LeBron James played it to perfection.

Like a crowd-inciting "heel" from the WWE, James and his Miami Heat cohorts set up the NBA Finals as a good vs evil scenario and they ended up giving the bloodthirsty public what it wanted. If you were David Stern, ABC and ESPN, could you ask for anything more? Well, maybe a lucrative Game Seven and the possibility of labour peace on the horizon, but this Finals series had it all in terms of drama.

There was the Erik Spoelstra, the young head coach who critics claimed was nothing more than a good-looking Pinocchio carrying out the wishes of the slick-haired Gepetto, Pat Riley. His opposite number was Rick Carlisle, a buzzcut journeyman coach who everyone thought looked like Jim Carrey.

You had Dirk Nowitzki, the German superstar - labelled soft for much of his career - and Jason Kidd, the classy 38-year old point guard, both desperately chasing rings. There was pint-sized pocket rocket J.J. Barea and Jason Terry, the mouthy sixth man with the audacity to get a tattoo of the championship trophy before the season started.

And then you had the "Big Three" or the "Big Two and a Half" or whatever you want to call LeBron, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Ultimately, those three were all you needed to make compelling, must-watch TV.

With the utmost respect to Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavericks, it almost didn't matter who was up against the Heat. With the possible exception of the Lakers, the Finals bumper sticker would have read "I'm rooting for whoever's playing the Heat."

This had been in the making since LeBron, his handlers and ESPN conspired to create 'The Decision,' the nationally-televised upraised finger to Cleveland, where LeBron uttered the immortal words, "I've decided to take my talents to South Beach..." It was one of the most self-serving, obnoxious moments in sports history and instantly changed the majority view of LeBron.

From that moment on, he became a villain.

Forget that for most of his career he'd been a good guy and a good teammate. Forget he'd been happy to play for a struggling franchise in the Midwest. Forget that he lunched with Warren Buffett to pick the brains of a man he admired. No, 'The Decision' turned LeBron into a bad guy.

Of course, it ended up being the best thing that happened to the NBA in 2011, other than the hilarious implosion of the Lakers. The troika of LeBron, Wade and Bosh became a traveling road show, the NBA's version of the Hart Foundation, without, of course, the title belts, or...er, rings.

When the Heat started the regular season slowly, the media pack started to salivate. When Miami finally turned it around and eventually made it to the NBA Finals - dispatching old favourites Boston and new favourites Chicago - the stage was set for a best-of-seven cage match against Dallas.

And here's where it all started to unravel.

The Mavericks, a reasonably likeable bunch (Barea, Kidd, Dirk & Shawn Marion) suddenly became America's sweethearts. People conveniently forgot that Mark Cuban can be one of the most immature and obnoxious owners in pro sports or that Dirk, while supremely talented, is far from the most entertaining player in the NBA. It didn't matter, people got on board. Dirk's quest for a ring suddenly got more attention than Pippa Middleton's rear end.

And that brings us back to LeBron.

Unfortunately for King James, the Finals series exposed him in more ways than one. He struggled to score, even when matched against lesser opponents. He seemed to fade in crunch time and defer to Wade when the going got tough.

And he didn't seem to know what to say when it was all over, going out with more of a whine and whimper - and a whiff of arrogance - rather than a determination to get back and make things right.

But you know what? It was the perfect ending. Dirk and Kidd got their rings, Jason Terry didn't need laser surgery for his tattoo, the good guys won and the LeBron haters had the last laugh.

In fact, the only thing missing was LeBron grabbing the mic from David Stern and asking for a rematch at Finalsmania 2012. Somehow I don't think that's his style.