“For sure”: LeBron James breaks silence on ‘lowest point’ of his career

LeBron James has achieved numerous milestones during his legendary NBA career and continues to do so even at the age of 39. Recently, he reflected on his loss to the Dallas Mavericks in the 2011 NBA Finals while appearing on “Mind The Game”with JJ Redick. Despite being widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the sport, he admitted that the series was a low point for him.

Despite the undeniable talent of James’ Miami Heat team, they were unable to secure the deal against Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavericks. In the NBA, talent can only take a team so far compared to a well-rounded group. When asked by Redick if that series was the lowest point of his basketball career, James quickly concurred.

“(38:00) For sure, the lowest,”James said.

Despite the hype surrounding LeBron James since his debut in the NBA, and the backlash he faced for joining forces with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh on the Miami Heat, he ultimately fell short in delivering when it truly counted.

During the series, the 20-time NBA All-Star maintained an average of 17.8 points, shooting at 47.8% accuracy with 32.1% coming from 3-point range, while also recording 7.2 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game. His lowest-scoring performance was in Game 4 where he only managed to score eight points (3-of-11 shooting), along with nine rebounds and seven assists. His four turnovers also contributed to the Heat’s 86-83 loss to the Mavericks in that game.

This NBA Finals series showcased a different side of James. It revealed a version of him that was quite different from what people were used to and especially from what fans have grown accustomed to seeing from him in recent years.

LeBron James’ Confidence in His Performance: The 2011 NBA Finals vs the ECF Series vs the Bulls

In the “Mine The Game”podcast episode, LeBron James expressed his belief that if he had performed in the 2011 NBA Finals as he did against the Chicago Bulls in the 2011 ECF series, the Heat would have emerged as champions.

“I wasn’t at my best so we f***ing lost,”James said. “If I play anything like I did in the Eastern Conference Finals, we win.”

When the Heat defeated the Bulls in five games, James showed a different level of performance compared to the Finals. During the series, he averaged 25.8 points (44.7% shooting, with 38.9% from 3-point range), 7.8 rebounds, and 6.6 assists per game.

Following their 103-82 defeat to the Bulls in Game 1, LeBron James quickly adjusted his approach and the Heat underwent a complete transformation, with James leading the way with a lackluster 15-point performance.