Visiting The King

I'm kicking myself for not making some money last night. I loved the Cavs only laying 4 at home. I was even writing up the pick of the night post when two of my places I check for handicapping advice had the Celts as their lock so I layed off. Oh well, you always seem like a better gambler when you don't actually bet. There aren't many worse things then listening to stories about gambling losses though. Well unless its really amazing like the time my buddy lost a grand when he had the over in the Pacers/Pistons Brawl game. He needed 2 more points with 45 seconds to go for the over to hit. Then Artest charged the stands, the last 45 seconds never got played, and it stayed under. Anyway, back to the Cavs/Celts.

In terms of how the game played out, it was all about The King. Lebron is on another planet. The MVP this year should probably be unanimous. I had to write a little bit about him after seeing that.

"James scored 38 points, 23 in the second half. He added seven rebounds, six assists, four steals, three blocks and made Pierce's life miserable for 35 minutes." - AP

The King's evolution from average defender to one of the best in the world is frightening (for the Celts). On the perimeter he is shutting people down. I heard Steve Kerr say in an interview that this year Lebron has turned himself into the best perimeter defender since Scottie Pippen in his prime. Thats what happens when the best athlete on the planet applies some technique and effort to that end of the court.

The aspect of James' freakish athleticism that allows him to do a lot of the superhuman things he does is his lateral quickness and agility. He can play tight on guys out on the perimeter with his huge frame and wingspan, while at the same time not be worried about getting beat to the hoop because of his shuffle prowess. You can also really see that lateral explosion in action when he is driving to the hoop and takes gazelle angles to get there. Its to the point where defenders can't attempt to draw a charge because when he sees them set their feet he just power hops to the left or right, blows right by them, and still somehow has enough speed to crunk a dunk with one more jump.

Lebron has officially passed Kobe as the best player individual player in the game now. Lebron's talent has finally caught up to Kobe's polish and work ethic. In that debate before this year, you could always point to Kobe's defense and scoring. And now Lebron might be playing better defense than Kobe and they both can score for days. The reality of the situation is that Lebron has more potential than anyone in the history of the game. Kobe is a hall of famer, an all time great even, but he is Jordan Lite. Lebron is different. He is a hybrid of all the all time greats, a frankenstein, a perfect storm. He could be the G.O.A.T., its atleast possible. And thats enough to keep me watching...

-This Celts slide is ugly but they will get it together and make it to the Eastern Conf Finals. Can they beat Cleveland though? I was petrified of that matchup when the Celts had 2 losses all year and had won 20 in a row. So at this point, with Cleveland looking like they have a good chance to get home court after Boston just ripped off 7 losses, I don't like their chances. We can't count out a KG led team though. If Boston and Cleveland are both playing their best basketball, that playoff series will be gold.