CLEVELAND - In NBA history, what LeBron James just experienced is old hat. His breathtaking, dominant and iconic accomplishments during the 2008-09 season was all wasted.He is on summer vacation.
The Orlando Magic eliminated the Cleveland Cavaliers last night with a 103-90 drubbing of the team that boasted the best record in the league at 66-16 and the top seed in the playoffs. The Magic's 4-2 series victory put an end to what had been a storybook season for the 24-year old James as he earned MVP honors and greatly improved his defense and overall game. In the Cavs' 14-game postseason, he averaged 35 points per contest after a 28.4 ppg average during the season.
But LeBron was clearly stunned and infuriated with the loss; he walked off the court at the final horn, dressed silently in the locker room and after a terse statement to his teammates, he disregarded any media interviews or chats with anyone, and disappeared from the arena into the Florida night.
He owes no one anything.
James was abandoned in this Eastern Conference Finals by his formerly sharp and talent-laden team. His sizzling 49 points in Game 1 mattered little as the other Cavs did nothing to support his effort. They shockingly loss that game at home, a place where they had been nearly unbeatable in 45 previous games this season. It took a miracle of a last second shot from James for the Cavs to escape Game 2 with a one-point victory and even though Cleveland headed to Orlando tied 1-1, their former dominance had clearly eroded at the hands of the far superior Magic team.
LeBron's 41 points in Game 3 was offset by a balanced Magic effort led by Dwight Howard's 24 points. By now, the Cavs were a team of one.
In Game 4, Cleveland was assaulted by Orlando's deadeye marksmanship as they nailed an unreal 17 baskets from the 3-point line. What's worst is the fact that Howard punished the Cavs inside the paint to the tune of 27 points and 14 rebounds. In spite of it all, Cleveland nearly won the game in regulation before Rashard Lewis hit a huge 3-pointer that led to overtime. Howard had 10 huge points in the extra session, but LeBron barely missed on a 35-foot 3-point attempt at the buzzer.
All he did was get 44 points, 12 rebounds and 7 assists.
Game 5 back in Cleveland was a must-win for the Cavs, who trailed 3-1 heading in. When the dust settled on that game, LeBron had played arguably his greatest game as a pro as he scored or assisted on his team's final 32 points. The Cavs turned back the Magic, winning 112-102 by virtue of the colossal excellence of James; 37 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists for his 4th career playoff triple-double.
This guy was beyond belief.
LeBron was clearly spent in last night's game. He tried valiantly to get his teammates involved and was mildly successful at it. In the end, he mustered his least impressive effort of the series with 25 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists. But given the load he carried for the previous 5 games, his Game 6 performance may have actually been his strongest.
Orlando is headed to their 1st NBA Finals since 1995. They will be matched against the L.A. Lakers, a team coached by Phil Jackson -- who knows a little something about super dominant players having their top notch seasons wasted. Jackson coached Michael Jordan when the former Bulls megastar did it all only to have his team leave him hanging. Of course, Jordan led his team to an unreal 6 NBA titles after those seasons of crushing defeats had come and gone.
James will be 25 next season at playoff time and in his 7th NBA campaign. He will be even better and more focused and hopefully, his team will be too. His time will come just as it did for Jordan and others throughout history.
Still though, he had one hell of a season!
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