Okay, so in case you haven't heard - or you've been living under a rock with a tube of KY and a porn magazine - the Cleveland Cavaliers suffered a 13-point defeat at the hands of the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals withe the final score being: Magic 103, Cavs 90. The loss was the 2nd consecutive conference finals lost for the Cavaliers lead by a heralding LeBron James in a Jordanesque performance for the ages averaging 35.4 pts per game, 8.8 rebounds per game and a 'one guard' effort of contributing 8.6 assists per game. Unlike his teammates, many of them in their final years of contract negotiations, James has provided charisma, hardwork and has brought a high level of intensity in the playoffs that hasn't been seen since Dwayne Wade in 2006 - or even Michael Jordan himself in 1992.
Speaking of Michael Jordan, I am constantly reminded of Def Jam recording artists Fabolous and NeYo when they recorded the hit single, 'You Make Me Better' in 2007, but more or less referring to Jordan, but also referring to Scottie Pippen and company. Where would Jordan and Pippen be without one another? Then again, where would LeBron and 'young, healthy players' be without each other? To answer the latter, the proof is in the pudding. Without a championship!
Now, I could go on and on about the Eastern Conference Finals and how the 2009 Orlando Magic is absolutely the most underrated team in NBA history, in my opinion, but 'twould be completely unfair to ignore the fact that the Los Angeles Lakers have proven, once again, that they're the best team in basketball taking down the 2nd best team statistically in the Western Conference - the Denver Nuggets [or the Denver Chicken Nuggets as I would like to call them]. Don't get me wrong, I think Carmelo Anthony is going to give teams hell in the near future and I also believe Chauncey Billups is a great point guard, but I kind of felt bad about them losing in the manor they did. They were beaten so badly, I couldn't bear to watch the last 2 minutes of the game. After the game was over, there was a part of me that wanted to talk all of the shit in the world about the Nuggets, but I just couldn't do it. It was like watching a firing squad unload on a group of mentally-retarded schoolchildren. That funny feeling in the pit of my stomach is still there, to say the least.
Needless to say, the NBA Conference Finals on both sides have been fun to watch. Now it's time to move on to the NBA Finals and see who will be the champion of the entire basketball world. It's going down, June 4th on ABC with the Los Angeles Lakers hosting the Orlando Magic. Oh, and I'm rooting for the Lakers. But one just cannot help but wonder whatever happened to that 'Clash of the Titans' matchup between Kobe and LeBron?
This just restores an argument which should have been laid to rest 3 months ago when VitaminWater made such an enormous stickle in the propaganda pinning two of the league's most prominent athletes against one another, sprucing up one of the most highly debated arguments in sports history. Now, that portion of the debate has ended. Or has it?
I don't think so. I honestly believe that clear and present evidence isn't good enough for die-hard, right-winged fans of LeBron James [if you can't tell already, I'm siding with the argument which places Kobe Bryant aka 'The Black Momba' as the greatest player in the current NBA]. Winning a conference championship in the arguably the toughest conference in the league isn't enough for people these days. Carrying out methodical scoring drives on every play facing 3 of the NBA's toughest, defensively-sound teams in the league wasn't enough [those teams being the Utah Jazz, Houston Rockets, and the Denver Nuggets]. Maintaining a playoff record of 9-2 at home isn't good enough, I guess [okay, so the Cavs only lost one game at home in the playoffs, who cares]. Playing with back spasms and an attention-focused pinky finger wasn't good enough? Of course it was good enough.
First and foremost, I respect LeBron James at the greatest capacity. To be quite honest [as much as I would hate to admit], LeBron has been the most deadliest, consistent basketball player in the NBA for the past 3 seasons, and he's continuously getting better by the day. At this stage in his career, he is better than Kobe Bryant...individually, that is. Yes, I admit it, he's better than Kobe. There are factors as to why I think LeBron is better than Kobe at this point in his career also. Well, for starters, LeBron is a better on-the-court facilitator than Kobe Bryant is. He has a great sense of awareness on the court and he syncronize with his teammates. Kobe Bryant is more of a finess player and does a adequate job of creating opportunities for his players to 'get in position' so he can facilitate within the LAL's infamous triangle offense. Secondly, LeBron is a stronger and more athletic basketball player than Kobe is [not to mention younger]. His size, strength and athleticism makes LeBron a dangerous inside scorer and a nightmare for opposing defenses. What separates Kobe from LeBron with individual skills is the mere fact that Kobe has a better knowledge of how different players in the NBA operate on a game-to-game basis, which comes from years of experience and consistent game film study. Not saying that LeBron doesn't study film, but he's not as experienced.
Sometimes I think people get caught up in the flashiness of the NBA, with the slam dunks, dramatic shots, and alley-oops, they tend to forget about the strategies and the minor things that happen on the court that often times go unnoticed. I can assure you, Kobe has been there and done that in his career, but now I think it's more of a personal goal for Kobe to just win championships, not be the star player individually. I don't think it was ever the intention for Kobe to be the greatest player ever, although many people would consider otherwise, but if it works out that way, it just works out that way. I kind of gotten sick and tired of the argument altogether. It's a bit overrated at this stage and the media will do anything to market themselves rather than the player. In this case, the media being the NBA. The recent events in NBA history doesn't necessarily mean that the argument is void, nor does it mean that one player is greater/less than greater than another player. It just means that great players are born, but champions are made. It isn't something that's gonna come as a shower of natural, divine talent, but you can't win an NBA Championship nowadays without the right people behind you. And it's apparent that LeBron, Carmelo and D-Wade is beginning to realize it. Could anyone name one player who has won a championship by hisself [no, Wilt Chamberlain doesn't count]?
This argument shall be momentarily laid to rest until further examination has ensued. Until next time, I'm Justin Cunningham. God speed, and good night!
~Loyalty~
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