Pressure For Melo?

Miami Heat F Lebron James and New York Knicks F Carmelo Anthony

With the Miami Heat being up three games to one on the Oklahoma City Thunder, F Lebron James seems destined to capture the long-awaited championship that has eluded him the first eight seasons of his career. James has been the most scrutinized player in the NBA for coming up short every season while having championship expectations.

In the 2006-2007 season, James and the Cleveland Cavaliers didn't really have any championship expectations. However, with a 50-32 record and a #2 seed in the East, they shocked the #1 seed Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals to reach the NBA Finals for the first time. As expected, they were swept by the San Antonio Spurs. It was supposed to be a humbling lesson for James and the Cavaliers, as his time was coming soon.

In the 2007-2008 season, James missed several games due to injury, in which the Cavaliers lost each one of the games James missed. The Cavaliers dipped to 45-37 and a #4 seed in the East, but with a healthy James, they took the eventual champions Boston Celtics to seven games in which James scored 45 points in the Game 7 loss.

The following offseason, the Cavaliers were able to acquire G Mo Williams in a three-team trade. The Cavaliers immediately took off with Williams providing scoring help for James. The Cavaliers ran through the league en route to a 66-16 record, one game better than the Los Angeles Lakers for the best record in the NBA. However, they were stunned by the #3 seed Orlando Magic. The next season, the Cavaliers won 61 games but lost to the #4 seed Celtics in the second round.

James failed to win a championship with the less-than-subpar supporting cast in Cleveland, and bolted for Miami in the oft-criticized "The Decision" program which aired on ESPN. James would join his good friend G Dwyane Wade in an effort to win a championship, and they were instantly written down as the team to win the next several championships. James even added to his own pressure with his speech during their introduction to Miami in American Airlines Arena, in which he famously said, "Not three, not four, not five..."

While the Heat struggled initially, they caught fire in the month of December. In a midseason funk in late February to early March, in which the Heat would lose five straight games, including a memorable home loss against the Chicago Bulls in which it was stated by head coach Erik Spoelstra that several players were crying in the locker room. The Heat bounced back and made it to the NBA Finals in which they were favorites to win. However, the Dallas Mavericks got their long-awaited championship by beating the Heat in six games.

Lebron James has traveled a long road to get this close to winning his first title. However, a friend of his drafted two spots after him to the Denver Nuggets has enjoyed a decorated career himself. F Carmelo Anthony actually has been to the playoffs every season of his NBA career. James missed the playoffs his first two seasons. However, Anthony has only made it out of the first round once, when they lost to the Lakers in the 2009 Western Conference Finals.

The careers of James and Anthony have always been compared to each other. However, as James has enjoyed being in championship contention every year, Anthony has suffered early exits from the postseason. In the 2010 season, the Nuggets had another opportunity to get past the first round. However, they were upset by the Utah Jazz, and that was the last of Anthony's playoff tenure with the Nuggets.

Anthony was traded mid-season to the New York Knicks during the 2010-2011 season. The Knicks struggled after acquiring Anthony, and were promptly swept by the Celtics in the first round. This season didn't prove to be any different, as Anthony and the Knicks struggled and were promptly handled in the first round by James' Heat.

If James has been on the hot seat for so long, why isn't Anthony? Will the media turn their attention to Anthony after James captures his first championship? This will be very interesting observe. Many people generally agree that Anthony isn't a championsip-caliber player. However, with the career he has enjoyed so far, he will need a championship.

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