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Still the King?

By kroberts, Section NBA
Posted on Tue May 20 2008 at 8:14 AM EST
More on: Lebron James, Cavs, NBA, Celtics (all tags)

One off game. That's all it was, right? Yeah, sure. Until game two rolled around and Lebron's already suspect perimeter game was exposed for all the world to see.

Sure, he's the most exciting player in the NBA, that is, if you haven't already jumped on the Chris Paul bandwagon, but dear God, are we seriously going to overlook this?

Are we for real, in all our skeptical wisdom as fans and writers, going to look past a 19% shooting effort and 17 turnovers in two straight games? And not just any two games. We're talking two straight games in the second round of the playoffs. You know, the series that, if you were to win it, you're suddenly four wins away from the NBA Finals.

I mean, I hate to say it, but isn't this kind of all sorts of hilarious? Bare with me folks, but I'm going to go out on a limb here. Despite what Stephen A. Smith (the A stands for something other than his parents intended) and others want you to believe, Lebron "King" James, is in full choke mode.

(waits for laughter)

Of course I'm not serious. No, not completely. But once you take a good hard look at it, can you really say you didn't see this coming? Stephen A. Smith will sit in a chair in front of an ESPN camera the rest of this series beating to death the theory that Lebron has no help, and that there isn't much else the guy can do. He'll probably go into great detail about how all the other Cavalier players are great shooters, but super unathletic and not at all dynamic players in any way. Yadda-yadda-yadda, Lebron is awesome, his team sucks, and let's excuse a 4-0 sweep.

But will the public nod along and ignore Lebron's first two no shows?

I can agree with the great Celtic defense. I can even agree with the sub-par assistance from The King's teammates, and maybe even his coach. But the turnovers? The missed lay-ups? The lack of true dominance that has been shoveled into our heads all season long, and for the past few years, only to inexplicably disappear in games where it matters most?

Just a month ago we were reading articles about Lebron versus Kobe: who should be MVP? Now we know the final result, and we also know some more facts. First, Kobe is clearly a better play-maker, at least when the season is on the line. And not simply play-making, but getting his team involved, and more than anything, leading his team.

Lebron is doing exactly what he should not be doing. He's passing when he should be shooting, vice versa, and not using his athleticism where he should be. He needs to overpower his defender, dunk on him, and take him to the hole with every intention of dropping the big one on him and cementing him on a poster in Slam magazine that will forever hang on some Ohio born kid's wall.

What he should not be doing is regressing. He should not be making excuses or even playing so bad that it makes a supposedly respected analyst such as Smith sink to the depths of insinuating that this terrible play is okay.

The fact of the matter is that any other player in the world who takes 42 shots and makes 8 of them would either be benched or be kept on a short leash.

Enough with the excuses and the dramatic theories. The problem is not Wally Szczerbiak. The scapegoat can not and will not be Zydrunas Ilgauskas. The reason why the Cavaliers are failing to impress is because Lebron James is playing the worst basketball of his short career.

It's time we all accepted two things.

Lebron James is not Michael Jordan, and he never will be.