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Word.
http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/9...able-to-beatenHere are the answers:
There was a not-so-hidden warning in their league-leading record. Included in their 66 wins were just three against the Lakers, the Celtics, and the Magic (compared to six losses). A dismal sign that they weren't quite as good as their numbers indicated.
Clearly, the Cavs believed all of the hype that surrounded them throughout the regular season. As a result, they became unbearably arrogant — as demonstrated by their unseemly bench celebrations over dunks, shot blocks, and blowouts. While the media praised these antics as proof of the team's "togetherness," the players were actually showing their disdain for their opponents and proving that they didn't really understand what a difficult and serious task laid ahead of them.
LeBron's swaggering and continual self-promotion was the most egregious of these haughty antics. It's only fitting that the prestidigitations of the Magic made LeBron disappear in the same cloud of chalk dust that he ostentatiously employed to announce his imperial presence before each game.
Throughout the season, the media Muppets were also claiming that, at long last, LeBron was surrounded by worthy teammates. In truth, Orlando exposed Mo Williams as being defenseless, shot-happy, and short-armed whenever a game was up for grabs. He's always been a shooting guard in a point guard's body. And he wasn't the only issue.
Zydrunas Ilgauskas couldn't guard his own lunch, was no longer a consistent threat in the low post, and had devolved into being a modern-day equivalent of Mel Counts. Anderson Varejao was both foul- and flop-prone, and consistently tried to do things that he was incapable of doing — like hitting jump shots. Ben Wallace was old and in the way. Wally Szczerbiak was a jump-shooting statue. Daniel Gibson and Sasha Pavlovic were 3-point specialists who could little else.
Only Delonte West had the toughness, the offensive versatility, and the defensive chops to enhance LBJ's game.
And what about LeBron Himself?
His jumper is still incredibly erratic, especially when he pulls up going left and has to move the ball across his body to load his shot. This movement creates an often-costly lack of balance in his legs and leads to more bad misses than makes.
He still has difficulty stopping-and-popping with accuracy off a hard dribble.
He's a much better finisher when he approaches the hoop with his right hand — perhaps one of the best ever. And he's particularly deadly when he can execute one of his quick/tight/powerful spins as he attacks the basket. Push him left and load up the defensive help so that he can't spin and LeBron becomes a good, but not a great, finisher.
Too often he tries to force his dribble through an impenetrable crowd.
Too often he still massages the ball before he finally makes a move.
His chase-down blocks have given onlookers the impression that he's become an outstanding defender. Actually, his defense has indeed showed a significant improvement — in Game 6, the one time that he was caught in a switch on to Dwight Howard, LBJ forced the bigger man to take (and miss) a fadeaway hook shot. Still, jet-set opponents can still leave LeBron in the dust, and against all-comers he often wanders too far away from his man in pursuit of steals and blocks.
Finally, his incredible lack of grace after the loss signifies an ego of such humongous proportions as to enable him to deny any personal responsibility for the Cavs ultimate failure.
I like the new narrative even if it's from the re sports media I despise
<-- The only crown Queen Jamesina deserves to wear is one from a fast food restaurant.
Word.
Lebron better go out this summer and practice that jumper of his
good read
You left out some good parts:
What do the Cavs need, then, to take the next step?
More beef in the frontcourt.
A better defensive big man.
Investigate the possibility of trading Ilgauskas.
A true pass-first point guard.
Employing Williams in his natural role — a scorer off the bench.
Submitting to a team-wide workshop on the joys of humility.
LeBron abdicating his papier-mache throne and becoming an unpretentious pilgrim like the rest of us.
Finally, LeBron has to make up his mind whether or not he'll commit the rest of his career to the Cavs. If so, then the quest will continue.
If not, then now's the time for the Cavs to trade LBJ for as many young, talented players as the market will yield.
Wow great article!
Well its not his fault espn and all the media were calling him King James by the age of 17.
They didn't put that tattoo on his back. The media didn't make him walk out after that loss. If he wants to be the King, then he can't just be the King when he's taking credit for the wins...
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