Monday, May 22, 2006
King Dethroned in Game 7
"King James" as LeBron is often refered to by Cleveland Cavalier fans, will have to wait at least one more season for his team to become lords of the basketball world. The two-time defending Eastern Conference champion Detroit Pistons smothered the Cavaliers and their young all-star in game 7 on Sunday, holding the visitors to just 61 points in a 78-61 victory. Cleveland had two chances to upset the Pistons after taking a 3-2 lead in games, but maybe the Michael Jordan-LeBron James comparisons were just a little too early. But that is not to say James was the reason for Cleveland coming up short, as some have suggested. He still managed nearly half of his team's meagre point total, racking up a game-leading 27, while recording eight rebounds, second only to the Pistons' Ben Wallace. In fact, Larry Hughes was the only one of James' team-mates to even show up. No other Cleveland starter even managed a single assist, while combining for a pathetic 16 points overall. In fact, if it were not for James' strong play, Cleveland would have been embarassed much worse. So anybody who criticizes the MVP candidate for his team gassing a chance to put away the top seeded Pistons needs to wake up and be grateful that James carried the over-matched Cavaliers as far as he did. As they say in sport, just wait until next year.
