LeBron James doing it alone as usual

Image details: Cleveland Cavaliers v Boston Celtics, Game 1 served by picapp.com

Don’t the Cavaliers know they are only renting LeBron James, that his destiny is bigger than Cleveland?

The Cav’s are in round two of the playoffs dueling with the Boston Celtics and Kevin Garnett. No, make that Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce. See, that is the problem with Cleveland. It is still just LeBron James, the King.

There are those that say James should stay in Cleveland. He went to high school in Ohio. He is an Ohio boy. Never mind the market is so small.

The Cavaliers deserve to keep James home for the core of his prime. They’ve already landed him in one NBA Finals. They’ve already honored their commitment to competing for a title by making the in-season deal for Ben Wallace, Joe Smith, Wally Szczerbiak, and Delonte West, taking payroll and luxury tax hits along the way.

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Cleveland has only one chance to survive and that is to find star number 2. Kevin Garnett has two star number twos. Tim Duncan has Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker. Kobe Bryant has Pau Gasol. Dallas tried with Jason Kidd to Dirk Nowitzki. Phoenix tried with an aging Shaq to Steve Nash.

Wally, Joe, and Big Ben Wallace do not qualify as the number 2 that LeBron needs. There are no Scotty Pippens to LeBron’s Michael Jordan in that group.

Cleveland needs to find this number two star before 2010, the LeBron free agent date, the sooner the better or LeBron is out of here.

Where will he go? To a bigger market, most likely New York, most likely the Knicks.

In fact, Donnie Walsh wouldn’t have accepted the presidency of the Knicks if he didn’t think it was feasible that the team could get far enough under the salary cap to wine and sign James.

The Nets are also expected to join the bidding, as minority owner Jay-Z is a close friend of LeBron’s who has made no secret of his desire to see James someday pack the new arena the Nets are supposed to be putting up in Brooklyn.

New Jersey may struggle to get LeBron, because it is not the storied franchise that the Knicks have been.

And we know that LeBron loves Madison Square Garden.

James wants to go in as a Yankee, which is precisely why he wore the team’s cap — much to Cleveland’s dismay — during last year’s Division Series. He has big-city dreams, LeBron does. The lifelong Yankees fan is also a lifelong Madison Square Garden fan. Back in March, after managing 50 points, 10 assists, and 8 rebounds on the Knicks’ home floor, James beamed as he said the following:

“This ranks really high, just because of the point of where it happened, the mecca of basketball. I’ve dreamed about playing well in this building. To get a standing ovation in the greatest basketball arena in the world is a dream come true for me. It’s one of the best things that’s ever happened to me.”

Better get busy Cleveland. LeBron appears to just be a loaner right now.

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The Pistons just could not take care of business. They missed shot after shot. It got ugly.

Philadelphia was behind by 15 points in the 3rd quarter and rallied back. With 4 minutes in the 4th quarter, Pistons fans got the sense that the 76ers were going to win. That is an unfamiliar feeling.

Usually at that time of the game it is all Pistons as they choreograph one easy bucket after another and put the stops on opposing team’s offense, but not tonight as an inspired Philadelphia led by Andre Miller kept charging towards victory.

The 76ers usually sent 3 and sometimes 4 to the glass on Piston misses of wide open shots. Those rebounds resulted in running opportunities at the other end and the 76ers made them pay.

Rip Hamilton missed his shots off the curl plays. Rasheed Wallace missed a couple of inside bunnies, one a turn around that left him wide open and one on a beautiful inside drop step that left him with a layup. Tayshaun Prince was brought in the rescue them and missed two wide open mid-range jump shots. It got ugly.

Maybe the worst stretch was when Chauncey Billups missed 3 free throws in a row and tried to squeeze in a layup in a crowd and missed. This happened while 50% free throw shooter Reggie Evans buried two free throws and made a turnaround jumper from the top of the key. Ouch. Oh my, it got ugly.

Maybe even worse was wasting a monster effort by Rasheed Wallace.

Wallace had 24 points, nine rebounds and matched a franchise playoff record with seven blocks.
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The Pistons were leading by 7 going into the fourth quarter, and as usual were plagued by inconsistent offense.

The Pistons, notorious for their inconsistent effort, proved the cushion wasn’t large enough.

“That’s Detroit,” Iguodala said. “They turn it on and turn it off.

“We just kept fighting the whole way.”

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There were concerns that Coach Flip Saunders would shorten the bench during the playoffs and the same old tired Pistons that lost to LeBron and the Cavaliers last year would be stuck on the floor too much.

The guard play needs to improve. (Hamilton missed 12 of 17 shots.) The celebrated “new” bench was little more than Maxiell. Wallace said he’ll “take this one on the chin,” but he’s the last guy who should feel responsible. He played hard from the opening tip.
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Well, Flip did keep the bench on the bench during the important moments and hopefully he will think twice before doing that again.

NBA Basketball special comment Before Piston fans start complaining, keep in mind this is a seven game series and it will be hard for Philadelphia to repeat what it did here tonight. They buried a lot of shots, while Detroit missed quite a few easy ones.

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There is a grass roots effort to get a Wilt Chamberlain stamp.

Gee, would that be the 100 cent stamp? After all, it is the 100 point game that they want to depict.

Anyway, the effort is on and you can join.

The cause was started by sports writer Donald Hunt of The Philadelphia Tribune, a 123-year-old newspaper that primarily targets the black community. Hunt, who recalled as a child watching in person Chamberlain play for the 76ers against Oscar Robertson and the Cincinnati Royals, believes “The Big Dipper” has the credentials to join Jackie Robinson, Babe Ruth, Joe Louis and Jesse Owens among the sports legends with their own stamps.

“People should remember the great ones,” Hunt wrote for a Feb. 15 story. “They don’t come any bigger or better than Wilt Chamberlain.”

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Until you have seen Wilt play it is just hard to imagine. Right now, if Kobe or LeBron get 50 points it is the major story of the day. Wilt averaged 50 points for a season; an entire season!

So, how do you help the cause?

The best way for Chamberlain, who died in 1999, to earn a sticky square is for supporters to write letters to the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee. The committee reviews proposals four times a year and passes their recommendations on to the postmaster general. The earliest Chamberlain could appear on a stamp is 2010, said Roy Betts, a U.S. postal service spokesman.

Need some convincing? Check out this YouTube of Wilt “the Stilt” Chamberlain.

NBA Basketball comment Wilt tended to be larger than life in so many ways.

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LeBron James career scoring leader for the Cav’s at the tender age of 23

LeBron did it in 168 less games than Brad Daugherty.

LeBron James now has 10,414 points.

Oh, and his team won, too.

Cleveland 90 Toronto 83

Coach Mike Brown pointed out LeBron is only 23.

The sellout crowd at Quicken Loans Arena immediately rose to give James a thundering ovation and when Brown called a timeout, the All-Star forward first walked to the bench to receive high-fives and hugs from his teammates.

Then, he walked to the center of the court to acknowledge Cleveland’s fans, who serenaded him with “MVP” chants throughout the evening.

“These fans have watched me go from zero points to 10,000” he said. “They’ve seen me go from a young man to a man now. It’s one of the best experiences I’ve had. To be the all-time leader is something that I never dreamed of. But now that it’s here, it’s an unbelievable feeling.” source

Perhaps Joe Smith said it best.

“It took me 13 years to get 10,000 points,” Cavs forward Joe Smith said. “It goes to show what kind of talent he is. I know he has at least 30,000 more in him.”

Long live the King, LeBron James.

NBA Basketball Fan Question Will LeBron someday get to 30,000 points?

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Raise your hand if you think LeBron James will be the next Cavalier to shoot

For Cleveland it was a test drive of sorts of just how will the new players work out in the playoffs.

For Detroit it was game 68 of the regular season. Not a time to get worked up about anything.

Cleveland tried LeBron James on Chauncey Billups. They tried Ben Wallace on Rasheed Wallace.

The Pistons just watched and played. They did not even double LeBron.

The Pistons kept their poker faces.

“They look very similar, and that’s not a bad thing,” point guard Chauncey Billups said. “I don’t see too much difference.”

For one thing, problems No. 1, 2 and 3 haven’t changed — LeBron James, LeBron James and LeBron James, who scored 30 Wednesday.

“The big horse,” shooting guard Richard Hamilton said, “is still LeBron.” source

Did the Pistons learn anything?

“We pretty much want to feel out and see how they play with their new guys,” Billups said of the Cavaliers. “Obviously, you still want to come out with the win. But you learn some things about how they like to play with the new guys and what the new guys can do.”

Hmm, they are not speaking.

NBA Basketball Fan Question Were you excited or panicked over the Piston’s loss to Cleveland?

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LeBron James can do all the shooting. He needs defense from his teammates.

Detroit and Boston are on top in the East.

Even though Cleveland went to the finals by getting past the Pistons, this is a whole new Cleveland team, although still led by LeBron James.

Cleveland wants bad to beat Detroit.

Cleveland Cavaliers 89 Detroit Pistons 73

A newcomer to one of the NBA’s fiercest rivalries, Wally Szczerbiak didn’t need long to understand Cleveland’s hatred.

“All my buddies, all the fans, everybody, all they want to do is beat Detroit,” he said. source

The new guys can play some defense and that made the difference.

“We’re still in search mode,” Brown said. “We’re using these games to win and to get better. Against Orlando [on Monday night], we played [good defense] for 24 minutes. Wednesday night, we played the right way for 48 minutes and that made the difference.”

In resounding fashion.

The night after the Detroit Pistons shot lights out, the Cavs shut their Eastern Conference rival’s offensive lights off in an 89-73 victory at The Q. source

NBA Basketball Big Ben Wallace Quote of the Week – Talking to Ben Wallace before the game, a radio reporter asked him if the key to dealing with the Pistons is handling “Rasheed Wallace’s BS.”

“What is the BS?” Ben Wallace said. “Big shots?” source

So, nobody is confusing one game with getting your defensive stuff together and maintaining dominance over the Pistons, but it sure feels good.

LeBron and the new boys are headed in the right direction.

NBA Basketball Fan Question Can LeBron lead them back to the NBA Finals?

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Kobe Bryant gets Pau Gasol

Which teams benefited the most from the recent signing frenzy?

10. Kidd to Mavericks – This trade fell through, would still have been a great move for the Mavs.

9. Kidd to Mavericks – This trade worked after about a week, is taking longer than that for it to work for the Mavs. Dirk Nowitzki gets the ball in the right place.

8. Bibby to Hawks – Young team needed a scoring leader. Bibby is that man.

7. Ratliff to Pistons – Pistons needed defensive help in the post. Ratliff already pays dividends in Sheed’s absence.

6. Cassell to Celtics – Celtics worry about Rondo. Cassell will get some of his minutes.

5. Thomas to Spurs – Duncan gets some more power underneath.

4. Wallace to Cavs – LeBron gets some defensive help in the post.

3. Korver to Jazz – The Jazz get instant outside shooting off the bench.

2. Shaq to Suns – The Suns get half court defense for the playoffs. Nash assists can now go with Shaq rebounds.

1. Gasol to Lakers – The Lakers will have tallest front line when Bynum returns. Kobe has a second scoring punch.

NBA Basketball Fan Question Did your team make a deal?

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Ok, don’t take this the wrong way, but that was an easy 50 points if there ever was one.

LeBron James is awesome. There is no question of that and he is the front runner with Kobe Bryant for MVP of the National Basketball Association.

But come on. The Knicks?

Happened to catch the Sports Center Highlights of the 50 point barrage.

What was that the Knicks were playing? You could not call it defense. One gets the feeling that LeBron could have scored all the points if he wanted to. It looked that easy.

The Knicks are so bad that rumors began that James is coming to New York to play for the Knicks, rather than worry about how sad their team is now.

“Because how bad New York [teams are] and they’re looking for a guy who can help change things around and because how close I am to Jay-Z [part owner of the Nets], there are questions about that every day,” James said.

James said the rumors will continue until — and after — he becomes a free agent. source

Just how does Isiah Thomas keep his job?

How does David Stern keep his lunch down watching one of his biggest markets stink up the joint night after night?

Anyway, not to denigrate James, but maybe he felt sorry for New York and that is why he did not get 60!

NBA Basketball Fan Question Will LeBron win the MVP over Kobe Bryant?

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Cleveland beat the Memphis Grizzlies.

108 – 89.

And all the new guys played and played well.

LeBron thinks it will work out just fine.

Coach Mike Brown cautions them to take it one game at a time.

Still, even though it was only the Grizzlies, it was a victory and everyone was excited from the beginning.

“It brought some energy to the building,” Brown said. “It was energy from the fans because of the new players.”

Ben Wallace, who started at power forward, scored 12 points, tying his season high, and had 10 rebounds, while Delonte West, the starter at point guard, scored five points with six assists.

The other two players picked up in the deal, forward Joe Smith and guard Wally Szczerbiak, came off the bench late in the first quarter. Smith scored 14 points while Szczerbiak had 10. source

For Big Ben it was especially pleasing to have the crowd at his back like in the old days with the Detroit Pistons.

Wallace, the target of criticism by Bulls fans, enjoyed his new home.

“The crowd was great,” he said. “I didn’t get booed. That’s new for me.”

James was pleased with Wallace’s contributions.

“He showed it tonight, his ability to get up and rebound and his ability to throw down dunks,” James said. “And he made free throws, too.”

It didn’t take long for the newcomers to make an impact. Wallace brought the crowd to its feet with a dunk less than 2 minutes into the game and West hit a 3 midway through the period.

There were even T-shirts.

His arrival even was celebrated at the souvenir stands, where T-shirts proclaiming ”BIG BEN A CAVALIER” were on sale. source

Well, it was only one game and Coach Mike Brown is probably right about taking it one game at a time, but LeBron is happy and that means a lot!

NBA Basketball Fan Question Will Big Ben make the Cavalier difference?

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How can this be?

It is a reach even for 7′ 6″ Yao Ming to win 11 in a row.

Tracy McGrady playing consistently good?

Houston even trades two players away, do not suit up the guy they get and still keep winning!

How can this be?

Well, admittedly, most of the teams they beat were pretty bad teams, but they did just knock off Chris Paul and the Hornets (sounds like a 60’s rock group) and there were a couple of close scrapes with the Cleveland PreWallace LeBrons led by Cavalier LeBron James, which the Rockets managed to pull out.

Still… They are winning!

And get this, they have not lost in February and finish the month with games against the Big Ben-less Bulls, the Wizards minus Agent Zero, and the Pau-less Grizzlies (get it, paw-less Grizzlies, ok, bad joke).

Sounds like 3 more wins and an undefeated month to me.

Side Note: Your intrepid author was pretty harsh on Houston a while back and is currently flogging himself.

It seems the Rockets are worthy.

When both Yao and T-Mac are on, they are pretty hard to beat. In fact, they will kill you from inside and out.

But there is a new element developing and we will have to see if it stays when they play the better clubs.

The Rockets have held eight of their last nine opponents under 90 points. source

Coach Rick Adelman is trying to get this team to take small steps towards being a top team. Right now they are in a dog fight to just make the playoffs.

“I told the team, ‘You put yourself in position to make a move,’ ” coach Rick Adelman said. “It’s our season to make what we want to make of it. Are we going to take advantage of what we’ve done to get to this point? We’ve gotten back into the whole thing. Or are we going to go up and down?” source

Hard to complain right now. Winning can breed a certain level of confidence that will improve your play once the big boys come into town.

Learning to defend your home court is almost essential.

These are the lessons the Rockets learn as they feed off of Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming.

NBA Basketball Fan Question Do the Rockets make the playoffs?

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