Reply With Quote
He had that "look" last year, IMO.
Mavs/Cavs will be an epic Finals though
Like legends before him, LeBron sporting 'The Look'
David Aldridge
NBA.com
He has The Look.
It is the look that Larry Bird had in 1983, and Magic Johnson had in 1985, and Isiah Thomas had in 1988, and that Michael Jordan had in 1990, and that Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant had in 2002, and that Tim Duncan had in 2007.
It is the look of imperviousness, of arrogance, of inevitability. It is the look that states, silently, that whatever has come before no longer matters, and what is yet to come isn't a challenge. It is the look of now, that a championship is coming, and maybe several before the run is done, and there is nothing that anyone, or any team, can do about it.
LeBron has The Look.
It is a look born from heartbreaking, searing playoff losses, forming callouses to cover the pain -- the pain of losing in the Finals in 2007, when James was precocious as a teenager -- he damn near still was a teenager -- but his Cavaliers really weren't ready for Prime Time, their halfcourt offense strangled slowly on national TV by the veteran Spurs; the pain of losing Game 7 of the conference semifinals in Boston two years ago, when the Celtics had the Look and Paul Pierce had the game of his life, and the pain of losing Game 6 of the conference finals in Orlando a year ago, when James walked off the court as the Magic celebrated their conference le.
It is the way of the NBA, the crucible, where almost every championship team in the last three decades had to pay its dues, show its mettle, prove that it was worthy. The Cavaliers have paid, and shown, and proven.
"We have the look of a champion," James allowed after Game 1 Saturday. "We have a couple of guys that have rings on this team. Shaq has four, and Leon (Powe) has one. We have a couple of coaches that's been (to the Finals) and has won NBA championships. We're looking forward to the challenge. This is why we're here and this is what we've prepared for."
But Dwight Howard has The Look, too, and that's why, for all the talk about how hard the Western Conference is -- and it is -- the East's playoffs figure to be a anic struggle of wills, James' and Howard's, the second act in a play that may run for years and years and years, like the Fantasticks. Each has been to a Finals, and knows now what it takes to make another one. Unless you have James or Howard, you're looking up, with James 25 and Howard 24. (As one executive pointed out this weekend, even if Dwyane Wade stays in Miami this summer, and the Heat adds another piece to play with him, it still won't have a player capable of guarding Howard.)
Having The Look does not always mean your team is going to win the championship. The Cavaliers of a generation ago, of Mark Price and Brad Daugherty and Larry Nance, had it. Karl Malone had it in his MVP season in 1997. But Michael Jordan patented The Look in that generation of players, and his Look trumped their Looks. (I still, to this day, regret there wasn't a Game 7 in Salt Lake City in the 1998 Finals, just to see what would have happened. Jordan never played in a Game 7 of the Finals. He deserved a Game 7. So did that Utah team.) But it does mean that the team with the best chance of beating you is your own.
O'Neal has deferred to James all season, let him do most of the talking to the team. But in the last month, even though he hasn't been playing, teammates have noticed a difference in his demeanor and focus.
"Big Fella is a beast down there," Powe said, "and always talking to everybody about the playoff basketball experience, what he had and how he got it done, and how his team got it done. And he said he seen the same thing in us."
Shaq has had his time as the Man -- "my track record has stated that I've run a lot of Fortune 500 companies," he said Sunday. "Laker Corporation, Miami Corporation. Took the Orlando Corporation where it's never been" -- and with his background, O'Neal appreciates how close the Cavaliers are this season. He came to Cleveland as the last best hope to solidify the Cavs, make them le-worthy. He knows the stakes; win, and James is much more likely to stay. Lose, and all bets are off. That's why Shaq was working out at 11 at night on his own at the end of the regular season, after working out at the team's facility during the day, and why he hasn't had a cheeseburger in seven weeks.
"This run, there's no room for mistakes," O'Neal said. "And I'll be damned if I'm going to be the mistake."
The last decade has been building to this moment, from the years when James dominated at St. Vincent-St. Mary's, to when the Cavs, to put it charitably, tanked a season to make sure they got James with the first pick in 2003, to the years with Carlos Boozer and Ricky Davis and Larry Hughes, Donyell Marshall and Drew Gooden and Sasha Pavlovic. Though many have come to town to try, it may be impossible to accurately state how important James is to the collective psyche of the city.
"I went to watch him in high school," O'Neal said. "Ron Harper, we came to play the Cavs, and he said, 'Why don't you come see this kid?' Went to watch him in high school. He was sort of like me in high school. If he wanted to, he could have scored 60, 70 points. But what I liked about the kid is, he had a little guy over in the corner. Not going to go to college. Never going to go to the pros. LeBron crossed his man up and he could have thrown it down and gotten the crowd in the game. But what did he do? He kicked it to his dude for the three. And that's why his team won the state championship."
Mike Brown often states, as his mentor Gregg Popovich states about Tim Duncan, that James allows him to coach him. The two are now hand in glove. When Brown wanted to use the first part of the season to experiment with different lineups, to see who could and couldn't play with one another, James was on board, even if it meant a few losses that could have cost Cleveland home-court advantage. But it helped. Now the Cavaliers know they can play O'Neal and Zydrunas Ilgauskas together against the Lakers, or against Boston, because it worked in the regular season.
"There was a concern (about home court)," James said. "As a compe or, of course. But when you've been in this league for a long time, and you understand what this league is all about, you understand situations like that. Team chemistry, to try and find that as quickly as possible, is more important than wins and losses, and that's what we were trying to find at the beginning."
Today, it's closer to the end. So many moving parts, all leading to this moment, when LeBron flashes the Look and a whole state holds its breath. Eight weeks. Sixteen wins.
"It's game time now," James said. "Right now's the time."
He had that "look" last year, IMO.
Mavs/Cavs will be an epic Finals though
They should omit Kobe from the legends, imo. Legends tend to lead their teams to multiple les. Kobe's good, but more in the Wade, Garnett, and Rick Barry class.
That said, Lebron will definitely be a legend and rightfully belong alongside Bird, Magic, Shaq, Duncan, Hakeem, and the GOAT.
OMG! Talk about exaggeration! "The Look", is that the best the media comes up with?
Duncan had the look of inevitability in 2007???? When no one picked them to win the championship?
OMG! Talk about exaggeration! "The Look", is that the best the media comes up with?
Duncan had the look of inevitability in 2007???? When no one picked them to win the championship?
You can say that again.
this article needs to be deleted from the internet
This is a new level of knob gobblin the media has for Lebron
hindsight is 20/20
Bingo. This.
lol what a e article. when was duncan arrogant in 2002? lebron will go down with barkley and malone. probably not even malone. no rings.
By a this a time Media in a MJ career had a pitch fork and tar and a feathers. James, him a lucky, Media in a bed with a Stern now, sellin' a NBA a widgets and a wampum.
Nada and a hey.
Aldridge sucking up to Lebron. No surprise there.
Every team will have "The Look" until they no longer have it and have to go fishing. Stop kissing ass Aldridge
I don't know about 'the look,' but I think Duncan gave us a quick glance tonight.
sons the media just makes up stupid ass bull like this. its all part of the script
I expect more from Aldridge. This POS read like a Hoopsworld article.
1-2-3-4
Walking like a man, hitting like a hammer
He's a juvenile Cav, never was a quitter
Tasty like a raindrop, he's got the look
Heavenly bound cos heaven's got a number
When he's spinning around the hoop, kissing is a colour
His loving is a wild dog, he's got the look
He's got the look (he's got the look)
He's got the look (he's got the look)
What in the world can make a brown-eyed girl turn blue
When everything I'll ever do I'll do for you
And I go la la la la la
He's got the look
Fire in the ice, naked to the T-bone
Is a lover's disguise, banging on the back rim
Shaking like a mad bull, he's got the look
Swaying to the band, moving like a hammer
He's a miracle man, loving is the ocean
Kissing is the wet sand, he's got the look
He's got the look (he's got the look)
He's got the look (he's got the look)
What in the world can make a brown-eyed girl turn blue
When everything I'll ever do I'll do for you
And I go la la la la la
He's got the look
Walking like a man, hitting like a hammer
He's a juvenile Cav, never was a quitter
Tasty like a raindrop, he's got the look
And he goes....
Na na na na na......
He's got the look
I'm glad I'm not the only one who immediately thought of that song when I saw the thread le.
if he does make it to the finals, i want him to be swept again...
Can you people ing stop with all this madness?
You need to WIN something first Lebron before you can open your ignorant uneducated mouth.
Lebron is the Ladainian Tomlinson of the NBA.
Is this the "Look" they're talking about?
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
