LeBron James' heroics wasn't enough in a losing effort against the Orlando Magic 103-90in game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
(Elsa/NBAE/Getty Images)
LeBron James is clearly, one of the most popular players since he was drafted at number 1 by the Cleveland Cavaliers six years ago. The NBA arena was truly a dream come true for the Akron, Ohio native. In his young career, he has made milestones, All-Star appearances and has been on every highlight reel on NBA TV and ESPN Sportscenter. The first time he tasted playoffs basketball, the Cavaliers became contenders in every post season appearance.
'06-'07 was the season King James and Co. made the Finals but would lose to the San Antonio Spurs for the championship. The next year, the Cavaliers made yet another playoff run but was eliminated in the 2nd round of the post season. This year though, they've added Mo Williams in the mix from a trade with the Milwaukee Bucks and got veteran big man Joe Smith in the lineup.
Well, Bron and friends have become one of the best teams in the L. Having the best record in the season, getting the number 1 seed in the East, getting the MVP and COY awards for Bron and Coach Mike Brown respectively, sweeping their 1st and 2nd round opponents -- seems there's no stopping the Cavs now, or so they thought.
When all the sweeping was done, it was time for them to face the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals. Looks to be a good match-up for basketball pundits and fans alike. Sure, the media hype on a possible LeBron vs. Kobe finals was inevitable but Superman and his friends have other plans in mind. The Magic literally wanted to burst everybody's bubble on that particular dream match. And quite frankly, that's exactly what they (the Orlando Magic) did.
The Cavaliers lost in game 1 of the East Finals albeit the homecourt advantage. Stealing the first game in the series drew blood on the Cavaliers, so to speak. The MVP wasn't fazed at their loss as he carried his team to even up the series in game 2. Mo Williams silly trash talk and guarantee making ala Rasheed Wallace of the Detroit Pistons, was perhaps trying to make a statement of sorts or maybe trying to fire up his team. It was then tested in game 3 in O-Town.
A sea of fans in blue filled the Amway arena in Orlando as they cheered for the Magic. Obviously, the visiting Cavaliers got all the jeers, most especially on LeBron James. Wasn't much of a game as the Magic made their own statement by clobbering the Cavs for a 2-1 lead. More trash talking antics by Mo Williams sans their defeat in game 3. All that talk didn't help his team as they lost an important game 4 to even up the series. The King was already losing his ground and faith with his teammates. The confidence was slowly depleting, all thanks to Rashard Lewis' heartbreaking clutch 3-pointers. Blaming his teammates for not getting all the help didn't come as a surprise. All the psywar by Mo-Will wasn't helping at all.
Back to Cleveland, LeBron James played like a man possessed as he carried his team to win Game 5. Finally getting some help from Mo-Will, Big Ben, Delonte West and Z. They are still in contention but was still on the brink of elimination. Mo-Will was still talking as always despite playing in the playoffs for the first time in his career. It looked like the pressure was now on the Magic as they head back to Orlando for game 6. The Cavs have somehow overcome the mismatch problems most especially on the defensive end. The next game would perhaps be a huge test for King James to duplicate his game 5 performance to tie up the series and go back to Cleveland for a deciding game 7.
It's a lot easier said than done but only 8 teams have come back on 3-1 deficit and win the series. The Cavaliers were looking to be the 9th team in NBA history to do just that. All eyes were now on number 23 to see if he can try to pulloff an equalizer and make history. The Magic were also looking to make history themselves. 1995 was the last time Orlando made the Finals. Penny Hardaway and Shaq played in the '95 roster that lost to the Houston Rockets.
Both teams were ready for battle. As the game progressed, it seemed that only LeBron was the only player doing everything for the Cavs. Mo-Will and the rest of the team seemed like they didn't want to go back to the Q and play another game. In other words, the team has already thrown the towel but the King wanted to keep on fighting. The inevitable has already started to sink in. King James and Co. soon faltered to the might of the Orlando Magic. Dwight Howard, Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu made sure the King didn't get up, so to speak. The Magic were the victors earning them a ticket to the NBA Finals to face the LA Lakers. The Cavs on the other hand, lost in a very unusual fashion of sorts despite being the best team in the East.
LeBron James is going home with his face looking down. A lot of questions linger on his mind at the moment. Training camp is just a couple of months away. Preparing for next season is on top of his list for sure. He could be pondering on whether to stay with his current team or simply walk away and play for another team in 2010. So many things to ponder on, most especially the Cavaliers' future.
There's still another year for James to go for a title run but until then his MVP award will have to do for now. It was indeed a heartbreaking loss for the Cavs but if one is gonna look at it in another perspective, the Cavaliers didn't just lose to a better, dominant team but rather they lost to a team that is hungrier to be in the NBA Finals and more worthy of it.
To put it simply, it's not their time yet.
We are all witnesses.
