‘King James’ looks more like a court jester
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
On second thought, perhaps LeBron James’ potential departure from Cleveland in the offseason wouldn’t be the worst thing to happen to the Cavaliers, assuming the fans at last night’s game haven’t run him out of town already.
You can forget any chance of a LeBron-Kobe rematch in the NBA Finals, or, for that matter, a Magic-Cavaliers showdown in the conference finals, unless the reigning two-time NBA MVP turns into the Tin Man between now and Thursday and finds himself a heart.
Thanks in large part to LeBron’s letdown, the Boston Celtics cruised to a 120-88 victory Tuesday night in the pivotal fifth game of their Eastern Conference semifinal series. They’re now one win away from eliminating the Cavaliers for the second time in three years, perhaps accentuating Cleveland’s need for another competent player besides LeBron (and, no, Shaq’s decaying corpse doesn’t count).
While it’s sacrilege to rip “King James” – and somewhat misguided in the wake of such a brilliant renaissance by Boston’s “Big Three,” which we’ll get to later – it’s entirely appropriate following a gutless effort by an alleged big-time player in a big-time game.
LeBron had more TV commercials than baskets during the three hours of airtime on TNT last night. By the time he hit his first field with 6:15 remaining in the third quarter, the Cavaliers were already waving the white towel and the fans smart enough to ditch this nightmare early were already stuck in gridlock traffic on their way out of Cleveland.
Maybe the elbow brace LeBron has been wearing in this series to soothe his damaged wing got stuck around his neck last night. When it was all said and done – and, for the record, it was done when Ray Allen opened the third quarter with back-to-back threes – James finished with a lousy 15 points on 3-of-14 shooting. Apollo Creed put up more of a fight against Drago.
The fact LeBron only attempted 14 shots Tuesday was more embarrassing than his actual output. This was not the same player who took the bull by the horns in Game 3 and torched Boston for 38 points on 14-of-22 shooting; “King James” played like a timid pushover who seemed more content with settling for off-balance jumpers than driving the lane to create his own shot.
As for the Celtics, the real story is the performance by Allen, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, who finally showed up when the team needed them the most, combining for 64 points in Tuesday’s rout. Their sudden resurgence after four forgettable games is a positive sign moving forward, assuming Boston takes care of business Thursday night.
While “The Big Three” thrived in the first half, Rajon Rondo quietly waited for his opportunity to pounce. Once Cleveland’s defense began focusing on those “other guys,” Rondo exploded in the third quarter with 12 of his 25 points. No matter what Cleveland did, Boston had an answer. That’s the beauty of having depth in the NBA. The Cavaliers don’t have it, and that’s why they’ll be fighting for their playoff lives Thursday night in Boston.
Unless “King James” can reenact his Game 3 performance, the Cavaliers are cooked. Those $200 Air Max LeBrons he endorses will come in handy when he’s sprinting out of town.
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