LeBron James just IS
Published by The Cavalier June 1st, 2007 in NBA, Legends, LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons
We’re about to go on Paul Teeple’s show on SportsTalkCleveland DOT COM, and we’re at a bit of a loss as to what to say. This is much the same situation we find ourself in with this post.
What can one write about what LeBron James did last night?
If you’re from Cleveland, you know what that meant and how it felt and what it was. Actually, if you’re from Cleveland, you probably don’t know what that meant or what it was. You know how it felt, but the feeling of overwhelm likely just meant no sleep.
(If you’re not from Cleveland, you just saw one man inject some actual intrigue into the Playoffs. Everyone outside the Detroit area wins here.)
Honestly, we feel silly trying to put any of this into words, and to be overdramatic, doing so disrespects what happened and what we all, yes…what we all witnessed.
So we wont. Read any of the 84,000 articles and blog posts we’re going through right now.
LeBron James ripped out the hearts of the Detroit Pistons last night and the Cleveland Cavaliers are one game from the NBA Finals.
We’re shopping for plane tix, because if they go, there’s no way we’re not there for it. No freaking way.
How’d you get Luol Deng and Brad Miller to pose for that picture?
Good luck getting your collective Ohio-asses(s?) kicked by some Texans though.
How wierd would that be? SA-CLE in le Finals?
Here are things I deleted from the keyboard in my head last night:
- Make a freaking free throw, my God!
- Save a time out!
- Nice “block.”
- Did you see McDyess point to the floor after he clotheslined Andy? Who coaches the Lasers to complain and lay blame? They’re the best in the league.
All of that negativity was washed away. All of it. The murmuring in the Palace after the Lasers blew the 88-81 lead is a sound I’ll never forget. It was riveting. A constant white noise of confusion.
Oh, and the Indians hung an 11 on the Tigers in a game started by Detroit’s #1 starter.
Cavalier, you are 100% correct, I don’t know how to qualify what I am feeling
What rough beast, his hour come round at last, slouches toward Cleveland to be born?
The small animal on Drew Gooden’s head?
Woot, free plug! Thanks again, Cav.
Hey where is Boney?
Over at detroitbadboys.com, Boney is griping about Cavs fans flaming the comments section.
Un-be-liev-a-ble.
They’re a strange argument going on over there. Everyone’s mad that nobody fouled LeBron. Everyone’s mad that the refs don’t call fouls against LeBron’s defenders. It’s like a Fellini film in there.
Jordi, I’m here.
What do you want me to say? I didn’t watch the game, so I can’t offer much insight, not that it sounds like there’s much I could say, right?
I did, however, see the highlight of Dyess clobbering Verayjohn and I noticed a few other things (and these responses are to TVBrain):
- You would hear crickets in the Q IF Detroit put it to Cleveland, so be happy it’s not happening to you.
- McDyess pointed to the ground, as most guys do to try and say he wasn’t going up for the shot. He wasn’t pointing at Verajon and making it look like he just fell down.
- Oh and I forgot, Bonderman should’ve gotten rocked for 11 last night considering it was his 2nd consecutive night of pitch… oh yeah, then Detroit’s #1 didn’t start since Bonderman pitched the night before.
So while you iron your shirt, pick up a sports page and learn about the Tigers’ pitching staff or the NBA rule book for shooting and non-shooting fouls. The funniest thing I’ve seen all day is the “search terms” results on my page show that people came to my page after searching for “doug collins hair”. funny…
The Cavalier, I listened to the show but missed out on your appearance. When was it?
You DIDN’T WATCH THE GAME?!?! whaaaaaaa? Allow me to fill you in: LeBron is a god.
Also, fine, Verlander isn’t the ace but as a Tigers fan you can not be happy seeing Verlander (who is very good) get torched to the tune of eight hits and seven runs over 5. I don’t give a damn where he is in the rotation, he is essential to Detriot’s success. I’m not saying he sucks but you can’t write it off because he isn’t the number one guy.
Also, LEBRON IS A GOD.
one bad game in a string of several “quality starts” does not mean I, or the Tigers, should be worried.
TVBrain, would it be possible for you to just upload the game on sendspace or some such site? That would really be great for those of us who decided to hang out with our girlfriends last night.
mcb not sure where I was. I just took the call and talked…
Is the game for sale at NBA.com? Wouldn’t be surprised if NBATV is showing it today, as well.
Actually - it’s on right now on NBATV…
I want NBA tv alas i have no money
for those who already saw it, here’s the condensed version of lebron’s scoring from the end of the fourth through the end of the game:
http://www.faniq.com/sports/nba/faniq-blog/Lebron-James-takes-over-Game-5-Video-of-all-29-out-teams-final-30-points-2816
if you didn’t watch it last night, though, i sort of think you should stay away. because this video gives you no sense of how many daggers the pistons were throwing down after every lebron score…not seeing that (or at least not remembering it) and watching this video is sort of like showering with a rain coat on: nobody can deny you took a shower, but you sure as hell missed out on a large part of the experience.
TV Brain when are you mailing the DVD I need to rewatch history.
Exactly. What can you even say? I stared at my computer screen for a long time after the game, trying to put into words what I just saw.
There hasn’t been anything remotely similar to LeBron’s Game 5 performance in Cleveland sports. Cleveland has always had nice players and good players (even great) but nothing compared to this, not even close.
After the game Drew Gooden called him “Video Game James” which I believe is the smartest thing Gooden has ever uttered in his life.
Witness indeed.
The only Cleveland sporting event I can think of as an equivalent (and a rough equivalent at that) in my lifetime is when Sandy Alomar Jr. homered off Mariano Rivera in 1997 (an underrated hit in my opinion). But that was only to TIE the game in the first round. LeBron has just eclipsed everything.
It’s almost poetic in that Cleveland served its time (many seasons) succumbing to a singular talent (Jordan) despite a sometimes superior team and now we are the ones who enjoy the singular talent. It gives me the smallest iota of sympathy for Detroit fans as I have been there myself (No sympathy for Boney and his cop-out condo cleaning though.) Although perfect poetry would have James punishing Chicago instead.
So IF the Cavs get into the finals, where will Yay Reader Summit II happen?
Maybe Cleveland - I’m not joking - there’s no way I;m not attending at least one Finals game, or at least standin outside the Q.
Fios,
how about the double OT win against the Jets? The Brownies were 10 points down with less than 3 mnutes left in that game. Without that comeback there is no “The Drive”. F**k John Elway
Fios,
how about the double OT win against the Jets? The Brownies were 10 points down with less than 3 mnutes left in that game. Without that comeback there is no “The Drive”.
F**k John Elway
Why aren’t people making more of the fact that Cavs and Lasers were in this exact same position last season - and the Cavs couldn’t take it in games 6 or 7?
Mind you, I’m not saying history will repeat itself. LeBron is a year older and wiser, the Lasers are just a year older. I think the Cavs will take in game 6 and that’ll it. But still…
roger, I don’t care about the failures of Cleveland’s past, nor how it compares to my anger at my team. “The shot”, “the rebound”, “the drive”, “tim couch”, etc… I don’t even care if DETROIT wins or loses, all I care about is if you’re good at what you do (please admit, Detroit has been, and still are) don’t come off as a snob because you “feel” you can win whenever. If you can see it? Then you can understand why I was frustrated about DET’s attitudes towards the Cavaliers/basketball in general. They feel they’re “owed” it. It’s disrespectful to everyone, and that’s not why I like Detroit. Detroit has always been successful as a team that has played as a team, not as a bunch of individuals (that’s why they’ve played on so many teams). They’re acting like individuals with the “oh, I can turn it on when I want” crap, and that’s why I don’t agree with them.
If you can’t see that my “anger” stems from that frustration? Then you truly fall among the blindest of blind homers that think I’m mad because DET isn’t beating CLE. Go join TVBrain in the corner if you feel that way…
J. PHI - My dad made me LEAVE THAT GAME EARLY … he still sighs about it to this day … however, because of my weird sports pedigree, I am actually a Redskins fan though the Browns are my AFC team. And, yes, Elway needs to fuck off, stupid horse-toothed moron. God did it feel good when the ‘Skins whooped his ass.
too bad Timmy Smith was a cokehead and Doug Williams was never the same after that game
McDyess was pointing to the floor to point out that Varejao was NOT shooting.
Why exactly did he have to be slammed to the floor then?
To prevent a really good pass?
JPHI the beauty of the Jets game was that the announcers said “The Jets are going to the AFC Championship.” I actually got a condolence call. That was a great game.
Gregg - I don’t know nothing about uploading nothing. Making these DVDs has been enough of a challenge and I’m in the business for god’s sake. Squeezing 4 hours onto a DVD does not make ffor the clearest picture: You’ve been warned.
I cannot believe that no one is mentioning how bush-league some of the Pistons are. A couple points:
1. They complain almost (maybe more) than the Spurs on EVERY call
2. They flop almost (maybe more) than the Spurs
3. Rip standing in Lebron’s space at the free-throw line earlier in the series (Game 3) was bush. The Gilbert/Lebron thing was cool and verbal last year. Rip looks cheap
4. Did anyone notice that Rip threw an Elbow to Lebron’s head after a drive to basket in one of the OT’s? I watched it again last night and could not believe that the Announcers did not say anything! They just mentioned that Lebron has to be careful cause he already has a T. jeez.
5. Am I the only one with eyes, for whenever Rasheed gets angry, the next time on offense, he fouls whoever is in the vicinity constantly?!?!? There was a play, I think in the 1st OT, where he blatantly elbows AV (right in front of the referee) then pushes Boobie out of the way, i guess, cause he was near.
I like that Lebron doesn’t get every call. He is a man. He doesn’t do it like Wade and get to line 25 times because they breathe on him. People ask why this game and what Lebron did is so different than Wade. Well, I’m sorry, but I don’t think people are going to want to see a free-throw exhibition on ESPN Classic anytime soon.
I would be embarrassed if I was a Pistons fan with that sense of entitlement and whiny disposition on every play. How embarrassing…
I cannot believe that no one is mentioning how bush-league some of the Pistons are. A couple points:
1. They complain almost (maybe more) than the Spurs on EVERY call
2. They flop almost (maybe more) than the Spurs
3. Rip standing in Lebron’s space at the free-throw line earlier in the series (Game 3) was bush. The Gilbert/Lebron thing was cool and verbal last year. Rip looks cheap
4. Did anyone notice that Rip threw an Elbow to Lebron’s head after a drive to basket in one of the OT’s? I watched it again last night and could not believe that the Announcers did not say anything! They just mentioned that Lebron has to be careful cause he already has a T. jeez.
5. Am I the only one with eyes, for whenever Rasheed gets angry, the next time on offense, he fouls whoever is in the vicinity constantly?!?!? There was a play, I think in the 1st OT, where he blatantly elbows AV (right in front of the referee) then pushes Boobie out of the way, i guess, cause he was near.
I like that Lebron doesn’t get every call. He is a man. He doesn’t do it like Wade and get to line 25 times because they breathe on him. People ask why this game and what Lebron did is so different than Wade. Well, I’m sorry, but I don’t think people are going to want to see a free-throw exhibition on ESPN Classic anytime soon.
I would be embarrassed if I was a Pistons fan with that sense of entitlement and whiny disposition on every play. How embarrassing…
TVBrain- Sendspace is a site where you can upload a file, and then post a link where people can download it from. I don’t know how large the game is, I’m guessing about 500 mb, but it should work and would be easier than mailing out a bunch of dvds. Anyway, obviously if you don’t want to, don’t worry about it.
Greg. Seems even more illegal to me.
Well, yeah, but they’d never catch you. The link isn’t labelled as anything- it’s just a file on a page. And anyway, this game doesn’t belong to the NBA- it belongs to the ages.
TVBrain, obviously you’ve never watched an NBA game before. I will not explain the difference between a foul before the shot and a foul in the act of shooting.
DaDuke
While I may not represent all Pistons’ fans, I will say this in response to your comment:
I’m a Pistons’ fan, and I’m not embarrassed about their sense of entitlement. It’s only when they get overly snobby like at the beginning of the series with the “we haven’t brought our A game” talk after losing Games 3 and 4. Every other year the sense of entitlement has gotten them farther than the Cavs, so why should I be embarrassed to be a Pistons’ fan?
LeBron holds his arms out as much as DWade does when he thinks he gets fouled, don’t think he doesn’t.
Verdict: Probation
Crying about sporting events makes you feminine. You wouldn’t want that now would you? Were you not the same dude who just like, what, 2 weeks ago claimed you no longer cared about this team, win OR lose? Tentative fans from losing teams are the worst. Somebody give DaDuke his bottle and a fresh wipe. Take your whiny disposition and that Spur negativity, shine it up real nice and stick it up your pooper. The Dynasty is looming. There’s no stopping it. Whether it be the Cavs or the Pis-ons, we are on our way to 4 in 8 years while you celebrate a pre-mature Eastern Conference Finals trophy. I’m going to Game 1 next Thursday with my colleague Frankie. You know my mug, if you decide to show for THAT game, then feel free to “holler”. It’ll be us against the world if LIKEOMGTHEGREATESTPLAYAOFALLTIME!! manages to make it to the Finals. Just remember one thing: Our coach is actually good at the occupation of coaching. Spurs in 4. We got past the rappers in Denver, the helmet wearing mouth breathers in Phoenix (team and fans), and the overrated Mormons. What a disaster of a season for fellow commenters. Zack Kay became so upset after watching his band of soft, overrated whimps get blown out by a mediocre 8 seed that he actually went on Mavs moneyball and used correct spelling and grammar. Im told he even used the SHIFT key! Jeff M., a reliable source who wishes to remain anonymous, said he saw Boney so depressed after game 5 that he refused to eat a plate of lasagna with extra cheese. He’s even threatening to get on Atkins! But seriously, Spurs in 4. I had a brain fart today and thought about the following:
1999: Spurs win first title
2000-2002: If it weren’t for Kobe and Shaq, it isn’t far fetched to say we could have gotten at least two more chips in that time frame.
2003: Title #2.
2004: Napoleon complexed, big head, and overrall peice of cow manure Derek Fisher hits the .4 shot that basically won the Lakers the series and a Finals appearance. They lost to the Pis-ons in 6 (more on that next.)
2005: Title #3. Now listen, we beat the same Detriot team (basically) that beat the Los Angeles Geezers in 04. Same coach (Larry Brown), same staff. It would’nt be a reach to say we probably would have beat them in 04 as well if, again, it werent for the Caramel Midget.
2006: About to defeat The Mavs in 7 (after being down 3-1 in the series, and after said Mavs blowing a 20 point lead in game 7), when the greatest European player of all time (that would be Ginobili, Manuel David) has a Larry Hughes moment and costs the Spurs the game with a stupid mistake, fouling David Hasselhoff’s biggest fan for an and-1 make. The Mavs, gritty, gutsy and as most people would have had you believe, title contenders (lol) go on to, you guessed it, choke the title away to a Miami Heat team with 1 great player and 1 mediocre player in 6 after leading 2-0. I think I speak for most people when I tell you there is NO WAY we would have lost to that team of Early Bird Special consumers. Not. A. Chance.
My point? Simple: We could have 6 or 7 titles by now. No foolies. For the sake of comedy I hope the Cavs do win. I chuckle at the thought of you and other Cav blogs juggling with polls on whether the Cavs will win it in 6 or 7. With all due respect to coach Mike Brown, a Pop protege who hasn’t even scratched the surface of his potential. The Cavaliers organization would be complete nose pickers if they let him go.
Thursday. It begins…..
The Pistons do their share of griping, but flopping? Really? This coming from someone who supports the team with Varejao?
Tony, welcome back, that was one of the funniest comments I’ve read in awhile here.
F**k John Elway.
McDyess in 7.
A foul before the shot that send the not-shooter to the floor?
You caught me, I’ve never watched a game.
TODD JONES!
Ha! Todd Jones. That Sh**’s funny.
Pistons still have a good shot at this one, if only because a.) their backs are up against a wall (again) and b.) the Cavs just can’t blow anyone out. This thing will come down to the wire in Game Six and/or Game Seven–the teams are very closely matched, strong defensive teams. Execution in crunch time is key, and by my (a Cavs fan’s) opinion, the Pistons executed quite well last night. If it weren’t for a superhuman effort…
That said, Cavs in Six. If and when, we’ll deal with Tony Parker and his delusions of grandeur.
jjc58, do the Pistons still have a good shot in this one? or do the Cavs win in six? Because tonight is game six…Go Bulls!
Bones - Detroit’s main problem is that they’re not as good as they were/think they are. But I suppose they were still not yet “turning it on” for game 5. Fact is - they’ve always done this (or claimed to) and now they may be in a situation where it doesn’t matter if they turn it on or not.
“Claimed to” would be the operative phrase here. They seem to forget they lost to Miami last year.
roger - You’re telling me what Detroit’s main problem is? Should they think that they suck at basketball? Come on now, a little arrogance is ok, but I guess it’s hard to be arrogant when the team you’re a part of hasn’t been to an ECF since ‘92.
The Cav - they lost to Miami last year, they lost to NJN in 2003. I’m sure they haven’t forgotten.
TVBrain - still 90 games to be played. CLE typically likes to fade the last weekend of the season (see 2005, but not last year when they totally sucked). Also, I’d hope that someone would finally step up and beat DET, their bullpen has fallen apart with a ruptured tendon in a finger and biceps tendonitis. It’s only a matter of time though for my boys on the diamond, old man Rogers is coming back and “Future” shall be called up soon as well. Pronk isn’t doing too money this year is he…
J.Phi–
The Pistons have a good shot in this one. Despite last game’s heroics, Detroit went toe-to-toe with the Cavs. Fatigue aside, I can’t see the Pistons just rolling over. They will fight to the end and the Cavs cannot forget it. It’s far more likely that the Cavs come out flat than the Pistons doing the same.
That said, I think the Cavs close it out. (Yes, I’m fully cognizant that this is Game 6.) If they handle their business tonight, we can all point back to Game 5 as a turning point in the history of Cleveland sports. Because after the “Shot,” “the Drive,” “The Fumble,” and the “Fat Mexican Closer,” I have become accustomed to expecting Cleveland teams to blow it. There were a myriad of opportunities to implode in Game 5 and time and time again, LeBron stepped up.
The tides have changed.
Detroit in 4.
Pistons in 7.
We have yet to see their A game. Detroit brainlocked defensively in Game 5 not respecting James . . . BIG TIME. Overall it was an effin crapjob by Detroit. They wrote the Jordan Rules and they don’t use em on LeBron? Whatta joke. Isiah Thomas was calling Laimbeer right now to tear into the Pistons. Lord . . . Michael and Kobe at least faced defenses that were out to kill him. LeBron was given layup after layup, dunk after dunk. LeBron needed to be laid out at some point.
We have yet to see their A game.
What game did they bring to Game 5 when they dropped 91 points in regulation? Their B game?
LeBron needed to be laid out at some point.
Lebron was laid out. I can’t remember if it was in the fourth or in overtime, but he got hammered hard driving the post and it took two Cavs to pick him up off the floor. That didn’t stop him.
Denial may not be a river in Egypt, but its running straight through the Pistons bandwagon right now.
You know the Jordan Rules were a myth, right? Chuck made it up to intimidate the Bulls.
Cleveland fans should stick to Cleveland. Their years of hatred towards anyone not wearing the baby blue and orange/whine and gold have obviously skewed their vision of the entire sports landscape.
I highly doubt the “Jordan Rules” intimidated the Bulls. It was a media thing that Sports Illustrated made money on… I would, however, like to see a “LeBron Rules” Sports Illustrated IF Detroit wins the series, but then again, I’ve always wanted to see the tooth fairy too and that hasn’t quite worked out…
Game 4. Me. Done deal!