Lebron James

I love playoff basketball. No matter who is playing, I love watching it. Last night I got to see most of the Boston, Cleveland game. I have been looking forward to this series, but last night I was deeply disappointed. With the exception of some great play from Kevin Garnett, the game was a mess. While Pierce and Allen were awful, I was especially disgusted by Lebron’s play. Let me preface this by saying that he is my favorite player in the NBA... I don’t think the NBA has ever seen such a skilled passer, scorer, and rebounder in a body that would make any NFL linebacker coach salivate. I also like the way he markets himself as a celebrity and not just an athlete. I was surprised that he wasn’t closer in the MVP voting, but I have to agree that Lebron didn’t deserve to win MVP this year. Last night illustrated why. James scored the first points of the game on a drive past half of the Celtics that looked easy. Then, as Boston started throwing different coverage’s on him, Lebron started throwing up the ugliest threes over and over again. I am generally very impressed with Lebron’s shot selection, especially when he drives into the lane, but his 3pt selection is consistently terrible. He shot 30% this season, and took more 3s than anyone on the team. Lebron’s teammate, Daniel Gibson, is one of the top 3pt shooters in the league at 47ish %. He needs to teach James what a good three looks like… almost all of Gibson’s shots come off kickouts and sneaking across the weak side. Lebron spotting up after a dribble or two with two guys on him is simply a terrible shot; it’s amazing he shoots 30%. Those are the kind of shots that you throw up to show off in streetball, but coaches start trying to teach that out of players starting in middle school (trust me I remember). What especially bothered me was that coach Mike Brown didn’t seem to do anything about it. Lebron just kept throwing up ugly threes the whole game. I’m sure that Mike Brown realizes that he is paid to keep Lebron happy, but the difference between mediocre and great coaches is the ability to teach elite players. Even mediocre coaches should have enough control of their team to make needed in game adjustments, even when they do involve star players with big egos.
Another lowlight from last night’s game was Ray Allen’s egg in the points column. I’ve loved and hated the guy since he took us to the eastern conference finals in Milwaukee. I have loved his beautiful and quick shooting stroke, but always been annoyed by his seeming inability to create a shot for himself, especially when his three ball isn’t falling. That didn’t matter last night in the end, but if I am the Cavs, I keep on sitting a defender half way in Allen’s uniform no matter what, and simply take him out of the game.