she can't get anything out of him, because, let's face it, the guy's a pro...or really screwed up...or both. At this point we're figuring that out piece by piece. But she asks Leo about prison, and here's the interaction:

Farmiga: I looked through your file and I see you have a record of assault. What was it like for you in jail? 

Leo: You wanna hear about the showers?

Farmiga: Did something happen to you?

Leo: No. (a beat) You sit there with a mass murderer. A mass murderer. Your heart rate is jacked, your hand...steady. That's one thing I found out about myself in prison. My hand doesn't shake, ever.

This is why we loved Dirk Nowitzki and hated LeBron James in the NBA finals. This is why a grossly overpaid Eli Manning eventually got the money he did after stringing together the best four-game stretch of his career when it mattered most. This is why Dave Roberts will always have a place to stay in Boston.

There are tons of great cops who never had to go through anything like Leo did in The Departed. But few of those cops could keep a steady hand.

Here's the big question we face about LeBron: will it matter to us if his hand still shakes with a few rings on it?