4-6 in the NBA Finals. That’s the most used criticism against LeBron James and his illustrious career. For a man of his greatness, winning is an expectation. Anything below that, even James feels bitter. But still, he seems unbothered, silently working on bettering his game. He doesn’t hold any malice, despite the number of people rating him lower than figures like Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant.

That stunned Gillie da King, who put the question across to his guests. How can LeBron James groove to music and work out despite losing the day before?

The question was clear. Gillie was referencing how James was seen dancing and grooving to music a day after the Los Angeles Lakers were knocked out of the postseason by the Minnesota Timberwolves.

But Markieff Morris has an answer. “It wasn’t always like that, though,” he said. The reality is, LeBron James still views a season of not winning as a “disappointment”. But having been to 10 finals and with 20+ years of basketball behind him, he is able to find some peace, according to Morris.

“When you win so much or been to like 10 straight finals and then go to the west and be a part of finals and win championships. It’s like, am I going to stress myself out?… Like at some point you just got to let it go. Like, what can I do? Like I gave all I had 30 15 and 12, and we lost. Y’all want me to curl up in a corner,” he said on Million Dollaz Worth of Game.

When it comes to his performances, it’s hard to see where LeBron James went wrong. Be it his 2018 Finals against the Warriors or his 2007 run, his output was that of a star who would usually win. However, the best don’t always end up on the winning side.

Furthermore, Morris states, “It’s different times now. You know what I’m saying? Like Jordan ain’t had to deal with that type of s—t,”. That isn’t a knock on MJ. He won six in eight years, never lost in an NBA Finals. As for James, he went to the same place eight straight times at one point. Jordan didn’t experience the volume of difficulty that comes with getting as far as and coming up short. But does it mean comparisons are going to stop?

According to Morris, losing still bothers LeBron James just as much as it did when he was 22. But now, he’s “40-something years old. Like what you want him to do?” Morris stated. That is understandable, considering age does give people perspective on what matters the most. And James has been extremely vocal about how his family matters the most to him at this point in his career.

But he still holds losses close to his heart. In particular, the 2011 Finals are what helped him get a grip on reality.

The Finals that changed it all for LeBron James

In the comparisons between James and Michael Jordan, the 2011 Finals are a weapon. James was on the Miami Heat with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Going up against the Dallas Mavericks, they had an abundance of talent. However, on the biggest occasion, the Akron Hammer couldn’t stand as tall.

But in the long term, it helped shape his mentality. In his first Finals with the Heat, he carried the same mentality as Michael Jordan. He wanted to prove everyone wrong. However, that turned on him. “I was basically fighting against myself,” he said.

That wasn’t him. LeBron James understood that through his horrific experience. And it helped him readjust himself to being who he was. The next year, he didn’t bother with what people were saying. He just wanted to get better.

In 2012, he helped the Heat win a title, his first. But it was the 2011 experience that aided him in doing so. It taught him to stay grounded, be humble, and work harder than anything else. From that point on, there were no Finals where LeBron James struggled. He was elite, but fell short on occasions. So the next day, he goes back to the lab to fix things about his game, which will contribute to success.

In those ways, LeBron James and Michael Jordan are different. However, their end goal isn’t. That’s the reason he gets up before the sun rises in Year 23. It’s a reminder that the work never stops.