Blog Posts For Tag: Lebron James

After watching LeBron James play point forward with ridiculous ease in the Cleveland Cavs 102-86 victory over the Miami Heat on February 4th I came away with one thought: we have to save Dwayne Wade.

Without much ado or an awkward introductory paragraph let’s get to the meat of this blog entry: the first-quarter awards of the 2009-10 NBA season.

I like everyone else was excited by the possibility of watching the Los Angeles Lakers and the Cleveland Cavaliers play in the NBA Finals. I relished the thought of watching LeBron James and Kobe Bryant do battle, I wanted to believe that this would be the passing of the torch from one MVP to another, and I wanted to see two players who were unstoppable defile the other team at will as the competitive stakes were raised. That reality is no more, the series will remain a hypothetical one, but I have just glimpsed into the future and seen something far more interesting, the transformation of the gentle giant into the beast whose hunger will devour all in his path.

Not much happened this time around at the trade deadline as the league has moved on from the Boston Celtics title run in 2008 and has moved onto the practice of making trades in the hopes of acquiring expiring contracts and not talent.

Holy Freakin’ Basketball Jebus!!! LeBron James went for 52 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds on Wednesday night in a 107-102 win for the Cleveland Cavaliers over the New York Knicks. He had the most points in a triple double since the days when men’s athletic shorts ended just below the balls and when the circus act known as the ABA merged with the NBA. He proved again that he might be the greatest single force in the league and possibly professional basketball history.

They have not chosen the reserves yet and the Eastern Conference has no coach, but the starters have been chosen and speculation over the NBA All Star Game on February 15, 2009 has already begun.

I will never be a professional basketball player. The market for six-foot white guys with a broken jump shot with absolutely no rotation on the ball, barely enough hops to touch the rim, and the lateral quickness of school bus in reverse is simply not there. It is also increasingly looking like my window to become a basketball writer for ESPN is quickly closing, thanks to my aforementioned non-existent basketball career and my complete lack of press credentials. My bitter broken dream be damned, I am still going to dole out my midseason NBA awards.

Basketball is a young mans game. Sure every gym has its share of gym rats in their 40s that can come out and play solid ball, slowing the game down and offering sage advice that nobody really cares about, but when it comes down to it, the game is meant for those guys that love to run out on the fast break after every rebound. The NBA is the same way. Players like Tim Duncan and Kobe Bryant are among the most respected in the league, but it is the youth that drives this league. So the question is, who are the five best players under 30?

One of the running jokes in the NBA is the idea of traveling. Traveling exists in Europe, but is a rare creature here in the states. The NBA is hoping that the fans truly believe that its players are so tall, athletic, and flexible that it is possible to take a dribble from the three point line, two steps, and end up at the rim in the air.