One of the biggest cliche's in basketball today is when a player says, especially after a  loss, "I took what the defense gave me, and made a play".  The funniest thing about that is that I don't think I  ever heard Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, or Kobe Bryant say those words after a loss.

Don't get me wrong, I want to see LeBron succeed, because the league needs it.  But all these comparisons to the NBA greats and LeBron being the "next great legend" needs to slow down a bit, and here is why:

LeBron came into the league a manchild with a $90 million Nike contract and an unselfish passing game.  That unselfishness is what is causing all of his problems right now.  With all that cash up front, the motivation for greatness is less.

Most of the great killer closers like MJ, Magic, Bird, and Kobe were selfish players long before they learned how to make their teammates better.  See Jordan over Ehlo, Magic's hook shot over the Celtics his rookie year, and multiple Kobe shots over whoever wherever.  These players honed a killer closer instinct that they would be able to tap into in the future when they deemed necessary.

LeBron hasn't yet honed that killer closer instinct yet because he is so preoccupied with being "the ultimate team player" and all around ball player.  He needs to experience the pressure of taking that shot against the Pistons and missing it.  He needs to be selfish.  He needs to tell his teammates to "give me the damn ball" like Keyshawn.  He's very young and he needs to hone that killer instinct now before he becomes "just a really good point forward" when his career is over and done with and his legacy is being analyzed. 

He needs to stop "taking what the defense gives him" and impose his will on other teams.  MJ would shoot 7-28 and still take the last shot.  That's a killer.  He needs to separate himself from Dwyane Wade because he is the only one from his draft class who is developing that killer instinct as of yet.

He needs to perfect his own game winning skills before he worries about making his teammates better.  That's real talk.