The era of LeBron James has finally come to fruition. After being selected first overall in 2003 and receiving more Jordan-hype then any other player entering the draft in the last decade, the prophecies have started to come true.
During game four of the Pistons-Cavaliers series, the incredibly skilled small forward had easily the best game of his career in front of a raucous crowd in Detroit.
The Pistons, led by Chauncey Billups, Rasheed Wallace, Richard Hamilton, Chris Webber and Tayshaun Prince, had everything working for them. The crowd was behind the hometown Pistons. The clutch shots were dropping, especially Billups’ huge fourth-quarter triple. Detroit had a much-inferior Cleveland team with its back against the wall during the waning moments.
LeBron’s clutch performance came fast and hard like nothing I have seen out of a basketball player in a playoff game since Michael Jordan some 10 years ago. In the final quarter and two overtime periods, James scored 29 of the Cavaliers final 30 points. He also scored his team’s last 25 points, including two go-ahead dunks over Prince in the fourth quarter that brought all of those watching to their knees. James finished with 48 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in the 109-107 victory. After that performance, we have all finally become witnesses.
In the next game of the series, the Pistons looked completely deflated and in awe after King James willed the last game away. Cleveland’s Quicken Loans Arena was rocking, as the Cavs strolled to a 98-82 Game 6 victory behind 20 points from James and 30 from rookie point guard Daniel Gibson.
Now, the question remains, can James keep it up against Tim Duncan and the dominant San Antonio Spurs? Coming through the tougher Western Conference, the Spurs have had to defeat several formidable clubs in the Denver Nuggets, Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz on its way to the NBA Finals. For all intents and purposes, the Cavaliers are in a deep hole even before the series’ first game on Thursday.
This could be the time for James to shine his brightest. Does he have the energy and skill to steal an NBA title from the heavily favored Spurs? The answer is undoubtedly yes. Although King James plays with scrubs like Eric Snow and Drew Gooden, he has shown greatness and will take home the hardware in the playoff finale.
The “James Gang” defeated the Spurs in their two meetings during the regular season, but there are few key points that will help them to win it all. The main reason will be that the Cavs have James, the NBA’s most electrifying player. Another key will be Cleveland’s daunting defense, superb rebounding and ability to bang bodies with the Spurs better then any other team in the Eastern Conference.
The Spurs are a great team. Duncan is a one-of-a-kind player, and great talent like Michael Finley, Manu Ginobli and Tony Parker surrounds him. Their downfall will be that they have no one who can legitimately defend James. Bruce Bowen is a good defender, though he is not fast enough to keep up with the King.
King James will make the Spurs look silly during the NBA Finals. He will take his licks and finish more exhausted than he has been his entire career, but he will be able to fall asleep with the NBA Championship sitting happily in the Cavaliers’ trophy rack.