NEW YORKERS REJOICE
June 1, 2009 by R.C. Cola
There are a boatload of people bemoaning the lack of a Kobe Bryant-LeBron James match-up in the NBA Finals: the citizens of Cleveland, basketball fans, LeBron worshipers, and even David Stern. Outside of Orlando, there’s one city toasting the downfall of the King: New York.
With the Cavaliers getting thrashed on their way out of the playoffs, James will have a lot of thinking to do this season. Is his team good enough to take a title? Does he really want to cement his legacy in Cleveland? Is it worth passing up all those marketing dollars in the bigger, more lucrative market of New York? All of these questions have to warm the hearts of long-suffering New York Knicks fans, who have 2010 circled in as the “summer of LeBron.”
The Cavaliers lost 103-90 - and it wasn’t even that close - to the Orlando Magic on Saturday. Aside from one solid game on Thursday, the Cavaliers were dominated by the Magic. They were one buzzer-beater from getting swept early on. That kind of meltdown, particularly after going 66-16 in the regular season and taking the top overall seed in the league, has to be devastating. As James and his teammates had insisted all season, nothing short of winning the title would be acceptable. Well, mission clearly not accomplished.
While James had found an unusually tight camaraderie with his teammates, that was over the course of a dominant season. It’s unclear how James will be able to handle this kind of defeat. Losing exposes a lot of crack in team chemistry, and I’m sure Knicks fans out there are hoping fo rmore to come next season.
Of course, James and the Cavs can come back stronger than ever next season. The Los Angeles Lakers and Bryant were embarassed last season in the NBA Finals, and have done a remarkable job of improving upon themselves. It remains to be seen if James and squad can do the same.
I’m a little skeptical. A lot of times, it looked like the Cavs were throwing it into James and praying for a miracle. LeBron being LeBron, something special usually happened. Still, a one-man wrecking crew doesn’t make for a winning team. Bryant probably has a thing or two to say about that.
New York, meanwhile, represents a fresh start for LeBron. The Knicks will have plenty of money under the cap and can get LeBron help quickly. They already roll out the welcome wagon when James is in town, and he loves playing at Madison Square Garden. New Yorkers are hoping that love will translate into a big move in next year.
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