Mavs Win!

So, first off, I haven’t watched hardly any NBA basketball all season – not because I am a Cavs fan and I’m mad about LeBron leaving, but more-so because I’m just not that big a basketball fan. But, I tuned in last night to see if the Dallas Mavericks could pull off a victory in Miami. Because hey, I’m a Cleveland fan and I don’t feel LeBron should win a championship so soon after shitting on Cleveland the way he did.

And, I’m not mad about LeBron leaving – I’m upset and disappointed in the WAY he did it. And not even so much about the “Decision” – that was a poor choice of course, but I just feel that by waiting so long to tell the Cavs what he was doing that he totally screwed us in the free agent market. If he would have been upfront about his decision a lot sooner, the Cavs could have at least entertained the option of picking up a different superstar to build the team around. But no, he had to make it this big circus and wait until the very last second and really screwed the Cavs over. At least have the decency to allow the team you are leaving behind – the team that loved you and wanted you back – some options to fill the huge hole you are leaving behind by moving to a different team.

Honestly, I’m kinda glad he left. In the past 7 years, I’ve watched plenty of “LeBron-Ball”. You know what I’m talking about: LeBron gets the inbound pass, dribbles down the court, holds onto the ball for 20 seconds just dribbling at the top of the key, and then in the last 3 seconds of the shot clock, when he has at least 2 guys guarding him, he throws up a desperation shot hoping it goes in and it makes him look like a superstar.

They guy is a ball-hog and makes poor decisions. Sure, he’s a phenom and will be in the hall of fame at some point in the future. And, he can take over a game and dominate when he’s on. But, he’s no Michael Jordan or Magic Johnson or even Kobe Bryant (say what you will about his personal character, he is still a great basketball player and is great in the clutch). Actually, I think LeBron has a guard’s mentality but he’s stuck in a forward’s body. And, he is selfish and holds on to the ball too long. And I don’t think he makes anyone else on his team better.

But, anywaaaaaay….

I have to admit, watching LeBron, D-Wade and Bosh play last night was…interesting. They showed flashes of brilliance, but all-in-all, it’s not like I’m watching an all-star team comprised of the best players in the NBA.

And, in the last 3 minutes of the game, I got to watch “LeBron-Ball” return. And I laughed. Two possessions in a row, I watched LeBron dribble down the court and just stand at the top of the key dribbling, trying to take his defender 1-on-1, then at the last second he threw up a couple 3’s and missed both. And both times, his transition defense was horrible and the Mavs were able to score and get closer. Check out this highlight reel at 4min40sec and you’ll see what I mean. Look at the shot clock when he took that 3-pointer. And look at Chalmers wide open to his left BEGGING for the pass. (It was hard to find a full possession by the Heat at that point in the game because they just kept missing shots, so this is as close as I could get.) He held on to the ball for the entire possession until that point.

For us Cavs fans, it was all-too familiar. I mean, D-Wade was the star last night – I think he had like 30-some points at that point – Give that man the ball!

Then I heard on ESPN Radio this morning that LeBron runs the offense and he decides when he passes and when he shoots. Why? I just don’t get why coaches and organizations bend over backwards for this guy and let him do whatever he wants.

Good riddance, I say. I’m looking forward to the draft to see who we get and I hope whoever it is, they buy into Coach Scott’s coaching philosophy and they start growing as a team.

Go Cavs!