| James Exceeds Expectations Yet Again In Exciting Playoff Run Authored by Keith Berzanske - May 19, 2006 - 4:38 pm
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After all, I was one of the people that, from day 1, insisted that LeBron James was no fluke, no hype, no product of marketing by a league looking for a new savior. He was the real deal. He was not only as good as we thought but he was better. Someone would say that no one so young had ever do such things, to which I would reply that for any great achievement, someone has to be the first to do it.
There's been a lot of 'firsts' and 'youngests' in LeBron's career. Youngest MVP of the All-Star game. Youngest to 5000 career points. First player directly out of high school to win rookie of the year. First player to score 40+ points in their first road playoff game. And on and on...the list is already too long to really extoll upon in one column.
When the Cavaliers won the lottery, even before they drafted LeBron (it was obvious that they would), I wrote the following:
"Forget all the negatives you hear. It's trendy for sports talk guys to talk about how LeBron only played against high schoolers, that he's too young, that he has a bad attitude, that he already made too much money with his shoe deal, etc. blah blah blah. Barring injury, LeBron James will be the first signature Cavalier, an All-Star many times over, a player who makes his teammates better, who makes veterans want to come to Cleveland, who despises losing, and who will make us perennial playoff contenders. Perspective is reality, and once everyone gets a dose of LeBron's reality, they will change their perspective."
And now, watching LeBron lead the Cavaliers to the brink of eliminating the seemingly invincible Pistons, I am getting a dose of a new reality. Because I am the most ardent Cavaliers fan, and even though I cover the Cavaliers and try to remain unbiased, there are times when I still wear the wine and gold colored glasses. But not even I foresaw this. I predicted that the Cavaliers would lose in 6 games, and thought it to be a distinct possibility that it could be over in 5. The Pistons just seemed to intimdate them and I didn't see that the Cavaliers had what it took to really compete in a series this year.
The Washington series was a struggle and the Wizards play a completely different style than the Pistons. So it took the Cavaliers a game and a half to adjust, to get into the right mindset. But they have. And what's amazing is that they have outplayed the more experienced Pistons the last FOUR 4TH QUARTERS!!! Highly unexpected, but the team takes its cue from the poised LeBron James, which makes sense: LeBron performs beyond his years, and the team thus believes it can perform beyond the regular expectations. NBA history tells us that the team should endure growing pains and that this is where their nice season will come to an abrupt end. But LeBron and his crew are trying to change history.
How are they doing it? Watching the games, I have noticed several things:
(1) Defensive intensity
Mike Brown and hsi staff have really gotten through here. Watch the Cavaliers on defense closely. They switch. They help. They prevent mismatches by moving around and recovering. They rebound. And they never give up on a play.
They have really won the last three games by clamping down on the Pistons on the defensive end, LeBron's brilliance on offense notwithstanding
(2) Bench play
The energy that Anderson Varejao has brought off the bench is infectious. Watch Varejao - he's always in the right place at the right time. He could become a serious force if he could avoid the occasional silly foul. There is really no dropoff when he comes into the game.
Donyell Marshall and Damon Jones have also stepped up big. Their biggest contribution is not even how they produce, but in the threat that they present. Since htey can shoot, the Pistons cannot leave them, which provides LeBron more space to operate when he runs the high pick and roll or pick and po with one of our mobile big men. Also, Marshall has done yeoman's work on the glass, and made a key block at the end of game 5. Getting Larry Hughes back will only add to the bench strength. Speaking of which:
(3) Team unity
The team has really bonded, partially out of support for the Hughes family during a time of great tragedy. I think that all they've done says a lot about the organization and the players. They've shown a lot of compassion for a teammate, treating him like a family member, and that only helps give the team a 'bunker mentality', like they will go through thick and thin, win or lose TOGETHER.
(4) LeBron James
Every time the team needs a big play, LeBron makes it - a driving layup, a steal, a key pass to an open teammate. His unselfishness is infectious. Also, having a superstar gives a team a level of confidence. You feel liek if you can keep the game close, he'll find a way to win it for you in the end.
And hopefully, after Friday night's game, LeBron and the Cavaliers will have found another way to win in the end. But win or lose, LeBron and the Cavaliers have given the city reason to get excited about the future. They've already exceeded everyone's expectations, reminding us never again to underestimate LeBron James and what he is capable of.
NOTES
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What a great achievement for LeBron to not only be named first-team all-NBA, but to be the leading vote-getter. He had a strong argument for MVP, although in my mind Dirk Nowitzki was most deserving this year (by a narrow margin though - I could certainly argue for LeBron, and Steve Nash also has a case)
I run into people who don't watch the NBA any more, and havne't really since the second Michael Jordan retirement (after the shot against Utah won championship number 6). They always come up with lots fo reasons they don't liek the NBA; the players are overpaid, they don't try, the game is boring, onyl the last two minutes matter, blah blah, blah...I'm sure you know people like this too. What I find when I talk to these people is that they really haven't even watched an NBA game for years, so they don't know what they are talking about. Anyone who has watched this year's playoffs cannot deny the excitement factor: great players full effort, clutch shooting, buzzer-beaters, high octane offesne, shut down defenders, interesting chess matches with regards to coachng strategy - we've had everything. These guys are the best in the world, and they play hard, and they play to win. So the next time someone starts talking bad about the NBA, ask them this, "do you like basketball?". If they say yes, then tell them they must just not be watching because if they truly loved absketball, they would love the current NBA. And then just walk away. Don't argue. Leave them curious. Because they might jsut tune in for a bit. And it will only take a few minutes of games like the Cavaliers/Pistons or the Clippers/ SUns or the Mavericks/Spurs to get them hooked again. They'll thank you later. And hey, if they still don't watch , if they stick to their stubborn, unsubstantiated theories - do you really want friends like that anyway?!!! It's time to ball - it's on like DONKEY KONG!!! The bus is leaving and if these people aren't on it, then they're missing out on the ride of a lifetime. |
