A phenomenon has enraptured the entire NBA community. A phenomenon that nobody can stop talking about. It's something that we constantly find ourselves arguing with each other and within ourselves.

When it comes to discussing LeBron James, there are two completely different sides. You either love him or hate him. There's no middle ground when it comes to James. You're either a strong proponent for him and respect everything he has done as an athlete or you strongly dislike him and feel the need to criticize every single wrong move he makes.

When he was with Cleveland, he was extremely likable. We definitely saw an arrogant player who had trouble winning in the playoffs, but he was excused from both because he was still winning in the regular season and his teammates weren't quality enough to help him win a title. The main point, however, is that he was respected.

However, once James staged "The Decision," it went all downhill. LeBron went to Miami and was hated by the fans of Cleveland and was even jeered by the fans of other teams when the Heat were playing on the road. Suddenly, James went from being one of the most likable players to its most hated.

Most of these critics, however, don't appear to be true haters of LeBron. We're going to expose these people by finding five ways to point out a closet lover of James and everything he's done over his prestigious career.

They're Still Mad over the Decision

It doesn't matter if you're a Cleveland Cavalier or Miami Heat fan, you have to admit that "The Decision" was in poor taste.

Yes, I realize that the event did raise money for a great cause, but that money could have been raised in many other ways. Particularly in a way that didn't embarrass an entire city. A city that happened to employ LeBron James for the first seven years of his NBA career, one that grew to love him and went as far as putting up a gargantuan billboard of his image.

It wasn't James' wisest endeavor. We can completely sympathize with the Cavaliers situation. All you have to do is imagine the star player of your favorite team going on national television and deciding to join another team. For Lakers fans, imagine if Kobe Bryant told the world he was going to New Jersey. For Heat fans, imagine if Dwyane Wade really did decide to go to Chicago instead of staying in Miami.

However, this was nearly two years ago. James has already admitted that "The Decision" probably wasn't the best way to tell the NBA community where he was going. He realizes he was wrong, so why bother continuing to bring it up to throw it in his face? If he had as large an ego as so many of us say he does, then he wouldn't have publicly came out and regretted it.

Bringing up events from nearly two years ago? That could be the sign of someone who secretly likes everything about LeBron James.

That's someone who can't find anything else within the past two seasons to make knock when regarding James, so they decide to dig up an event that raised money for charity and was admitted to being in poor taste.

They're Still Watching Every Highlight of His

Go onto any YouTube video featuring LeBron James, and there's no doubt that nearly half the comments you see are an argument either dealing with his decision, what was illegal in the play that James got away with or how he can't show up in the fourth quarter.

It's an epidemic. You can't go on any LeBron highlight without seeing incessant comments criticizing every single thing he has done wrong since 2003. We get it already. The guy has done some questionable things in the past. However, it's ridiculous to see this type of nonsense being associated with every highlight of James.

All you have to wonder is when you see these comments is, "why are you watching in the first place?"

You can't just be going from video to video of LeBron James to observe whether he traveled or point out that he missed a shot in the fourth quarter without actually watching the video. Either you really have no one to talk about sports, or you're one of those Internet trolls or you like the guy.

There's no other explanation as to why someone who comments on every one of James' videos is just there to criticize. We know you're watching the videos, and we know that you know they're impressive. So what if James might have took an extra step; does it really matter when he dunked over three people?

Trust me, random YouTube commenter, your secret is safe with me and everyone else who reads this article.

They Still Compare Him to the Greats

There's something that no one can doubt. Even with "The Decision" and last year's NBA Finals taking place: LeBron James is really good.

There's no denying that. This is a two-time MVP going on three, who has been to two NBA Finals and has led one of the greatest regular season teams in NBA history. That team being the 2008-09 Cleveland Cavaliers, who won 66 games while losing only 16 times. That wasn't a squad chock full of superstars either. Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Mo Williams were the best parts of that team outside of James.

Throw in the fact that he's averaging 28 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and two steals per for his career, and you have yourself a decent player. Even without the championship, James would still be a surefire Hall of Famer based on his individual achievements alone. He's changed the way defenses think because of his athleticism and how intelligent of a passer he is as well.

One of the greatest arguments of James' critics are that he can't stand tall against current greats like Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan or past greats like Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson. This is essentially based on James' failure to win a championship and his ability to mentally take over a game. By far, his greatest criticism is his mental toughness in late-game situations.

However, even if you're criticizing James inability to stand up against those first ballot Hall-of-Famers, you're still giving LeBron the recognition of being worthy enough to be compared to the all-time greats.

You knock the fact that he hasn't won a championship and can't come alive in the fourth, yet you compare him to Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant? That's not criticizing; that's respect.

They Criticize for Reasons That Don't Hold Water

Criticizing LeBron James has become the national pastime of the NBA.

Like an airborne virus, it's contagious. At first, it was the people of Cleveland that disliked LeBron, but then it became the fan of every team. The Miami Heat couldn't go anywhere on the road without hearing the jeers. It was expected in places like Cleveland or Boston, but Memphis and Minnesota? I'm not sure I could begin to understand a dislike for James in those locations.

The fans of other teams were booing because everyone else was doing it. There have been plenty of free agents who have departed from their team in poor fashion, but none that have been met with the reception that James encountered when he went on the road. It couldn't have all been because of "The Decision." People were disliking James because everyone else was doing it.

There are plenty of egomaniacal players in sports. Paul Pierce said he was the greatest player in the league after he won the 2008 championship, Vince Carter gave up on a team, and he's only jeered by that one team, and Shaquille O'Neal criticized his own teammates in a highly-publicized feud before finally getting his way.

None of these players were met with the reception that James received. Kobe Bryant is the only player I can recollect getting jeered in every stadium, and that stemmed from a felony charge. All LeBron did was leave a team during his free agency. He didn't turn them into a circus like Dwight Howard is doing to Orlando.

He didn't do anything wrong to any city outside of Cleveland. The people that have a strong dislike of James based solely on "The Decision" and his arrogance are not true critics.

They Can't Stop Talking About Him

A sitcom that I have refused to watch, as you all should if you'd like to consider yourself an educated sports fan, is ESPN's First Take, featuring talking heads Skip Bayless, Stephen A. Smith and other various "analysts."

The show basically consists of two of these analysts yelling at each other for an hour about various issues. The topics vary from current events to controversies, but they have always made room to throw in subtle jabs at LeBron James and the Miami Heat. James has become the staple and main talking point of this show.

What do the arguments consist of? From my limited viewing of this travesty, it has anything to do with James failing in the NBA Finals, if he's ever going to win a title or if he has the mental toughness to take the final shot. It's one criticism after another. Smith isn't too adamant a critic of James, but Bayless has been relentless.

He can't stop talking about him. There's video after video on YouTube showcasing Bayless discussing James and how he fails in every which way. If you ever have the misfortune of following him on Twitter, every LeBron-related tweet is a criticism. If he wins, then it's because of Dwyane Wade; if he hits the final shot, then it's what he's supposed to do.

If he loses? God help us.

However, I have plenty of reason to believe that Bayless is LeBron's largest fan.

The guy is obsessed. Plain and simple, I have never seen this kind of constant criticism of one specific individual from a journalist. Bayless has other targets like Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook, but he is constantly berating James no matter what he does. He's asked James to go on First Take a number of times and is constantly disappointed to know that LeBron hasn't responded.

It's alright, Skip. We know you're his biggest fan and probably have a weird shrine for him like Helga in Hey Arnold.