Another reason to root against the Heat

Kudos to the Dallas Mavericks for their stirring comeback last night in the NBA Finals! I didn't watch it, since I really have no desire to see LeBron James play in an NBA Finals, but I understand it was really something to behold.

I received this email today from my friend Jeff Brown, who messages me every couple of days, and whose emails are usually relentlessly negative about the Indians or Cavaliers or Cleveland's population or what have you. This one is a bit unusual in its topic, and I found it interesting enough to paste it in its entirety:

I figured out why (Zydrunas Ilgauskas) hasn't been playing the NBA finals so far -- the Heat didn't even include him on the finals roster!

This isn't a very noble way for the big fella to end his NBA career -- his team, despite starting him for 51 games in the regular season, and 8 out of 9 games to begin the postseason, has eviscerated him from the roster altogether and he doesn't even get to wear his uniform to the game, much less get in and play.

This would have been Z's second trip to the NBA finals, and a chance for him to earn some redemption for losing in four straight to the Spurs a few years ago.

Now, even when he wins his ring, it will be a hollow victory because he's sitting on the sideline wearing a suit and tie, rather than a basketball uniform.

Doesn't Z deserve better, Steve?

Well, I would stop short of saying he "deserves" better. But it does seem a bit odd that the Heat would play Z all year and then leave him off the Finals roster. He also didn't play in the Eastern Conference Finals. Maybe fallen out of favor with Heat coach Erik Spoelstra for some reason. Regardless, Z would be the only reason I'd ever want the Heat to win a title. Now that he's not even on the roster, ... yeah, I hope they get creamed the rest of the way.

Take that, "King"

I don't want to get too carried away about the Cavaliers' 12-point victory over Miami yesterday, but darn it, it feels good to have our guys beat LeBron James and the Heat. (Incidentally, someone held up a sign at the game that said "Welcome to North Beach." Love it.)

Anyway, this game doesn't change anything much for either team. Miami is going to the playoffs, and if the season ended today, they'd be the Eastern Conference's third seed. And the Cavaliers are going to the lottery. At 15-58, they still have the NBA's worst record, a game and a half worse than the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Still, this was sweet. Remember LeBron's first return to Cleveland? When the Cavs came in at 7-9, seeming to have legitimate hopes to contend for a playoff spot, and the Heat ripped them apart and sent them spiraling? Maybe this one will turn them around in the other direction. ... OK, probably not. But let me enjoy this anyway.

Not much to say ...

The Cavaliers got trounced by ex-hero LeBron James and his Miami Heat last night. Full disclosure: I watched the first half, decided I wasn't enjoying it, and changed the channel. So I missed James' 24-point outburst in the third quarter.

But from what I did see, it seemed to me that not only did the Heat players care more about who won or lost than the Cavaliers players did; the fans at the game cared more. I felt like if you pulled five guys out of the stands, they'd have played the Heat tougher than the players whose job it is. And what was up with LeBron's former teammates being so friendly to him? I understand their outlook on this is different from us fans, but it was a little bit disrespectful to you and me for players like Antawn Jamison and Mo Williams giving LeBron handshake-hugs when we fans all felt like punching him in the junk. Word is Anthony Parker was the only Cavs starter who didn't acknowledge LeBron before the game. Good for Anthony Parker. He's apparently the only one who understood that his job was to make LeBron feel uncomfortable, not comfortable; to afflict him, not encourage him; to defeat him, not befriend him.

Williams said something after the game about wanting to win very badly. I don't doubt that he meant it. But this game meant more to LeBron James than it did to any Cavalier, and it showed on the floor. LeBron's the one who came in wanting to prove his decision to leave Cleveland was the right one. As such, his new teammates rallied around him. The Cavs just seemed overwhelmed by the whole thing, and were the ones who couldn't overcome their nerves.

Oh, well. In the grand scheme of things, this is just one game. But it sure would have been sweet to have the outcome reversed.

He's gone

This one hurts.

Northeast Ohio native LeBron James has turned his back on us. Arguably the greatest pro athlete ever to call Cleveland home has decided he'd rather play in Miami. He's chosen to leave the team that plays an hour from his hometown in order to play in a city to which he has absolutely no personal connection whatsoever. Not to mention, he left $30 million on the table to do it.

Over the 11 hours or so since LeBron made his announcement last night, I've had about a million different things go through my head that I thought about addressing in this space this morning, and if I had all day to write this post, I probably still wouldn't get to them all. But I think the thing that hurts the most about this is the knowledge that LeBron will probably win multiple NBA championships, but not for Cleveland.

It's hard to make sense of what LeBron just did. I can't help but think he doesn't really understand it himself. A celebrity of LeBron's stature lives his life in a bubble, and while he certainly knows he'll be leaving behind some hurt feelings back here, I don't think he realizes the full ramifications of this. If he'd stayed in Cleveland, he'd have been the city's greatest athletic hero of all time. After he retired, they'd have built a statue of him outside the Q (or whatever it'll be called then). He'd be universally loved in his hometown of Akron and the entire region. Now, he'll be forever despised here. This is not like Manny Ramirez or Jim Thome leaving for more money somewhere else. This is someone who was from here and could have made more money to stay, but chose to leave anyway. The fact that he's his sport's best player makes it hurt just that much more.

LeBron's stated reason for going to Miami is that he feels that's his best chance to win a title. I must admit, you can look at the Heat roster as it stands now and defend that sentiment. They've got Dwyane Wade and now Chris Bosh to go along with LeBron. I do believe LeBron is genuine when he says that's his reason for leaving. But here's the thing about that — he could have won a title in Cleveland THIS YEAR, if he himself had played up to his own standards in the playoffs. He wasn't the only Cavalier who didn't play well in the Boston series, but we've seen him play a whole lot better than he did then. Yes, with players like Wade and Bosh on his side, he won't shoulder so much of a burden, but if he'd stayed in Cleveland, the Cavs could have gotten him somebody like that. Bosh balked at playing with LeBron in Cleveland, but if LeBron had made the decision to stay here, I'll bet Bosh would have reconsidered.

Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert's angry letter to fans guarantees that the Cavaliers will win a title before LeBron does. I wish I could believe that. Without a marquee player like LeBron, this team will be lucky just to reach the playoffs next year.

We Cleveland sports fans have been through a lot in our lives, and every time we see an event such as The Drive or The Shot or Jose Mesa's meltdown, it's another dagger in our hearts. As I've matured over my 39 years on this planet, I've learned to try to keep myself from getting too wrapped up in the outcomes of sporting events. Ever since the world learned what LeBron James has chosen to do with the next five years of his life, I've tried very hard to remind myself that it's just sports, that it's not really anything important. But so far, I haven't really been able to convince myself that this doesn't hurt.

It does. It hurts like hell.

Staying hot against the Heat

The Cavs-Heat game last night was billed as a battle between two of the NBA's superstars, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. And it didn't disappoint. James and Wade both put on a heck of a show, especially in the second quarter, when they combined for 37 points (20 for Wade, 17 for James). Of course, it's worth mentioning that Wade had 30 points in the first half, but just two in the second. And Wade missed two critical free throws with 41 seconds left, after Boobie Gibson fouled him at the other end of the court while going after a loose ball.

Still, when Wade blocked James' eight-foot jumper with about 28 seconds left and his team up 91-90, it looked like the Heat had the game on ice. So with the Heat taking the ball down the floor, holding that one-point lead, and about a three-second differential between the game and shot clocks, the outlook wasn't brilliant for the Cleveland Five. The Cavaliers desperately needed a stop, and preferably fast, so they'd have some time to get a good shot off. For their part, the Heat just needed to run the clock down and try to put two more points on the board, which would have forced the Cavs to hit a three just to send it to overtime.

But that's not what happened. Wade, with James guarding him, tried to make a behind-the-back pass to a teammate on the wing. LeBron sniffed it out, got the steal and took it all the way to the hole at the other end, where Wade fouled him hard. LeBron made both his free throws, and Wade missed a 19-footer at the buzzer.

And the Cavs won because our superstar was better than their superstar in the final minute of the game. It was a thing of beauty.

Yup, it's the Wizards again

It's been decided. The Cavaliers will play Washington in the first round, for the third year in a row. And we'll have home-court, unless we lose our last two and the Wizards win their last two. What do you think of your first-round opponent, LeBron?

"I wanted to play somebody else," James said. "But if we had to play somebody, I'm happy it's Washington."

Yeah, he's nicknamed "The Chosen One" and "The King" for his basketball ability, not his vice-like grasp of logic. Well, anyway, I won't dissect the first-round matchup now; that can wait until the eve of the series.

Last night's win against Miami was a little bit unsettling. The 14-66 Heat led by two going into the fourth quarter, and led as late as 9:19 left in the game, before Boobie Gibson hit a 3-pointer that got the Cavs off and running. But we should be able to beat a team like the Heat by more than eight. Sure, getting the W is what counts, but still.

The Cavs have struggled since the trade that brought us Wally Szczqzszerbiak, Joe Smith, Delonte West and Ben Wallace. There's no question the trade brought us more talent than we gave up, but there's a lot more to being a team than that, and these guys just haven't really clicked. They've showed flashes of greatness here and there, but haven't been able to sustain it. I have to say, I don't have a good feeling going into the playoffs. Maybe they'll turn on the jets at the right time, but that's a whole lot easier said than done.