The expectations for LeBron James and the Miami Heat couldn't be any higher during this year's NBA playoffs, but with Chicago Bulls star Derrick Rose suffering a season-ending knee injury, the pressure for Miami's "Big 3" to reach their goal has risen dramatically.
It's championship or bust for the Heat, but if they were to lose in the Eastern Conference Finals against a Bulls team led by a healthy Rose, at least Miami could say it was beaten by a very good team and a great player. There would be no shame losing to the Bulls and Rose.
Is the pressure on James increased with Rose's injury?
Is the pressure on James increased with Rose's injury?
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Yes, no excuses now
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No, pressure is already high
However, with Rose hurt, there is absolutely no excuse for the Heat to fail to reach the NBA Finals against an Eastern Conference that is weak at the moment.Â
Only an injury to James or teammate Dwyane Wade might be acceptable as an excuse for failing to reach the NBA Finals for a second straight year.
A second-round matchup with the Atlanta Hawks or Boston Celtics should be a win for Miami. The Celtics play the Heat very well defensively and star point guard Rajon Rondo creates all kinds of problems on offense, however, the Heat have too much athleticism and scoring for Boston.
Losing to the Celtics wouldn't be a shock, but it would be quite disappointing for a Heat team with more talent. If the Hawks were to beat the Celtics in the first round, Miami would dominate Atlanta en route to the Conference Finals.
If Miami wins the championship this season, haters of LeBron James and the Heat will say that the accomplishment isn't that special since the East was way too easy without Rose. While that statement may have some validity, failing to win the title with no Rose to go through would be a catastrophic blow to the Heat.
If they cannot win the Eastern Conference after Rose's injury then Pat Riley needs to seriously think about breaking this Heat roster up and making some major changes.Â
If James cannot lead his team out of the Eastern Conference when the path to the NBA Finals has gotten much easier, the questions surrounding his ability to win a championship will increase immensely.
And the last thing he needs right now in his career is more pressure on him to perform in the playoffs and win a championship.
Without Rose to contend with, James and the Heat are under the most pressure they have ever been under as a group, and how they handle it will show us a lot about their championship pedigree.
The Heat losing in the NBA Finals to an elite Western Conference team such as the Oklahoma City Thunder wouldn't be a surprise to many basketball fans, but not getting to the final round would be completely unacceptable for James and Miami now that Rose's season is done.
Nicholas Goss is an NBA Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report.Â
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