Welcome to Miami, Prince James

We just watched LeBron James announce he's joining Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami. He did so in a made-for-TV special that was as contrived as any reality show finale. The difference, of course being that instead on watching the end for many attention-hungry individuals, we had just one who felt it was okay to screw over his hometown team in the most cruel and public way possible. Here's basically how it happened. It's worse than The Fumble, Jose Mesa and The Shot. It's worse than Game 5 of the Celtics series, but it foreshadowed the fact that LeBron quit on Cleveland.

However, I don't want to harp on the this angle or the size of LeBron's ego to go about it this way. For that, read Gregg Doyel's piece, who writes what most of us are thinking. Most people say there's no way you compare him to Jordan, Russell, Bird or Magic. And each of them are right. In fact, now he must worry about competing with Scottie Pippen because he's officially a second banana.

By signing with Wade, James has told everyone that he isn't capable of being a guy you build around to win a title. He's Ewing, Malone, Nowitzki. Nothing wrong with that to be fair, except that each of those players had to settle for being lesser than superstars, whether they wanted to or not and none of those guys left their teams in their primes (includes Dirk for resigning) to make things easier. Dr. J had a span from 1976 (when he was sold to the Sixers) to 1982 where he lost some of his luster because his teams never won. What happened? He waited until Philly added Andrew Toney, and Moses Malone and the Sixers won in 1983. LeBron tonight decided, at the young age of 25 that he can't wait for the Cavs to build the right team.

Now, don't get me wrong, it was fine for LeBron to seek a better situation (not to be a dick and put this decision on TV in a self-serving way). Chicago was perfect, he had the perfect Robin in Derrick Rose, plus Joakim Noah as a relentless defender/rebounder and with Carlos Boozer signing there, LeBron fits like a glove and the Bulls become the favorites in the East, since they have the hig-end players and prerequisite role players you need to have to win (think Horry, Fisher). The Knicks added Amare Stoudemire and actually LeBron could have been the point guard or at least until they see if Chris Paul or Tony Parker comes in. The Nets and Clippers, well, are still the Nets and Clippers (despite the Russian billionaire). He goes anywhere, he's going toe-to-toe with Kobe, Durant, Howard, Wade/Bosh and the Celtics for next year. Instead, he chooses the easy way out and joins Wade/Bosh.

If LeBron was 30 or older, you can understand, the same way you understood why Kevin Garnett had to go the Boston. He spent 12 years in a city, at least in NBA circles, similar to Cleveland (cold weather, no prospect of signing players) and all Garnett did was play hard every game he played for them. He didn't ask out until the T-Wolves shopped him before the '07 Draft. He was screwed over by his management more than LeBron was, with the Joe Smith illegal signing and not taking care of Sprewell and Cassell after the '04 West Finals run. The team was toiling in obscurity and that was the perfect time to put ego aside and win a title. LeBron isn't there yet, he's 25 and should still be trying to beat the best, not join them.

LeBron is a franchise player, a guy you go to war with and have a chance to win a title. Look at the Cavs next season and try to tell me different. He should be competing with likes of Kobe, West, Kareem historically. Instead, it's now Pippen, McHale and Sam Jones for him. It's not a bad thing for Chris Bosh, who isn't a superstar to deal with, but it is for LeBron. It cheats us of watching an all-world talent try to see if he be discussed with Jordan or at least Kobe. He settled for deferring to Dwyane Wade. Oh sure, you're going to hear out of everyone's mouths that they are sharing the team and how this will be like the '08 Olympic Team. They'll be lying.

What happens in the first close game for Miami, who gets the ball. Likely Wade, because it's his team. Then, one of two things happens; either LeBron gets mad like Pippen did when Toni Kukoc took the last shot in Game 3 of the '94 Knicks-Bulls series or accepts it, making him a complementary player. No longer can he potential join Jordan, Magic or Kareem. No longer with Duncan, Kobe or Bird. Neither Olajuwon or Shaq. The best case I'll give you is that he's Elgin Baylor (superior athlete) to Jerry West (more clutch). As far as I'm concerned, LeBron James is fighting to beat out Pippen for best sidekick in NBA history (difficult unless LeBron wins multiple rings) which is a letdown for all our expectations from him.

He wanted us to refer to him as "King James". Kings don't become subjects to others, at least not willingly. Hence, I must agree with Skip Bayless, he will forever be Prince James to me.

NBA Preview

Let me start by apologizing to my readers for not finishing this NBA preview last week. The World Series was a clear distraction, but it's not an excuse. You expect me to have timely articles and unfortunately, I've been a little too Twitter happy when sharing my thoughts and not taking the time to have real posts which allow me to express my thoughts in more than 140 characters. Rest assured that from now on, I will have at least three posts a week every week, unless I say so differently.


For some reason, there seems to be less buzz for this season of the NBA than in recent years, then again, living in New York always hurts the buzz of an NBA season. One things for sure, this season isn't wide open, only five teams have a legit chance at an NBA title. Thus the other 25 teams are finished already, some won't be in the playoffs, some will win a playoff series but no more. That's the thing about the NBA, you can't have parody in this league, the absolute best players have so much more control of the game that whomever has them will win, while pretenders who think are as good aren't and never win unless paired with a franchise guy. That being said, here's ten things to look for in this season of the NBA.


1. I was all set to put the L.A. Clippers back into the playoffs. I really was. They have a good young team with Al Thornton and Eric Gordon, plus the number pick in Blake Griffin and an expected better season from veteran Baron Davis who would be motivated by a better ball club. Add that Zack Randolph is gone from this team, a contract year for Marcus Camby and the likely devaluing of Ricky Davis, the stage was set for not only a playoff team, but a team that has the cap space, the talent and the big city atmosphere to attract LeBron James in the Summer of 2010, plus the added bonus of igniting a rivalry with Kobe in L.A. alone. Until this. The Curse of the Clippers strikes again. With Griffin out for the next six weeks, all the jokes about injuring knee/leg/ankle/foot will continue. In other words, the Clippers aren't making the playoffs with this news, plus the fact that Mike Dunleavy is still the coach and should have been fired years ago by Mike Dunleavy the GM. Finally, some advice for LeBron, if the Clippers come calling, run, run for your life.


2. The other two teams that would be possible destinations for LeBron are both going nowhere this season, and I'm sure you know those teams are the Nets and the Knicks. For the Nets, it's simple, play bad, get another high draft pick, and hope players like Devin Harris, Terrance Williams and Brook Lopez will become better players this season. The real battle for the Nets is if they can get the move to Brooklyn before New Year's. It seemed like a forgone conclusion that the Nets would move there a few years ago, then it became absolutely dead until some recent court decisions and the potential new buyer for the team, who is thought of as the Russian Mark Cuban.


The Knicks are in much more worrisome condition because they don't have their first round pick, so losing this season has no benefit and the giant elephant in the room that this team doesn't realize; the Knicks will not have the roster that LeBron James can win an NBA Championship with and he can't have the same place in history if he can't lead a team to a title. I've written it before and I'll write it again, the Knicks have such a financial advantage over the majority of the 30 clubs and they can use that to pick up a good player 50 cents on the dollar. That's how they should turn their team into a better team. Speaking of financial disadvantages...


3. The NBA is riddled with teams who are in financial trouble with Memphis, Charlotte, Indiana, Sacramento and Milwaukee among the first teams you'd think of. Which means we will be seeing more teams trade players away to this season's big five like a Rudy Gay or perhaps a Mike Dunleavy Jr. The only thing that will keep pretenders like Chicago or Miami from making trades is the Summer of 2010 which has free agents galore and that could preclude these teams from making long-term commitments on players via trade. But here's an easy prediction, the Memphis Grizzlies will be involved in a trade making sure salaries between two other clubs match up, while getting some money for their trouble (best example is the Rafer Alston trade). Everything here is laying out for a new collective-bargaining agreement in 2011, which the NBA will have a lockout to get things to change to benefit owners and the players stand no chance because they won't be able to lose a year of salaries like the NHL did. The interesting thing is the NFL seems all but certain to have a lockout as well in 2011 and we as sports fans are looking at 1994 once again for sports fans, and to be honest, it will be worse because of the habit of Sundays in the fall will be broken.


4. Quick preview of the Eastern Conference (aside from more in depth previews for the top three), Milwaukee will be among the worst in the league and hoping to get the top pick next season. You can add the Nets, Knicks for missing the playoffs and Charlotte won't be there too as they are the worst team in an surprisingly tough Southeast division, plus the Bobcats will regret not signing Allen Iverson, the only place in the league he would have fit. Indiana, despite an improving Danny Granger, is still a lottery team, while the Pistons will join them as they completely botched last season's cap space. There was no need for the Pistons to squander that money on Charlie Villanueva and Ben Gordon when they could wait a year for better free agents. The last team to miss the playoffs will be the Raptors, where I have a feeling they trade Chris Bosh in February in order to avoid losing him for nothing.


Though Gilbert Arenas is vastly overrated, a healthy Agent Zero along with Mike Miller and Randy Foye joining this team would help the Wizards return to the playoffs and a likely rematch with the Cavs. The Sixers will be back in the playoffs, and if they can get anything productive from Elton Brand, even better. However, this team is going to be stuck in that no-man's land of a middling East team which is akin to being a middle team in the Premier League. Atlanta, Miami and Chicago are the best of the second tier in the East, with each team having a size disadvantage. At least the Heat and the Bulls have a franchise player in Dwyane Wade and Derrick Rose, respectively; but the Hawks best player (Joe Johnson) isn't in that class yet and probably never will.


5. Now the West, where I expect Memphis to once again be one of the cellar-dwellers in the conference, since you have a team with Allen Iverson, Zack Randolph, O.J. Mayo and one basketball. As I mentioned before, someone should try to pry Rudy Gay away who could get lost in the shuffle. Minnesota had a chance to be a sleeper, especially after the Ricky Rubio pick. Unfortunately, they followed that with Jonny Flynn and ruined this season in the process, especially with a weakness in outside shooting following the Miller/Foye-Flynn trade. Sacramento still has no frontcourt, despite the pickup of Tyreke Evans and Golden State has no clue what they're doing (another team that perhaps can trade players fifty cents on the dollar, yes, I mean Stephen Jackson). Houston won't be awful without Yao Ming as I expect Carl Landry, Aaron Brooks and Kyle Lowry to be leaders; however, without even a legit second banana, the Rockets can't make the playoffs. The Clippers I wrote would miss the playoffs because I can't trust the Clippers Curse won't strike again and the last team joining them in the lottery is the Phoenix Suns, who play out Amare Stoudamire's final year there quietly.


Which means the Durants will make the playoffs. I'm expecting a huge season from Oklahoma City as Kevin Durant enters Year Three and like LeBron's Year Three, Durant will taste playoff action with a very impressive cast of characters, including Russell Westbrook and newcomer James Harden. Utah will make the playoffs again despite uncertainty surrounding Carlos Boozer because Deron Williams is too good to keep out of the playoffs as well as Jerry Sloan. New Orleans is in the same group with Chris Paul and David West and they could be among the best if they get anything close to a full year from Emeka Okafor.


Denver I think takes a step back, as Chauncey Billups is a year older; though the only way they don't go back is if Carmelo Anthony can get better (and based on his first few games, he could very well be better, maybe MVP-level). The main thing to consider, which I credit Bill Simmons for pointing out in his NBA preview, is that George Karl coached teams always have a pronounced drop following a season which they go to a conference finals and I would be surprised at all if that's the case. Dallas is always intriguing mainly because I believe Dirk Nowitzki is passed the dip in his career from 2007-08. Remember that Dirk was at his absolute peak during the 2006 Playoffs, then started declining in the Finals and continued it into the 2007 Playoffs (fooling people by becoming MVP though) and into the 2007-08 season. Well, I thought he was pretty good last year and now enters his contract year, thus I expect a good year from him. The team is okay around him, hopefully they can get one more year from Jason Kidd and a stress-less season from Josh Howard. Finally, I'm a big believer in the Blazers to be that third team in the West which is closer to four than two. I know Portland hasn't been able to get the guys they really want in the past few years (Andre Miller was their last choice in free agency) and are pretty weak up front (no way should they have given jump shooter LaMarcus Aldridge $65 million). However, they have the franchise guy in Brandon Roy and very few teams can say that. Roy alone with a talent roster surrounding him should guarantee 50 wins this season, a number that won't be a question mark on the playoffs this year for once out West.


6. The biggest question that in the first two games has started to manifest itself into a panic for everyone who's lives depend on this: Are the Cleveland Cavaliers a legitimate title contender? I still think they are because of LeBron James alone, but the way this team playing against good teams, something must change in order for them to maintain big 5 status. There's no offense in Cleveland as many people, particularly Charles Barkley, point out that LeBron goes 1 on 5 against good teams and the other four just stand around. This isn't 2001 when Iverson and Tracy McGrady could go iso on other teams, the zone defense prevents that, particularly good ones. Another problem with the 1 on 5 offense, the acquisition of Shaquille O'Neal hurts the offense since he can't play in the perimeter, thus clogging the lane for LeBron. Not having "Gunslinger" Delonte West forces LeBron to bring the ball up, rather than playing away and setting up shot opportunities.


The biggest issue is Mike Brown. His offense is failing against good defensive teams because, well, there is no offense. Brown is following the epic playbook that the coach in the Fresh Prince of Bel Air used: Just pass it to LeBron. At least the Cavs don't have a Carlton Banks who will steal the ball from LeBron to take the last shot, but the Cavs aren't facing a bunch of white prep school teams; you need a real offense. Thus, the Mike Brown Watch is underway and if you remember the Braylon Edwards trade, the city of Cleveland will do ANYTHING to keep LeBron.


7. The defending Eastern Conference champion Orlando Magic in my mind have the highest ceiling and the lowest basement of the five contenders. Their big question is: Does Vince Carter over Hedo Turkoglu make them better or worse. On the one hand, Carter is a natural two-guard who you can use to hit any shot you need. On the other, Carter being a natural two-guard turns this team more conventional which may hurt because having Rashard Lewis and Turkoglu would have defenses wondering how to handle two 6'10" guys who can shoot from anywhere and deal with Jameer Nelson at point guard and Dwight Howard. The only way Carter makes them better is if he plays this year like he gives a crap. Ever since he missed the shot in Game 7 of the Raptors/Sixers series, Vince only seems to care when he shows up in Toronto to stick it to the fans and team that he screwed over. In New Jersey, Vince was known to forget when his teammates were playing in games. He's the biggest question because the Orlando Magic have put themselves in a situation where they can't erase it if it doesn't work out because of contracts to Marcin Gortat and Howard's eventual max contract extension the Magic will have to get signed.


8. The Boston Celtics on paper have the best team in basketball...if this season was 2001-02. Of course it doesn't mean that the C's can't win this year, however, depending on four thirty-somethings doesn't guarantee anything. One of them, newly signed Rasheed Wallace, shouldn't have to do too much, which is a good thing for everyone involved and I think Wallace knows that. Ray Allen is in a contract year and a good season would lead to his last big payday, while Rajon Rondo just signed a 5-year, $55 million deal and I expect him to keep getting better, especially when he can develop an outside game. I think we all know that the Celtics will go as far as Kevin Garnett's knee can take them. If he is there all year, with Big Baby Davis coming back from injury later this year and Wallace is in the supporting role that will showcase his strengths, then the Celtics will be back in the NBA Finals in 2010. If not, they could lose in the first round. I think Garnett stays healthy and the Celtics make back to the NBA Finals, if for no other reason, but the fact that the way the team is currently constructed doesn't have that many more opportunities to win.


9. There is one team coming in this year that has the best chance to dethrone the Lakers in the West and that is the San Antonio Spurs. Here's is the Western version of the Celtics in regards to their dependence on older players to play well. Unlike last year, Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili are both healthy again, at least for the time being. Particularly Manu, who didn't have to play for the Argentinian national team this summer. Along with those two and Tony Parker, the Spurs have added Richard Jefferson (the first athletic swingman they've had in a long time), Antonio McDyess (who can do for the Spurs what Rasheed is doing in Boston, lessen Duncan's workload) and DeJuan Blair (the sleeper of the 2009 Draft who should have never fallen to the second round despite his knee surgeries). Make no mistake, the Spurs are back this year after last year's early exit because the window is closing for Duncan and Ginobili and Parker will be due for a new contract and if Eva Longoria is tired of San Antonio, Parker would leave.


(Sidebar: Here we have the potential of Duncan, Shaq and Kobe deciding once and for all who was the more dominant player of the first post-MJ era. Each guy has four titles with Kobe and Shaq going to six finals. Each guy has at least 11 All-Star Games, with Shaq at 16 and Kobe at 12. Now clearly if Shaq wins another title, he will be as a supporting role behind LeBron, whereas Kobe and Duncan can still be the best player on their respective teams. Honestly, I would give it to Duncan as the better player because he was always the best player on any Spurs championships, while Kobe was secondary to Shaq in his first three. Doesn't discredit Kobe in general, but I can't have him better than Duncan as long as the titles are even; though I do give Kobe an edge over Shaq because he's been traded a few too many times and the greatest players should be traded. But enough of my soapbox...)


10. The defending champs are still the prohibitive favorites to repeat. The Lakers still have Kobe and Gasol once he returns from an injury soon and they resigned Lamar Odom, which keeps this team balanced and deep; plus with his stories about candy, the NBA trophy replica made from candy and his marriage to Khloe Kardashian, the comedy of this team is still strong. Some more comedy, Sasha Vujacic is going out with Maria Sharapova (wait, that's not comedy, that's a tragedy, unless Vujacic acts like this around her). Just when you think this Lakers team is already comedic gold, the Lakers add Ron Artest, who is legitimately crazy, not crazy in a Dennis Rodman, this is all for attention-type crazy. The only thing missing from Artest is a Tyson-like "I guess I'm gonna fade into Bolivian" quote, but I'm sure it's coming.


Enough humor, the key questions for the Lakers this year: 1) Can Artest avoid screwing this up? 2) Is Andrew Bynum at all ready to take the next step? 3) Is Kobe getting too old to dominate games the way he has in the past? Well you never know with the first because you can predict crazy. Bynum improving would be the best thing to happen for this team, not for nothing, so the Lakers don't need to depend on Kobe and Gasol to do the heavy lifting of this team and make the third question moot. I think Kobe is showing some age, but he's smart enough to pick his spots on when to dominate and play above the rim. Remember, Kobe now is very reliant on his jumper now, just like Jordan after his return from baseball. There is one final question, what does Kobe think of legacy? Does he have a sense of accomplishment with finally winning a title as the best player on his team? Does he realistically think he can prove greater than Jordan? The answer to the second one better be no because he's too much in the Jordan mold to be better than him. Only LeBron has that ceiling of being better because of his all-around game and this is slowly closing. What Kobe does have in front of him was explained earlier, a chance to be the best player of the post-MJ era (1999-) with a fifth title. I'm sure he wants it, but will he be as dependent on teammates like he was last year.


I think Kobe will be willing to trust his teammates again, the problem is, in reality, the Lakers aren't as good as last year. I do believe that Artest replacing Trevor Ariza is a mistake because the Lakers didn't need to disrupt chemistry for an unknown. Ariza was tremendous on defense and began to hit the long range jumpers that his opponents gave him. Somehow, Artest's play has declined in recent years, as typified by the way Kobe had abused Artest last year. Now, the Lakers are better than the Cavs because Shaq can't handle Gasol anymore and if Kobe can lockdown on LeBron, with some help from Artest, they have no offense. They are better than the Magic, who with Vince Carter, make it easier to beat because he won't stop Kobe and Kobe will handle him pretty good. I think it's 50-50 that they beat the Spurs, but the Celtics are one team that can handle the Lakers. Garnett can cover Gasol, while Wallace will pull Gasol or Odom away from the rim, Rondo will be a better player this year and will eat Derek Fisher or Shannon Brown alive. Paul Pierce if guarded by Kobe will match him and I think is too quick for Artest, while Ray Allen will get himself open shots. The Celtics have an answer for the Lakers and they have the experience of beating them before and that why I think they win the 2010 NBA Championship over the Lakers in six games again.

Randomness: Free Agency Edition

Since tomorrow is the start of free agency in both the NHL and NBA, I figured to use my Randomness article to get everyone up to speed in both leagues the start of some hot stove action. Let's start with Glen Sather best trade ever, Scott Gomez and a couple prospects to Montreal for Chris Higgins and a couple of better prospects, including the Habs best prospect, defenseman Ryan McDonagh. For Rangers fans, we're speechless, since we didn't think Slats was able to fleece a team like he did here. Higgins is a hardworker from Long Island who fits well in the 3rd line. McDonagh brings more organizational depth to the defensive side of the ice and can either grow or get flipped in a trade for Dany Heatley.


As for Gomez, he becomes another in the long line of Devils who bombed out with the Rangers, though in the case of Gomez, it was more Sather overpaying like he did with Bobby Holik. He now goes from one of the biggest pressure cookers in the league to the biggest in Montreal and already Habs fans are crucifying Bob Gainey. As an added plus, anytime Leafs bloggers and fans enjoy a Canadiens move the way Ranger fans used to when Mad Mike was running the Islanders into the ground, you have to make the move.


As for the rest of the Rangers preview, now they have $5 million in cap room ($7 million if they don't tender Higgins) to pick up that scoring winger they desperately need. Dany Heatley has been tied to the Rangers for weeks but now Edmonton wants him and the Sens seem willing to take Dustin Penner's awful contract (more fodder for Leafs fans, only Redden-for-Heatley would be better). Signings can start tomorrow and look for Marian Hossa and Marian Gaborik to be sought after, though I really don't want either. Hossa isn't a number one scorer and should be paid like one, while Gaborik is too risky unless it's a one-year deal. Of course, Sather is prepared to give the fans who put up with rising ticket prices a big eff you as Blair Betts, Fred Sjostrom and Colton Orr.

UPDATE: The Oilers offered Andrew Cogliano, Penner and Ladislav Smid to Ottawa, but Heatley, after asking for a trade, didn't waive his no-trade clause. How ironic.


As for the rest of the NHL, Jay Bouwmeester signed with Calgary for five years with a cap hit of about $6.68 million. It makes the trade of a guaranteed draft pick to Florida for the right to negotiate early a good one for the Flames. The Gomez trade knocks the Habs out of the Sedin twins sweepstakes and now it's the Canucks, Wild, Leafs and maybe now the Rangers will be after him. The Wild could be players this year with a new regime in Minnesota and I know Brian Burke wants to be active in Toronto. Marian Hossa is as good as gone in Detroit and LA looks like a fit for a veteran scorer.


The Knicks seem interested in Jason Kidd, which would be a colossal mistake because he's not fast anymore for D'Antoni's system and would get eaten alive by guys like Derrick Rose and Rajon Rondo. If you follow my Twitter updates from a few days ago, you would know I want the Knicks to trade for Ricky Rubio, even though the pieces that the Knicks could trade aren't really there. As for their two big restricted free agents, David Lee and Nate Robinson, let Nate go and don't go higher than $8.5 million for Lee. Hopefully, if Lee gets a great offer, let's hope that they can do a sign and trade.


Elsewhere, Ben Gordon I think is the best free agent out there in a weak class that has too many old names. He should go either back to Chicago or to Detroit. Hedo Turkolgu opted out of his deal with the Magic and with the trade for Vince Carter, the Magic won't overpay for Hedo. Portland can be a possible destination. Cleveland needs someone in their mid-level exception who can contribute with perimeter defense and a good shooter. Carlos Boozer made a smart move by not opting out and remaining with Utah until next season. It would be ironic if Boozer left Utah for New York and LeBron follows. Then, Cleveland fans can envision what should of happened for them this decade in New York with those two back together since the debacle with Boozer and the Cavs leading to his move to the Jazz.

How to End a Title Drought?

The Cleveland Cavaliers were trailing 3-1 in their series with the Orlando Magic entering tonight's game in need of three straight wins. They are currently the city of Cleveland's best chance to win a championship for the first time since 1964 when the Jim Brown-led Browns won the NFL Championship, before the Super Bowl-era.


This has been probably the most heartbreaking drought with events like Red Right 88, The Drive, The Fumble, The Shot, and The Error. Two years ago, the Cavs were in the NBA Finals and were promptly swept by the Spurs, while the Indians led the Red Sox 3-1 in the ALCS and lost the last three games, including Game 7 when Kenny Lofton was held up by third base Joel Skinner when he would of scored the tying run in the 7th inning. The Red Sox went on to win 11-2 as they scored eight runs in the last two innings and the drought continued. This also includes the Indians forty years missing the playoffs in a row until 1995, the reign of terror by Ted Septien in the early 1980s almost ending the Cavs franchise, the failure of the NHL's Cleveland Barons, the last major sports team to cease operations and the 1995 Browns move to Baltimore by Art Modell.


So with all that baggage to work with, how is it possible for the years of losing to end? The fact is that years of losing create the thought of "curse" in the minds of the team/cities fans psyche. There is always the feeling that the other shoe is about to drop. You can see it anytime a nervous energy takes over a stadium/arena and the team you root for is suffocated by this. It happened to both the Mets and the Cubs last season; same goes for the Vikings in the playoffs. Unfortunately, it seems like that conventional ways to win never work, there needs to be a moment where a team is seemingly "destined" to win.


Most of the recent "curses" that have been foiled had a moment where a collective fan base no longer thinks the worst will happen. It could occur anytime in the playoffs, and usually comes at the lowest point in the season. The best example of this theory is the Boston Red Sox; they reached their low point after Game 3 in the 2004 ALCS against the N.Y. Yankees when they were down 3-0. As any Bill Simmons reader knows, the Dave Roberts steal is considered that turning point for the Red Sox, mainly because the next play, Bill Mueller knocked Roberts in with a single off Mariano Rivera. After that, and a couple of game-winners by David Ortiz, the Red Sox steamrolled their way to breaking the Curse of the Bambino.


A better example on a personal level was the 1994 N.Y. Rangers when Mark Messier guaranteed victory in Game 6 of their Eastern Conference Final series with the N.J. Devils. They trailed the series 3-2 and the game 2-0 when Messier assisted on a goal, then scored a hat trick and the Rangers won 4-2. Unlike the Red Sox, the Rangers didn't steamroll their way to the Cup and actually gave Rangers plenty of reasons to believe it wasn't coming. But, they fought through a late-tying goal by the Devils in Game 7 followed by Stephane Matteau's OT winner and the great Howie Rose call put the Rangers in the Stanley Cup Finals. Then, the Rangers took a 3-1 series lead, lost the next two games and held off a final charge by the Canucks to win the Stanley Cup after 54 years.


Those aren't the only droughts that needed the perception of a team of destiny for it to be broken. The Chicago White Sox stole Game 2 of the ALCS against the Angels after a controversial when the umpire said Josh Paul dropped a third strike with two outs to A.J. Pierzynski when he actually just threw it back. Joe Crede would win the game on the next at-bat and the White Sox swept their way to the World Series, their first since 1917. The Phillies ended the 25 year Philadelphia championship drought and their moment of destiny was a 4-run 8th inning in Game 4 of the NLCS against the Dodgers when Shane Victorino and Matt Stairs hit two 2-run HR's that turned a 5-3 deficit to a 7-5 win. They also had a bases-loaded infield single in Game 3 of the World Series to further the team of destiny role. The Detroit Red Wings ended a 42 year Cup drought in 1997, plus being labeled chokers for recent flameouts in the playoffs. In Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals, Steve Yzerman scored on a 60-ft shot and the Flyers were done in four games.


The Cavs ended up winning the game to make the series 3 games to 2 in favor of the Magic. LeBron had a part in 32 straight points but that's in my eyes isn't a turning point that makes the Cavs a team of destiny, which means something needs to happen in Game 6 that changes the fortune of this team, whether it's another game-winner from LeBron, a great block or even LeBron announcing he will stay in Cleveland tomorrow. Whatever it is, there needs to be a sign that this drought will end very soon if the Cavs are going to win this championship, or this season will be known forever in Cleveland as The Letdown (unfortunately I can't come up with a better name than that).

The Idea of the Dream Matchup.

Today was the championship match in the UEFA Champions League as the top two European club teams faced off. Manchester United, the most popular and most hated soccer club in the world, came in to this match having just won their third straight English Premier League title and as defending champions in the UEFA Cup. FC Barcelona was this year's champion in Spain's La Liga. Christiano Ronaldo of Man U won Player of the Year, while Lionel Mussi of Barca finished second in the voting.

The Detroit Red Wings just beat the Chicago Blackhawks in overtime to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals. They will meet the team the faced last year, the Pittsburgh Penguins. Last year, the Red Wings beat the Pens in a harder-than-thought-but-ultimately-easy six games. The stories for this series include the leading scorer in the season and playoffs with Evgeni Malkin, co-leader in the playoffs and face of the league Sidney Crosby and their fight for playoff MVP, Marian Hossa who rejected a 7-year offer from the Pens to sign a 1-year deal with the Wings so he can win the Stanley Cup and a city in Detroit who while the economy has been disastrous, the team continues to be a symbol of pride. Basically, it's the face of the league against the glamour franchise for the past 15 years.

The subject of dream matchups has been much discussed in the NBA as everything has been focused on Kobe vs LeBron. The Cavs and the Lakers finished as the top two teams in the NBA and it seemed like an inevitability that these two would meet in the NBA Finals. So much so, that Nike and Vitamin Water have already started to prepare with their own Kobe vs LeBron ad campaigns. However, funny thing happened along the way, the Orlando Magic lead their series with Cleveland 3-1 and are a win away from ruining the dream matchup. Meanwhile, the Lakers just finished a hard earned victory tonight over the Denver Nuggets and they now lead 3-2 in that series, that should end up going seven.

So there in lies the issue, how beneficial is the dream matchup and more importantly, if it doesn't come about, is the real matchup good enough? Let's take a look back through all sports for the past decade to see how they have faired in getting their dream matchup.

The NBA should be first as it seems most people think the league will stop at nothing to get their series. Last season, they had the biggest rivalry in league history resume with the Lakers-Celtics series and it still wasn't the highest rated series even on ABC; that honor belongs to the final Shaq and Kobe Lakers in 2004 when they lost to Detroit. Of course, no one ever moved the meter in ratings like Michael Jordan, who was able to make Chicago-Utah in 1998 the all-time high for the NBA in ratings. However, with the San Antonio Spurs being the dominant team in the decade, along with a particularly weak Eastern Conference turning the NBA Finals into formality, ABC has still been unable to do will with ratings. The best ratings tend to occur in years an East team win, since it's not expected.

The NHL has had more trouble finding their dream scenario. The best ratings the NHL has received this decade was the Devils-Stars series in 2000 which averaged a 3.7. Detroit and Pittsburgh is currently the dream matchup because of the players on the Pens and the history of the Red Wings. It also doesn't hurt to have two markets that will do ratings in the 30's for the Cup finals. The NHL has been too often stuck with the Anaheims and the Carolina's in their finals. They have, however, had three years of a Canadian team in the Cup finals helping their CBC ratings. Still, no series has come close to getting the one game rating Game 7 in the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals had when the Rangers beat Vancouver. While not a dream matchup, since Detroit was the West's number 1 seed that year and Toronto made the Western Finals, that game ended up being the highest rated NHL game in North America and hasn't been topped yet.

Since the Super Bowl never fails in the ratings and I would assume 200 million people will watch the Champions League final regardless who's there, the World Series is the last one that has to worry about dream matchup. Baseball back even twenty-five years ago would get ratings between 23 and 32 on average and Game 7 of the 1986 Mets-Red Sox series got a 38.9, very Super Bowl-like. Even more Super Bowl-like is that Philadelphia and Kansas City in 1980 is the highest rated World Series.

But now, the World Series now has to worry about outdrawing the NBA Finals. They need the dream matchup more than anyone, but can never get it. The closest they came was in 2003 when the Yankees faced the Red Sox in the ALCS and the Cubs faced the Florida Marlins in the NLCS. If the Cubs would of held their lead, a series with the Yankees would have been tremendous because of the Cubs title drought and their position as a national team, like the Yanks and Sox. The best series matchup in the 2000's has to be the 2004 World Series between the Red Sox and the Cardinals, but that ended way to early. The only other dream matchups since the strike were both series between the Braves and the Yankees.

It's obvious that this decade in sports have been unsuccessful in creating the matchups the causal sports fans want to see and it appears that they simply won't tune in and get to know new stars. Does this mean that if the NBA Finals is Denver and Orlando, no one will tune in for Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard? I don't know, but I do know the NBA doesn't want to find out, even if they can only keep one of them in. Because as we learned today from the Champions League final, if the two best teams and the two best players are involved, the world will stop and watch.

Randomness while laughing at James Harrison's reasoning for not seeing Obama

- I could write a whole column based on this story basically going over things that you can say "as far as I'm concerned" and say facts like James Harrison did. His full quote is here. I could say: As far as I'm concerned, the Magic played better than the Celtics last night. Or as far as I'm concerned, a player should be credited with a home run if they hit in fair out the the field of play.

- Does anyone else change the channel when ESPN has a "story" about Brett Favre, or is it just me. Fortunately, there is good news; ESPN will for a few days follow around the release of Michael Vick and make that the biggest news in the history of sports and give us a break from Favre.

- As I write this, 24 is recording on my DVR and I won't find out until about midnight, but it seems to me based on last week's episode and the "next week on 24" scenes, there is some sort of cliffhanger ending that might go right into Season 8. However, after watching Bill Buchanan die this season, I still haven't gotten over the fact Jack Bauer was exposed to a pathogen that will kill him. Or will it? Remember Jack Bauer is in the same league as Chuck Norris, Joel Quennville's mustache and Bill Cowher's chin; no longer mere mortal, but in fact larger than life in a Paul Bunyan sense.

- Speaking of Cowher, Pittsburgh fans should immediately disown him if he chooses the Hurricanes over the Penguins. If he only coached the Steelers, then I wouldn't mind if he roots for Carolina, but he's born and raised in Western Pennsylvania and despite living in NC, he should be rooting for the Pens. So, Bill, you can no longer "sound the warning siren" at least for this series or you can no longer show up in the city that made you famous, or at least get cheered. Besides, Mike Tomlin's a better coach anyway.

- I am tired of these former players who are analysts continuously say that a team is never better without a star player. The obvious example is whenever I hear someone say that the Rockets aren't a better team without Tracy McGrady, even though they performed better this year then any other year they had T-Mac. I won't say that the Rockets are better without Yao Ming, some matchups are better than others. But Tracy McGrady has been the most overrated NBA player this decade. His value was higher back in the early 00s when the iso offense's was everywhere, but his skills have decreased along with his durability. Add all his postseason failures, the success the Rockets had this season and the fact that the he still gets treated as if he's one of the ten best players in the league, which he never was during his career, and you have the most overrated player in the NBA.

- It might sound blasphemous, but I'm tired about hearing baseball talk in April and May. Everyone overrates everything in baseball during the first two months, especially when you live in a baseball-centric city like New York. That's the real tragedy of the Knicks terrible decade and the Rangers free-spending lunacy, that us New Yorkers are forced to follow baseball or do what I do and actually still follow the sports that my teams fail at when they get eliminated. I never remember baseball being as front-and-center back in the 90s because the Knicks always played well into May, either ending around this date in May or a few weeks later and the same for the Rangers during the first Messier era.

- I must give credit to Brett Gardner though, for his inside-the-park home run after visiting a sick girl, putting himself in the elite company of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Paul O'Neill. Well, almost.

- I just watched the end of the 1993 Cowboys-Giants game on NFL Network made famous by Emmitt Smith playing through a separated shoulder to win in OT. As a staunch Giant fan and thus Cowboy-hater, I must say, that was the most impressive, gutsy and clutch performance I ever saw in my life watching football.

- I haven't weighed in on the Phoenix Coyotes situation and I actually plan on devoting a full blog post on items like the NHL in the Sun Belt once all the playoffs end, but I happen to agree with Gary Bettman on one thing, if the Yotes move, they should go to Winnipeg and go back to being the Jets. I disagree with him about trying to keep the team in Phoenix or that Jim Balsallie shouldn't own a team in Hamilton. Once again, I will elaborate more about it once sports settles down.

- Now that I wined and dined you with the randomness, it's time that I give out my Conference Finals predictions. Now the NHL CF's have already started and I used The Cycle's Twitter page to make my picks. I have the Red Wings over the Blackhawks in six games and the Penguins winning in five. My reasons: unfortunately, I have to use the experience argument against the Hawks, which I hate and I generally believe is overrated. But the Wings are too good to just show up in your first playoff appearance in 5 years and beat them. They make you play their game. If the Hawks could possibly force the RedWings to play Chicago hockey, then they have a shot, but I think it's Detroit to win. As for the Penguins, I think Crosby is on a role and now they play Game 1 and the Hurricanes played a much more competitive game than they did in the previous series. That I think will benefit Pittsburgh, because they might not take them for granted. Add the fact that Marc-Andre Fleury is as good as Cam Ward, and you have a series the Penguins should win.

- Which leaves me with my NBA picks. Starting with Cleveland-Orlando, I don't see how the Magic win the series. They have no answer for LeBron and they have no go-to-guy at the end of games. Now they will have some success in this series as they beat the Cavs twice in Orlando and when they are hitting their three's, just like in Boston Sunday night, they are tough to beat. My pick is the Cavs in six games that will be a little tougher than most people I assume believe.

- As for the West, the Nuggets-Lakers series will be a very good one, depending on how the Lakers play. They should have never gone seven with the Rockets and if they played every night, it's over in five. The Nuggets have played the best of every team in the playoffs, including the LeBrons mainly because we expected the Cavs to get to the East Finals rather easy, while some people, including me, picked the Hornets to beat Denver. As for the matchup, Derek Fisher won't have to worry about running around like he did against Aaron Brooks, but Chauncey Billups will go more physical with him. The key to this series though is that the bigs on Denver (Nene, K-Mart) are tougher than the ones on the Lakers (Pau, Bynum) and the Denver bench is better. So while, the NBA, Nike and Vitamin Water are clamoring for Kobe vs LeBron (and if the refs get in the way, then this pick is moot), I believe it will be the Nuggets winning in six games and we get LeBron vs Melo, which if you remember back in 2003, that was the matchup that the NBA envisioned would occur to be like Magic vs Bird.

The ultimate appitizer to the main course playoffs.

There is a feeling that this year's NBA playoffs are particularly anti-climatic, now that Kevin Garnett looks to be done for the year. The two players above are almost locks to make the NBA Finals. So does that make the NBA Playoffs a complete waste? As a basketball fan, I say no because in the 1st round, we have six series that are going to be interesting to watch and you can even see what to expect from the Cavs when they play Detroit. So lets start with them in the East.

#1 Cleveland vs #8 Detroit- If the Cavs are serious about winning, they will destroy the floundering Pistons. If the Pistons take this series to a sixth game, the Cavs failed and only make the road to the Finals tougher. This isn't like Boston last year who were thrown together and needed to learn to go through adversity, the Cavs have been able to roar through the 1st round before. I don't see any way LeBron let's them lose and the Cavs sweep.

#2 Boston vs #7 Chicago- So you have the KG-less Celtics taking on the 10th straight edition of the Baby Bulls. The Bulls had a golden opportunity to avoid this matchup on Wednesday and face the shaky Magic, but they embarassed themselves against the Raptors. Now, they get the champs who are much discussed without Kevin Garnett (as well as GM Danny Ainge, who had a heart attack). The Bulls will push the C's with ROY Derrick Rose, but the championship experience of Paul Pierce and Ray Allen will lead the Celtics in 6.

#3 Orlando vs #6 Philadelphia- Once again, the Magic are this year's honorary NBA TV series as they take on a Sixers team that stopped playing until the Cavs sat out their stars and beat them in Cleveland. Orlando has a great draw now that it's Philly and not Chicago. The best case for the Sixers is they have a third game at home. Unfortunately, the Sixers aren't important in Philly anymore so the Magic ride D-Ho and will win easily. And yes, I meant to write D-Ho for Dwight Howard. Magic in 5.

#4 Atlanta vs #5 Miami- The best series in the East features Dwyane Wade against the lovable Hawks who pushed the Celtics to 7 last spring. Atlanta has plenty of things you like: young, Joe Johnson is a legit go-to-guy at the end of games. If all things are equal, Atlanta beats Miami. Unfortunately for them, when Dwyane Wade is healthy and dominant, things aren't equal. He is the best player in the series and you don't go against the best player without a REALLY, good reason. Add the fact that Wade draws fouls when he's breathed on wrong, I see Heat in 7.

Western 1st Round

#1 L.A. Lakers vs #8 Utah- The only series in the West that you're pretty sure of the result. The Jazz are however, the last team the Lakers should be playing in the 1st round. The concede the PG advantage to Deron Williams, the coaching matchup is a push and the Jazz have a bench. Plus, they have a better home-court than either NO or Dal. If the Lakers had played Dallas or New Orleans, they beat them in at most five games. I think the Lakers win in 6 as Utah will steal a couple in Salt Lake City.

#2 Denver vs #7 New Orleans- Where I don't see the Hornets able to beat the Lakers in the 1st round, I certain think they will be in this series against the Nuggets. The good thing for the Hornets is that Tyson Chandler is starting to get healthier and might be a factor in this series. Of course, they have Chris Paul and they have an underrated roster, with James Posey, David West, etc. As for Denver, they rode their way to the 2nd seed behind Chauncey Billups stabilizing this team and giving Carmelo Anthony a legit chance to exit the 1st round. They also have many people who think they aren't a real contender in the West. If Chandler isn't healthy in this series, Denver will win. I think Chandler will be effective enough and last year's playoff run helps CP3 and the Hornets win in 6.

#3 San Antonio vs #6 Dallas- All year, the Mavs have been in my eyes the only one and done team in the West playoffs. All of a sudden they get the 6th seed and will get to play a Manu-less San Antonio team. The Spurs were on my short list back on April Fools Day, but the loss of Ginobili knocks them out of any title hunt. As for this series, the Spurs you would think should have no trouble with the Mavs, but remember, Dallas is playing their best basketball right now, they split the series with the Spurs and beat them in a Game 7 in San Antonio back in 2006, when Dirk Nowitzki had his greatest game. Unless Tim Duncan averages 25-15 in this series, Tony Parker could average 30 and the Mavs still win in 7.

#4 Portland vs #5 Houston- As good as the Mavs finished, the Rockets gave up home-court in that final game loss to them and now have to go on the road to take on a very good Trail Blazers team. The Blazers when they had the chance to win home-court crushed the Nuggets and are everyone's sleeper. What's not to love, Brandon Roy is going to be the next superstar in this league, they have depth everywhere and are young to boot. They will be fighting the Lakers every year pretty soon. As for the Rockets, they are in the same boat as Denver, needing to win a series. Houston can get a game early using the experience they have, but in the end, Roy's the best player and the Blazers win in 7.


Based on these picks, you would have Cavs-Heat, which would be interesting to see how many games Wade can take; Celts-Magic, where we find out if the Magic are for real and if the Pierce and Allen can carry the C's. The West would have Hornets-Mavs, where we find out if the Mavs can handle Paul or if the Hornets blow them out again and Lakers-Blazers, which could be the Lakers toughest series. Eventually, it will be Lakers-Cavs in the NBA Finals and I think the Cavs win in 6 and King James gets his crown.