LeBron James is known as one of the greatest players of all time. And for valid reasons, too! Four NBA titles, two Olympic golds, and 20 All-Star appearances tell the story. Still, despite all that, one question keeps coming back. Does he shy away in the clutch? It’s a narrative that’s followed him for years. Fans often compare him to Kobe or Jordan, players who demanded the ball when everything was on the line. Critics often point to 2007 and 2011, when he passed instead of taking the final shot. Even though stats say he’s one of the most efficient late-game scorers, this shies away tag still sticks. And nothing stirs the pot more than Game 7 of the 2016 Finals.In that unforgettable game, it wasn’t LeBron who hit the dagger, it was Kyrie. With just under a minute left, Irving drilled a step-back three over Steph Curry, giving Cleveland a 92-89 lead they never gave up. Back then, LeBron took heat. Why didn’t he take the shot? Wasn’t it his moment? But context mattered. LeBron had already dropped 41 points twice in that series and posted a triple-double in Game 7. Still, fans wanted more. The idea that LeBron passed on history, again, created a talking point that refused to fade… until now.Recently, former Cavs forward Channing Frye appeared on The Dan Patrick Show. When Dan asked if LeBron was prepared for Kyrie to take that final shot, Frye said the team saw Steph as a defensive weak link. “We said, ‘Kyrie, he don’t want to guard you.’ So we start pumping like ‘get him’ like a dog ‘get him!’” Frye explained how the team played the matchups, letting Kyrie go to work. “So that’s 6’9” 6’9” 6’10” 6’10” versus their small group with Kyrie shooting the ball.” He added, “ When he shot that, we all knew, ‘Oh, that’s good’. Like, it wasn’t even a thought of, ‘is this going in or not?’ When he got to his spot, and did that little shimmy. We were like, ‘Oh yeah.’” They trusted Kyrie because they knew he could deliver… and he did!LeBron JamesFrye didn’t stop there. He mocked the criticism LeBron still gets, saying, “Bron was like, ‘man… dude’, the dude at 41 point, triple doubles, like three games in a row. Like, and people were like, ‘well, you didn’t shoot the last time.’ ‘That’s because I’m playing with Kyrie, you idiot.’” Frye then compared it to OKC’s current situation.After Chet Holmgren struggled in Game 1 against Indiana, the Pacers hunted him, just like the Cavs hunted Steph. “It sucks when you start getting hunted,” Frye added. What’s funny is LeBron ended up talking fire just the next year for similar reasons!How LeBron James faced a similar accusation a year laterA year after Kyrie’s iconic shot, LeBron James once again found himself in the same old spotlight. Game on the line, shot not taken… sound familiar? This time, it was Game 3 of the 2017 NBA Finals. Up by two with under a minute to go, James drove left and dished it to Kyle Korver in the corner. Wide open. Perfect look. But the shot clanged out, and Kevin Durant punished them with a three on the other end.So why didn’t LeBron take the shot himself? Critics pounced again, just like they did in 2016. But LeBron didn’t flinch. “I would do the same exact thing,” he said when asked if he’d make the same play again. He broke it all down in detail: “I would drive left. I would see [Durant] step up. I would see Stephen Curry drop on Kevin [Love]. And I would see Kyle Korver in the corner, one of the greatest 3-point shooters in this league’s history, and give him an opportunity in the short corner.”The numbers supported him: Korver led the NBA in left corner threes that season. But even stats couldn’t protect LeBron from the storm of second-guessing. “I’m sorry I didn’t go for 102,” he added with dry sarcasm, after being grilled for not driving again.Despite his 39-point performance, the Cavs were now in a 3–0 hole. The miss stung for Korver, too, who admitted, “I’m going to be thinking about that miss for a long time.” But just like in 2016, the bigger question loomed: Why does this happen with LeBron so often?And how many more times would he have to explain it?The post LeBron’s 8YO Accusation Finally Debunked as Ex-Cav Drops Insider Scoop on Kyrie Irving’s Game-Winner appeared first on EssentiallySports.