King misplaces crown when Cavs need him most...

By JIM LITKE | AP Sports Columnist • Published May 12, 2010

It's a good thing LeBron James will change the number on the back of his jersey from 23 to 6 next season, if only because wherever he winds up, it will be one less reminder of the player he will never be.

The comparisons to Michael Jordan were overblown long before now. James' listless performance in the Cavs' Game 5 loss to the Celtics at home was simply confirmation of that.

He may be the NBA prototype for the rest of this century: a RoboCop physique, already possessed with 22nd-Century skills. But unless or until he develops a killer instinct, James doesn't belong in the same sentence with the guy who dominated basketball at the end of the last one.

Jordan had plenty of tough shooting nights, even in the playoffs, but every time it happened, he made sure everyone else on the other team had a worse one. If it meant playing blistering defense, he did. If it required collaring every important rebound and loose ball, he did that, too.

Scaring his teammates enough to raise their own games? Jordan did that, anyway, because he didn't know any other way to play.

Contrast that with how James played Tuesday night. After talking about how important it was to set the tone and then lobbying to defend Boston's emerging superstar, Rajon Rondo, James launched four shots in the first half and made zero.

He didn't make a field goal until almost the midpoint of the third quarter, and by then the outcome was practically assured. James finished with 15 points, on 3-of-14 shooting and didn't shut down anyone.

"I play according to the game and see how it's flowing and we had a great flow," he said afterward, explaining the disappearing act in the opening half. "I wasn't able to get anything offensively going for myself, but I was still able to do some other things - get some rebounds, get some assists and get some guys going early on the game."

Kobe Bryant, the other guy who's been hemmed in by comparisons to Jordan, disappears some nights, too. But he does it willfully. He can't scare his teammates the way Jordan did, but he's not above reminding them what the consequences are if they won't step up.

Yet Bryant won't stand by idly while an important game slides down the drain. He's too selfish that way. James just did.

"It's unlike him," Cleveland coach Mike Brown said afterward. "He had an off-night tonight, which is abnormal.

"He'll be ready to go," Brown added a moment later, "in Game 6."

Don't bet on it.

Some of the Cleveland fans who hadn't already bolted the arena booed James when he walked off the floor with four minutes left. He took the Cavs to the finals in his fourth season, but got swept and promised to use the experience as a lesson. The only thing James appears to have learned, though, is how to lose the games that matter most.

He is still only 25, which might explain the lack of urgency. Most of his career is still in front of him, including free agency and suitors lined up in every town with enough cap room to convince his agent, Leon Rose, to take a call. But the very same things that make James so appealing off the court - a quick smile, level head, easygoing demeanor - seem to holding back his progress on it.

Remember what happened last season, after the Magic abruptly ended what was widely billed as the king's coronation. After the Cavs lost, James rushed toward the exit without shaking hands with any of the Orlando players. A day later, instead of apologizing, his explanation was more awkward still.

"It's hard for me to congratulate somebody after you just lose to them," he said back at the team's practice facility in Cleveland. "I mean, I'm a winner.

"I'm a competitor," James added. "That's what I do."

But he's still not a winner, and based on his leadership in this series, still only so much of a competitor.

The Lakers, too, seemed to be sleepwalking their way through these playoffs, especially in the first round against a younger, seemingly hungrier Oklahoma City squad. Then Bryant, who like James has been forced to play through a nagging injury, took over and tore up both the Thunder and then the Jazz, scoring at least 30 points in his past five games.

James shrugged off a question in the interview room afterward about whether the Cavs lack of an "identity" was the reason for their wildly uneven play in the series.

"I don't feel like it's an identity thing," he said, "just a consistency thing."

But consistency comes when people know what's expected of them, and James' supporting cast is finding it hard to figure out what their roles are when the star of the show is still trying to decide what his is going to be.

His supporting cast is garbage. Pippen if not for a favorable call, granted the Bulls got many of them over the years nearly took the Bulls without Jordan to the conference finals. He was a top 7 player in the league all those years. Horace Grant and Dennis Rodman were both incredible defenders on the respective teams and Tony K was better than anyone on the Cavs. Mo Williams and Jamison are terrible when it matters.

Mike Brown. The guy has no idea what he is doing out there, none. Shaq is getting way to much time. Speed the game up and run and have Lebron and Hickson constantly attacking the basket. The Cavs never get easy points.

Very simple if he isn't great they don't win. Jordan and Kobe had the luxury of playing with real all stars for one of the best coaches of all time.

MS wrote:He may not be like Mike, but you need to take a few things into account.

His supporting cast is garbage. Pippen if not for a favorable call, granted the Bulls got many of them over the years nearly took the Bulls without Jordan to the conference finals. He was a top 7 player in the league all those years. Horace Grant and Dennis Rodman were both incredible defenders on the respective teams and Tony K was better than anyone on the Cavs. Mo Williams and Jamison are terrible when it matters.

Mike Brown. The guy has no idea what he is doing out there, none. Shaq is getting way to much time. Speed the game up and run and have Lebron and Hickson constantly attacking the basket. The Cavs never get easy points.

Very simple if he isn't great they don't win. Jordan and Kobe had the luxury of playing with real all stars for one of the best coaches of all time.

I agree. Bron's supporting cast is horrible. The Shaq trade was misguided and the Jamison trade was too little too late.

I think the only way Bron would stay in Cleveland is if they'd gotten him Amar'e.

MS wrote:He may not be like Mike, but you need to take a few things into account.

His supporting cast is garbage. Pippen if not for a favorable call, granted the Bulls got many of them over the years nearly took the Bulls without Jordan to the conference finals. He was a top 7 player in the league all those years. Horace Grant and Dennis Rodman were both incredible defenders on the respective teams and Tony K was better than anyone on the Cavs. Mo Williams and Jamison are terrible when it matters.

Mike Brown. The guy has no idea what he is doing out there, none. Shaq is getting way to much time. Speed the game up and run and have Lebron and Hickson constantly attacking the basket. The Cavs never get easy points.

Very simple if he isn't great they don't win. Jordan and Kobe had the luxury of playing with real all stars for one of the best coaches of all time.

I think this arguement would be more valid if Lebron was playing exceptionally well while his teammates played poorly. That isn't the case here sometimes he takes on the role of leader, put everything on his back, but like the writer mentions here sometimes Lebron takes on that role other times he takes a laid back approach. At this juncture in the season there should be no flip-flopping and a poor shooting night should not be the sole determining factor on what kind of game he has. If he shoots poorly than he should be locking down on defense, rebounding, creating scoring opportunities for his teammates. I don't always see this and his defense has always been pretty suspect.

bitty41 wrote:

AnubisADL wrote:Lebron's supporting cast isn't garbage. This is no different than OKC waxing LA's ass in Oklahoma during the first round and people were saying Kobe fell off. LOL. When the teams BEST player doesnt perform it effects the team as a whole.

Lebron has not played aggressive in the last two games. Taking 4 FG's in the first half tells me all I need to know. See Wade's performances in the first round against Boston if you want to see a GARBAGE team.

Yea I think this not true. Cleveland' supporting cast is unfairly described as being bad. All these guys are solid contributors. Jamison on a winning team makes the all-star team and Mo Williams is borderline all-star even when played with Mil.

Mo Williams
Antwan Jamison
Illgasus/Shaq
Boobie
Varejo
Delonte West
JJ Hickson

Lebron's problem is he has no jumper. The ref's aren't letting him bulldoze people to get to the rim and he isnt as a good getting to the rim as Wade. The Cav's offense is predicated on Lebron penetrating and creating oppurtunites for his teammates.

Now Lebron wants to cry about how his teammates aren't stepping up. LOL. People seems to want to "relate" to him now but lets see what they say when Lebron throws Gallo and Chandler under the bus.

nyk4ever wrote:i'm sorry but lebron trying to see if his teammates actually have any cajones isn't a problem to me. lebron now knows if he doesnt score 30+ a game, his teammates will not be there to help him win. i think the cavs win game 6, lebron goes off for 35 and then the celtics end up winning game 7 and lebron knows that his teammates aren't helping him win anything in cleveland and he leaves.

during a playoff game? wth?

the team is built all around lebron. the shooters feed of his drive and dishes. the cutters feed off his ability to draw defenders into bad spots on the floor. if he doesn't do that, then the team will look bad. you have no problem with that? what if he did that for your team in a playoff game? that's no different than kobe refusing to shoot in game 7 vs. the suns.

djsunyc wrote:

nyk4ever wrote:i'm sorry but lebron trying to see if his teammates actually have any cajones isn't a problem to me. lebron now knows if he doesnt score 30+ a game, his teammates will not be there to help him win. i think the cavs win game 6, lebron goes off for 35 and then the celtics end up winning game 7 and lebron knows that his teammates aren't helping him win anything in cleveland and he leaves.

during a playoff game? wth?

the team is built all around lebron. the shooters feed of his drive and dishes. the cutters feed off his ability to draw defenders into bad spots on the floor. if he doesn't do that, then the team will look bad. you have no problem with that? what if he did that for your team in a playoff game? that's no different than kobe refusing to shoot in game 7 vs. the suns.

no im not condoning it. i'd rather lebron put the team on his back, win the chip and then leave. at the same time, i can't blame the guy for being pissed that no one ever helps him and he wants to prove a point. it's not the way i would go about doing it, but everyone is different.

he did take just 4 shots in the first half, but the other elements of his game werent there either - he doesnt seem to have that hunger right now. for lebron to show the lack of aggression that he did is a pretty bad sign considering they had a chance to put the celts on their heels last night.

If you watch this Cavs team they are chumps. When the game gets tough they walk the ball out to the top of the key and hand it to Lebron. If they don't have a lead and Lebron isn't controlling the game they don't play well. There best weapon maybe Hickson who attacks and draws fouls. There coach is in over his head. He is starting him, benching him, playing him, wtf is he trying to accomplish. Big Z in last nights game? Jamison and Mo can't make a big shot. There best clutch player is probaly West when Lebron isn't winning every game for them. So yes I believe his supporting cast is terrible the worst of any team left in the playoffs and maybe even the entire second round.