Tribe 8 Royals 2: The Cavs/Tribe Mashup Version
May 12, 2010“I Say… We Let Him Go!” NOOOO!!!!
May 12, 2010……
I’ve been staring at my laptop for about 25 minutes now trying to figure out where to start with this one. One of the most pathetic efforts I have ever seen a Cleveland team put forth. It’s even more stunning to see the superstar we all pinned our hopes on come and out APPEAR to not care as the team suffered the most embarrassing loss in franchise history. So what do we do now? Do we hang our heads and turn our backs on this team? Or do we continue to hope and to stand behind LeBron James and this team? It’s up to us to decide what kind of fans we want to be.
– Our opening quote for this game comes from the author of the “Rich Dad Poor Dad” books, Robert Kiyosaki: “The size of your success is measured by the strength of your desire; the size of your dream; and how you handle disappointment along the way.” I cannot possibly think of a better phrase to summarize where we’re at now. There’s another saying that you only find out who your true friends are when you face adversity in your life. So too are we now finding out who the Cavs’ true fans are. I’d be willing to bet that most fans jumping ship on LeBron and the Cavaliers today are the same “fans” who merely started paying attention once LeBron got here. We’ll get to LeBron’s performance in a minute, but I wanted everyone to think about how we choose to handle diversity before we get started.
– Boston knows a thing or ten about adversity and about fan frustration and despair. They lived through the “Curse of the Bambino” and every time the team came up short, the weight of the entire city came crashing down on its sports teams. So imagine what the scene was like in Boston on the morning of Sunday, October 17, 2004 when the Yankees had just taken a 3-0 lead in the ALCS over the Red Sox by embarrassing them to a 19-8 tune. Do you think there was any more hope or reason to believe that morning than there is in Cleveland today? How about in the 2007 ALCS when Boston went down 3-1 to the Indians? Should they have turned their backs on their teams then? I won’t tell anyone what to do, but I can ask. I am asking Cavs fans to be better than that. We’re all angry and frustrated over Game 5, but there’s no reason for us to give up and turn our backs on LeBron and this team. I refuse to believe that the Cavaliers are incapable of winning 2 games in a row against Boston. Stranger things have happened. The Red Sox, as we all know, rebounded both times and went on to win the World Series. Hope doesn’t have to be dead in Cleveland.
– On to the game itself. I don’t know what to say about that. It was inexcusable and there are no words that can explain what we just saw. The Celtics shot 55.5% from the field, scored 120 points, outrebounded the Cavs 41-31, outscored them 44-30 in the paint, forced 17 Cavalier turnover which led to 24 Celtic points. They got any shot they wanted. Whenever, wherever. The Cavaliers, as a team, rolled over and died.
– One player I want to give credit to is Zydrunas Ilgauskas. He’s been asked to put a lot of pride aside in the playoffs, but on this night he was asked to produce, and he did. He made an immediate impact on the game, fighting for rebounds, forcing the Celtics to stay home for rebounds rather than breaking out on the misses, and blocking shots. It’s interesting that it was with a 2009 lineup of Mo, Delonte, LeBron, Andy, and Z the Cavaliers pushed the lead to 29-21 and looked like they were going to break the game wide open. However, with 9 minutes left in the 2nd quarter, Mike Brown brought in Parker for LeBron, Shaq for Z, and Jamison for Andy, and everything fell apart. The Celtics went on a 16-0 run to take a 37-29 lead and this game was never the same.
– Is this what the Cavaliers acquired Antawn Jamison for? 9 points and 6 rebounds along with 3 turnovers in 31 minutes? We knew he was a defensive liability, but the offensive threat he was bringing was supposed to offset that. But when he’s getting destroyed by KG on one end, and being invisible in the offensive flow on the other end, he’s become a major liability overall to this team. It’s sad, confusing, and frustrating to watch yet another key player come to Cleveland and shrink under the pressure.
– I’m going to do something few people are willing to do, and that’s give some credit to the Boston Celtics. Everyone somehow forgot how good the former champs are. This is not just the “Big 3” anymore. Rondo now makes them the Big 4, and they have key role players like Perkins, Davis, and (Tony) Allen who consistently step up in the playoffs. The Cavaliers role players shrink and disappear and fail to support the superstars. And when the superstars don’t show up to play like LeBron last night, you get a 32 point blowout at home. The Celtics are playing like a team, running their offense, working extremely hard on both ends, and imposing their will on the Cavaliers. Give some credit to them, because once they get a 10 point lead, their impressive defense makes it tough to come back on them.
– So ok, lets talk about LeBron James. I have never seen a worse performance in the playoffs by a superstar of his stature. Worse than anything was that he had absolutely zero fight in him. No urgency. This is why everyone suddenly thinks that LeBron doesn’t care. Again, I have no words to explain it. I don’t want to justify it because it deserves no justification or excuse. As the NBA’s best player, you have to have a bigger impact on a pivotal game than that.
– HOWEVER…..and I know this probably isn’t going to make me popular amongst the general populous of Cleveland, I am not going to let one series stain my perception of LeBron. I still remember in 2006 when Cleveland actually had a chance to beat a Pistons team they had no business even being in a series with. It was LeBron who put up 32 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 assists in a losing effort. Did LeBron not care then? Was he a loser then? Or how about Game 6 against Boston in 2008, an elimination game in which LeBron put up 32/12/6 to force a Game 7. Did LeBron not care then? Or even his epic duel with Paul Pierce when he put up 45 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists. Was he a loser who didn’t care then because his team still lost? Even just last year in the ECF against Orlando when he averaged 38.5 points, 8.33 rebounds, and 8.0 assists while his entire team crumbled around him. I guess that’s a player who can’t win and who doesn’t care and is ok with losing, huh?
You can call me a homer or whatever you want, but I know what LeBron is capable of and I’ve seen the competitive fire in LeBron. It was a cold statement when LeBron said that he spoils people with his game. He shouldn’t have said it. But he’s not wrong, either, and the reaction of the media and of fans alike is proof of this. People find it so incomprehensible that LeBron would actually have a couple bad games that they look to anything they can find to give them reason. Some people suddenly say LeBron has one foot out the door. Others say he’s doing this just to play with us so he can play the hero role in Games 6 and 7. Still others have implied that he’s doing this to get rid of Mike Brown (as if he couldn’t just say the word and get rid of Brown any time he chooses).
I’ll just say this. Something is wrong with LeBron right now. I don’t know if it’s his elbow, his relationship with the team, the coaches. Whatever it is….something is not right. If he can sort it out in the next couple days, this team is absolutely capable of coming back and winning this series. If not, we’re about to enter one of the most chaotic times Cleveland sports has ever seen. And for a lot of people, it’s easier to just write off LeBron and say “Screw him, he doesn’t care”. The truth and reality of the matter is deeper than that. Who knows what’s going on with LeBron, but I’ve seen enough out of him over the last 7 years to know he 100% cares and 100% wants to win. I hope whatever is wrong with him can be fixed before Game 6, and I’m not ready to give up hope just yet.
– Finally, going back to my original quote…people are defined by how they handle adversity. We’re going to learn a lot about the Cavaliers in Game 6, and we’re going to learn a lot about Cleveland sports fans based on this series. It’s my hope that Cleveland fans are just getting it all out of their system and will then take a deep breath and rise above the conspiracy theories and name throwing. If the Cavs lose, big changes are coming. That much is certain. Dan Gilbert and Danny Ferry are not going to let this slide. They will make the changes that this franchise needs. But lets not worry about that until we have to. This was not an elimination game. The Cavaliers still have a very good chance of winning this series. Yes, some things have to change for that to happen, particularly LeBron’s effort. We need more from LeBron for the Cavaliers to have any chance. I’m not going to say the Cavs will win this series and LeBron will step up his effort. There’s an equally good chance the Cavs just lose in Game 6 and the real fun (sarcasm) begins. But until that happens, I’m hanging onto….well, not just hope, but expectations. I expect LeBron and the Cavaliers to play better in Game 6. I hope they prove me right.
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Photo: Copyright 2010 NBAE (Photo by David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images)
68 Comments
How many times have we said, “We are going to learn a lot about the Cavaliers come game X”?
I’ve learned all I need to at this point.
Celts have successfully closed a series after being up 3-2 31 out of 32 times. We do not have a very good chance of winning this series.
Still, that was probably a better pep talk than anything you’ll hear in the Cavs locker room.
Hope may not be dead in Cleveland but it’s got such a severe case of battered spouse syndrome that it’s afraid to do anything but sit in the corner and shut up.
LeBron’s post-game comments reminded me of Ivan Drago from Rocky 4. “I fight for me. For ME!”
For the second consecutive season this team has turned to stone at the first sign of anything resembling a speed bump.
How Mike Brown avoids the hook for this is beyond me.
Of course, LeBron is responsible too. He’s gladly embraced his role as player/coach. Until last night, anyway.
I like the comparison to the Red Sox, but I just think the leadership situation with respect to LeBron, Mike Brown, and the rest of these Cavs is too far gone to fix in a matter of a few days.
@clevexaminer – Nice one.
I agree it’s not over, but it’s hard to care when it looks like the team couldn’t care less.
I loved how every time the Cavs scored down the stretch, Boston responded with a basket in the paint almost before the cameraman had a chance to pan off the scorer.
Maybe Andrew should give the Game 6 pre-game inspirational speech.
“are the same “fans” who merely started paying attention once LeBron got here.”
Oh you mean everyone ? Last I checked D-Miles and Ricky Davis weren’t putting butts in seats and really, why would they ?
excellent column. I could not agree more. I also like the fact that Dan Gilbert has stepped up and announced his displeasure at last night’s effort.
The only thing I know for certain at this point… Teams and players will come and go. I will always be here. Take that for what its worth.
Based on his postgame comments I can tell you LeBron does not care. Enough with calling out the role players. Btw Shaq and Z did step up. In a game like that the superstar steps up. LeBron didn’t. Sorry but he has to take blame for this one.
Lebron said he had a bad game. He is totally out of touch with the criticism being laid on him. Everyone can accept a bad game. Hell, he has had many a bad games in the playoffs. But what is inexcusable is the lack of effort. I was watching the live game feed w/o commercials that was focused on the cavs bench during timeouts. Here is what I saw;
LBJ staring into space
LBJ biting his fingernails
LBJ looking at his fingernails
LBJ looking at the Teletron
Get the picture?
At no point, did he listen, let alone converse, with his teammates or coaches. It was as if he was purposely ignoring everyone. There is a very large story here that noone is getting. My guess is that there was some fight or disrespect prior to the game that somehow shut LBJ off.
Point is that fans are upset with the effort not the stats. There was absolutely no urgency in his demeanor or actual playing last night. To scrafice the team for whatever persoanl agenda LBJ had is totally classless. This is the gripe of the fans, and rightfully so.
This goes against everything we believed that LBJ stood for and that is what is so disappointing. This series is over. What a sad ending to the season.
Just to touch on the Jameson and rotation subjects – we didn’t trade for Stoudemire because we were so adamant to not lose JJ? JJ doesn’t even play
Well done, Andrew.
Frustration is running rampant right now. Blame LeBron. Blame Mike Brown. Blame Antwan Jamison. Blame yourself for not wearing your lucky T-shirt.
It’s all coming out. Frustration is the one trait Cleveland sports fans have down.
This was not an elimination game. I hope everyone can remember that. Sure the body language and off court issues are concerning, but what if the roles were reversed? The Cavs were the aging, yet talented team ahead 3-2 going back home to play game six against a team that has won 127 regular season games in two seasons… one would surely think this series is far from being over.
If the Cavs win game six, game seven is in Cleveland. Anything can happen.
Get the frustration out, take a deep breath and let’s see what happens in game six.
Good post (I walk away from the ledge sreaming “DAMN YOU ANDREW”)
I am just going to say ‘I told you so’ to all of the WFNY followers. A couple of days ago I wrote a comment about LBJ’s elbow and how he has bad games (by LBJ and Cavs fans standards) during the games after short rests. Game 2,4, and now 5 were on short rest and he was pedestrian. Games 1 and 3 were after three days rest and LBJ was the King James we all love. So, I truly think his elbow is messed up something fierce. Game 6 is on one day rest, something to look forward to.
That being said, I really wish he would at least act upset about his performance. Kick a chair, punch the gatorade jug, punch a Celtic.. Act like you care that you are playing like crap. Act like you and your team are spitting in the face of all of your ‘faithful’ fans.
/A little aside, I know Cleveland fans are fairweather/
Andrew, we’ve seen his fire in previous series’ and that’s what makes this series hurt even more. We keep expecting LBJ to “SHOW UP” and we keep getting disappointed. Again, I expected this because I saw a trend with his elbow that people haven’t seen yet. But it still hurts not being proved wrong by LBJ yet.. There is nothing else I want more than Mike Browns to be fired. And last night in my anger I wanted LBJ to leave. Mostly because faithful fans like me and my brother deserve better, but also LBJ deserves better from the majority of fans. This team owes LBJ everything, because LBJ has done everything he could for this team. But man it’s hurtful seeing my hopes and expectations getting stomped because of lack of effort.
Gotta try to keep the faith Clevelanders. We’ve seen this a thousand times before and trust me it makes me as sick as any of you to see this team not even care to hustle, but we still have a game to go and if we win that all of a sudden it’ll come down to one game in Cleveland. Call me an optimist, idiot, whatever you want, but I’m not giving up all hope. I know it’s going to be a fight and is considered almost impossible right now, but we need to stand together and support this team because let’s all face it… it’s all we’ve got! Go Cavs!
Right now Jim Rome is riffing on how “spoiled” (in LeBron’s words) we Cleveland fans are. It’s hilarious.
Please guys, don’t for one second believe the Cavs are going to win on Thursday. THEY ARE NOT GOING TO WIN. Begin accepting that right now. Sure, I’ll watch and cheer them on from home but there is 0.0 percent chance they’re winning on Thursday night. We all know it. The Cavs know it. Boston knows it.
I just don’t know how it’ll end … I can definitely see a Boston blowout and I also can see the Cavs missing a shot at the buzzer that could win the game.
Truthfully, if the Cavs lose game 6 and Lebron leaves, I still feel that the Cavs have enough to be at least a 45-50 win team. As far as I’m concerned, that’d be enough to compete for the NBA title come playoffs time.
Truthfully, I’d be satisfied if Lebron left for a team like the Knicks, just to see him crumble under all the extra scrutiny he’d receive there. If he can’t win in Cleveland with this team, he’ll never win in New York.
Everyone should wear black to the watch party tomorrow night.
Wow noboby, you really should take your meds.
masterpiece column, andy.
about the only silver lining or basis for hope i can come up with is borderline spiritual (and was mentioned in another thread). it’s a bill simmons theory that the greater the drought/curse is, the more dramatic/heroic the breakthrough must be. and while we’re not quite down 0-3 to the yankees and losing in the bottom of the 9th we’re close. the question becomes do we have a dave roberts stealing 2nd base?
@Hamsterdam – I love that pic. I was considering using The Greek or Omar as mine, but you wrecked it.
LeBron: “I spoil a lot of people with my play. When you have 3 bad games in a 7-year career, it is easy to point that out.”
I wonder if LeBron spoiled Warren Buffet at that last minute dinner he took off to while in the midst of this series.
Andrew I understand the article and the idea of hope being better than that if despair. I know deep down though you understand why the feeling of despair is more overwhelming than hope at this point for the Cleveland sports fan base.
The quote from LeBron says it all to me. Yes, yes Lebron you have spoiled me with your demanding of upgrade players and getting them every year, you spoiled me with your lavish new spa practice facility built in Independence OH (obviously to be more convenient for me), you spoiled me with your “am I coming or going” attitude over the past two years subsequently holding the franchise hostage, you spoiled me with your two time MVP seasons only to lose your fire in the biggest game stretches of those years.
This city has layed down and kissed your feet, thanks for the spoils in return.
PS – Lebron if you do decide to show up and somehow miraculously win a ring this year, please disregard this entire post
Good piece. Thanks.
Thanks Charlie! I’m about to go through and watch the entire series for the third time.
Anyone else notice yesterday’s NBA news…NBA approves billionaire to buy Nets? One thing Dan Gilbert can’t offer–a real palace for Lebron in Brooklyn. You can see the marketing: “the King brings pro sports back to Brooklyn at his Palace”? That’s what he might have been thinking about last night. Or maybe it really was his elbow…
We are all making stories up in our head. LeBron is mad. LeBron is hurt. LeBron doesn’t care.
How about this… We got our arses handed to us last night just like we did it to Boston less than a week ago.
This has a been a great series to watch as a basketball fan. Two obviously good teams jsut trading blows with each other. You all know that both teams have now delivered each other their worst home playoff loss. plus there have been three really good games between the two teams.
Also if we do lose this series, we lose to a team that is almost unchanged from when they won the championchip just two years ago and gave Orlando everything they had last year.
There are two more games left in the series. Root for the damn team! Boston fans would never give up like this. I have friends that are from Boston and are commeting about how they never give up on their team like it looks like our fans are doing here in Cleveland.
I like Antawn Jameson a lot, but he is not able to handle Garnet. The Cavs match up much better when Andy is on Garnet. I would play Jameson only when Garnet is sitting.
With all due respect, Andrew, we don’t need to learn a thing about the fans’ attitude. It’s irrelevant and kind of insulting. The fans were screaming last night, screaming at game 2 … Clearly, our passion and belief, or lack thereof, affects this team not one iota right now.
This is like a National Geographic documentary. The beautiful, sleek gazelle got all careless staring at herself in the water and, against all probability, is in the jaws of an old, thin geezer lion that can’t believe its prey was so careless. Now his adrenaline is going and he feels like a young lion again. The gazelle is struggling, or is she giving up? Hard to tell. Either way my screaming at the tv ain’t doing much for her, she’s not listening, it’s like she’s somewhere else while he’s chomping at her leg.
I saw the old lion’s interview after the game. His rheumy eyes were shining again. He said: “Now that I’ve dragged her into my bush I will eat her there and not, NOT, let her get back to this watering hole.” He’s missing some teeth but I think he meant it.
I hate to say it but I think I’m with Christopher on this one.
I can see why the “what have you done for me lately” attitude can be construed as bandwagon-ing…but when you look at the points summarized by christopher and Woj, why wouldn’t even the most devout fans not feel at least somewhat like this? Dan Gilbert as bent over backwards, the fans have came out in flocks, Danny Ferry has spent late nights on the phone dealing for the players available to fit this team. And where are we? Were talking about how our STAR…the guy who runs this team basically, has been MIA the majority of the playoffs. Sorry…but I will gladly say to Lebron…what HAVE you done for us lately?
My biggest problem has been watching the Cavs’ offensive “sets”. They tend to take the ball up and run ISO, no matter who is bringing up the ball. If not that, they’ll run a couple of screens, maybe get a switch, but then settle back into isolation relying too much on drive and kick-out. If nothing presents itself they’ll pass it to Lebron for more isolation.
Boston defends single-player drives too well, though, resulting in bad late-shot clock shots or long 2s. When the 3 isn’t falling (i.e. the last three games because the Celtics don’t all collapse to the paint on a drive and are more likely to stay at home against good, stationary, shooters) the Cavs are then screwed because all of our spot up shooters are hanging out by the three point line and nobody is in position for the rebound.
Watching the team last night I was dumbfounded because the Cavs used to be one of the best rebounding teams in the league. I couldn’t figure out why until Z was in there and I saw him actually positioning for boards (even if he didn’t get them). Now off a miss three guys are back behind halfcourt before the ball is in anyone’s hands.
The Cavs used to run really pretty sets involving back picks and back-door cuts but that has all dried up because of too much perimeter dribbling, half-hearted screens and an unwillingness to seriously attack the rim. The couple of Shaq dunks when we were down 20 were the sole exceptions and left me wondering where that play was in the second quarter.
1. No excuse for LBJ lack of effort. There may be a reason that we don’t know about yet, but still no excuse. Magic, Byrd, MJ, ALWAYS rose to the occasion, and played like their lives were at stake. It’s not about a “bad” game, it’s about lack of effort. Anyone who has ever played sports at any level understands this.
2. Mike Brown’s expertise is supposed to be defense, but the Celts have scored at will in the series.
3. No ball movement on offense, no post up of LBJ and alsmost no runniong him off screens off the ball.
4. Agree with comment that Andy & Z combo much better than Shaq & Antawn. Need to put Andy on KG, and make Antawn a sub.
5. Very pessimistic about game 6, but never give up! Stranger things have happened, and I truly believe we have as much talent and a much deeper team. LBJ is playing for his legacy now, and let’s see what he is made of.
@Desert Wahoo – Boston teams have won 9 championships in my lifetime. Cleveland has 0. It’s a lot easier to keep playing the slots if you win once and a while.
As much as I hate the red sox, they’re the only thing giving me hope right now. God help us all
At the risk of repeating my twitter self, Cleveland sports fans as a whole just are not wired to handle adversity, period. The list of instances where we have seen defeat snatched from the jaws of victory is lengthy and resembles the proverbial beaten dead horse. Heartbreak is all most any of us have known in big moments on the field/court, and so we immediately brace for disaster as soon as we encounter any real opposition. Then, upon defeat, we resort to the defense mechanisms we are seeing now: LBJ sucks, good riddance…Cleveland is cursed…I’m done with this team/player…etc. Hoping for the best but expecting the worst may sound like sage advice, but not when the level of expectation consistently exceeds the level of hope–then all we are doing is making adversity that much more imposing, while diminishing the buoyancy that hope can truly provide to fans and, in turn, a team.
So how does a fanbase go about changing the very basis of its thinking? How do we overcome this faulty wiring? I honestly wish I knew. I firmly believe that the answer cannot and will not be the same for every individual. For me, I’m going to continue to force myself to hope, even in the face of damning odds against. Others may quit on the team altogether–just give up on the source of frustration, and I can’t say i fault them for it at this point. But enough of all this “my fanhood is bigger than your fanhood” nonsense, it’s just petty. To each his own.
Here’s to the Cavs, and here’s to hope. Bring on Thursday night.
@ Stin
The hardest part to digest of this sour playoff meal are Lebron’s own words. For the past 4 years he has one word every regular season for the media “championship”. Then why is it when it matters most, when we are the closest to the Finals we look the absolute furthest from the team we loved all season long.
We praise LBJ for his gaudy numbers and “get on my back” efforts night in and out but the sad reality is that it are those single great performances and the his actual mindset of “get out of my way” are what he wants more than Rostand with his TEAM and hoist the trophy.
Do not sit there and tell me that Shaq, West, Moon, JJ, and Jamison are not NBA talent. Do not sit there and tell me that those players playing TEAM basketball couldn’t compete with the right stars besides them.
Pierce had a great quote saying that the beauty of his team is that you never know where te scoring will come from, with the Cavs it’s easy..stop Lebron. Well the reason it’s that way is due to the fact that the offense is designed around him and when we run plays for others in which he is involved he breaks off the play and forces the infamous “Lebron on 5” offensive set.
@harv,
that was a great analogy, but you forgot to mention that the gazelle might still have a switch blade…
if everyone says “craig ehlo” three times and wears their cavs snuggie tommorow night we’ll be fine.
A killer gazelle with a flair for drama? My kind of documentary. We shall see.
Your expectations are tyrannical.
The man is hurt and is gritting his teeth through this. He does not get enough rest between these games to heal or, where the games are in quick succession, to even rejuvenate.
Picking at his words during this time is low, too.
An old, old wooden ship that was used during the Civil War era
jcb, I would be surprised if the fans were concerned about the lack of an old, old wooden ship, but nice try
So he’s either not a killer or he’s a headcase. Either way it can’t be attributed to youth or inexperience or lack of support anymore. This is what he is.
If Lebron truly is hurt, then of course, Cavs fans would understand.
But, during the after-game press conference, Lebron had his hurt elbow on the table, putting pressure on it, so I doubt that it affected him last night.
This is less evidence, but Lebron was asked about it, and he said clearly and directly that it is not bothering him.
I think that because Lebron was strangely uncharacteristic last night, and he is not telling us why, is causing Cavs fans (and really the basketball world) scratch their heads and try and figure out what is wrong.
It’s the lack of effort, and the fact that Lebron was obviously distracted, that is almost shocking and is making Cavs fans worry.
Matt#2 – I agree with you, I believe he is hurt. I believe he is gritting his teeth and on short rest not able to perform.
Where I disagree is with his way of handling it.
My expectations are only what he has set himself, championship.
The man had done great things for this town and with his other hand held it hostage.
Lebron has stated he wants to be a “billionaire global icon”. Too bad he can’t be just the best basketball of his era.
MJ, Magic, Bird, etc sure knew which they wanted to be.
Since my thoughts on LeBron are limited to what I see on the TV, then to get background information on what may be going on with LeBron off the court I turn to Windhorst. He as an excellent podcast up today.
Contrary to what Matt#2 says, there is something more then an injury going on here….an injury doesn’t make you space out during timeouts and have your teammates/close friends wondering why you are so withdrawn. Also Matt, an injury shouldn’t prevent LeBron from being mad at the loss and taking some responsibility and wouldn’t force him to refer to the fans as spoiled. These comments aren’t “cheap” and would be a lot more colorful if he played for many other franchises.
Christopher,
I didn’t catch what you didn’t like about “his way of handling it” or what that way is. If you want to clarify, I am listening.
Clown Baby,
I do think there is more than an injury. Someone at the game said that he was bending over and huffing for air with an alarming frequency. He may be sick. And, as we know, this isn’t a time for taking a break or for talking to the press about being under the weather. He may be looking in space thinking, “why do I feel like this!?!?”
I don’t think we’ll soon be privy to the story there.
He doesn’t have a responsibility to win. And I think he’s putting what he’s got in the tank out there. And I don’t know what virtue or value there is in his displaying anger at a loss.
The fans in question displayed a “spoiled” attitude, and I was ashamed to be associated with them. I say, “well and timely put.”
“He doesn’t have a responsibility to win.”
Really? You think the Cavs have built the franchise around him simply because they like the cut of his jib? He’s under no pressure to win and shouldn’t feel any responsibility (being the face of the organization) when they don’t? Showing anger/emotion say that you care…it’s something that all GREAT players do. If what he did last night was good enough for you then so be it. Most would disagree.