James has to decide how long he is going to wait for Wade and Bosh to snap out of it. He has to decide how many touches his supposed superstar teammates should get before determining whether they are along for the ride. He has to decide when to stop being Magic and start being Michael.
After Game 6, Wade indicated that he needed more shots, a statement whose timing is inopportune, to say the least. Over the last three games, he is 11-of-34 from the field and that includes a handful of bunnies at the rim that could have gotten him going but instead fueled Indiana’s huge third quarter.
“Those are rhythm plays for anyone,” James said. “When you’re struggling, the best thing to get is a layup or a dunk. He missed a couple of them.”
If Wade comes out missing layups again, how long should James really be throwing him the ball?
Bosh has spent this series farther from the rim than usual in an effort to drag Indiana’s bigs away from the basket and open driving lanes for James, Wade and others. Over the last three games, he is 3-of-5 outside the arc – and 2-of-16 inside it.
“Chris is struggling with his shot, and him hurting his ankle didn’t help him a lot as well,” James said. “I think he will find it.”
If Bosh comes out clanging again, how long should James really be throwing him the ball?
The guess here is not very long.
In Game 5, James meandered through the first half, scoring 11 points as the Heat found themselves in a four-point hole that could have been much bigger had the Pacers been able to make a layup or hold onto the ball. Before the third quarter, James gave his teammates an impassioned, profanity-laden hellfire speech and played as if he had eaten a bowl of gunpowder at halftime, taking total control of the game.
And James is the only player on the court tonight who can control the game. Yes, Roy 
Hibbert has dominated for extended stretches, but he still needs someone to get him the ball. Yes, Paul George at times has looked like LeBron with training wheels, but he still lacks the will for this setting.
Keep in mind that James has the highest career Game 7 scoring average in NBA history – yes, higher than Michael – at 33.7 points per game. Also keep in mind that James is 1-2 all-time in Game 7, with the only win in this exact setting a year ago, when James dispatched Boston with 31 points.
In that game, however, Wade contributed 23 and Bosh added an extremely timely 19. James appears to be expecting similar support tonight.
“I think Dwyane and Chris have seen every defense ever been applied to them in their 10-year career, and they’ve been able to figure it out,” he said.
Through his unselfish nature and a belief in his teammates, James probably will give Wade and Bosh until about 9:45 p.m. ET to figure it out. If they haven’t, it will be on him and him alone to get Miami back to the NBA Finals.
Half Magic, half Michael.
TRIVIA: Which current player has played in the most games without ever appearing in the playoffs? Answer below.