This is it for all the marbles, the opener for Boston and Cleveland and a matchup that may well decide the Eastern Conference Championship. Not that this particular game will settle anything except, the losing team will not go undefeated. Still the NBA, in its usual sharp marketing way, decided to match the two super powers up right away.

Many NBA fans do not even pay attention until the NFL has reached playoff time in January making it difficult if not impossible to pull in a full contingent of fans this soon in the season, let alone to get those same fans to even care to any degree.

LeBron is on a roll with 4 minutes to go he already has 31 points. Shaq is checking in with 10 points and 7 boards, but it is not enough as the 3 amigos are all in double figures for scoring and Boston leads 83 – 79.

The key for Boston this year may well be the play of rabbit fast Rajon Rondo and how well he can direct the team and still provide scoring when any of the big 3 has an off night.

Rajon Rondo is one of the Celtic keys

The key to Cleveland winning may well be how well Shaq meshes into the offensive schemes of Cleveland and whether he can draw double teams to take any pressure off of LeBron.

Two minutes left Boston 87 – 82.

The game is being played in Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, although lately they have not been making a lot of loans.

Final 95 – 89

LeBron 38 points 8 assists 4 rebounds. Shaq 10 and 10. Pierce 23 and 11. Rondo 16 points.
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Hey, how about LeBron James and Braylon Edwards? LeBron claims that Braylon hit a friend of his that weighed about 130 pounds.

Edwards punched entertainment promoter Edward Givens about 2:30 a.m. outside the View Ultralounge & Nightclub on Prospect Avenue, witnesses said.

James learned about the incident at 7 a.m. and later criticized Edwards’ actions. The Cavs superstar called Givens his friend and said it is unfortunate the incident occurred.

“I’ve never crossed paths with Braylon before but it seems like there is a little jealously going on with Braylon and me and my friends,” James said. “I have no idea why. I’ve never said anything to Braylon at all. For him to do that I think is very childish. My friend is 130 pounds. Seriously, it is like hitting one of my kids or something like that. It doesn’t make sense, but the right people will take care of it.”
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LeBron and Shaq

Will they become one of the all time sports duos? Shaq, unfortunately, is getting up in years, so he won’t present the vintage Shaq of the Shaq and Kobe days.

Part of me wants to dismiss the whole Shaq with LeBron leads to a NBA title thing, because Shaq is old or Shaq will plug the middle or Shaq will this or that, but the other part of me has to wonder about how close Shaq has come to winning it all without any players around him at all.

The Celtics have a super team this year and will be hard to get past, unless Kevin Garnett gets hurt again. The Lakers or Spurs will be waiting in the finals and both teams have the size to compete with Shaq, especially and old Shaq.

Check out this video of Shaq and LeBron clowning around.

Have you heard about the corn maze with a LeBron dunking carved out of the field?

The farming powers that be in Milford Center, Ohio, at the LIttle Darby Creek farm in the middle of the state, about 30 minutes from Columbus, have outdone themselves with their depiction of James dunking a basketball. It’s all in the cutting edges of a cornfield on a family’s 125-acre farm.
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Where is my corn maze carving?

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In case you have been living in a cave all week, the richest man in Russia just dumped 700 million dollars into the New Jersey Nets. His name is Mikhail Prokhorov and he stands at the same eye level as LeBron James only he is much much richer.

For those of you that root for LeBron to stay in Cleveland, it is time to wake up and smell the money. This guy likes to party and thinks nothing of jetting all over the world to have a good time and surrounds himself with beautiful women.

There are now 9.5 billion reasons for LeBron to consider playing for the New Jersey Nets and they are all good ones. This guy likes to win and is not afraid to spend tons of dough to get it done. In Russia, he always hired the best coach and had the highest payroll, sometimes even competing in size with NBA teams.

LeBron James may soon be jetting all over the world

Will LeBron consider playing for him? All you have to do is meet him and see the charisma he shows to realize he knows what he is doing.

Whatever happens, Prokhorov won’t be running the Nets like Mavericks owner Mark Cuban. Prokhorov likes to hang with the players, but not so much in the locker room and huddles. He likes it in a social way, and so do they. It’s like running with James Bond, jets on a moment’s notice to the most exotic locations in the world. That’s how he lives, and that’s how they’ll roll. He can offer a superstar lifestyle that few would dare try in the public eye.

The fact there are whispers about him would give him street cred with a lot of players. Mostly, players see owners as dopes to be stroked, but invading Brooklyn with the Russian boss and a stocked, bloated payroll could be a blast.
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The whole deal seems like a slap in the face to other owners, but the amount of money is so great that the league will put up with it and other owners will now start their search for rich foreign basketball owners.

Oh, and when the team moves to Brooklyn, what do we call them? The Brooklyn Nets?

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It is 10 o’clock at night and Delonte West is speeding down the Interstate near his home in the off season near Brandywine, Maryland. Nothing unusual about that. Delonte is riding his 3 wheel 2009 Can-am Motorcycle. If not for one other little detail, it would be business as usual.

Delonte West is carrying a 9mm Beretta in his waistband, a .357 Ruger is strapped to his leg, and a shotgun is stored in a guitar case slung over his shoulder. In essence, he is loaded for Bear.

All of the sudden there are Police lights and Delonte West is being pulled over.

He has been charged with two counts of gun possession and several traffic citations, although those charges could be amended, Copeland said. According to Maryland criminal law, having an unlicensed handgun can carry a fine of $2,500 and/or up to three years in prison.
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Just what was Delonte doing with all the guns? Was he going to kill himself? Was he going to kill someone else? Was he just coming home from a really impressive gun show?

For Delonte West things are a little off kilter

Now here is the scary part. Delonte West suffers from Bipolar disorder. He has to take medication to help control moodiness and depression. This is not some angry young man carrying around guns. This is a man torn to pieces on a regular basis by his own mind. He hurts. What were the guns for? Delonte may tell us and he may have to tell us to avoid imprisonment, but you can almost be sure it is tied to his disorder.

Just a guess on my part, but maybe we should be praying for Delonte for some relief from his circumstances and not be upset because one of the Cavaliers was caught with guns.

Image: Zuma Press

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In our earlier post the discussion was about who would win the West and it was the obvious choice, the Lakers and Kobe Bryant. Now it is time to speak about the East.

So, who did ESPN vote to win the East?

In a surprise vote, but maybe not a huge surprise, the ESPN voters went with Cleveland. They felt the Shaqland LeBrons would win the East, because they looked so good last year and then they added Shaq. It will not be that easy. There are already a lot of ingredients to mix into this soup.

Looming over it all will be the question LeBron James won’t answer: What will he do when he can become a free agent in 2010? His freedom to walk next year has raised the stakes in Cleveland to a level seldom seen in the NBA, and could contribute to tensions along the way unless LeBron, Shaq and the Cavs can successfully merge their games and their goals: LeBron’s first title, Shaq’s fifth (putting him ahead of Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan) and Cleveland’s hope of pleasing and keeping LeBron. And with the Cavs having added three rotation players to a 66-win team and probably demoting stalwart Zydrunas Ilgauskas in favor of The Big Disruption, it’s not clear how chemically balanced they will be.

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How they could pass on the Boston Celtics is a true mystery. The Celtics bring back a healthy Kevin Garnett and added Rasheed Wallace and Marquis Daniels to the fold. They are dripping with talent.

Will Rasheed Wallace help Boston overtake LeBron James and the Cav's?

Lagging in third place is the Conference Champion Orland Magic. Some think they overachieved last year and worry that the chemistry will be different without Hedo Turkoglu. Others think the offensive talents of Vince Carter will make Dwight Howard even more valuable.
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The National Basketball Association, run by Commissioner David Stern, really knows how to do it right. They will open the season on October 27th. According to the calendar on my computer that is a Tuesday, so maybe they don’t have everything perfect.

To start the season off with a bang the league has 4 games on that day including the San Diego Griffins…er Los Angeles Clippers vs. the Los Angeles Lakers. That would be L.A. vs. L.A. on TNT. (Which brings to mind, how can the NBA have two L.A. teams and the NFL has zero?) That game should be a fun one and a great introduction into the league for Blake.

The Lakers will make a total of 25 appearances throughout the season on TNT, ESPN, ABC and NBA TV, including both regular-season games against the NBA Finals runner-up Orlando Magic (Jan. 18 in Los Angeles, March 7 in Orlando).

Five games will be shown Christmas Day, starting at noon ET with the Miami Heat at the New York Knicks (ESPN); the Boston Celtics at the Magic (ABC); the Cavaliers at the Lakers (ABC); the Clippers at the Phoenix Suns (ESPN) and the Denver Nuggets at the Portland Trail Blazers (ESPN).

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Now if you want to catch a real game make sure you tune in earlier to the marquee matchup of the Boston Celtics with Kevin Garnett back and the Cleveland Cavaliers with the LeBron Tour before he leaves for the highest bidder.

LeBron James will open against the

This year the All Star game will be on February 14th, and hey, that sounds suspiciously like Valentine’s Day. How are we going to watch that game? Anyway that game will be held in the new stadium for the Dallas Cowboys. Should be cool!

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It is not like it was the most carefully hidden secret in the whole wide world, but still it is finally out there as public information, because LeBron James said it. What did he say? LeBron James will become an unrestricted free agent next summer. Yes, he actually said that. Sorry, Cleveland, but that means you may lose LeBron. It does not mean you will definitely lose LeBron.

LeBron has a possible extension of 3 years offered by the Cleveland Cavaliers on July 18. Without the extension, then the free agency happens.

He has until June 30, 2010, to either sign the extension, which could keep him with the team through the 2013-14 season, or exercise his option. If he exercises the option, he would remain with the Cavs through the 2010-11 season. If he declines to exercise the option or sign the extension, he would become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2010. He could then elect to sign a new contract with the Cavs or with any other team. The Cavs, however, always will be able to offer him the longest deal and pay him the most money because of the terms of the collective bargaining agreement.
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It is now the job of fans and management alike to convince LeBron to stay in Cleveland. Can they do it? Well, the fans will go all out for sure, but Cleveland’s management has managed to bring in Mo Williams and Shaq in all the years that LeBron has played in Cleveland. They need to do better than that if they want to keep him.

LeBron James may drain game winners for someone else

Now that may not be the only problem. There is the issue of how much money LeBron would make in New York City. The endorsements would be off the scale. It may turn LeBron into the marketing machine that Michael Jordan was when he played with the Bulls in Chicago. It would be harder to achieve that in Cleveland.

And what a prize LeBron would be for the Nets or Knicks and how their fortunes would instantly change as they would go from also rans to league favorites over night.

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There was a lot of player movement in the off season with Jefferson to the Spurs, Artest to the Lakers, ‘Sheed to the Celtics, Miller leaving the 76ers, Gordon to the Pistons, Thomas to the Mavs, Okafor to the Hornets, and Turkoglu to the Raptors, but maybe the most intriguing move was Shaq to the LeBrons…er..Cavaliers.

Cleveland needs to keep LeBron in Cleveland and that could change next year, but so far they have done little to prove to LeBron that there will be any players of consequence helping him to fight for a NBA title.

Now some would argue that getting Shaq changes all that. Steve Nash makes such an argument.

Nash’s Phoenix Suns traded O’Neal to the Cleveland Cavaliers last month, where the 37-year-old center will try to bring James his first championship.

O’Neal is “still a great player, but LeBron is going to be the focal point,” Nash said. “I think he’s happy with that. At the same time, he’ll get a lot of opportunities to be in the spotlight, and he’s great at it.”

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Will Shaq help or slow down Cleveland?

Cleveland still seems likely to lose LeBron after only finding Mo Williams and Shaq to add to the team after 6 years. Mo did not show up in the playoffs and Shaq is 37 years old.

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Cleveland knows the clock is ticking and they want to do something about it. The clock is the time it takes to get to next year when LeBron James becomes a free agent and the whole state of Ohio holds its breath while suitors come out of the woodwork with all kinds of enticing deals for LeBron.

Think about it. Why did Cleveland easily go after Shaq? There is some question as to whether he is a good fit, because the guy guarding Shaq never has to go more than 5 feet away from the basket, thus cutting off the LeBron drives to the hoops. Shaq is also late in his career and will have a hard time averaging over 25 minutes or 45 games.

Shaq will be key to LeBron's future in Cleveland

But Cleveland had to do it. They had to show LeBron they were trying and if it works, then LeBron would go to the finals and probably stay in Cleveland.

The Cavaliers also have some free agent money and although not a lot, it may be crucial to land a shooter or defender. Here are some possible inexpensive free agent options for Cleveland.

Matt Barnes, Suns — Another lanky wing who is a solid shooter and has the size the Cavs want. His defense is a question, but he has the tools. Excellent spot-up shooter and good in transition going to the rim.

Anthony Parker, Raptors — The Raptors love him and may not let him walk, but they have cap space and other needs. It is well known the Cavs attempted to sign him when he came over from the Euroleague three years ago, and the tall, smooth shooter is very much still on their radar.

Dahntay Jones, Nuggets — Unheralded player with stats that won’t impress many, but has worked to establish himself as a strong outside defender with good size. Was an overlooked key in the Nuggets’ success last season.

Desmond Mason, Thunder — Limited offensively and coming off an injury but also one of the better wing defenders in the league and fits the Cavs’ character requirements. Won’t be the Cavs’ first choice, but they certainly will have him on their list.
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It was destiny waiting to happen and the dream matchup of the decade. It was to be the ever popular super talented LeBron James against the Killer of other team’s chances Kobe Bryant. Hey, David Stern had it all in the bag. It had the makings of one of the highest rated NBA Finals of all time.

Now we have a LeBron that won’t even speak to the media.

“We are not going to fine LeBron for that,” NBA spokesman Tim Frank told 1050 ESPN New York’s Andrew Marchand. “We haven’t had any issues with him before at all.”

If James and the Cavs were still alive in the playoffs, James would have received a warning.

James also did not shake hands with Olympic teammate Dwight Howard or congratulate any Orlando players as he left the floor. On Sunday, he said he sent an e-mail to Howard following Saturday’s game.

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Next time you have to be sure to check out the records these teams have against each other. It matters. Cleveland did not do so well against Orlando or L.A.

The Cavs were a combined 3-8 this season against the Los Angeles Lakers and the Orlando Magic and both figure to be very strong again next year. In the annual season wrap session with the media Monday, Ferry said that will be a driving force as they examine their options this summer.

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There was just no way Orlando was going to the finals and wouldn’t it now be wild if they won it all? After coming back against Boston, they had sharpened their games to a high point and are now on a mighty roll.

Even LeBron James could not slow down Dwight Howard

The Cav’s never did have an answer for Dwight Howard and that led to no answer for the 3 point shooting for Orlando.
The impossible may happen, but it will have to happen without LeBron.

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