Bryant Spanks Orlando; L.A. Rolls In A Rout

CLEVELAND - Kobe Bryant, in the immortal words of Sean "Diddy" Combs, was absolutely "locked in" last night at the Staples Center as he piloted his L.A. Lakers to a super 100-75 victory and a 1-0 lead over the Orlando Magic in Game One of the NBA Finals.

He scored 40 points for the first time ever in his Finals career.

The Magic, who looked so super against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals were a shell of themselves as they shot a miserable 29% from the field and made just 23 baskets. They were completely unable to defend Bryant, but did force him to fire up a whopping 34 shots. No matter. He had 18 of his 40 in the 3rd period when the Lakers outscored the Magic 29-15 for a 24-point lead heading into the final period.

All-star center Dwight Howard was rendered useless in this game as he managed to make just one basket in six attempts. His 12 points paled in comparison to his Game 6 performance against the Cavs when he scored 40. Howard, 23 did grab 15 rebounds but was in foul trouble most of the first half, when Orlando (buoyed by the return of Jameer Nelson) actually kept the game close. Overall, neither Rashard Lewis or Hedo Turkoglu did anything to help Orlando and the team was actually led by Mickael Pietrus with 14 points.

That will never cut it.

Bryant was supported by Pau Gasol's 16 points and Lamar Odom's 11 points, 14 rebounds, but at the end of the day, it was Kobe's razor sharp focus and uncompromising will that gave L.A. the edge. Game 2 will be Sunday at the Staples Center.

Expect more of the same.

True Story: Bryant's Legacy Hangs On These Finals

CLEVELAND - Kobe Bryant was a basketball prodigy long before he joined the NBA, but his pro career, though outstanding can also be described in a not-so-endearing word.

Incomplete.

Bryant leads the Los Angeles Lakers into the NBA Finals tonight against man-child Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic. After a sterling career that has still somehow fallen short of expectations and potential, and a crushing defeat in last season's championship series to the Boston Celtics, Bryant looks more focused than ever to capture his long awaited 4th title and silence those who believe he needs to win one without Shaquille O'Neal as the leading man. Bottom line: Kobe's basketball legacy rests on this series.

I know I know. Bryant has won scoring titles, league MVP honors and been a perennial member of the All-NBA Defensive team. Heck, he was even a major player on the L.A. Lakers when they won 3 straight NBA championships from 2000 to 2002. The problem with Kobe is twofold; while it is true that Shaquille O'Neal needed guys like Bryant, Robert Horry, Brian Shaw and Derek Fisher to win those titles, it is also true that Bryant back then was more expendable than was O'Neal -- in spite of his [Kobe's] great talent. Shaq was the unique force of nature that no other team possessed while Bryant was a mega talented wing player and many teams had one of those. O'Neal by the way, captured another championship, albeit as a secondary player with the Miami Heat in 2006 with Dwyane Wade leading the way. Kobe hasn't won with any of the top players he's played with since O'Neal's departure following the Lakers' shocking loss to the Detroit Pistons in the 2004 NBA Finals.

Bryant's other problem is that most of his greatest moments on the court have come in the regular season. His signature game is clearly his astounding 81 points versus the Raptors in 2006, but it was a meaningless game against a far inferior opponent in the ho-hum NBA days of January. Though the feat was awesome, it hardly ranks with iconic playoff moments from legends like Larry Bird, Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson.

During that high-scoring 2005-06 season, Bryant averaged 35.4 points per game. In addition to the amazing 81 point game, he scored 62 points in just three quarters against the Mavericks and a season later had a 65- point explosion and another 60 point game. This season, Bryant set a Madison Square Garden record with a 61 point showcase. Each of these games won him major praise, but in the grand scheme of things, they are irrelevant flourishes of offensive excellence that amount to nothing but oohs and ahs.

Not championships.

Jordan, the player that Bryant has been compared to for his entire 13 NBA seasons, scored at will just like Kobe. MJ won 10 NBA scoring titles and owns the highest career scoring average in league history. But Jordan's most iconic moments came in the postseason, first in the early rounds (an NBA record 63 points versus Boston in 1986, a buzzer-beating series clinching jumper over the Cavs in 1989), then in both the conference Finals and NBA Finals. Regular season moments like MJ's 69 points in 1990 or his 64 points in a 1993 loss to Orlando register far down the scale on his brilliance chart because of his myriad playoff feats.

He also led the Chicago Bulls to six championships in one decade as the leading man.

Kobe was wondrously talented in his early years in the league. He was also a pretentious, arrogant and unpolished brat that seemed to believe he would be better off without O'Neal's low-post dominance. What evolved into a fierce juggernaut of a team deteriorated into a messy divorce and a lackluster Lakers team. From 2005 to 2007, they were largely an afterthought in the Western Conference while Bryant, finally the driver of the ship grew more and more frustrated and disenchanted with the organization.

It was the unreal trade of the super trash Kwame Brown for all-star Pau Gasol that turned the Lakers into a force. Young Andrew Bynum greatly improved and Bryant suddenly was happy and encouraged. When they ran into the Celtics' buzz saw in the 2008 NBA Finals, it could've been said that Gasol's mid-season arrival wasn't enough time for the team to find its true identity.

Whatever.

This season, Gasol has been around since training camp and erstwhile star Lamar Odom has exhibited flashes of excellence. The whole time, Kobe has been his usual transcendent self. Now, his powerhouse team faces an underrated but highly skilled Magic team that are riding a wave of exuberance after their unexpected dispatching of the favored Cleveland Cavaliers in the East Finals. It won't be easy for L.A. if they are to win this series and claim their 15th NBA title. They don't seem to feel the pressure, but it is there.

Especially on Kobe Bryant.

LeBron's Legendary Season Wasted By Cavs

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!

James Feeling Same Frustration As Jordan Did

CLEVELAND - LeBron James scored 44 points in last night's crucial Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

His team still lost, 116-114 in OT and now trails the Orlando Magic 3-1 in their best-of-7 series.

This playoff series has been a stunning wake-up call to anyone who hastily awarded the Cleveland Cavaliers their 1st ever NBA championship after they dispatched their first two postseason opponents. It has also been a series that has proven the Magic to be a highly underrated team with a super dominant star player in Dwight Howard.

James has been stupendous this entire series, but his teammates have largely disappeared. Even when they perform well, they still vanish in crunch time. Last night, Mo Williams had an active and much needed 18 points through three quarters, but was a no-show in the fourth quarter and overtime.

LeBron scored a playoff career high 49 points in Cleveland's stunning Game 1 loss, then hit for a smooth 35 in their narrow 96-95 Game 2 win. That was the game in which James miraculously drilled a fadeaway 3-pointer at the buzzer after catching an inbounds pass with just one second left. He was unstoppable in Orlando as well, scoring 41 in that Game 3 defeat. For the series, LeBron is averaging an alien-like 42.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 7.3 assists, numbers that are so overwhelmingly epic that he should be forced to take a DNA test to see exactly what he's made of.

Barring a major miracle, the Cavs will lose this series. They would need to win three straight games over the Magic to advance to the NBA Finals, something that only about 4% of teams in this same hole has ever done in league history. With such scintillating excellence, James has to be majorly frustrated. His boyhood hero, basketball icon Michael Jordan endured similar set-backs during the early part of his storybook career.

Jordan led his Chicago Bulls to a shocking upset of the Cavs in 1989 when he hit "The Shot," a legendary jumper at the buzzer to send Cleveland to a series defeat. The Cavs were expected to sweep Chicago, and were superior to them all season, especially talent-wise. That seminal moment in MJ's career sparked the upstart Bulls and they blew past New York in six games to face the rowdy but great Bad Boy Detroit Pistons in the East Finals. 

On the strength of Jordan's remarkable Game 3, in which he scored 46 points and hit the game winner, the Bulls held an unlikely 2-1 lead. That's when the Pistons locked in on MJ and won the next three straight to oust Chicago in six games. The Bulls weren't expected to make it past the first round that season, but they came within two victories of the '89 NBA Finals, which was frustrating to the hyper competitive Jordan.

The following season ended in much the same way for Jordan as he dominated on offense and defense but his teammates disappeared at key times. Chicago took the defending champion Pistons to 7 games, but were shellacked in Game 7. MJ was bottled up by three defenders at all times, but still managed 31 points. Detroit won in a rout, 93-74.

That's how Jordan's 1989-90 season ended. A Game 7 loss on the road after an outstanding 55-27 season. Jordan averaged 36.7 points in 16 playoff games. James is at 36.0 in 12 games so far. Of course, the biggest difference between Jordan's Bulls then and James' Cavs now is the expectations factor. The 1990 Bulls were never considered true contenders, not with Detroit having beat them in both the 1988 and 1989 playoffs, and having a better team and sophisticated defensive scheme against Jordan. This year's Cavs rolled to a league-best 66-16 record and the number one overall seed.

They were one of the favorites.

Bottom line, LeBron is traveling a road that even the great Jordan struggled with. It should give him optimism for the future, but it won't dull his anguish in the present. He's going through all this at 24. MJ was 27 in 1990 when he limped off the court and cried in the post game locker room. For the rest of the decade, he led the Bulls to a whopping six NBA championships.

Greatness takes time. Championships take patience.

Game 4 Will Make Or Break Cavs Season

CLEVELAND - The players and the coaches probably won't say it, but I will. The Cleveland Cavaliers must win tonight's Game 4 in Orlando...or else.

Or else what?

Put it this way; if the Orlando Magic win again on their own home court tonight and go up, 3-1 in the Eastern Conference Finals, they will absolutely win this surprising series. No way do they win tonight and then drop the next three consecutive games it would take for Cleveland to pull it out. The odds are against that happening no matter how you slice it, but even more so when the greatness of Dwight Howard and the sharpshooting of Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu are taken into consideration.

If the Cavs win tonight, the series will be tied 2-2 heading back home to Cleveland and their vaunted Quicken Loans Arena. Granted, Orlando won Game 1 in the seemingly impossible-to-win-in building (and came within one second of winning Game 2), but the way this series has played out, the Cavs won't allow another game on their turf to get away from them (I think). Assuming the Cavs have that mindset (and with LeBron James instilling confidence in his suddenly lackluster teammates), then Game 5 in Cleveland will be theirs as well as a 3-2 series lead.

That's a whole lot of what if's.

The Cavs will be one win from advancing with two cracks at clinching. Game 6 would be in Orlando where the Magic will surely come out on fire. A couple things that the Cavs have in their favor is knowing how easy it is to get Howard in foul trouble. He spent nearly half of Game 3 on the bench because of just that and even though he hit a ton of free throws in the fourth quarter, that belied his career-long awfulness at the stripe. In other words, that accuracy is unlikely to happen again in this series.

Even if the Cavs lose Game 6 in Orlando, their 66-16 regular season record earned them the right to have Game 7 on their home court in Cleveland, in any series they play in -- if they can make it to a Game 7. In spite of it all, they would have a major advantage in that potential game and be favored to win and advance to the NBA Finals for the second time in three years.

Of course, none of this will happen if they lose tonight.

Magic Over Cavs: Surprisingly Expected

CLEVELAND - For all of the hubbub surrounding this season's Cleveland Cavaliers, their 66-16 regular season record and 8-0 mark in the ongoing 2009 NBA Playoffs prior to yesterday, they were never going to cakewalk to an NBA championship.

The Orlando Magic proved that last night.

Despite a sterling playoff career high 49 points from league MVP LeBron James, the Cavs fell victim to the Magic on their own home court, 107-106 in Game One of the Eastern Conference Finals. Prior to this loss (which stunned Cavs fans everywhere), Cleveland had been flawless at Quicken Loans Arena in this postseason at 4-0 after a mega dominant 39-2 march through the season.

On the strength of solid-as-stone Dwight Howard's 30 points and 13 rebounds, Orlando erased a 16-point first half deficit with a 30-19 3rd quarter romp. Their vaunted three-point shooting re-emerged in the 2nd half after being non-existent in the 1st. Foward Rashard Lewis hit the jumper that eventually won the game for the Magic.

While it is very understandable that many people were stunned at the home loss for Cleveland, it was actually quite normal. In spite of my season long praise for this team, I was very aware of the pitfalls that could come upon them. After decades of watching stunning wins and losses by some of the greatest teams in NBA history, this game wasn't a shock at all...especially considering that the Magic are actually an excellent squad.

Howard is one of the top 5 players in the game and guys like Hedo Turkoglu and Lewis are outstanding. They have been well coached by Stan Van Gundy and they are battle-tested. They also just beat the defending champion Boston Celtics in the previous round even though Kevin Garnett wasn't around. The Magic's Jameer Nelson hasn't played since February, so that too needs to be considered.

All in all, I still believe the Cavs will win the series. But hopefully, the fans that were seduced by their earlier dominance have finally gotten their wake up call.

The Cavs surely did.

For Diminutive Robinson, Ain't No Mountain High Enough

CLEVELAND - The Slam Dunk contest used to be a wildly popular showcase for some of the NBA's elite to showcase their athletic prowess. Then it became a joke that most stars avoided.

Except for the past two years.

Last night, super small Nate Robinson of the New York Knicks won his second dunk title in a contest so riveting that it prompted Cavaliers superstar LeBron James to "preliminarily" declare himself a participant in next year's contest.

Sheeeesh!

Robinson, a solid player but certainly no star is only 5'9" in height. He defeated last year's winner, MVP candidate Dwight Howard by ironically and unbelievably jumping over his 6'11" rival to complete his miraculous, clinching dunk. Howard earned himself a place in dunk contest lore at the 2008 event by assuming Superman's identity, complete with cape and swagger. When Howard furthered the Superman theme last night by changing into his cape inside a courtside phone booth, Robinson later went as far as donning a green Knicks uniform and shoes while using a green basketball to act as kryptonite.

With Howard's cooperation, it worked brilliantly.

I was genuinely thrilled and impressed with the creative theatrics provided by the two finalists. They rendered the two other participants, J.R. Smith and Rudy Fernandez irrelevant and nearly unmemorable. Howard's selfless allowance of Robinson to use him as a prop was inspiring. Without it, he would've won his second straight title especially after his outstanding dunk on a 12-foot hoop that was wheeled out to the court.

The contest wasn't as legendary as the 1988 showdown between rival superstars Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins, but it may have done something just as important. It inspired James to take to the skies next year, which could also draw out other major superstars to join in.

For that, we owe Robinson and Howard a debt of gratitude.