Down With The King

King On Clock In Cleveland

The King is dead for another season but not without on last great performance. Paul Pierce was exceptional as well as the only member of last year’s Celtics it seemed fitting. For the Celtics it is on to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2002. The Cavs are left to wonder what went wrong. After a trip to the Finals on the back of King James they now fall painfully short. Lebron James has to wonder if he has a long term future in Cleveland. The clock is ticking on Cavs management to find some help for Lebron James. They attempted to do that this season but it is clear they have failed. The Toronto Raptors need to learn this lesson as well. Both James and Bosh signed 3 year deals that have a player option for a fourth. Should the Cavs and the Raptors not find the answers to their respective Franchise Players satisfaction both could take their skills on the road. The reality is both players have very little help on their respective teams. James more so than Bosh, but few would argue that fact that both are basically a one man show in a world of “Big Threes”. Bosh does at least have some quality point guards to play with but that is starting to look like that will get cut in half. If it brings him another star type player to play with it is acceptable. Lebron on the other hand is really a man on an island. Ben Wallace is a shadow of his former Piston dominance, Daniel Gibson is a nice role player but that is about all and Delonte West is not a point guard that can help either. The truth is you can poke holes in the entire Cleveland roster. They are better than the Raptors for the simple fact that Lebron James is better than Chris Bosh. No Newsflash in that statement. But what would be is if James ends up leaving the Cavs for the Big Apple that would be front page stuff. Bosh leaving the Raptors would be a crushing blow as well. So you have 2 years to get it right Cleveland and Toronto and the clock is ticking.

The Celtics are proof that you can change over night. They have created a window to win and they are two steps away from doing that. But two very hard steps indeed and the fact it has taken 14 games to get to that point will not serve them well. The Pistons earned some rest that their most important part needed. Chancey Billups has declared himself 100% and ready for action. If you are talking about a window that is almost shut that is the Detroit Pistons. If Rasheed wants to be buying more title belts for his team they will need to stop the Celtics who have been the ultimate Jekyll and Hyde act. Unbeaten at home 8-0 and winless on the Road at 0-6. Can the Pistons break through and win in Boston? If they can based on first two rounds you would have to think it is likely. But the Celtics have found ways to win despite all of it and seem to be able to answer the bell when pressed to do so. The big three has not been really working at full capacity and Ray Allen has yet to do much to be considered a huge factor. Pierce has been up and down and Garnett has been solid but not as dominant as many might have imagined. In the end the winner of this series may end up being the runner-up in the end. I would give the Lakers, Spurs and even the surprising Hornets that advantage in a series vs. Boston or Detroit.

The Lakers seem to be the favourites in my opinion and many others. They have had a fairly easy road to the Western Conference Final. The Spurs or Hornets will face a quick turnaround to have to face the Lakers in Game 1. It has been a hard fought series between the Spurs and Hornet and both teams have taken lumps along the way. The Hornets have had David West not going at 100% and the Spurs are a veteran team that has had to deal with a young challenger that has given them all they can handle. Both seem right to be taken apart but I rested and more healthy Kobe Bryant. After that the team that advances in the East should be not trouble. Kobe Bryant has been the force driving the Lakers to higher heights than one could have imagined. It is a long way from demanding a trade to the NBA Finals.

Toronto Raptors maybe can take a lesson from all of this. In this civil war of the point guards all seems lost and things seem completely hopeless. Just like things looked like in L.A this summer. Sometimes things do not always go the way they seem to be heading. It may be rambling in search of some positive answer out of all of this. But the Lakers were going to trade their best player and it was only a question of when and not if. But things change and circumstances can improve. So maybe we all need to think of that when the latest Jose and T.J story comes along. Just a thought. Dino Blogger is taking tomorrow off to prepare for our live BLOG event. I hope you folks will enjoy it and take part in it.

Tags: Cavs, Chanecy Billiups, Chris Bosh, Hornets, Kobe Bryant, Lakers, Lebron James, NBA PLAYOFFS, Paul Pierce, Pistons, Raptors, Ray Allen, Spurs