Is Lebron James to blame for the Miami Heat's loss in Game 1 to the Oklahoma City Thunder?

With all that is on the line, basketball immortality and the right to silence his critics, Lebron James was not able to take the next step in both matters as the Miami Heat lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder 105-94 in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

James met his playoff average scoring 30 points, but James was relatively quiet in the 4th quarter where the Thunder finally pulled away and secured Game 1 victory on their home court.

What made matters worse was that Kevin Durant went lights out scoring 17 of his 36 points in the 4^th quarter, compared to James' one made field goal in the final 8:47 in the game.

Durant's performance prompted “MVP” chants from the home crowd, but the question is whether or not the blame lies in the performance of James', who finished in front of Durant in the MVP voting.

The answer is undoubtedly, yes.

James disappeared from sight once again as crunch time struck in the 4^th quarter, and the rest of his team sunk with him in a game that the Heat lead by as much as 13 points.

So while Durant stole the show being one of the youngest players to score 35 points in a NBA Finals game, fingers will be pointed at James for his disappearing act.

Heat fans were left to wonder to what happened to the “stone face” that they had come to love in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals, when a must win game for the Heat turned into one of the greatest playoff performances of all time when James scored 45 points with 15 rebounds.

Yes, defense is key for the Heat to stop Durant, but James must have a bigger role when his team looks to him to make a difference.

Possessions in the 4^th quarter went without James being involved in them and as James reflects on Tuesday's loss, he must see that a true champion wants the ball at all costs, especially when Durant is raining down shots from everywhere on the floor.

Now Heat fans should not be alarmed by losing Game 1 as they did play well enough to win, but James should take a deep look at what he truly wants. Because if he wants to be an NBA champion, his desire to win must exceed all.

James has played like a man on a mission this post season, but it's the 4^th quarter and the last second shots that are truly memorable. And with the Heat trailing 1-0, it's time for the world to truly witness.