2. LeBron's Legacy Doesn't Exist

A reader, Green Bay asked me to comment on LeBron James' legacy and since I am a whore to my readers, I absolutely will do this for him. I have had a long time to look at it and I have come to my conclusion. He is never going to compared with Michael Jordan/Henry Aaron/Joe Montana/Wayne Gretzky any of 'the greatest of all time.'

He will be in the category of Bo Jackson, Alex Rodriguez, Julius Erving, Deion Sanders, Eric Lindros, and Ken Griffey Jr. Also you wonder why I put Deion in there is because he is in the freak athlete category of guys we will probably not see for another fifteen to twenty years.  These guys are all uber athletes who could have been the greatest of all time at their sport but they never lived up to the potential that everybody wanted them to be.

LeBron will never be the greatest of all time.  I cannot call the guy the greatest who wanted to play with his buddy instead of kicking his ass. Would Jordan had wanted to come to Phoenix to play with Charles Barkley?   Hell no, he wanted to kicks Chuck's ass every time they played and we would have never seen Magic Johnson/Larry Bird together. There is no hate in the NBA anymore, Kobe is so old school compared to these other jokers in the league because he is the only one with the serial killer look in his eyes. Dwyane Wade doesn't have that look nor does LeBron.

He latched on to the Heat because LeBron did not want to be Karl Malone, Dirk Nowitzki, or Dan Marino of great players who never win a title.  LeBron couldn't deal with that so he jettisoned to a place where he and his tremendous PR team believed that would happen. If LeBron was like Kobe, he would have said, "You know what who cares about Donald Sterling, I am joining the Clippers and battling Kobe Bryant out for the Staples Center for six months."  Honestly had he decided to join the Clips, I would have been a LeBron fan. As Vince McMahon says, "LeBron doesn't have the grapefruits to do anything like that."  

The one thing that told me LeBron hated pressure like A-Rod and others before him was the comment "It will be really nice to not have to score 30 points a game."  I think Kobe goes on a Mel Gibson-like rant when he doesn't get his 30 so for Bron to tell people he doesn't want to score like that makes absolutely no sense.  To me, that is the quote that I will point out and tell you that he doesn't want it as much as others before. 

He is like the kids we all knew in high school who had all the talents in the world but never worked hard enough to reach their full potential.  They let everybody tell them how good they were and they never tried to be better than what they were.  Nobody ever told them they were wrong or that is a bad idea.  LeBron needs that person and sadly, he will never get that. 

-Charlie.

4. The Michael Myers of the NBA

One of the bigger questions going on right now is bringing three of the bigger names of the NBA to one team a good thing?  I have wonder the same thing, and honestly it is good for one big time reason... we finally have a villain in the NBA. 

If you think about the NFL, NHL, College Football/Basketball, and MLB have hated teams that nobody can stand (Cowboys, Red Wings, Fightin' Irish, Wildcats, Yankees). The NBA hasn't had that since Detroit's Bad Boys teams who did some classless things throughout their years.  It could be argued the 90s New York Knicks also were a hated team, and that the Los Angles Lakers have always been hated. As much as when LeBron James signed, I thought many people would begin their jump to the bandwagon because of James. I do not think that is happening like I thought it would.

People who didn't mind James really do not like him anymore.  Everyone talks about how much of a 'douche' he was about the whole process and that they cannot stand the Heat.  I couldn't believe my ears when I heard the backlash for a team who just brought back Dwyane Wade, and brought in Chris Bosh/James. This team had to well-liked but they vaulted the Lakers as the number hated team.

This will be a team that when they go to opposing arenas, the chorus of boos will rain down on them like if it was a monsoon. I couldn't imagine some of the people who supported James through the years will be on his side this year.  In addition, can someone clarify if James does his powder toss on the road? If so, fans should ask their management to not allow James to do that as another big FU. 

People love to say "God I am really glad the Yankees/Cowboys/Fightin Irish are sucking, it just puts a smile on my face when they lose."  A lot of people including myself will be happy when the Heat lose even though they have a Marquette graduate on the team, no one wants see a super team succeed. Finally, DWade has his ring, why does LeBron need one too? 

-Charlie.

5. Cleveland Still Hungover From The Decision

I realize this is a few days late but I already explained my situation. I cannot help but think that Cleveland is still hurting from Thursday night even though they signed Kyle Lowry today. I can understand somewhat Cavs fans of what you are going through right now. I don't believe I am on your level of grieving but I truly do get what is going on.  It's an uber reality where you believe it's a sports nightmare where you might have been the only one happy for 12 hour coverage of George Steinbrenner today because you didn't have to see LeBron.

The wheels began to turn on this when your friend Eric asked the Sports Guy on Twitter, what is a bigger slap in the face: LBJ leaving Cleveland or Brett Favre leaving Green Bay for Minnesota.  I thought about this for awhile because I knew Simmons probably wouldn't tweet Eric back.  I had trouble coming with a decision and had to remind myself how mad I was about the Brett Favre to Minnesota thing last season.

What's funny is I told people that LeBron was much worse but then looking back on the Favre thing, I couldn't have been more mad.  I really had so much hate in my stomach that week, that first game the Minnesota Viking plays, and the first game against Favre.  Then when the Packers got swept, and lost the division, I felt like I needed to drink 50 beers to swallow the pain.

But what I haven't dealt with it is none of my three local teams never winning a championship for the city. Since 1948, there hasn't been a victory parade in the city of Cleveland. At least I have the Packers 97' Super Bowl to go off and I can be content knowing I saw one championship in my lifetime while some fans have never seen one. It's not just that Cleveland has a bunch of shitty teams for years upon years (right now all three are awful).  The Fumble, The Drive, Jose Mesa, and the two LeBron choke jobs are all examples of the pain this city has felt without winning one championship.

The LeBron's choice to leave for Miami hurt more than Favre because this dealt blow for the Cleveland fan base to win championship or even have a competitive team. The Packers went to the playoffs when Favre went to Minnesota and we had a star in Aaron Rodgers. The Cavs have none of that, I mean who they look to... Antwan Jamison?  That is about it for the Cavs and let's not forget, LeBron is from Ohio. I wrote two weeks ago that LeBron didn't care about the city for the franchises he adored in other sports. I think that point made it clear when LeBron decide to announce on national television that he would leave Cleveland for South Beach. 

An Ohio kid basically told the state that it was too small for him and he needed to move on to create new memories. He didn't care about the history of Cleveland ever and for that I am sorry to the fans who believed that. I am sorry that you had a selfish basketball player even though your ownership should shoulder more blame than they actually have. Cleveland weeps again and hopefully they will find a championship in something before I turn 50.

-Charlie.

I Got 99 Problems, But LeBron Aint One.

If you read this blog consistently, you learn a couple things... I make obscure pop culture references, I really suck at grammar, and I am not the biggest LeBron fan like most 18-25 year olds.  I cannot believe I came to his defense after people made it the cool thing to hate LeBron James after Game 2 of the Boston Celtics series because after the shit he pulled today, he deserves to be booed around America for whatever franchise he plays for. 

It went something like this... "Hi, LeBron would like to announce his decision on ESPN like he is a high school player and going to put on the hat of the lucky team." And you are going to watch like little minions because everybody loves LeBron James outside of Los Angeles where anally-denied guy still plays."   

I really wish I could have a 60 minute argument with the guy who loves LeBron James like an eleven year old girl who loves Justin Bieber about this chaos my roommate Bert aka Debbie Downer.  I wonder what he would say when I would tell him that once again I was right.  I told him in February that LeBron James will become Tiger Woods where everybody bows down on their knees loving everything he does and blowing his ego like Pam did Tommy Lee. But you know what the difference is between these two people...

Tiger Woods was the man because he won every tournament in sight, nobody wanted to be in the final group with him, and railed anything in sight. Has anyone ever been scared to face LeBron in a Game 7?  Nope. Has LeBron won an NBA Final Game?  Nope.  Did he have his best performance of the playoffs against an aging Detroit Piston team?  Yup.  Is he the best regular season player we've seen since Karl Malone? Yup  Does this dime piece have more rings than LeBrick?  Yup. People cannot keep giving this guy credit for his regular season accomplishments can they?  I have asked way too many questions about the topic but you get my point by now.

This guy is a self-absorbed egomanic who lives for seeing his name as a trending topic on Twitter.  A guy whose Twitter handle is King James and of course I follow him because I just want to see what kind of shit he will say about the oil spill, Iraq, Arizona immigration, and other things that are important.As Jason Whitlock put it today, "Did Jordan ever call himself "Air Jordan" or did he allow us 2 call him Air? LeBron calling himself King James is a joke. We created monster."  Alot of people hate Whitlock but goddamnit, he was dead on today about James. Same goes for Buzz Bissinger the guy who wrote a book with LBJ and he didn't shy away from calling LeBron 'douche juice.' I couldn't of said it better than myself. 

I really hope that even the truest LeBron supporters will stop buying what he sells.  I respect the fact the man plays basketball unlike anyone else ever has.  I think he might be the best dunker of all time (yet won't join the Dunk Contest, go figure) but I still think he is a shitty teammate. But Chuck, he gets 8 assists a game thats amazing!!!! OMFG... Well little Berty when you have the ball 80 percent of the time, you are able to fill up a stat book. 

LeBron is the definition of what's wrong with most of the media today... Make a person into some kind of superhero who cannot be stopped or does nothing wrong in his life therefore he never gets called out on his bullshit.  Then when the shit hits the fan (it always does with these types), the media has no idea who to spin the story in favor of the ego-riddled superstar leading to them looking like big time assholes.

I will finish our lesson with Kanye West, a guy who owns up to his ego and acknowledges it with this one.. "I wanna act ballerific like it's all terrific. I got a couple past due bills, I won't get specific. I got a problem with spending before I get it. We all self conscious I'm just the first to admit it". 

-Charlie.

The Month of July Belongs to LeBron

July 1st, 2010.


A date that any professional sports fan has been waiting for all summer. I am more excited than a 12 year old girl going to a Justin Biebler concert because this will alter a professional sports if some the major players decided to take the game elsewhere. Obviously, the biggest player in this game is LeBron James and I have already told people this will be Brett Favre times 10 in terms of media coverage starting on Thursday. So I recommend staying away from ESPN if you will be sick of this by hour two of free agency. Hell, they might break in from the World Cup to tell us if LeBron has signed with a team. Anyone who has a blog is writing their own theory about where LeBron will go and what needs to happen to land the biggest fish in NBA history. I, myself cannot wait and I am ready to tell you what I think might happen.

Originally, I thought James would go to New York because in my opinion, he loved the city and wanted to be the 'king' of it. He relished his opportunity to play at Madison Square Garden and I assumed the Knicks would make all the right moves with Donnie Walsh calling the shots. Once again, the Knicks find a way to screw things up and they look more out of it than the Memphis Grizzlies. I think James doesn't want to deal with a batshit owner like James Dolan. I will only spend a couple sentences on another batshit owner Donald Sterling of the Los Angeles Clippers, there isn't a snowball chance in hell that LeBron lives in L.A. either where for a couple years he shares the stage with Kobe Bryant, his ego wouldn't allow second fiddle. The other thing about the Knicks more so than the Clippers is they are a team that could drawn strong comparisons to his Cleveland Cavaliers.

Speaking of the Cavs, they are out of it. You cannot convince me otherwise, LeBron's entourage benefits big time if he leaves the city of Cleveland so why would they spin anything positive for Cleveland? LeBron doesn't want to break the city's collective soul but he doesn't give a shit about Cleveland and their heartbreaks. Not once did he come out and say "Man, I remember where I was when Jose Mesa cost us Indian fans the World Series." or "When Art Modell took the Browns from us, I stopped caring about the NFL for awhile." If you find something like this please comment, but LeBron's fanhood (New York Yankees & Dallas Cowboys) speaks volumes of the type of person he is. James doesn't want to see losers, he wants winners therefore James is a 'fan' of two of the most successful franchises when he was growing up. James' ego will be bruised like a peach when he returns to Cleveland with more boos than Modell, but in the long run, he knows I might see Cleveland twice a year, that's it. He will move out of Akron and live wherever his new destination is.

I have already destroyed three fan bases, and now I will give the four candidates that have the best chance bringing LeBron on to their team. We will first start with the land of the Situation.  The Nets are the Charlie Day wild card in all of this. I firmly think LeBron is intrigued by Mikhal Prokcohaov and the fact that he makes LeBron the biggest star in the tri-state area plus Russia. The fact his buddy Jay-Z is a part of the team helps out a lot and I know the Jigga man will use his pull to try to lure LeBron in.  It would have helped them tremendously if they knew the new arena and the move to Brooklyn was legit, nothing has been finalized and LBJ could be playing in Newark for the rest of his career. I do not think they land LeBron but I am willing to bet a bigger name free agent will play the Bond Villain next fall.

Now let's move to South Beach where they are probably throwing a Free Agency Rager down there. I found it hilarious that Stephan A. Smith already broke the story about it's a done deal, stick to trying to pronounce Slava Medvedenko buddy. Now on to the Heat, I believe that Dwyane Wade will resign with the Heat and then he will make his best pitch to Bron to come play with him and probably Pat Riley. I almost hope for this because I know Riley will not take any of his occasional baby back bullshit and make all the decisions for LeBron, not the other way around. The Heat right now do not have a team with all the cap space they have cleared out therefore Wade can not only bring LeBron in, but also Chris Bosh or Amar'e Stoudamire. That leads to a super team for the next decade where they complete a hostile takeover of the NBA and win about four to five titles. One reason that could deter LeBron from sipping champagne in Florida is the lack of fans the Heat really have. No one in Miami cares about their professional teams and LeBron understands that no matter what he does, people still won't embrace him. If you see all the viral campaigns for LBJ, where is the Miami one? Nowhere to be found, they are just expecting DWade to deliver.

One team that could sneak in and steal LeBron is Dallas. I know it sounds crazy with their lack of cap space but they have a super weird deal with Erick Dampier (quick tangent, Fant, Eric, and I introduced ourselves as lowly NBA players at one all day drinkfest in Eau Claire, Fant went with the Mississippi State alum, high comedy) that allows for a sign and trade. Out of all the owners, I personally believe LeBron will want to play for Mark Cuban especially after resigning Dirk, he can play a year with Jason Kidd, Shawn Marion, and Dirk plus a growing star in Rodrigue Beaubois. Cuban will pimp him out more than West Coast Customs does to all those shitty rides and make no mistake about it that Cuban saying he would want to play a couple of games in Jerryland was a subtle hint to LeBron. I mean imagine the pitch when Cubes tells LBJ, "Think about you versus Kobe, Saturday night prime time on ABC in Jerryland with a near sellout and everybody cheering for you against Kobe." If that's me, I am like where is the contract to sign? Even if it's a smaller market than others, LeBron knows that Dallas had the biggest stars in the 90s and could again in 2010 and beyond. 

Finally, the team that I and others believe LeBron will play for next year is Chicago. I mean why wouldn't you right now?  Derrick Rose running point guard and a physical force down low in Joakim Noah.  If they could bring in another guy to complement Bron such as a Bosh or Dirk, they would be in awesome shape. Everything started to move towards the Bulls way after they hire Tom Thibodeau who has an agent with Worldwide Wes' company and helped Boston win a title plus get their this year. The inexperience might scare LeBron but only a couple teams who are fighting for King James have longstanding coaches.  People argue that he wouldn't want to play under Jordan's large shadow but I think the opposite, he loves Michael and wants to be like him to the T.  He wore his jersey in honor of him and said it should be a retired number anyways. He knows with the young talent they have plus a Stanley Cup Hockey, LeBron could make the Windy City, the epicenter of sports.

Should be a fun one

-Charlie.

Take It Easy LeBrett

I had a couple conversations with people about LeBron James and his free agency especially the day after he got ousted from the playoffs.  Some told me how sick they were of all of the coverage, I personally thought that it was fascinating because I consider this the most important story of 2010, the free agency that is not LeBron James himself. But to me, the Larry King interview he did on Friday was the definition of 'over-the-top.'

First of all, this is all happening during the NBA Finals and even with the biggest rivalry in their sport, the focus still remains on LeBron James.  People want to know everything that is going on or is about to happen. Like this piece from Adrian Wojnarowski who writes that the Chicago Bulls are making a down payment by getting Tom Thibodeau who just signed an agent from Worldwide Wes' agency.  Hmm interesting developments right here, but it doesn't seal it because every team who has a chance will make their pitch at LeBron for why he should come here.  Reading and listening to all the different approaches reminds me so much of what it would have been like had James had to go to school for a year.  Every school who had a shot would pull out their biggest guns to try to get LBJ for one year.

I think this summer is comparable if not worse than the Brett Favre drama that unfolded in the past couple of years because LeBron is going to do interviews with major news networks, he is going to do things that will keep himself in the news for the sole fact of... he loves the attention. Rumor has it, according to ESPN's Bill Simmons and Ric Bucher that LeBron was going to sit courtside last night, but cancelled 90 minutes before the game started. Thank God his PR people prevented him from sitting courtside, I couldn't even imagine the media outcry if he was there. Finally, someone got in his head last night and said "Look man you can't keep pulling this shit without your fans starting to get mad." Personally, I think it would be embarrassing for him to sit courtside to watch a team that kicked his ass in the playoffs and the Lakers play. I would have no problem if he sat in the press box or something, but to be right in the middle of the action seems a bit contrived. 

As excited as I am for July 1st, I think the media's focus should remain on the NBA Finals and talentless hacks like me should be also be held to that standard. But, it's so damn fascinating that you cannot help but talk about LeBron James, maybe that what he desires.

-Charlie.

Opinion on Kobe and Quick Laker Tangent

I should have never opened my mouth when it came to the argument of whose better Kobe or LeBron. I had always been an ardent Kobe guy and probably hurting my credibility even by making some ridiculous cases in defense of Kobe.  Finally, I gave into all of the LeBron fans and said earlier this month, that LeBron was indeed the best player in the game hands down.  Sadly after these playoffs, we have to tweak that statement a little bit. 

LeBron James: The player I would draft first in a fantasy draft if I had to start a franchise from scratch and a guy I would want on my team throughout the regular season because he would make our team that much better. In addition, he is a great teammate so he will keep the guys together during the season.

Kobe Bryant: The player I want from the fourth quarter and on, a true warrior who hasn't missed a clutch shot in ages (look at the one he sank last night with Grant Hill in his jock, drilled it.).  He might be an asshole but that's a quality you need in the playoffs.  No nice guy has really ever won a title, even Magic Johnson got a bit nasty in his later years. 

With all that being said, Kobe Bryant finds himself in the NBA Finals for a seventh time and in search of his fifth title. Everybody rode off Kobe in the Oklahoma City series claiming he was tired and the hype around LeBron James grew to mammoth proportions before the Boston series. What did Kobe do?  He took his game to a second gear and started dropping 30 points a game like it was nobody business.  Then after LeBron exited in the semifinals and everybody talked about the off season when the Mamba was still in there, he goes off for 40 to throw the focus back on him.

I think we cannot make an argument for either player right now because they are so valuable in different ways and both players are the best right now.  One is number 1 and the other is 1a. So let's put this discussion to rest and then when we look at it in ten years we can then form our opinion.

Real quick about the Lakers, I said earlier I think they are in big trouble with Derek Fisher trying to guard Rajon Rondo and I doubt they throw Kobe on Rondo because they have to keep Ray Allen in check.  Ron Artest versus Paul Pierce will be a great battle plus can we get odds makers on a Ron vs. Rasheed Wallace fight? I would bet this happens but I have been asking for a good ole NBA brawl for the last two weeks. The uncertainty of Andrew Bynum could be the difference because no matter what, he will get beat up even more by the front line of the Celts.

More on the NBA Finals later this week on Chuck's Corner, gotta love it. Boston and Los Angeles, like it should be.

The NBA... One Big Chess Game

If anything the NBA has proven to me in the last couple of weeks now is that it is completely dominated by the players and most NBA coaches are really just pawns for the most part making little to none significant impact on a team.  Mike Brown is the ultimate pawn in the NBA and he was shown the door yesterday evening as the Cleveland Cavaliers fired him in hopes that they could bring back LeBron James.

Do I think that is highly unfair that players dictate what happens in the coaching realm?  Yeah a bit, but I think basketball is a sport where the players can cover up your mistakes better than any professional sport. The decision making that is made in professional football and baseball is much more coach-oriented than in professional basketball.  I have said many times that LeBron single-handily kept Brown employed for all these years because if he didn't have him, Brown would be still looking for a job.  

To me, Brown looks clueless out there most of the time and I really feel like LeBron is more of a coach out there running things his way.  Brown agrees with him and let's things happen James' way.  That is fine and dandy in the regular season because sadly, the NBA teams give lackluster efforts from time to time and the intensity really isn't there until playoff time. The Cavs were a great regular season team due to getting to feast on the likes of the Detroit Pistons, New Jersey Nets, Washington Wizards, and so on.  Those teams had no answer for LeBron and company, it was only when the good teams who get upwards to seven games against the Cavs where Brown became exposed.

The playoffs forced Brown to coach and that was something he frankly didn't excel at in the top spot. It seemed like he made too many quick decisions and wanted to appease the players more than he actually wanted to do things. The perfect example is J.J. Hickson.  He started 43 games for the Cavs where they went 39-4, which to me shows a good chemistry when Hickson is on the floor.  Then when Shaq comes back, Hickson's minutes fell faster than Snooki's dress after meeting a juicehead.  It didn't make any sense to me and others, why get rid of the things Hickson did all year?

As for the Cavs, this doesn't do much for LeBron in my estimate. They will tell him "LBJ, you get 30 million more and you can pick your coach, is that something you might be interested in?"  This is an awful idea because Cleveland will get another pawn that LeBron and the Cavs will be able to control with what they want to do and not someone who will put their foot down to LeBron and others. I believe there are about 5 coaches who will demand respect... Phil Jackson, Larry Brown, Pat Riley, Gregg Popovich, and Scott Skiles (I know it seems rash to put Skiles in a category with legends but the man is a hard ass).  

In Brown's case, he will get a job somewhere else this year and I will be interested to see how well he does. I think the Clippers (assuming they do not partake in the LBJ sweepstakes), Nets, and Hornets are all places that Brown could land a job in because his resume looks the best compared to the other candidates out there. Some team will say they just want to get the playoffs and they could care less about the NBA Finals, therefore they bring in Brown. Even though his in-game coaching isn't great, he still can will a team to low seed in the playoffs. 

Every team in the LeBron Sweepstakes is trying to find that perfect coach that will woo LeBron there and everybody is looking to make Mr. James, the happiest NBA player. I think LeBron wants a guy he respects and not some cheeseball like Terry Stotts running things but in all honesty, I think whoever the coach will have little to none impact on LBJ's decision. 

-Charlie.

Stunned. Shocked. Bamboozled.

Obviously, you all know who this is about... LeBron James. We all saw one of most mesmerizing games of an NBA MVP that we have ever seen.  LeBron's line last night was 15 pts (3/14) 7 rebs 6 asst and for a superstar that is bad.  Comparable to Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez's making a movie and naming it Gigli, LeBron was Gigli bad. In addition, I made an Entourage comparison about LBJ and here's another one, this is his Medellin.  Obviously, Vinnie Chase is LBJ, Mo Williams is E (someone who cannot bail Vince out of this shitty movie), and Billy Walsh is Mike Brown (Hey Suit! Go fuck yer motha!  Love Walsh, I hope he is back this year).   Now it took awhile for Vince to respond until the end of season five where Ari rescues Vince and gets him a Scorsese movie... Is LeBron's new movie a  relocation project?  Who knows really.

I am almost mad that I defended him last week because like I said in years past I was a big time hater of LeBron. But I also know of thing called bias and I am not going to throw the blinders to discredit what he did in the regular season. But the playoffs?  I mean wow, he just looked like he didn't care and didn't want to play for Cleveland anymore. LeBron wanted to be at home trying to figure out Lost instead of playing at the Q. B-Squared is the biggest LBJ fan and honestly, it was the first time he couldn't make one argument that made me think. Usually, he makes one good point that I will agree with but today, he couldn't say a single word. I feel like I should just stuck to my guns so I could be laughing at all of you LeBron fans but then again, I am trying to establish myself so I apologize. 

Seriously, LeBron laid the biggest egg drawing memories of Dirk Nowitzki, Karl Malone, Charles Barkley, and David Robinson in the playoffs.  I tweeted he looked like the first three guys not Bird, Magic, Jordan, and Kobe. Now could LeBron come in hot with a 35 points 15 rbs 12 assts in Game 6 and lead them to victory?  Absolutely, but do people still say, so this was just a mirage and we should never remember this?  I think no one should ever forget this performance because it was that bad from a superstar. Read Simmons column where he points out some bad Kobe Bryant starts, but what I am doing is looking at critical Game 5s. 

Now there are different kinds of Game 5s and they all have a certain level of Game 5... Desperation (1-3) High alert (2-2) Close out game (3-1)... The players involved Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James. In addition, I am not including any games where the team (BOS/LA/CHI/CLEV) closed out in five of if the said team was up 3-1. So I decided to look from 1980 and here's what I have for you.

1980: Magic Johnson: I cannot find the box score to give you the official numbers but his team did win in Game 5 plus in a critical game 6 up 3-2 and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar out with injury, Magic dropped 42 7 6 and won Finals MVP. (1-0)


1981: Larry Bird: Sadly, Basketball Reference has let me down for now but Bird won two game 5’s that year where the series was at 3-1 Philly (desperation) and 2-2 (high alert) going on to win both. One against Philadelphia and the other against Houston in the Conference Finals (2-0)

1982: Larry Bird: One game five for Bird again down 3-1, his team blows out the Philadelphia 76ers and then gets the victory in game six as well before running out of gas in game seven (3-0)

1984: Larry Bird: In a critical game 5 against Bernard King and the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, the C’s blow out the Knicks 121-99 and the Hick from French Lick still has a perfect record. (4-0)

Johnson vs. Bird: In the first of their classic match ups in the NBA Finals, after a heated Game 4 where punches flew in L.A., the Celtics go on to beat the Showtime Lakers in a redhead stepchild way 121-103. Also this was a high alert game for both of them. (4-0) (1-1) Also the Celtics would end up taking the series.

1985: Larry Bird: In the Eastern Semifinals young upstart Detroit Pistons teams come through and forces a game five with the series tied at 2-2. The Celtics win 130-123, keeping Bird record perfect in this little game we are playing (5-0)

Johnson vs. Bird: For the first time, the NBA converted to a 2-3-2 in the NBA Finals and it played to Magic’s advantage as the Lakers beat Bird and the C’s in a game five 120-111 and go on to win the title. (5-1) (2-1)

1986: Magic Johnson: The Lakers ended up bowing out the Western Conference Finals but once again in a high alert situation, Magic wins again over the Dallas Mavericks 116-113 and the Lakers close them out in the next game. (3-1)

1987: Larry Bird: High alert situation at its finest for Bird as they are playing hurt with a bunch other guys that are hurt, Kevin McHale had a broken foot for Christ Sakes. Anyways, the famous Dennis Johnson steals the ball and Bird hits the game-winner, the Celtics win 108-107, that my friends is clutch. (6-1)

1988: Magic Johnson: Another pivotal game 5 with the Utah Jazz and the upstart team of Malone/Stockton. The Lakers win another game 111-109 and Magic wins again. Magic continues to show his strength in the Western Conference Finals against the Dallas Mavericks as he blew out the Mavs in a key game five. Detroit Pistons is killing this theory right now as they beat the Lakers by 10 being up 2-2 and another thing killing this theory is the 2-3-2, can’t tell you how mad this makes me. One thing if you look at this closer, Magic did lose a lot of 3-1 games in his career but still when the chips were down, Magic did work.

Larry Bird: The Celtics were playing an upstart Atlanta Hawk team and the Celtics were starting to hit the down slopes so Bird’s team falls in defeat in the first 2-2 Game 5 that didn’t involve Magic. Also continuing with this theme as the Detroit Pistons beat them in Game 5 at the Garden and ended up beating them again in Game 6, my argument with Bird is he started fading right around this time. (6-3)

1989: Michael Jordan: For the first time, the Royal Airness makes an appearance in our little experiment and MJ once again gets ruined by the Bad Boys of Detroit. I already hate the city of Detroit and this is continuing the theme, my argument for MJ… the team wasn’t ready yet. (0-1)

1990: Michael Jordan: Detroit… Suck it. (0-2) Also may I say why can I get a random game from the Kings-Blazers but I cannot get a box score for a critical game like this one? CMONN MANNNN!

1991: Larry Bird: One of the last years of his career where his back is comparable to Abe Vigoda but once again, Detroit spoils the party but good news we finally have stats to back up our research! Beautiful day, Bird: 16 pts (7/18) 5 asst 5 rebs. Bird finishes 6-4 and all of the losses except for the one against Magic where in the twilight of his career, it’s unfair to put Bird under a microscope deep in his career.

1992: Michael Jordan: The Jordan experience had already begun with Jordan running through Bird, the Bad Boys, and Magic in 91 and then he had a critical game five with the Knicks where he goes off for 37 pts (11/23) 5 rbs 3 assts and they win 96-88 and then in a Cleveland-Chicago series in the Conference Finals, Jordan puts up nearly the same stat line in a win. Then in an incredible performance in the Finals against the Blazers, Jordan drops 46 (14/23) 5 5 and basically gives a lesson on what clutch is. (3-2)

1993: Michael Jordan: This one is a special one, down 2-0 to the Knicks and they end up coming all the way back including a game five victory where he goes 29 (11/24) 8 14 guiding his team to a 97-94 win (4-2)

1995: Michael Jordan: Jordan makes his return and this is an unfair look at him yet he still drops 39 4 4 when nobody else does anything. Honestly, if there is one game to look at a LeBron comparison it would be this one, no one helped Jordan in that one (4-3)

1997: Michael Jordan: What’s fascinating about MJ’s career in the playoffs is he rarely let a series get to the 2-2 and when he did, he TJ Lavin-style killed it. Game 5 NBA Finals against the Utah Jazz and one of the toughest crowds in the NBA, they gut out 90-88 victory with Jordan going 37 (13/27) 7 5. (5-3)

1998: Michael Jordan: I believe this our last Jordan 2-2 game five situation and MJ drops 29 (12/20) 7 4 and it was a complete rout of Indiana Pacers as they win by 17. Jordan ends up finishing 6-3 and all of the losses can be defended; two he was young and the other was a half-assed comeback attempt. Other than that, Jordan dominated these games.

2000: Kobe Bryant: I am not giving out stats on this one but I will point out that Kobe’s team did lose a game five and took it all the way to seven games, doesn’t count against his record but good fodder for the Anti-Kobe.

2002: Kobe Bryant: Interesting that we haven’t seen a game like this because the Lakers were that damn good in those years and then the Lakeshow ended up losing in Game 5 to the Sacramento Kings on the road by one point. Kobe finishes with 30 (11/29) 5 3 (0-1)

2003: Kobe Bryant: The Lakers who were actually underdogs in the first round series against the Minnesota Timberwolves (let’s remember they move to seven games in first round) and the Lakers blew out the T’Wolves by 30. Kobe goes 30 (12/21) 8 5. The Lakers then face a far better San Antonio Spurs team in the next round and it goes to 2-2 where they lose to the Spurs by 2 on the road. Kobe ends up with 36 (15/31) 7 6 (1-2)

2004: Kobe Bryant: Could also be known as the “Derek Fisher Shot” as they beat the Spurs in an ugly game of 74-73 victory. Kobe 22 (11/27) 4 5, ugly performance but that was a great victory on the road. (2-2)

2006: Kobe Bryant: Another one that is worth noting that Kobe and his gang of idiots blew a 3-1 lead against the Phoenix Suns so he has that Magic thing of not closing it out at 3-1 when he can.

LeBron James: He makes a thunderous debut to this theory as they beat the Washington Wizards by one and I believe he made a game winner. LBJ finishes with 45 7 6. Also LeBron wins another 2-2 series against the defending champions Detroit Pistons as he goes for 32 5 5 and wins. But also worth noting, LBJ’s teams of idiots lose two straight and blows it. (2-0)

2007: LeBron James: This is actually the game that everybody says “Holy shit this guy is really effin good.” I remember watching some of this game at BW3’s and the LBJ experience started then. He dropped a mass amount of points and a victory 48 9 7 (3-0)

2008: Kobe Bryant: The Lakers are back into this mix and they were facing the Jazz. This victory is what we would call a team effort and something great to see as they win by seven. Just look at the Mamba’s numbers. 26 (6/10) 6 7 (3-2)

LeBron James: The Cavs ended up dropping the game to the Celtics and the Big 3 yet LBJ dropped a ton of points in the defeat but he doesn’t do much other than score buckets. 35 (12/25) 3 5 (3-1)

2009: Kobe Bryant: The Black Mamba had himself a crucial game against the Houston Rockets were they thrashed the team by 40 points. 26 (10/19) 4 3. There was another game that playoff game where they were knotted at 2-2, thinking this could be a series… and the Lakers shut the door without Kobe, I remember this game well because I wrote about Lamar Odom’s worth. 22 (6/13) 5 8 (5-2)

2010: Kobe Bryant: Another game five that Bryant didn’t real play that well but Kobe did the thing that LBJ couldn’t do, lock down Russell Westbrook and take control of the series, 13 (4/9) 3 7. So Kobe finishes up 6-2 for his career in these critical game fives plus the two he probably blew it but Kobe had three games that were awful in these games.

LeBron James: And here we are. 3-2 for his career in these games where he has had great success in these vital games, I couldn’t believe the numbers I saw from LeBron in these games but here we have the game against Boston. 15 (3/14) 6 7, who knows what we are going to see in tonight’s game.

I am beyond giddy for this game, I think people will know who the real LeBron James is. I am currently listening to Brian Windhorst, Cavs beat writer talking about how LeBron looked disinterested and there is a part of him that seems to not care anymore. I thought some of the same things with LeBron not attacking the lane or go into the post, getting cross-screens from Shaq.  LeBron didn't once go into the post and try to do things near the basket, which in addition makes it that much more polarizing of the game.  I think you will see a great performance with LBJ dropping near 30-35 pts, 10-12 rbs, and 8-12 assts. I have no idea if they will win this game but I do believe we will see a jaw-dropping performance from LeBron... And if we don't?

It will only get worse and people will then keep raising questions about what the hell happen in this series? And why can't LeBron win in the playoffs?  It might be that Mike Brown is a corpse of a coach and wouldn't have a job if he didn't have LBJ every night.  LeBron is really a player-coach out there and Brown is doing nothing to help his team.

The city of Cleveland is on pins and needles right now, probably sitting on their couch knocking back a few beers because if I were a fan?  There is no way I could be stone-cold sober for this one because if there is a lost, questions will be raised all over the place and a city will be left for answers, something that might be better intoxicated tonight.

-Charlie.

Hating LeBron is the New Cool Thing

I have never been a big LeBron James fan. As a kid, I use to hang different Sports Illustrated covers and pictures around my walls and actually the LeBron cover from his junior in high school had a spot.  I also probably had another cover from an NBA preview. But I had a quote from some magazine on my wall that said "You call yourself King James and you're in dunking on pimple-faced dorks in high school?" I never liked the name King James because it bothers me to crown this guy as the next one without winning a damn thing.  

I always held a grudge to LeBron when everybody loved the guy starting in the 2004 season.  People would talk about how amazing some of the things he was doing and that this guy for sure is the next "Michael Jordan."  I still respected what LeBron did, just not like a bunch of my friends who were attracted to him and were completely in his camp over any other player. Let's also remember this is the same time Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers hit the wall in the middle 2000s therefore people gravitated towards LBJ.  Some might say Dwyane Wade was put on a pedestal after his 2006 NBA Finals victory but still people put James >Wade which I could agree even if DWade has a ring.

Now let's go to 2009-2010 season, LeBron is the best player in the NBA period.  Kevin Durant isn't there yet, great player especially after watching him against the Lakers, Kobe is banged up and he is on the downside of his career, and Melo/Wade have flaws (no defense/three point shots).  There is no more Kobe-LeBron debates that ruled my senior of high school and the doubters have been silence about the flaws of James. He improved his three-point shooting and free throws plus James has got better in the late game heroics.  Hell, he put up 29.7 PPG 7.3 RPG 8.6 APG, that is a mammoth season.  The point I am trying to make now three paragraphs in is people want to hate LeBron now in my age range.

When I did my Three E's of LeBron, you can tell I didn't want to hear an excuse if they lose because he is playing through injury. I stand by that, but I cannot get out of my head how many people from age 17-23 dislike LeBron.  I thought I was a minority member of this fan club, and now I am a part of the majority. In that same post, some commenter listed "You forgot one, Egomaniac."  Maybe people got fed up with ego and do not like his cocky demeanor to the game. I said in January about the ego of LeBron and the problems with Mr. James.  I also said that it isn't his fault for feeling like Vinnie Chase of Entourage.  Chase gets his ego blown up by everyone around him whether it's girls, Drama/Turtle, and somewhat Ari. E is the only one to step up to him and say "hey you're wrong."  LBJ is living that Chase's dreamworld where no one is telling him no and letting him do whatever he wants.  

Last night as the Cavs got thrashed by the Boston Celtics 104-86, all sorts of statuses of Facebook and Twitter popped up about ripping on LeBron because now liking LeBron is comparable to liking the New York Yankees, Dallas Cowboys, Notre Dame Fighting Irish football, and Kentucky Wildcat basketball. It wasn't like that two years ago because people could choose sides, now they have to accept that LeBron is the best. When someone is the best at something, it bothers the big time sports fans to no avail. They do not want to be "that guy" who is a big LBJ fan and talks him up all the time.  If you don't believe, look at some recent tweets from my friends... JSStephan: Big time LeBron fan   The others (Yeedoski/hehateme4/CMONMANN- LBJ Haters). 

CMONMANN: I don't care who wins the NBA Championship as long as it's not the Cavs...
JSStephan: @CMONMANN don't make me stomp u when I get home.
Yeedoski: @CMONMANN I'd have to agree, anyone but the cavs, @JSStephan lebron doesn't deserve it, he doesn't even ball he just gorillas people
hehateme4 @yeedoski I couldn't have put it better myself. I gotta agree with @CMONMANN and say fuck that gorilla. @JSStephan likes fags aka Cristiano
JSStephan @hehateme4 @CMONMANN @yeedoski all you haters keep talking.
CMONMANN @JSStephan drunk dialin' me to explain the loss?
JSStephan @CMONMANN not answering cu your too busy with with @FroggysB ?thanks ass.
CMONMANN @JSStephan No sir just didn't feel my phone vibrate...better be worried about that elbow

All of these are friends of mine who are just ragging on LeBron. I cannot understand it because I remember certain guys who were dissing Bron were on his bandwagon a couple years ago.  People never want to like the player they seen posted all over the SportsCLeBron, go for it but don't expect me to be agreeing with everything you say like years past.

-Charlie.

The Three E's of LeBron

I have no idea where I am going with this so bear with me as we go on this new journey.  Because the NBA is goofy, they have one semifinal starting on Saturday and the rest start on various times therefore you will get multiple posts about different series. We are playing the alphabet with LeBron James, the Cleveland Cavalier superstar... the letter is E.

Elbow- The biggest thing that came out of the Chicago-Cleveland was the fact LeBron may be hurt. It seemed his elbow bothered him after he shot the second free throw with his left hand. This is raising the question, how hurt is he really?  I cannot say nor can any of us because only LBJ knows. If they run through the Boston Celtics then we are convinced that LeBron's elbow doesn't really bother him.   But if they struggle, it's a clear problem.  The biggest problem with the injury is it's his right arm, which makes it tougher for him to score.  I predict more jump shots and less takes to the basket. Cavs fans are throwing rocks at me right now because this would be the worst case scenario.  

Exciting- I think this could be most entertaining series if the Bucks do not win tonight or Sunday for me. I like the Celtics for a variety of reasons... a.) Very physical, brings back old memories  b.) Paul Pierce has been a favorite of mine for years because for some reason I loved Pierce as a kid, I keep my loyalties.  c.) Ray Allen falls under letter b. and add he was a former Milwaukee Bucks holds a soft spot.  I think they can take the Cavs to six or seven games and they could even win this series.  All of these will be close battles and be shocked if either team gets a blowout win.  I think it will be a fun-filled series even if the game is 88-85, the defense will be great with a complete slugfest and an enjoyable game. 

Excuses- Let's play oddsmakers... what are the odds people use LeBron's elbow as a cop out if they lose to Boston?  4 to 1? 3 to 1?  This is a built-in excuse waiting to happen and James seems to be on the wrong end of the stick every May for whatever reason.  I can just see it now, "Well LeBron was hurt, that's why they lost." Personally, I would rather have the Cavs lost a series where LBJ was healthy so there is no room for the E we are describing. 

Prediction: I think the Cavs take it in 7.  I cannot see them losing at home right now and would be stunned if it happened in the first two games.  The most intriguing thing other than LBJ's elbow is the matchups inside. Shaq-Big Z-Sideshow Bob vs. KG-Perkins-Big Baby, that is a 6 man tag-team match I would love to see on Monday Night Raw. Even with his injury, Pierce/Allen don't have enough in the tank to keep up with LeBron in a deep physical series.

-Charlie.

Disappointed By LeBron

My roommate Brett gave me props about my blog and then talked about how great Simmons podcast is which both shocked me then I wondered if the world might be ending.  Now, I hope to get a negative reaction by this post about his boy, LeBron James but who knows maybe I will get props here. 

Remember last year when LeBron said, "I am going to participate in the 2010 Dunk Contest."  He said that flat-out and then when the dunk participants came out LeBron was nowhere to be found.  This leads me back to what I have said in the past... LeBron may top five most insecure athletes in all of sports today.  He is afraid to lose at something he is supposed to be "the best in the world." 

The reason I call LeBron out like this is because time after time, he refuses to do anything that makes him look like less of an athlete. This all goes back to him not allowing the Jordan Crawford Dunk Tape out, which is like the sports version of a celebrity sex tape when the story broke. I wrote that time, I felt LBJ handled it poorly just like he did with Charles Barkley.

 LeBron's ego has grown to big to allow himself for that kind of thing to happen where there is a chance he might lose in an individual competition. It started with King James as nickname out of High School, then Olympics, MVP, messing around before the game,  movie/hit song made about him, and now outrageously holding his follow-through.  It has grown to proportions I think none of us thought possible but you know what? It's not LeBron's fault. People like Jay-Z and media outlets pampered LeBron letting him roam like the alpha dog expanding that ego, nobody has ever leveled with James telling him how things should go. The last guy this happened to... Kobe Bryant

Remember before the sex scandal, Kobe Bryant was on top of the world.  He had endorsements from the same places LeBron has and even more, I believe at that time.  He had already won three rings and people were ready to crown him in the next Michael Jordan.  But then his world turned black as he got accused of sexually assaulting a young white female and then blamed for Shaq leaving Los Angeles.  Those same media outlets that blew up his ego made him the asshole of the NBA for a long time.  Until he won another ring by himself was that title released from Kobe.  I am not saying the same thing could happen to James but if he leaves Cleveland, do people change their minds on him? That's a million dollar question right now. 

No matter if you think James chickened out or people in his camp told him, it was too much of a risk. You still have to address the situation at hand that LeBron's ego is getting too big for his own good, and it's something James cannot control. It is only a matter time before something happens to regulate that ego.

-Charlie.

NBA Weekly: A Number Change and a Firing

Just to give my 10 readers out there an idea of what's going on in the next couple of days here at the Corner. We will be doing this NBA article followed by NFL Picks for Week 9 and then a College Basketball preview at the beginning of the week plus a running diary of my Iowa trip (I promise this every time but seriously I'm spending three nights, the stories should be plentiful) . 

If I ever do things like "NBA Weekly" or something like that, more times than not I am too late to talk about it so I group it with something that is closely relevant.  Anyways, on to one of my favorites, LeBron James.

LeBron made a comment after beating the Miami Heat on Thursday night that he will switch his jersey next year to number six from number 23 because no one should wear Michael Jordan's number.  According to Bron, he was so influential to all of the players that are in the league today.  While I agree with LBJ that Michael Jordan inspired a ton of people playing today... he needs to read GD book about the NBA if he is asking for a full-on retirement.  Like others said on various outlets, Bill Russell and Dr. J should come before Jordan and Jackie Robinson number is retired because he paved the way for African-Americans into the MLB. 

Now on to the Byron Scott firing. People have said before the year started that he was on the hotseat to start the year off.  No one was shocked by the move and if you really think about New Orleans doesn't have anyone after Chris Paul and David West.  Nor will they have anyone because they have a cheap ass owner not willing to spend any money on the team.  Scott will coach somewhere next year because for whatever reason, he can get two to three good years out of the team then he loses them.  Also Hornets fan might as well start realizing Chris Paul might not be there in a couple years, despite that extension.

-Charlie.

Aww LeBron Doesnt Want to be Embarrassed

Alright LeBron lets see it. Cmon we need to see the tape of you getting dunked on by Xavier transfer Jordan Crawford who went to Indiana for a year dunked on LeBron James in a pickup game and lets just say Mr. James is too shy to show us all the tape of what had happened.

I mean he has good reason to look like a dog with his tail in between his legs due to the fact that the guy whose is one of the greatest athletes in professional sports got dunked on like his name was Shawn Bradley. Lets be honest here nobody is perfect in whatever sport you play, the best wide receiver still have got their fair share of huge hits across the middle and Cy Young pitchers get roughed up once in awhile. Although what makes basketball different, its the only sport that features pick-up games where things like this could happen.

All these media people say how good LeBron does with the media and rarely ever screws up although I think because he hasnt messed up enough, the media jumps his ass when stuff like this happens. The new cop-out that Nike has made is that Crawford was wearing Adidas which I find hard to believe when here shows that Xavier wore Nike for the tournament so what sense would that make? I think its going to be their excuse on why the tape cant be released if its never shown. He handled it the worst way possible and I have an idea for LBJ that would probably save face in this situation

Nike should say to Ryan Miller who was filming that they are buying the tape from him and then shooting a commercial with the footage. Build the hype around the dunk and say you (speaking to young kids) can dunk over LeBron too some day and to "Make your own Witnesses." How the hell doesnt that sell shoes, yeah it might be a bit embarrassing for LeBron at first but when its all said and done I truly believe that makes money for LBJ. I am sure this hasnt happen to LeBron but trust me whats going to happen when he falls down on defense in an NBA game or this occurs again in an NBA game? No one can take that tape away....

-Charlie.

Suck It Up LeBron

Well I think we can all agree that the NBA and Nike look like complete idiots for doing the Kobe-LeBron puppet commercials all throughout the playoffs right now with only one puppet being in the playoffs. But what all the media is talking about right now is LeBron James not talking to the media or not shaking hands with the Orlando Magic after the game.

I can understand that you hate losing and in your opinion, you are a "winner." But thats not something you do in any sport. You have to shake the hands of your opponent after the series defeat because there is going to be other series where you are on the other hand of it. You cant always win no matter if your dad was Jake Reily, the coach of the Hawks. They had Dwight Howard on SportsCenter and he said how surprised he was that LeBron didnt come up to say something to the team. LeBron doesnt want his reputation to become a guy who only cares about himself and could care less about the other players. As people said today, the NHL where guys beat the shit out of each other most night shake hands after every series.

Not only does LeBron not shake his hands, he just gives the big F-U by not addressing the media after the game. Look I understand that you just lose a series no one expected you to lose and that you are starting to head down the Dan Marino-Peyton Manning-Karl Malone road; that doesnt excuse you from not talking to the media. This also leaves all of his teammates out to dry to answer questions like "Whats LeBron thinking?" "Why isnt LeBron here."

What LeBron should really be mad at is the fact Mike Brown falls apart every playoffs. There is one thing that he cannot figure out it seems every critical series. He couldnt defeat the Magic and he couldnt figure how to handle his bench. I think that LeBron will ask for Brown's firing if the Cavs struggle at the beginning of the season. I strongly believe LeBron will not win a title with Brown at the helm.

The final thing that I would like to bring up is that I know James still has many years left for him to win an NBA Championship but I feel after this year's loss that we should take a few steps back to comparing him to Michael Jordan. MJ never lost a series when he was the one seed, never. He always went on to win the Finals. LeBron didnt do that this year and they lost in rather convincing fashion. See LeBron that was a winner and he didnt need to ever dodge the media.

-Charlie.

Missed a Good One Tonight.

I have to be honest with you all.... I missed the LeBron James buzzer-beater. I went to an outdoor event with some friends because when I left the house the game was in the 9-12 range and I had believed that Cleveland had the upper hand. I get a text from Mach saying "I have a man crush on Hedo Turkoglu." I figure something must have happened or its very close. I ask him the score and tells me "LeBron hit a game-winning three with a second left to win the game." My original thought is well I know what ESPN is talking about all day tomorrow and the second thought is I missed a great NBA playoff game.

Personally that hasnt happened alot to me this year as I really only missed the game 5 game between the Bulls-Celtics but other than that, I have caught every good game on the playoffs. But I mean can you blame me? It was Friday night and I had plans to go out around 930 so why waste another hour and half watching basketball? I really cannot be at fault here for missing LeBron buzzer beater which would have pissed me off but there are some things we should take away from it.

1. LeBron's team blew a twenty-three point lead. What happened to the world-beaters in rounds 1 and 2? Does it show that they havent played anyone yet and sort of a "paper tiger" team on the defense end. I think both of those things are true and maybe they havent took that next step like everyone thought they did already. If I am a Cleveland fan tonight, I personally am scared of what could happen in the next couple of games. This Cavalier team had shown the ability to blow teams out and had to the chance for this one to be over before the fourth. As I said a couple nights before, someone else needs to step up on this team for them to be successful not just pulling them out real late.

2. Orlando is the real deal. I think nobody can be surprised anymore if the Magic win the series. I hate Stan Van Gundy but he has done a great job so far in the first two games minus the big shot he allowed Bron to take tonight. In no possible way should you have let LBJ get a chance at a three, just surrender the two and go to OT, you had the momentum. I think I like Orlando's chances even more after the game.

3. Please dont over hype this sports media. Yes the game's best player hit the biggest shot of his life and the questions of being clutch were somewhat answered tonight although I still have a big problem letting a twenty-three point lead slip. This isnt even close to Larry Bird's steal or Jordan over Ehlo because both of those won the series for the team. Now if Cleveland goes on to win four straight games then I might be willing to say its in the top five and it propelled the Cavs the rest of the series. Until that happens, dont over hype wait and see what the outcome of the shot is.

-Charlie.

Brett Boyer Save This Article (the LBJ Lovefest)

Brett before I get going I would hope that you will save this article because I am going to give a ton of love for LeBron James for really the first time in my career as a blogger and overall. To give you a backdrop of why this all relevant, anyone including the single room's guys girlfriend we argue vehemently about whose better LeBron or Kobe? I have always been a dedicated Team Kobe guy but honestly, the torch is finally passed. LeBron is the better player.

There is no reason why LeBron James shouldnt win MVP this year. He led his team to a 39-2 record at home which is unbelievable and I really believe he feeds off the crowd reactions whether its his thunderdunks or a big three pointer. James has excelled in two places where I was always critical of him... 1. He can shoot the three with the best of them, no more LeBrick and 2. He is a great defender, he knows when to pick the pass off and can stop the dribble/drive better than most guys in the NBA right now.

The other thing that impressed me about LeBron season is he the fourth guy to lead his team in scoring, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks. Are you kidding me? Thats unreal for any player in the NBA and that is how you get talks about being the next "MJ"

Speaking of MJ, he does remind of Jordan in the sense he makes his team so much better. They have alot of guys on that team who are average players but because of LeBron they are two times the better player. Without LBJ, they are a 17 win team at best.

Here is the scary part, this is tough to write but... LeBron is growing on me. I absolutely love the charisma he brings night in and night out to the arena making everyone excited to see what he does next. In addition to that, LeBron looks like he is just playing at the local gym every night with a huge smile on his face. Thats something a few players have.

Will I be cheering for LeBron? Somewhat. I would love to see Kobe versus LeBron in the Finals but when it the chips are down, I am still apart of Team Kobe, just one of the realists.

-Charlie.

MSG Love Affair

Something is bothering me today.

That thing is how every one in the sports media is jumping all over the two performances by Kobe Bryant and Lebron James had in Madison Square Garden this week. Kobe had 61 points which is the high mark at the hollow MSG and then LBJ came two days later 55 points 11 rebounds 10 assists which was the first 50 point triple-double since 1975. Now the media is going nuts over these performances and according to ESPN "Sports Nation" said both of these performances were better than Willis Reed 1970 Game 7 and Reggie Miller eight point comeback with eight seconds left to win. That is insane.

For those who dont know the story of Reed, he was a star player for the Knicks in the 60s and 70s and in the NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers in 1970 he had a torn muscle in his thigh which kept him out of game 6. No one expected him to play in game 7 at MSG but he came out to start and scored the first two field goals. BUUUT Kobe and Lebron are better than that, get outta here.

I really should have E tell the story about Reggie Miller but since he isnt here so here we go... Miller score eight points in eight seconds to beat the New York Knicks in game one of the Divisional Playoffs in MSG. Just watch the video and you will see that no one since Miller has been able to do that in a game, playoffs or not. But according to ESPN, Lebron and Kobe are better, wow.

Even Michael Jordan's 55 point performance was more impressive than LBJ and Kobe because he did it against a quality team. I could drop 15 on the Knicks defense right now and I will not tell you had a better performance this week because they dont deserve anymore attention than they have already got.

-Charlie.

Lebron PR Disaster

Lebron doesnt screw up much but he did yesterday as he called Charles Barkley, "Stupid."

This stems from Barkley saying that Lebron was "disrespectful" for talking about all of the free agency issues when he was in New York at Tuesday. I thought it was insane that the media jumped all over the simple fact that Lebron's Cavalier team was playing in New York for a game. It wasnt a playoff game or a critical game, just one out of the 82 NBA games played in the season. Therefore it was James' fault for addressing the issue more so the media fault for bringing it up. I felt bad for James because its not like this summer he is a free agent, no its two years away from him being a free agent. Granted, I believe he is destined for New York, it shouldnt be discussed in the 2008-2009 season.

Now whether it was in the heat of the moment or just LBJ being pissed off about the whole situation, he shouldnt have called one of the most beloved NBA analyst stupid. LBJ should have just phrased it as, "Barkley needs to worry about his issues then mine" or "I am good friends with Sir Charles, and he should know I am not doing anything to disrespect the Cavs." Either a cold answer or a politically correct answer would have been perfect. Now any Inside the NBA interview becomes ten times more awkard.

-Charlie.