Is The NBA Playoff Theme Song Taking A Shot At LeBron James If He Fails?
By: Ryan Wooley
With the NBA Finals officially underway I'm sure by now almost everyone has had a chance to hear the playoff theme song by Linkin Park on TNT called "Burn It Down", but have you actually listened to the lyrics and thought about what they could be talking about? I don't know if the league selects the theme for the post-season, but if they do, I wonder if they picked this song knowing it would make fun of LeBron James if the Heat fail to win the NBA title for the second straight year.
The part of the song I'm referring to is the third verse and you can listen to it at the 2:28 mark in the video, or read the lyrics below.
"You told me yes
You held me high
And I believed when you told that lie
I played soldier, you played king
And struck me down, when I kissed that ring
You lost that right, to hold that crown
I built you up, but you let me down
So when you fall, I'll take my turn
And fan the flames
As your blazes burn"
Now be honest. Don't you find it quite ironic that the lyrics are pretty on point with what LeBron has said and done over the past few years? Here's is what I mean.
"You told me yes, you held me high, and I believed you when you told that lie"—James went on record before last season saying the Heat would win not 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, but 7 NBA titles. So far the team is 0-1 in the Finals. The lie is that he would bring a title to south beach.
"I played soldier, you played king, and struck me down when I kissed that ring"—Teams and fans alike waited with baited breath to find out where James would sign during his ESPN special and treated him like the self appointed king he claimed to be, and ultimately were all burned in the end for doing so—none more than the Cleveland front office who acted as a soldier trying to keep and protect their floor general.
"You lost that right to hold that crown, I built you up but you let me down"— With the king persona LeBron walks around with, he surely would lose that title (crown) if he lost in the Finals for the third straight time. Those that have blindly defended him would also have to back off and stop building him up comparing him to Kobe Bryant or Michael Jordan, as he has not yet reached that level.
"So when you fall I'll take my turn, and fan the flames as your blazes burn"—We all saw what Cleveland Cavilers fans did by burning his jersey after he left for Miami and I have no reason to doubt that if he continues to fail with the Heat, that all fans will take turns grilling LeBron, Miami included, since everyone would have burned by the self proclaimed "chosen one".
Now of course I don't believe that Linkin Park wrote the song thinking of LeBron James, but you have to admit it's uncanny how the lyrics have so much meaning in this situation. Now if the Miami goes on to win the Finals then none of this means anything, but maybe that's the game the league wanted to play.
If Miami wins, then the NBA gets what they want and finally have LeBron as a champion and the face of the NBA. If Miami loses, LeBron's legacy continues to grow as one of the greatest athletes to never win a title and continues to make him the most hated athlete in America.
Follow Ryan Wooley on Twitter: @WooleyMammoth85
