He Is Risen!!!

 

So with that heading I’ve fulfilled my “ass-kissing of Lebron James post-Game 5” internet quota.  Other equally funny statements have been:

We have liftoff on the LeBron era; even MJ never quite did anything just like James did to Pistons in Game 5  from MSNBC.  Jordan comparisons are too easy and they show how little writers have progressed since the nineties, living with the false pretense that the league never moved on talent-wise post-MJ.

It was the only time he looked human all night from ESPN, referring to his post-game press conference.  Not true, His fatigue really showed throughout the game, even shooting an errant airball in OT.

LeBron: I Questioned You, Thanks for Responding from a Fox Sports Blogger who goes on to rant about LeBron having a grip on the league for years to come and how he has always known this would happen.  The header just reeks of self importance.

Simply marvelous from the Sporting News.  Pretty accurate, really.  He went on to be called “LeBron Roget” due to his far-from-limited description of his physically hurt state.  Nice touch.

And that is why you, dear fan, shouldn’t have given up on the NBA playoffs from AOL Sports columnists.  This, without a single mL of cynicism on my part, is the winner. 

After the Cavs finished off the Nets, I was convinced Motown would have no problem disposing of Cleveland.  In my mind NJ was the better match-up basketball-wise.  Detroit came away with two home wins that I thought for sure would hurt the Cavs psyche; two very close encountersin which LeBron’s leadership ability was criticized and dissected in papers and sports shows nationwide.  I tuned out of the seriesfor that reason (and just life in general), even though the Pistons never did win those games convincingly.  So I had a “woah-is-me” moment when I learned The Cavs tied it up.  So I started watching from the fourth quarter last night only to find (surprise!) it was another tight game.  And things really unfolded.

I always felt Jordan was full of it in his infamous fever game,  where he played with a temperature of over 100 degrees against the Jazz.  I know he felt ill, but we already knew what he was capable of.  LeBron, however, has never come across as hyperhuman;  he was never a copy of a copy of a copy.  He was always LeBron, with his superb games that lacked the dominance of a Kobe.  His playing through fatigue is reminiscent of playground full court games; the kind of game where everyone seems equally tired except one person stands above the rest.  LeBron was he/she. 

He scored the last 25 Cav points through both OTs and some of the fourth.  Twenty-nine of the last thirty Cavalier points.  And he was tired as hell.  If every other sports star shows superhuman Clark Kent qualities in their historic performances, Lebron showed traces of anti-hero Batman: beaten down, facing more than many adversaries, simply not stopping, sometimes messing up, refusing to let go, totally in-your-face.  And it was an awesome sight.

For the sake of the playoffs, I hope the Cavaliers finish the Pistons off for good at home.  The last thing we (me, actually) want is a Detroit appearance in the Finals.  And hopefully he can screw the West for good measure.

(photo taken from ESPN.com)