Crowned – With LeBron James’ second title win, we can quit trash talking.

Near the 4:30 minute mark of the fourth quarter, LeBron James solidified his second NBA title.

With a quick pick, isolation and fadeaway jump shot, James hit his 33rd point, and the game was all but over. The Heat had a six-point lead. There was still a lot of time, if you were an optimistic Spurs fan. But, reality set in for the haters—James is that good.

After Tim Duncan missed a hook shot and a tip-in to bring the Spurs within striking distance later in the same quarter, Heat fans could celebrate. Duncan agitated, pounded the floor, looking devastated. Manu Ginobili threw up a wild pass that became a turnover and propelled the Heat to a bigger lead.

All I could say was, “ballgame.”

We could talk about Shane Battier coming out of nowhere and shooting lights out from beyond the arc; about Ray Allen’s brilliant game-tying three-pointer to force Game 6 into overtime; about how the Spurs are still deadly with players like Danny Green and Kawhi Leonard.

But the real topic? James putting to rest any bit of trash talk and becoming a true hardwood king.

Any NBA fan knew it was coming. James didn’t help things with that awful PR stunt, “The Decision.” He was an easy target for fans of old-school basketball. James could play, but he couldn’t win a title. Then he did, and everyone was like, “oh well.” Then, he did it again last night.

Look, this is extremely hard for me to write any of this. I’m a die-hard Boston Celtics fan. What I’m going through right now with that team basically on the brink of demise, I can’t explain. But in terms of sheer basketball enjoyment, no one can deny James’ prowess on the court anymore.

There was a time when I could look a James and go, “Yeah he’s good, but he’s got no supporting cast,” or “All he does is drive,” or “He’s not dirty enough.” If you still think any of that, watch last night’s game.

James is going nuts—not from the paint—but from the mid-range game. In these last three seasons, James has become the scary player we all imagined he would become one day.

As a basketball fan, we’re now on a cliffhanger because we’re in the midst of watching a player become a great. Last night was a nail-biting battle, and when the fourth quarter came down the wire, James delivered. To the haters, spoiler alert: he’ll probably do it again next year.

Last night, King James was able to comfortably put that crown on his head and no one could deny him doing so.