The Cavs Are Done!

So we are 3 games into the NBA Finals and San Antonio has cemented their place as the best team in the NBA. They have completely dismantled the Cavs, taking them out of their offensive flow, which was clearly LeBron going one on one. This has been effective for the whole playoffs, but he had yet to play a defender so aggressive and a team so defensively disciplined. Bowen has forced LeBron to catch the ball further out than he is used to, while still being quick enough to move his feet in order to keep LeBron from blowing by him. These two things have allowed the Spurs team to rotate effectively in order to keep the Cavs out of a rhythm. LeBron has never been effective as a jump shooter, nor have his teammates, and the Spurs are forcing them to be.

Outside of Daniel Gibson, nobody on the Cavs team has been able to elevate their game to the level needed to win an NBA championship. I am including LeBron in this grouping as well, because while he does need help from teamates to win a game, he has taken too long each game to be aggressive. He has waited till the fourth quarter of each game to attack the rim. When he attacks, he allows his teammates to gain confidence and not letting Bowen dictate his game. This is the LeBron that the Cavs needed for all 4 quarters of each game. He is the only offensive weapon on his team, and he showed in the Pistons series that he was capable of putting his team on his back for a whole game. He has yet to do that in this series, thus the Cavs are on the verge of elimination. Anybody want to still compare LeBron to MJ?

I am not delusional enough to think LeBron being aggressive for 4 quarters would have been all it takes to beat the Spurs, but I do believe it would have made the games more interesting. The fact remains that the Cavs are not a good team, and the Spurs are a great one. The Spurs have showed season after season, that they are the class of the league. While other teams tinker with lineups, the Spurs give you the same look every night. They are not shy about the sets they run, but they do them so effectively that they don't care if you know. It all starts with Duncan, the best big man of his generation, setting the tempo on offense and defense. He is a very unselfish superstar, often deferring on and off the court to teammates. Boring to some, amazing to others, Duncan is the MVP of this league season after season, but his stats aren't flashy enough for the writers to talk about. He is to basketball what Tom Brady is to football. So the Spurs will win another championship, and the rest of the NBA will admire them, while casual fans will call them old and boring. Well here is to old and boring then, congratulations once again.

NBA FINALS WILL COME DOWN TO THE TEAM WITH THE BEST HAIRCUTS

CAVS: Anderson Varejao, Drew Gooden, & Scot Pollard
-VS-
SPURS: Fabricio Oberto, Manu Ginobili, & Brent Barry

Prediction: Spurs in 5

LEBRON PROVES ME WRONG

I will be the first to admit I was wrong about Lebron James. A week ago I was bashing him for not being a superstar of the same ilk as Kobe and Dwayne, and all he has done since to prove me wrong is put his team on his back for 2 straight wins. The Cavs are by far a less talented team than the Pistons, but with Lebron as their leader they are working their tails off and scrapping for every loose ball. Lebron has re-asserted himself as a dominant scorer and playmaker. He almost had another triple double last night even without his sidekick Larry Hughes, who appears to be out for the playoffs. The Pistons had no answer for him on D, but it was really Lebron's D on Chauncey Billups that made the difference. Lebron kept Billups out of the post, which is his strength, thereby making the Pistons refocus their offense. This was crucial in their victory. If Lebron keeps on playing like this, we will have a star from the 2005 draft lead his team to the championship game. This draft has already been talked about in the same vein as the 1984 draft, but until Lebron gets his team to the Finals I reserve my vote.

Cavs let one slip away.

Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers let one slip away last night, and all the fingers in the media were pointed in his direction. Fair or not, Lebron will always be praised when his team wins and blamed when his team blamed. The question today is should he have taken the last shot instead of kicking it out to Donyell Marshall for a wide open chance at a go ahead three pointer? Lebron had the path to the basket, and when you are the go to guy on the team you have to take the shot. He had only attempted 3 shots in the fourth quarter, which is uncalled for when you are player of his caliber. Yes, he had been setting up his teammates for shots, and yes he did on that last possession, but when you average 29 ppg on the season and you finish with 10 points, there is something wrong. The Cavs are not a good scoring team, and that is accentuated when their main guy is afraid to go to the hoop. Too often it looked like he wanted the ball out of his hands instead of taking on the responsibility of being 'the man'.

Michael Jordan's career was made not by just hitting the big shot, but by passing off for someone else to hit the big shot. However, this was after he poured in 30 or more points each time. Maybe this is our problem, for too long we have tried to compare Lebron to Jordan. This was the dream of the NBA, Nike, and Lebron himself, who opted to wear number 23, but their will never be another Michael Jordan. Jordan was a once in a lifetime player, and maybe someday Lebron will be as well, but it does not look like he has what it takes be the same style of clutch scorer as MJ was.

Wanting to take the big shot is a trait you are born with, not something you can learn. Just because Lebron does not have this trait, does not mean he is not a great player. He is one of those special players that can control a game without being a scorer. If Marshall hit that final three pointer last night, James would have finished the night with a triple double. The Cavs stayed in the game with James not being a scorer, but that was a result of great games played by his supporting cast. You can't count on this happening each game, so Lebron better figure out a way to put the ball in the hoop against this feisty Pistons D. Here's a tip Lebron, you need to take more than 3 shots in the fourth quarter.