[DaKCMan AP]

Sorry, America, you don't have LeBron James to kick around anymore

MIAMI

So, America, what do you have to say about LeBron James now?

That he lacks the core traits of a champion?

That he'll never be able to lead the Heat Superfriends to the second NBA title in franchise history?

Sorry, you can't make that claim anymore, not after the wild celebration LeBron's sustained brilliance set off here Thursday night.

How about the one that he can't finish out the games that matter the most? That he's not clutch?

Sorry, that knock is gone as well after LeBron put together another all-court masterpiece in this 121-106 blowout that stopped the favored Thunder in five games.

"How many assists did LeBron have tonight?" Heat owner Micky Arison asked in a champagne-soaked locker room.

"Thirteen," came the answer.

Along with 26 points and 11 rebounds.

Arison shook his head, laughed out loud and took another satisfied pull on his victory cigar.

Best player without an NBA championship?

That's no longer LeBron, not after he completed a dream season with a Finals MVP performance before an AmericanAirlines Arena crowd bathed in white and overflowing with appreciation and awe.

Maybe it's Thunder star Kevin Durant, still just 23.

Maybe it's Dwight Howard or Carmelo Anthony.

But it's not LeBron.

Finally.

Thankfully.

Fittingly.

"I don't know what people will say now," Heat reserve Juwan Howard barked amid the celebration. "He's done everything now. What are they going to try to beat him up about now? What'd he do wrong this time? He's LeBron James, world champion."

Let that soak in for a moment.

Has a nice ring to it, huh?

"Now what?" Howard demanded. "Give the guy a break!"

Did you see the way LeBron danced with his teammates as the final minutes of garbage time played out?

Did you see the way he threw teammate after teammate, coach after coach, into sloppy bearhugs, even as play continued on the court?

That was euphoria.

Pure euphoria.

What was LeBron thinking about that very moment?

"It's about damn time," he said.

On that, I think we can all agree.

"He's been playing this game his whole life," Dwyane Wade said of the friend he recruited to play here two summers ago. "Everyone wants to be a winner. Everyone wants to celebrate a championship. It's a dream for everyone. He's no different."

And so, as the final seconds ran out and confetti fell from the rafters, the crown at long last rested on the head of the self-appointed King.

You could almost see the pressure lift, the burden of unrealized potential disappear as LeBron, at 27, caught up with the white whale he's been chasing through nine professional seasons.

He smiled.

He removed the mouthpiece with the Roman numeral "16."

No such reminder of his personal failings would be needed anymore.

Instead, it was time to exhale.

"I dreamed about this opportunity and this moment for a long time, including last night," LeBron said. "My dream has become a reality now, and it's the best feeling I ever had."

For those closest to him, it was time to revel in the shared accomplishment.

"It's been quite a challenge for him," Heat center Chris Bosh said. "I think he's the most talked about superstar probably in the history of sports. He's taken it in stride. Of course he's made some mistakes. The part I've really admired about him is he's learned from his mistakes."

Owned up to them.

Vowed to do better.

"He's never sulked and complained and felt sorry for himself," Bosh said. "He just kept working. Put all his attention and all his love into the game. When you do that, things come back around for you. It just shows you can get over the hump if you really believe in yourself."

This whole idea of LeBron as America's Villain always seemed silly to me.

Yeah, I know, The Decision was overwrought and The Celebration premature.

But the level of vitriol directed at the game's most talented player was never in line with his perceived misdeeds.

In Australia, they call it the Tall Poppy Syndrome.

Here, it just got to be plain nasty.

"It's unfortunate that somebody who has the qualities he has would be critiqued as negatively as he's been," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "He embodies so many of the things you would want from a professional athlete."

And then the man blessed to coach a three-time MVP rattled off those qualities.

"He's never been in trouble," Spoelstra said. "He's a great teammate. He's honored all of his contracts. And he has a dream he's been trying to chase but he's been doing it within a team concept."

That enough for you, America?

Sorry, there's more.

"He's a fun-loving guy and a great human being to be around," Wade said. "Obviously a lot of stuff is said out there about him that's not true, but that's people who don't know LeBron James."

Added Spoelstra: "He's such a likable guy. Anybody that's ever come across LeBron, you like him after the first 10 seconds."

So why so much venom from so many?

"That's just the way this world works," Spoelstra said. "You can't win unless you win."

Mission accomplished.

So, America, what do you have to say about your favorite villain now?

mberardino@tribune.com

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/m...81,full.column