A Legacy on the Line - Cavs vs. Celtics
Is it too soon to say that at the tender age of 25 Lebron James is on the verge of tainting what could be the greatest career in the history of basketball? NO. I do not think it is. This post season is supposed to be HIS post season. The King has the best team he has had since entering the NBA and once again (as he did last season) his team has home court throughout the playoffs. The time is NOW. It is Championship or bust in Ohio.
TEAM OF THE FUTURE vs. TEAM OF THE PAST.
The team of the Future is looking at closing the door for good on the team of the Past. The Boston Celtics were the last Eastern Conference team to win the NBA title while the Cleveland Cavaliers were supposed to be the "NEXT" team from the East to win the NBA title. A funny little thing happened on the way to the King finally being crowned - that thing appeared out of thin air, like Magic. Orlando ended the C's title defense a season ago and then promptly dispatched of Cleveland in 6 games, despite the bananas stat line of 38pts, 8rebs & 8asts per game put up by the King in that series.
A LEGACY ON THE LINE?
It is hard to imagine the credibility of Lebron James being called into question on the basketball court. He has shattered just about every conceivable record for his age & has become one of the most dominant players the game has EVER seen. With that being said when the BEST players in the history of the game are mentioned (you know the Jordan's, the Russell's, the Magic's and the Duncan's) they ALL have MULTIPLE championships & multiple Finals MVP's as a talking point. Simply put they know how to win the ultimate prize at all costs. Jordan won with a temperature of about 120 while his teammates had to hold him up at every time out like he was a rag doll. Russell won a title and kept on winning titles for over a decade and Tim Duncan won despite playing with a roster full of "D-Leaguers". This is Lebron's 5th time in 7 years in the playoffs. In just his 2nd trip he made it all the way to the Finals only to be swept away by Tim Duncan's Spurs. The next year the eventual World Champion Celtics knocked him out in 6 games in the conference semi's and last year Dwight’s boys won the Eastern Conference title in 6 games over the Kings and all his not so mighty men. But this is not about Delonte or Mo. This is 100% on the "elbow" of Mr. James. If he does not win multiple championships in his career he will go down as one of the biggest UNDERACHIEVERS in league history. And I am serious about that. Think about it. As a fan would you rather have a #1 like Elton Brand who you KNOW cannot win a title as your teams best player so you can go on with your life accordingly? Or would you rather have a basketball GOD guiding your team to Conference Finals, Semi's & NBA Finals, only to lose each and every single time? Again think about it.
TEACHING AN OLD DOG NEW TRICKS.
In order for the Celtics to beat the Cavs right now their old dogs are going to have to learn some new tricks. K.G. is going to have to CONSISTENTLY knock down perimeter jumpers for the entire series and stay out of foul trouble. He is no longer the BIG TICKET he is the USHER. Paul Pierce is going to have to become the Celtic version of Bruce Bowen. Defend the King from end to end, get under his skin and hit timely 3 pointers. He no longer is the Truth he is the Rumor. Ray Allen should now be the C's primary spot up shooter a la Steve Kerr and John Paxton. He should not be called upon to either create his own offense or guard a player who can create his own offense. He is no longer Jesus he is Judas. The best Celtic is Rajon Rondo. It is not to your teams’ advantage that your best player cannot make a wide open 7 footer with consistency. And that weakness is exposed even further in the pressure intensive playoffs. The trick for Rondo would be to take and make wide open jumpers without hesitation. That means your most dynamic playmaker must look to score when given open looks. If the old dogs can turn new tricks, Rajon Rondo should impact every game and thus take the pressure off any one of the OLD THREE.
MY PREDICTION
There is a higher power playing basketball. He is the Chosen One. Lebron James is like Jake and Elwood. He is on a mission from (insert the higher being you believe in). The Cavs will win this series in 7 games if Lebron's elbow injury bothers him throughout the series and in 5 if it does not.
Meanwhile out West...
The San Antonio Spurs used guile, guts and the help of the Dallas Mavs head coach to dispatch of the better team in 6 games. The Phoenix Suns took advantage of a rundown Blazers squad in Portland. The Suns went 2-1 at home and on the road and was clearly the better team. So for the 5th time in the last 7 years the Spurs and Suns will meet in the playoffs. The Spurs have won all four of the previous matchups and none of the series went more than 6 games. I do not see that changing this time around either.
THE RACE FOR FIVE...
As of Friday May 30th two of the 3 NBA greats (Tim Duncan & Shaq O'Neal) have advanced to the 2nd round of the NBA playoffs while Kobe Bryant looks to eliminate the upstart OKC Thunder to join in on the fun.
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| Name | Date/Time | Comment |
| H_thehoopsforum | May 14 2010 8:53AM | I told you Cavs were not built for it. |