LJ A No-Show In Phase I

It’s not the 8-for-42 shooting that has me dumbfounded – those things happen. It is the bad decisions with the basketball – including 17 turnovers in two games, and the general tentativeness with which he is playing that has me wondering why 23 looks lost in the second round of the playoffs (down 2-0) versus the Celtics.

Granted, this is the first time I have seen LJ have back-to-back poor performances in big games. He usually bounces back quickly. The likelihood is the comforts of playing at home in games #3 & #4 should propel James & company to playing much better and prolonging this series.

However, the truth is this – James needs to play extremely well ON THE ROAD if the Cavaliers have any chance of advancing beyond round #2. We can excuse one bad effort from "The King", but not two.

He needs to step up and lead his team to a pair of wins at home, thus evening the series. But he also needs to dominate in Boston and give his team a chance at a series win. So far he's been MIA in Boston.

A decent performance from James in game #1 and the Cavaliers would be in the driver’s seat at 1-1 heading back home just needing to hold serve in order to win the series. Call it a missed opportunity.

Instead, what we have is a tentative LJ, settling for jumpers instead of taking it strong to the basket or backing defenders down, all the while turning it over at an alarming rate. And we have rarely heard his number called on the defensive end either.

Chris Paul is dominating his series after three games played and Kobe is playing well up 2-0 in his series while collecting the 2007-08 MVP trophy.

Meanwhile, James is 8-for-42 from the field with 17 turnovers while looking lost in Boston.

Like we said, one bad game can happen, but back-to-back horrid performances – which include terrible cross court passes that are stolen, missed layups, and one paint-stripping long jumper after another from long range cannot be excused – not by “The Chosen One.”

Perhaps we were wrong when we claimed James was the league’s MVP and not Kobe or Paul. So far in this round of the playoffs, James is making the voters look smart.

In fact, after two games versus the Celtics, James is not even the best player on his own team. His long-time teammate and the league’s lone 7-3 jump shooting center (Z) has outplayed James by far. That is not what the Cavalier coaches, management and fans expected.

I know he can dunk like no other, I realize he’s a freak of nature and I understand the special basketball gifts he possesses, but I never thought I would have to question James’ basketball IQ or as the commercial said – “his court vision.”

Want an example. Okay. James is in a mismatch with a much smaller Sam Cassell in the third quarter of game #2, and instead of backing him down and taking him to the hole, he settles for a quick baseline fade away that clanks off the rim – giving up his size advantage and giving up the basketball once again with the miss.

One can expect that kind of decision-making from the likes of Sasha Pavlovic, but not from 23.

What has made James so special so early in his career is his ability to “understand the game.” For whatever reason - that judgment is lacking right now.

Yes, some credit should go to the Celtics. But this is the same Celtic team James torched in three games during the regular season. Yes, the Celtics are very good, but they are also the same Celtic team that needed seven games to knock off the sub-500 Atlanta Hawks.

As you know, we do not throw the word “great” around often. However, this is an appropriate time for its usage.

“Great” players MUST play well on the road and he (LJ) hasn’t come close to playing “well” – let alone dominating. And unless he gets it back quickly, the Cavaliers will suffer a playoff embarrassment reminiscent of last year’s Finals.

The good news is James still has time.

This series has now entered phase II – the Cavaliers are at home. James needs to "will his team" to a pair of wins and even this mess at 2-2. If he does, the series will enter the final phase (Phase III) – where “great” players earn their stripes and missed opportunities like game 1 are forgotten.

Other Notes - The Cavaliers will need to improve their talent level in terms of athletiscm in the off-season...even though we complained for over two years for Cavs management to add another all-star to help James, we did give our blessing to the mid-season 11-player mega trade...however, we also noted at the time, the Cavaliers were losing some athleticism in the deal and that would need to be addressed in the off-season...that has been evident in both playoff series so far...this leads us to our second point, even with the loss of Hughes and Gooden, this team is much better offensively when it runs - not allowing teams to double and triple James in the halfcourt, thus making other players on the roster who can't create their own shots score...however, when you decide to play up tempo, you usually lose "your edge" defensively (Suns, Mavs, Kings, etc...)...Mike Brown and company must find that compromise that allows for an identity at the offensive end without it hurting the team defense...that won't be easy...Chris Paul is fun to watch...we didn't think he would be "special" coming out of college...boy, were we wrong...he looks like the next Steve Nash...the difference - Nash has more range on his jumper, but Paul is stronger and a better defender.