Evenard M. Panes
Spennies
Sports Insider
Eastern Conference Champs 2007! (Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images)
Let’s begin with the formalities: congratulations to Cleveland for winning their way into the first NBA Finals for the franchise. Go team!
LeBron and the Cavs finished off the Pistons today 98-82 in emphatic fashion. After the game James walked around the court with a happy, glazed look upon his face proclaiming: “This is like a dream," he said, shaking his head. "This is probably the best feeling that I've ever had in my life.” (Withers, AP, 2007)
The hero for Cleveland today though wasn’t James who had a relatively quiet 20 point, 14 rebound effort, but super rookie Daniel Gibson who dropped 31 – 19 coming in the fourth quarter to seal the Cavs first Conference Championship.
Gibson, the formally little used second round pick for the Cavs came alive today with an
LeBron James and Daniel Gibson share the love. (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
Although LeBron didn’t have a mind blowing night his confidence and silky skills carried a largely unheralded squad of players into the promised land and they, in all honesty, have a chance to cause a huge boilover against the Spurs. Bron-Bron really is playing such sick basketball right now that anything is possible.
Four games ago it was hard to imagine that Cleveland could have pulled off the victory over Detroit with such ease. Yes, they were down 0-2 at that stage of the series but the signs were there that the Cavs were going to be a transformed team when LeBron attacked the rim in the dying seconds, took a hit and had no foul called. Cleveland was livid with the non-call but they took it in their stride and with fire in their bellies proceeded to kick the behinds of the more experienced Detroit team.
One team got stronger while the other wilted away under the immense pressure of the situation – ironically enough it was the more battle hardened Pistons team who blinked first.
However, it begins and ends with King James who was irrepressible in this series after enduring a barrage of unfair criticism in Game 1, doing what superstars are supposed to do, stepping up when the going got tough. In the end Bron-Bron was too much for the Pistons to handle and finished the series averaging 25.7 points, 9.2 boards and 8.5 dimes.
No matter what transpires after this we know this one truth – LeBron James will become the best player in the NBA for the next 10 or so years and this series made him and the public believe.
It may not be Cleveland’s time in the sun just yet, but as James has proved throughout his young career there is no precedent for such an immense talent. He has thrown the rulebook out the window.
The Cavs may just yet shock the world!
Today’s video is of Game 6 and the Cleveland celebrations. Enjoy.
| 56 |
| Vote |
Comments (2)
Add Comments
