Unbelievable (LeBron)

While I haven't been overly critical of LeBron James, I haven't been a constant praiser either. While I've seen and admitted that he has tremendous talent and potential, I had not seen that leadership and clutch killer instinct that made Michael Jordan and Larry Bird so dangerous and Dwayne Wade so valuable a year ago in the finals.

I'm not going to give a hyperbolic speech of how James is the greatest player to have ever lived, that he is now truly the King of basketball, and no one will be able to dethrone him for as long as he's playing and healthy. But, I will say that the man has shown a great deal of improvement in the area of leadership and clutch shooting and if he continues to do so, he will be very difficult to stop this year and in the years to follow.

While I believe that the players surrounding James on the Cavaliers are a bit under-appreciated by the majority of sportswriters and "analysts," I do think that James carries a bit more of the burden on his shoulders than most other players in the league. He demonstrated this to the extreme in game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Detroit Pistons. James made 11 of his final 14 shots, en route to scoring Cleveland's final 25 points (29 of their last 30), lifting them to a double overtime victory. James finished with 48 points in 50 minutes of playing time, along with 8 rebounds and 7 assists. The performance was breath-taking. My dad, a native of Detroit and a long-time fan of the Pistons, and I sat in pure amazement at James. Following the game, my dad and I were in complete agreement, while he and other Pistons' fans may be upset they lost, it was just a game where the losing team has to tip their cap to the opponent, because there was just no way James was going to let his team fall down three games to two that night. He was like a man possessed. Everyone on the court appeared to be at least a half step slower than LeBron (that's being nice). When Detroit hit a trifecta to go up by three, James would answer four seconds later with a three of his own to tie the game. I'm just grateful that I could witness that game and performance, because it won't ever be forgotten.

I had contemplated blogging about it directly following Game 5, but I felt it'd be best to wait until the series ended. Let's not forget, just a year ago, Cleveland led Detroit three games to two, but the Pistons came back to win the series. That wasn't to happen this time around, though, as the only game that was decided by more than six points was in the clincher for Cleveland.

I don't believe that the players outside of LeBron receive has much credit as they deserve. Larry Hughes has never been a consistent shooter and can be a bit careless with the ball at times, but is quick, explosive, can hit the trifecta, and reeks havoc on defense with his ability to steal. Drew Gooden isn't the most consistent of players and can find himself in foul trouble at times, but is a solid body on the inside, with good rebounding skills, and has an ability to hit the mid-range jump shot better than most 4's in the league. Sasha Pavlovic is inexperienced and with that, inconsistent. He lacks a bit on the defensive side of the ball, but can make up for it offensively. Zydrunas Ilgauskas is seven foot three inches tall. With that size comes an ability to rebound, block shots, and make the easy buckets inside. He's also a great free throw shooter. On the bench, Daniel Gibson, as we saw in game 7, is an emerging player in the league. The guy is quick, solid defensively, a great foul shooter, and when he gets hot from deep, look out! Anderson Varejao has a lot to learn on the offensive side of the ball, but is a pesky defender, is a hustler, and isn't afraid to take the charge in the lane. Donyell Marshall isn't as quick as he once was, so he can get taken advantage of at times on the defensive side of the ball, but he's always been a good rebounder, solid shot blocker, and has a unique ability for a 3-4 man to shoot the trifecta, along with playing in the post area. Eric Snow may not be the player he once was, but he's a terrific ball handler, defender, and leader. Even LeBron goes to him at times for leadership. While this may not be the best group of guys to surround LeBron with, they're a lot better than credited. From a starter's standpoint, the one thing that Cleveland truly lacks is a true point guard. Hughes is more of a 2, as is Pavlovic. Eric Snow is probably the most pure point guard on the team, but he's not the starter he once was.

One thing that LeBron still has to work on some is his decision-making. While that performance in Game 5 was simply incredible, there are times when James seems unfocused and unconfident. In games 1 and 2, James lacked that confidence to take charge and control of the game. He lacked that aggressiveness, which he displayed in games 3, 4, and 5. Especially in crunch and playoff time, James has to be a bit more consistent in his aggressiveness and decision-making. At points this season, this may have been due to his poor free throw shooting, so that's something else he must improve upon. If and when James improves from the foul line, I have a feeling that we'll see a much more consistently aggressive LeBron James, which means trouble for the rest of the league. I'm not ready to crown the guy yet, unlike many commentators, but I definitely see improvement in his game and look forward to watching him progress in the future.