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I just read this little tidbit, and it rings so strongly that I wanted to share it. The Cavs, in passing on tying the Boston Celtics record 41-1 home standard, may have inadvertently contributed to their own demise in the playoffs. Read on:

2 things the Cavaliers have to be wondering
2. Should they have rested the starters in the final game of the regular season?

Had they won that home game — they lost in overtime to Philadelphia as LeBron James and other starters watched — the bottom half of the East draw would have been changed, matching the 76ers against Boston in the first round. The argument can be made that the Celtics might have had an easier time against the Sixers than they ultimately had against the Bulls, who took them to seven enervating games. That would have left the Celtics fresher going into the second round against Orlando. Would the Celtics have had the energy to close out their 3-2 lead against Orlando? Would Cleveland have used its home-court advantage to knock off Boston — the Cavaliers having matched up better against the Celtics than against the Magic — and would they be in the Finals as a result? This is all highly far-fetched, but these are the things that keep executives and coaches up late at night after the kind of bad loss that Cleveland suffered in the conference finals against Orlando.

1. What could they have done against Dwight Howard?

The young Magic center had 40 points in the decisive Game 6 against Cleveland, which has been out of character for his postseason as a whole. In the second round, the Celtics held him to 16.4 points on 11.7 field-goal attempts, and through four games of the Finals, the Lakers’ harassing team defense has limited him to 16.5 points on 8.5 attempts.

Against the Cavaliers’ relatively passive interior defense, however, Howard managed 25.8 points on 13.8 attempts. Was this an issue of personnel and mismatches, or was the problem in the schemes? The likely answer is that both sides must be addressed. But I don’t believe for a second that coach Mike Brown is in danger of losing his job. He was Coach of the Year for winning 66 games with a team that was viewed in the preseason as lacking firepower around James. If you fire him, who becomes his replacement? Good luck finding someone who can seamlessly improve on the foundation Brown has established. It isn’t going to happen.

Okay, the Cavaliers lost to a better team. I can accept that. But something inside me just won’t let some other things slide, so I’m about to put them all on blast, partly for therapy, partly cause I feel like it.

- LeBron not congratulating the Magic or talking to the media
Who gives a shit? Alright! Let’s take this from another perspective. You go to work. The job hires another person who does exactly the same thing you do, only they’re younger, prettier, stronger and smarter. When that person gets the promotion you thought was yours for years, what do you do? This is your LIFE remember? You might pretend to be gracious, but in reality, you want that person to get sucked into a jet engine, right? Well, for LeBron, basketball is a JOB. Not a game, but a JOB. So he didn’t feel like kissing ass while the opponents rub their balls all over him and the fans cuss him out? So WHAT! Here’s LeBron’s take on it …

“It’s hard for me to congratulate somebody after you just lose to them,” he said. “I’m a winner. It’s not being a poor sport or anything like that. If somebody beats you up, you’re not going to congratulate them. That doesn’t make sense to me. I’m a competitor. That’s what I do. It doesn’t make sense for me to go over and shake somebody’s hand.”

- The other players
They all suck. Fuck the sugarcoating, they suck as a unit. They suck individually. They suck. Watch me break them down:

Mo Williams
A nice player when surrounded by other stronger, taller players, but not a second star. And now, a choke artist who sounded glad just to be there.
Delontae West
A really good seventh man, but not a starter. Defensively strong, but only an inch taller than Gary Coleman, who is the same height as Mo Williams. The NBA is a big man’s game, these midgets get stomped. And not an offensive force … a lot like …
Daniel ‘Boobie’ Gibson
He has become just like many other “shooters” to come along since LeBron came into the league. Remember Jason Kapono? Trajan Langdon? Shannon Brown? Damon Jones? Luke Jackson? Dujuan Wagner? J.R. Bremer? No? They’ve all come and gone since 2003. And they all were supposed to do the same thing Boobie’s not doing - spread the damn floor! So Boobie, minus a ridiculous night a few years ago against the Pistons, you’ve taken your place along those other names in Cavs history … welcome home kid.
Sasha Pavlovic
The poorest man’s Larry Hughes. Sort of can shoot. Sort of athletic. Sort of a good defender. Add all that together and you know what you get? A DAMN BUM.
Anderson Verejao
He’s what the Bulls’ Joakim Noah aspires to be. A cracked out flopper, a nuisance, a benign Dennis Rodman, who has very few skills beyond that.
Ben Wallace
A walking corpse of his former self. Can no longer bang with the bigs. Hustles no more. Is allergic to offense. And is the price we paid to get rid of Hughes. $20 mill… Without his afro he’s not even fun to look at anymore.
Zydrunas Ilgauskas
He’s like your old uncle. He’s cool, you give him mad respect for all he’s done, but you pity him because he hasn’t quite figured out that he ain’t the pimp he used to be. Big Z is a center, who doesn’t play in the middle anymore. Remember when he had post moves? Gone. What about when he could get 6 tap backs on rebounds to keep a possession alive? Not so much anymore. He’s a hindrance to the game unless he’s hitting his long range shots, but he doesn’t even do that so much. Hang it up big guy. We’ll put you in the rafters, for whatever that means…
Wally Sczerbiak
He’s never EVER been a good fit. He never hit threes like he was supposed to, so he should easily (and rightfully) fit into the category with Boobie, but for the fact that he was expected to do more than hit a three. He’s tall enough to be helpful, but he’s about as athletic as Joey Chestnut, you know, the champion eater? Fortunately his contract is up. See ya.

I won’t rip Joe Smith, he’s been ripped enough as a former No. 1 pick.

Does that cover everyone who matters?

Oh the coach!

Mike Brown
He’s a great cheerleader, which is good for a coach who wants to keep his job. But his skills as a motivator are still up in the air. Notice how much the networks showed Stan VanGundy? Never once did you see a Mike Brown huddle shot. Why? Because it’s not good TV, which means it can’t be motivating to a player? Okay, so Tony Dungy, former coach of the Indianapolis Colts, didn’t yell and scream, but he has something Brown lacks: presence. He seems like he really has no idea what he’s doing, still, and he’s now got Coach of the Year on his resume…

The future
The Cavs need more athletes. Preferably in the 6′6″ range, with speed and a jumper. And one decent big man (like hmm … Carlos Boozer?). The Magic series, as Charles Barkley said, was too hard for the Cavs to win. LeBron had to use too much of himself to carry the team, which was too willing to ride along on his coattails. Hence that game six stinker(?) where he seemed unfocused, and still had 25 7 and 7. All in all, the team overachieved, so there’s no need to be mad that they lost without a title. Cleveland is Cleveland, after all, so people will say this was a bad year, but it was the one of the greatest sporting seasons the city has ever seen, so savor it, and beg for changes or it’ll be more of the same next year.

Online commentors all around Ohio are dusting off their spots on the Cleveland Browns bandwagon after the team’s dazzling win over the Super Bowl champion NY Giants. Derek Anderson finally cleared his head of the cobwebs put there by these very same Giants, via concussion, in the preseason. Braylon Edwards showed he’s more than a showoff (but still QUITE a showoff, doing that Olympic-style roundoff - or was it a cartwheel? - during pregame introductions) by actually catching passes and scoring! Even without KWII, the team dropped 35 on that fierce Giants defense, and played some decent D of their own.

But … don’t call it a comeback. The team’s schedule is about to get even more trying, with Washington and Jacksonville upcoming. From 2-3 to 2-5 in a heartbeat? It’s possible. Even likely. Derek Anderson, if he can survive the meat grinder in Jacksonville without having the brain matter forced from his head, might just be something for the team. Will he? I don’t think so. But he’ll be valiant, throw killer interceptions, put mid-range passes into the turf and the third row, and stand through it all, like Rocky, which, while heroic, won’t win either of the next two.

But let us revel in the glory that a win brings. They DID indeed beat the champs. They ARE not out of the hunt for the playoffs. But, just like when The Italian Stallion finally cut the Russian, he still had to finish the fight. One cut, a victory does not make. And if this lil Rocky gets too cocky after one good lick, he may find his body in the ring, and his head in the crowd.

NFL NEWS & NOTES

Is Belichick a voyeur?: A rumor you may have missed came out of San Diego late Sunday night, where the previously 18-1 New England Patriots lost a game 30-10 to the Chargers. Fans reported seeing coach Bill Belichick smiling maniacally under his hoodie, as the carnage unfolded. Turns out, Bill likes to SEE other people score as much as he himself likes to score! Who knew?

Where’s my reward?: Indianapolis won handily over the Ravens, with WR Marvin Harrison playing a significant role in the outcome. Despite news reports claiming he was still missing, the notoriously reclusive star is in fact still around and capable.

TO over the hill: The Cowboys picked up a potential No. 1 WR in Roy Williams, in a trade-deadline deal with the Lions, that may partly have been precipitated by the swift decline in one No. 81s apparently inability to get separation from … the no-name corners of the Cardinals, who owned him in a loss Sunday. TO says it’s good for the team, but the fact is, Williams could easily be TO, with Patrick Crayton and that Austin speedster holding down the other spots. Who will TO throw under the bus for that? Oops, no room left under there!

Race to defeated-un heats up: The Texans and Rams won, taking themselves OUT of the running to be the first defeated-un team since Tampa Bay did it three decades ago, and the FIRST 0-16 team ever.

There remain two contenders for the throne. (Note: as you ALL know, defeated-un is the officialest term for someone who goes the exact OPPOSITE of undefeated. It’s like a Bizarro world winning streak.) The Detroit Lions, minus burly scapegoat Matt Millen, come in with totally tarnished record of 0-5, having lost their last game by two points, which, ironically, is the same amount rewarded when your quarterback, fleeing for his life, runs out of his own endzone, aka a safety.

Not to be outdone, and with a far greater portfolio for recent failures, the Cincinnati Bengals counter with an 0-6 record, with several heartbreaking losses, none of which bring comfort to the team who’s heart must be made of Teflon to remain after so many of that kind over the past two decades. As they aren’t scheduled to face each other, BOTH teams remain in the hunt to go for the mythical 0-16 record that even hapless Miami couldn’t attain last year, despite their best efforts to achieve. Betters call? Pick em. Personally? Bet on Detroit. The Bengals just might beat Cleveland or Baltimore, who aren’t titans (or Titans, who are undefeated) by any stretch.

The Cleveland Browns 2008 season jumped the shark, washed under the bridge, and kicked the bucket all in one day. The hated Ravens whupped their tails to the tune of 28-10, and the Browns ineptitude with or without the ball continues.

Derek Anderson, he of the new contract and newly-uncovered psychological (and possibly neurological) issues, looked a lot like a 6′6″ Charlie Frye, tossing murderballs to KWII (who took major blasts from Ray Lewis), and pick-6s, when not looking like he was auditioning for Dancing with The Stars in the pocket or digging his face from the turf.

Remember that quick release? Gone. What about those long bombs to Braylon Edwards? Can’t locate them with a GPS. What about the big deal of using Josh Cribbs in the offense? Nope, it’s the vaunted Sedric Steptoe (who? Exactly!) And thus and so, the running game has gone away too. Even when it was working, they stopped going to it.

10, 6, 10. That’s how many points the team has scored this season. And some of those were cowardly cosmetic points against the Cowboys and Steelers. Romeo Crennell looks like he’d rather be at an Old Country Buffet, or anywhere else. The defense is (typically) suspect, and that was supposed to be his specialty.

So here we are, 0-3, with the Damn Bum Ass Joker Bowl next week against those hapless clowns from down south - the Bengals. The loser will likely be looking for a head coach within weeks. So will the winner, especially if it’s the Browns. Or so we hope.

It’s time to see what Brady Quinn can do. Play him next week, then give him all the reps through the bye week to prepare for the Giants. Will Romeo do this? Nope. He’ll stick with Anderson and dig a grave for himself and his QB, and ultimately, the season.

NFL NEWS & NOTES

Tony Sparano gets more action than Belichick: The New England Patriots took a very unusually humbling loss to the previously 1-15 Dolphins by a 38-13 count. They got reamed with the same direct snap play for 4 TDs, and looked as lost as those fools on that ABC show. The ceiling for that team just dropped from Super Bowl, to maybe not even winning the division.

Ronnie Brown awakened: The Dolphins running back was resposible for all but three of his teams points (4 rush TD, one pass TD), as they went about embarrasing the Patriots, and ending their regular season win streak. By a show of hands, please, who had him in their fantasy draft? Didn’t think so.

Broncos score a lot, but just enough: The Denver Broncos, if they keep up the pace, will be the only team to score 500+ points while allowing 500+ points. They won 34-32, in another barn-burner, in which there was a play on each team’s EVERY series that looked like it could go to the house for a TD.

RANDOM MLB NOTE
Two Cy Youngs? If Cliff Lee wins the AL Cy Young, and C.C. Sabathia wins the NL award, will that make the first time two pitchers who played on the same team at the same time win the award in the same year? Yes, C.C. got traded, but his record with the Indians still counts in his overall total. Lee, 22-2, should win it hands down, and C.C. looks like a good bet to win as well. If nothing else, it’s another example of how good the team should be, if not for bad luck and bad timing…

Browns coach Romeo Crennel probably wears tighty-whiteys, because, with no balls, he doesn’t need the space of boxers. He kicked a field goal, down 28-7 in the fourth quarter to a more talented Cowboys team. Game Over! Final score, a much more respectable 28-10, leaving him something to build on next week (”Guys, let’s get 13 points next week!”).

What a loser ass way to start a season. Not that they lost - they were going to lose - but how they lost sets a bad precedent for a season filled with more promise than it deserves. And next week? Pittsburgh, who feasted like ogres on that tender Texan flesh, comes a-callin, with blood on its breath.

No Cribbs, No Peek, no Stallworth, no Lewis or Braylon either (but the latter two weren’t injured). KWII did his thing, but nearly no one else showed up. And for all his talking about LeBron James not being a Cleveland guy, his tongue wasn’t the only thing Braylon should have held onto. Catch the DAMN BALL!

No need to go into this crapfest anymore… On to News and Notes!

NFL NEWS & NOTES

But he still has Gisele
Tom Brady had his knee annihilated by a low hit against the Chiefs, done for the season. Critics are worried about the Patriots, but no one is worried about Brady, after all, his supermodel girlfriend will be there to aid in his speedy (yearlong) recovery. But not to be outdone, Bill Belichick will STILL outscore his QB.

Vince Young on suicide watch?
After another stinker of a interception, Vince Young at first appeared to refuse to reenter the game. Then the next night, he left his phone at home on the way out, leading to a manhunt which ultimately found Young eating chicken and watching the Monday night games. How does one go from a bad game to being on the verge of mental breakdown? We have 2-4 weeks to find out, as VY is out with an injury.

- The Chargers lost on a last-second pass, because no one could get a stop in the end. They’ve done that before (last season in the playoffs against NE). It’s worth keeping an eye on as the season progresses.

- Joe Flacco looked like Joe Montana … but it WAS the Bengals as the opponent.

- That Forte kid for the Bears looked pretty good against the Colts, sparing QB Kyle Orton the responsibility of having to … gasp! … win a game by passing.

The NFL season is upon us, and for me, that means an increased chance of heart attack watching my hometown Cleveland Browns team, and plenty of laughs at “Ocho Psycho” (Marvin Lewis’ words, not mine) and the Cincinnati Bengals waste all that offense on another 5-11 type season.

It means more LT, more Adrian Peterson, more KWII, more Brady to Moss, more Belichick jokes (I’ve had all summer to write new ones!), more Tedd Ginn sightings, and more hope that Troy Smith will become a starting QB in the league.

So, with that, I will make some “BOLD” predictions about this year!

1.) The Browns will not outdo last year’s 10-6 record, but they’ll still make the playoffs by taking the AFC North.

2.) Chad Johnson will get suspended this year for conduct detrimental to the team. The whole changing his name to Chad “Javon Ocho Cinco” thing is just a taste of the disruption he’s going to become.

3.) Troy Smith will be cheered by Ravens fans, and steer the team toward (mediocrity) respectability before the porous offensive line leaves him vulnerable for that season-ending hit he always seems destined to take.

4.) The Minnesota Viking’s Adrian Peterson will struggle to reach 1,300 yards this year. The word is out on him, and he’ll continue to see 8-9 men in the box until someone can complete a pass longer than 15 yards on that team.

5.) It likely won’t be Tavaris Jackson, who’ll take one of those hits served up Troy Smith-style, before taking his career and going quietly into oblivion.

6.) Bill Belichick won’t smile once all season.

7.) Tom Brady won’t be seen with Gisele until at least November.

8.) Tony Romo will be ripped everytime Jessica Simpson breathes on TV within 2,000 miles of Dallas.

9.) Who is J.T. O’Sullivan? You probably won’t ever know. And that’s bad for the 49ers.

10.) Cardinals QB Matt Leinart will be the leader of that team by October. Kurt Warner’s corpse will be seen being pecked by vultures in the desert of Death Valley. The football will be found laying next to him, because even in death, he couldn’t hold onto the damn thing without fumbling.

11.) Derek Anderson will be blamed for every interception he throws, every bad pass, every fumbled snap, and slowly crack under fiercer competition this season - and Romeo Crennell STILL won’t pull him for Brady Quinn.

12.) This is the year Quinn finally says something controversial about his situation. And people in Cleveland will love him for it. Even if his teammates don’t like it.

13.) Indianapolis WR Marvin Harrison will notice he’s been quietly bumped down to third receiver behind Reggie Wayne AND Tony Gonzalez. He’ll maybe catch as many balls as TE Dallas Clark.

14.) The Giants won’t finish with more than 9 wins. And playoffs? Forget about it.

15.) The Raiders will kill Al Davis. Literally. He’ll fall dead in his suite watching a game. And no one will bother him till season’s end, because Davis is JUST THAT SCARY.

16.) Bill Belichick will score less this year … his ladyfriend will not be happy with this turn of events. The Patriots will love it.

See ya Sunday!

I have recently awakened from my spring-induced coma (especially with the Indians doing so poorly), to find the NFL is back upon the world. Not only that, but there’s plenty other juicy sports news going on. LeBron and Team USA is on pace to do well, and hopefully win gold in the Olympics, and baseball actually did something interesting BEFORE the playoffs, at the trading deadline, sending high-profile players like Ken Griffey Jr. and Manny Ramirez to other teams. With the introductions to this piece out of the way, let’s get off into the news and notes:

- It’s nice to see Bill Belichick taking running up the score seriously even in his personal life. The pic above shows him and a relatively hot betty (especially for him) getting some facetime in on the bench during an NBA Finals game.

- Jose Canseco got knocked out by Vai Sikahema. In a celebrity boxing match. Canseco called foul, saying his opponent took it too seriously. It’s a boxing match!?!?

- Steve Smith beat the paste out of a teammate (Ken Lucas), proving that he not only talks a bunch of crap, but will back it up on ANYBODY, even teammates.

- Brett Favre. $20 mil. To NOT PLAY. Any questions?

- Michelle Wie missed another cut in a mens event. She took a quintuple bogey (+5) on a par four, ending her dim hopes again, and further solidifying her rep as a sideshow attraction. All that’s left is the obligatory Playboy spread (within the next two years, we can only hope!), and she can head over to reality TV to continue her search for relevance.

- Griffey made a beautiful catch today, then was promptly removed from the game with a leg cramp. Ugh.

- Ron Artest is taking his “ghetto” ass to Houston, via a trade. I’ve never been there, but I imagine they’ve got plenty of “ghetto” there already, so he should fit right in. He also subtly implied ghetto is a culture. Uh … ghetto isn’t really even a choice, except to those who feel like they have to make it seem like one, because they’re stuck there!

Now, this isn’t going to be nearly as virulent as the title implies, so let me go a bit before getting turned off. I’m from Cleveland, see? So, being from Cleveland, you typically inherit dislikes of other cities … maybe from jealously, maybe from disgust, whatever. I like to give each city a chance to stand on its own merits, before deeming it worthy of praise, pity or rage. Mainly, though, cities move around based solely on the basis of which teams play there. So, it goes without saying that some cities, even though I may never have been there, find their way onto this dubious list. But to be fair, I’ll try to say something nice about each city, no matter how hard it may be.

CITIES I HATE BECAUSE OF THEIR SUCK ASS TEAMS

5.) Chicago

Why I hate Chicago
See, I really don’t hate the city that much, it’s a great spot to hang out in. It’s like Cleveland, only bigger, more cultured and generally cooler. But any city that has feasted on the Cleveland Cavs like they were turkey on Thanksgiving - with Jordan’s ridiculous “The Shot” at the top of the list - has to go on the list.

Why I like Chicago
Plenty to like: Navy Pier, Giordano’s pizza, Wrigleyville, Cubs games, Walter Payton, Michael Jordan (I know, blasphemous, right? But good is good!) Scottie Pippen, The “Rodman” experience, Judd “Bush league” Buechler (I’m not even trying to spell it right! Well, I’m not looking it up …) Michigan Ave., The Fridge, The Super Bowl Shuffle (pure comedy) and Barack Obama. See, and that’s just off the top!

4.) Baltimore

Why I hate Baltimore
I’m a Cleveland fan! Do I need to say his name? Fine … ART MODELL.

Why I like Baltimore
Camden Yards is nearly as cool a stadium as the Jake, I mean Progressive Field, Troy Smith plays there, and I have a really cool picture of a park overlooking the water there, someplace.

3.) Denver

Why I hate Denver
John Elway’s big stupid smile, and bigger arm in the clutch, the Three Amigos, The Drive, the Fumble, yeah, we’re still mad about that shit in Cleveland!

Why I like Denver
Iverson, Carmelo (to a lesser degree), the “Katelyn Faber” incident (Google her, if you don’t know), and the 2007 Rockies.

2.) Detroit

Why I hate Detroit
I hear it stinks there, the Pistons play there, the Tigers play (or try to) there. The uppity Red Wings, who just won another title. Did I say the Pistons? I don’t like the Piss-tons.

Why I like Detroit
Kwame Kilpatrick’s “party-time” mayoral campaign, Motown (which introduced the world to Stevie Wonder, and Smokey Robinson), Ford Mustangs, and Barry Sanders.

1.) Boston

Why I hate Boston
Maybe it’s their smug attitude, the way their fans thumb their noses at the rest of the sports world, while at the same time crying for pity about their poor team’s misfortune. They have the Bruins, Patriots, Red Sox and Celtics, and are one of the two or three winningest cities in the country, yet all you ever hear about is Babe Ruth based curses, and no respect for Spygate and those poor Celtics not having won a title in 21 years. Paul Pierce’s knife wound-riddled body resides there. Bill Belichick wins there, when he couldn’t do squat here but look like he was taking a dump in EVERY INTERVIEW.

Why I like Boston
Manny Ramirez plays there, KG, Ray Allen, Randy Moss. But none of that is enough so ….
Boston, SUCK IT!

Missed the cut: Pittsburgh (I love Bettis, and the Steelers rivalry lost a little steam when the Browns left town), Cincinnati (I live there now; not prudent to hate the city you live in too much, people might object), Jacksonville (it just seems like it sucks to live there, minus the warmth), the entire state of North Carolina (Duke and North Carolina basketball rivalry, ugh! Just hearing Dick Vitale get amped about this again and again makes me puke Tar Heel Blue chunks), and whatever city YOU live in, if not already mentioned. Why, cause I’m from Cleveland, and we don’t like outsiders, period!

The LA Lakers and the Boston Celtics are in the NBA Finals, again, and for the next few weeks, a bunch of dead or nearly dead former greats will unearth themselves to bask in the leftover honor the current teams will find heaped upon themselves.

Let’s not harp on the fact that these two storied (another word you’ll hear a lot) franchises have been among the most fortunate and talented in history. (The Celtics haven’t been to the Finals in 21 years. I’m sure that puts them on level with the Cubs in baseball, or even the Saints in football, who either have never been, or haven’t been in so long that the grandchildren of people who were waiting to see a title are now having kids who are, of course, waiting to see a title.)

Now, I like the Lakers. I’ve liked the team for some time. I inherited my like of them from my old man. So, it’s not like I’m bandwagoning or frontrunning.

I don’t like Boston. That one has come from my experience as a Cleveland sports fan. Patriots, Red Sox, Celtics … all have come to Cleveland and brought with them that pretentious, self-absorbed, disillusioned (they think they’re not like New Yorkers, when in essence, they’re just the same, only without as much winning) selves and force-fed our teams humble pie like they even know how to make one. Also, quite a bit of their success has come as result of things Cleveland-based. Belichick cut his teeth here, lost a lot, then took that lesson to the Super Bowl. Manny Ramirez played his early years here, and led the Sox to victory.

Despite KG and Ray Allen, the presence of Paul Pierce (who spit on the Cavaliers floor and more famously and recently, nearly took a slap upside the head from Gloria James, LB’s mom) makes this team unlikeable.

But the Lakers, well, they’re difficult to dislike, even with Kobe’s past indiscretions included. Kobe doesn’t even echo MJ anymore, he reflects him. He’s built like MJ, he moves, excuse me, glides like MJ, he’s clutch like MJ, he plays D like MJ, and he pretty much has mastered the game like MJ. Watching him feels like watching MJ, because he’s crafted himself to be like MJ. With Jordan as a template, Kobe can surpass his records, and carve his own niche in history. He may not average 30 per game like Jordan (mainly because he played so little early on, his current career average is 25 per, so he may be able to catch J, but he’d have to gun it), but he’ll stand side-by-side with J, and that’s quite a feat, and in and of itself something to be proud of.

So, I look forward to Kobe smacking Pierce, and tossing the Celtics aside for a title of his own, with his team. I’ll feel bad for KG later, but too bad. The Lakers are taking this one home, in 6.

There was a “duel for the ages” on Sunday, if you ask the headline writers for espn.com. LeBron James and Paul Pierce went mano e mano, scoring 45 and 41 points respectively. The Celtics won the game, ultimately, by a score of 97-92.

But it wasn’t the Big Three (Garnett grabbed boards but was not a factor offensively, and Ray Allen … well, two free throws and nothing else) who beat the Cavs. It wasn’t the propped-up corpses belonging to Ben Wallace (3 points, 5 boards, 5 FOULS) and Wally Sczcerbiak (0 points, 1 rebound, no heart and 4 FOULS) who lost the game. It was LEBRON JAMES. Read it again.

LEBRON JAMES LOST THE GAME FOR THE CAVS.

Am I crazy, you must be thinking. How did LeBron (45 points, 5 rebs, 6 asts, 2 stls) LOSE the game for the team when he was pretty much the only player hustling? Well, that’s my point.

LeBron is capable of wearing his MJ hat, or his Magic hat. And when the team is most successful is when he plays his Johnson, not Jordan, game. He needed to dish and die with the results. He should have had 15 points and 25 assists, and won. He should have had 10 points, 15 boards and 15 assists, and won. 45 in a loss means what? It means the rest of the team only scored two more points than he did! That’s a recipe for disaster with this particular bunch of scrubs (who all looked petrified from the tip).

LeBron covered his heiney with the game; no one would dare say he didn’t give his all, but I can’t let his game pass. He has to learn to DIE with his teammates, not run off alone on a personal scoring binge, which only served to neutralize his team, while Pierce’s numbers nullified its significance. Kobe learned this lesson the hard way, but in LeBron’s defense, Kobe still has better teammates (even without Pau Gasol).

I wonder if LeBron even noticed that the Cs were LETTING him get off until late? Posey or some other Celtics scrub defended him until the end, but the game was already set by then.

So, whoopie, LeBron had 45 points in a series where he stunk with shooting until the end. What he needed was a few more assists.