Picking up the Pieces

The NBA season is almost over and it’s time to take a look back at the Southeast division

By Kyle Basedow

Well, here we are, the end of another NBA season.

This season went pretty much as predicted, finishing in the same order as last year with the exception of the Washington Wizards who leapfrogged the Orlando Magic for third in the Southeast division.

That being said, here’s a wrap-up and the major story lines from each team in the division this past season.

1. The Miami Heat (61-16)

AP Photo/ Willfredo Lee

Miami absolutely dominated the NBA this season, specifically in the second half. In the beginning they seemed to suffer from a “championship hangover”, playing well, just not at the level they were accustomed to. Miami then caught fire in February, rifling off a string of 27 straight games, finally losing March 27^th to the Chicago Bulls. The Heat are now resting Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, and LeBron James, although one of them is always in the starting lineup. They are geared up for another deep playoff run and all signs point to them reaching the Eastern Conference Finals without breaking a sweat.

Biggest Story Line: 27 game win streak. I don’t mean to beat this to death but it was 27 games. That’s nothing short of impressive.

2. The Atlanta Hawks (42-36)

Atlanta has managed to keep itself off the radar this season, merely plugging its way through the season at a pace that guarantees them a playoff berth. They haven’t played great by any stretch of the imagination and at times they’ve looked terrible, but overall, they’ve been above average. The decline from last year can be attributed to the loss of Joe Johnson and the aliens from Space Jam, who seem to sporadically take all of Josh Smith’s talent.

Biggest Story Line: Kyle Korver approaching the record for most consecutive games with at least one three pointer? Honestly, the Hawks haven’t been the center of much except for the chatter about the departure of Josh Smith this summer.

3. The Washington Wizards (29-49)

Washington has actually done a decent job this season, contrary to popular belief. No, they didn’t make the playoffs but they did make significant strides from last year. Yes, they lost their first 12 games and started 4-28 BUT they recovered, especially with the return of John Wall, and are currently 29-49. I’m choosing to be optimistic and once again hoping that they’re good second half play will carry over to next year and hopefully transform them into a low-seeded playoff team.

Biggest Story Line: Either the 4-24 start or the return of John Wall, who currently leads the team in points per game (18.3), assists per game (7.5), and steals per game (1.3).

4. The Orlando Magic (19-59)

The Magic have been the definition of sub-par this season. They have the second worst record in the NBA, only ahead by one game on the lowly Charlotte Bobcats. Orlando actually ranks in the top half of the league in both rebounds and assists per game but where they struggle is actually scoring and defending the other team as they are in the bottom 10 for both. I feel bad for first year coach Jacque Vaughn who inherited a bad team that only got worse.

Biggest Story Line: The trade of J.J. Reddick, AKA another unhappy player demanding his way out of Orlando

5. The Charlotte Bobcats (18-60)

It’s almost unfair to put the Bobcats this far down because the season isn’t over yet and they still have a chance to push past the Magic and finish fourth in the Southeast. The Bobcats however have been nothing short of god-awful for the past two seasons and it doesn’t look good. Sure they have Kemba Walker, a rising star, and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, a possible rising star, but besides that, their next best player is Ben Gordon. No bueno.

Biggest Story Line: Michael Jordan beating Kidd-Gilchrist in a one-on-one. When the biggest headline is your first round pick getting beat by a 50 year old, that’s probably not a good sign.

Heat, Heat Baby

The Miami Heat continue to dominate every team in the NBA, but can they be stopped?

By Kyle Basedow

Yo, NBA, let’s kick it!

Or at least that’s what the Miami Heat said on February 3^rd, the beginning of their 23- game win streak.

Just saying the words “23-game win streak” is enough to strike fear into the hearts of every other NBA team.

No matter how much you hate LeBron James for leaving Cleveland, no matter how much you hate the Miami Heat for creating “The Big Three”, there’s no argument that you can make to take away a 23-game win streak.

AP Photo/ Phelan Ebenhack

Sure the 23-game win streak may intimidate some teams, but it also inspires something else in every team they play: desire. Every single team, from their top players to the owner(s) to the towel boys want to be the team that ends the streak, now the second longest in NBA history.

Every night the Miami Heat take the floor, they get the best from every team they play. Not only do they want a chance to show that they’re better than the reigning champions, they want a piece of history now too.

Now playing with all that desire is fine, but will it ever amount to anything? Can anything stop the way LeBron James and Dwayne Wade are playing? Jason Terry found out the hard way that they aren’t easy to slow down.

The level that the Heat are playing at, and sustaining every night, is amazing. They don’t have to be ahead the whole game, hell, they don’t even have to be ahead with two minutes left in the game. They just find a way to win.

However, despite how well they’re playing, they will eventually lose. There are a few games on their schedule that will cause the Heat some problems, most likely starting with the San Antonio Spurs.

Yes, that does mean that they will have to win their next six games. Yes, that does mean they play the Chicago Bulls in Chicago, in a nationally broadcast game. The Bulls, however, have gone 8-12 in their last 20 games, and the game should go easily to the Heat.

The game against the Spurs is probably the most challenging game left on their schedule. They play San Antonio on the road, at the end of a four-game road trip in which they have a game every other day.

San Antonio itself is easily one of the top teams in the NBA, with the second best record in the NBA behind the Heat, and at home they boast a 28-4 record, which is only behind Miami and the Denver Nuggets.

If they somehow escape San Antonio with a win, they could possibly face a tough challenge against the New York Knicks, a team who holds a 2-1 record against them and could have stars Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler at full health.

And if they somehow manage to get past both the Spurs and the Knicks, the only difficult game remaining would be a home game against the Boston Celtics.

It won’t be an easy stretch, but if the Heat can somehow navigate their way through these games, they will not only boast the longest win streak in NBA history, but be at nearly 1:1 odds at winning a consecutive NBA championship.

Maybe rap artist Vanilla Ice said it best in his hit song “Ice Ice Baby”.

“Take heed, 'cause I'm a lyrical poet

Miami's on the scene just in case you didn't know it”

A Good Try?

Indiana Pacers make a feeble attempt to beat the Heat

By Doug Knopf

AP Photo/ Alan Diaz

Right at the start of the game it seemed like the Pacers had a chance to defeat the Heat. They beat them twice at home by double digits and won the tip-off to start on an offensive note. Halfway through the first quarter, it still seemed possible for Indiana to pull off an upset against the streaking Heat. The teams were trading baskets; Indiana was using their size advantage down low, and Lebron James was a non-factor. All except one of those changed quickly.

Statistics aside, Miami decimated Indiana in all phases. It was clear that Miami had the Pacers figured out. The Pacers had no room to pass the ball and looked confused on the court. Dwayne Wade had steal after steal and disrupted the Pacers’ offense. The only person who produced anything for Indiana was David West. Paul George just rattled off 3’s for, what it looked like at least, absolutely no reason. The game clearly became a one sided match.

The sad thing about the game was that the Indiana Pacers had no answer for… Mario Chalmers. He was constantly left wide open near the three-point line and a cardboard cutout could have done a better job guarding him. Thought to be one of the best defensive teams in the NBA, Indiana could not contain the fourth-best Heat. Even though it does not look it sometimes, basketball is a team sport and the Pacers got a good re-teaching of that Sunday. 

This game did not have many implications. I think everyone wanted the Indiana Pacers to win, but no one actually thought they would. Indiana is still tied for the second seed in the Eastern Conference with the New York Knickerbockers. Home court advantage is big for these two teams and it will be a true grind for these teams to earn the second spot.

A Glass Half...Full?

 Just over halfway though the season, its time to take stock of the NBA Southeast

By Kyle Basedow

So far the NBA Southeast has followed the script that was written before the season, falling into the same pattern as last year.

AP Photo/ Rich Pedroncelli

The Miami Heat have continued to dominate in the Eastern Conference and are currently in first place in both the Southeast conference and the entire Eastern conference.

The Atlanta Hawks are sitting pretty in the middle of the Eastern Conference standings and are currently second in the Southeast.

The Orlando Magic are falling fast, slipping way out of playoff contention and are struggling to stay in third place in the Southeast.

The Washington Wizards are attempting to surge forward after their dreadful start and have risen past the Bobcats for fourth place in the Southeast.

The Charlotte Bobcats have returned to their losing ways and are trying to gather momentum in order to avoid finishing their season on another terrible note.

The Southeast is still struggling despite the strong leadership brought by the Heat and the Hawks, both of whom look to be playoff caliber teams. At the halfway point, the three teams at the bottom are running in place, all their efforts seeming futile. In order to truly understand what’s going on in the Southeast, though, here’s a short breakdown of each team at the moment.

Miami Heat: There’s not much to say about the Heat because nothing about them has changed over the past year, except for the addition of Ray Allen. LeBron still does more work than anyone else in the league, expect possibly Kobe Bryant, and the rest of the Big Three continue to follow his lead. Dwayne Wade seems to be getting better and is able to play 100% about 85% of the time. Chris Bosh’s play is unpredictable, sometimes playing well, and other times acting almost invisible. Go figure.

Atlanta Hawks: The Hawks have fallen from where they were last season, though not by much, which is impressive considering they lost an All-Star in Joe Johnson, though he isn’t playing like one right now. The addition of Devin Harris hasn’t helped as much as originally thought, but steady play from Josh Smith and Jeff Teague will keep this team on course.

Orlando Magic: The Magic cannot seem to catch a break, literally. Glen “Big Baby” Davis is out for the rest of the season with a broken foot that required surgery and Jameer Nelson, Aaron Afflalo, J.J. Redick, and rookie DeQuan Jones are all listed on the injury report and have missed time this year. With his team falling down right before his eyes, first year coach Jacque Vaughn has watched ten straight losses. There doesn’t seem to be much light at the end of his tunnel. Additionally, J.J. Redick is possibly on the trading block, but only for the right price. The Magic are reportedly looking for either draft picks or a quality young player.

Washington Wizards: The return of John Wall has given the Wizards little of what they’ve hoped for. Looking for a savior, John Wall has come back to become the team leader in both assists and points per game, but even that hasn’t been enough to save them as they also continue to fight the injury bug. The Wizards will look the win most of their games after the break, hoping to finish third in the Southeast conference.

Charlotte Bobcats: The Bobcats just can’t win. Something about the team just makes them unable to win games even though their players really aren’t bad. It’s not just the coach and it’s not just the players, so the blame now falls onto the organization. Something has to slow the team’s fall and right now no one has any clue how they’re going to be saved.

Celtics Win Four Straight, Despite Loss of Rondo

Boston Starts to Win After Losing Rajon Rondo to a Torn ACL

By Ali Koskoris

Last Sunday it was confirmed that Celtics’ star point guard Rajon Rondo had a torn ACL and would be out for the rest of the season.  The loss of Rondo is a big blow to Boston, a team that is not performing as well as they hoped they might this season.

Reportedly, Rondo injured himself in a loss to the Hawks, but finished out the double-overtime game, thinking he had only tweaked his hamstring.  He was in Doc Rivers’ starting lineup for last Sunday’s game against Miami until about 25 minutes before the start.  Instead, Rondo headed to the hospital to get an MRI.

AP Photo/ Tony Dejak

Boston players played against the Heat in an epic double-overtime win without knowing that the situation with Rondo would be dire, and were not told until after the game was over.

The win against Miami broke a six-game losing streak, and started a four-game winning streak.  The Celtics have gone on to defeat the Kings, the Magic, and the Clippers. 

The wins against the Heat and Los Angeles are especially important because Miami leads the Eastern Conference and the Clippers lead the Pacific division of the Western Conference. 

The Kings and the Magic both have losing records, so, although the wins are important in the standings, they are less important to the mental state of the team.  It is important for Boston, now exactly .500, with 23 wins and 23 losses, to defeat teams with .500 records and higher—and the fact that the Celtics have done that without Rondo is significant.

When Rivers found out the news of Rondo, his main concern was ball-handling, not assists. “We have a lot of guards,” he said, “we just don’t have a lot of point guards.”  Rivers said the situation is going to be addressed on a game-to-game basis.

His plan is to have two guards and a forward who can handle the ball well enough. That way, if one is pressured, one of the others can bring the ball up.  Courtney Lee has taken Rondo’s place in the lineup, but Leandro Barbosa, Paul Pierce, Jeff Green and maybe even Avery Bradley will have to take the responsibility as well.

In the past four games, Pierce has stepped up his game, scoring, rebounding, and assisting.  The Celtics will need him, as well as many others on the team, to continue to play well (even above average) if they want to continue to win and make it to the playoffs.

20,000 Leagues Under the Heat

With LeBron James reaching 20,000 points scored this past week, we take a look at why the Heat are head and shoulders above the rest of the NBA Southeast

By Kyle Basedow

AP Photo/ Marcio Jose Sanchez

Dribble, dribble, dribble, dribble. Squeak! Swish.

That’s how it happened. It didn’t dance around the rim, debating whether or not to fall in. The ball didn’t go in and then some how bounce out. It just fell right through, hitting nothing but net.

LeBron James’ 20,000^th career point against the Golden State Warriors was nothing special. It was just an off-balance pull up jumper over a defender or two. He didn’t hit the milestone and explode like some people do when they make history (see Derek Jeter going 5 for 5 when he gets his 3,000^th hit).

James’ 20,000^th point was all in stride on a night in which he scored a game high of 25 points. Oh, and he also got his 5,000^th career assist. He dominated the Warriors while leading the Heat the 92-75 win to make them 25-12 on the season.

Everyone around the NBA knew when he entered the league that he would score upwards of 20,000 points but what he does for the Heat is more than just scoring.

AP Photo/ Marcio Jose Sanchez

James has become the focal point of the Heat, doing a little bit of everything. He can score, he can assist, and he can rebound, all in the clutch.

LeBron James has the skill set to easily transition between multiple positions while being a fantastic two-way player, as evident by his numerous awards.

One reason that the Heat dominates the NBA Southeast the way they do is because of the arrival of James. None of the other teams in the Southeast have a player who can do what James does, not even on a much smaller scale.

The other teams lack a player who has the ability to take hold of the team and lead them through the tough times, with the Washington Wizards John Wall probably being the closest.

Between the Wizards, the Orlando Magic, the Atlanta Hawks, and the Charlotte Bobcats, very few of them have elite players like the Heat have in James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh.

Does the Big Three help the Heat control the Southeast? Yes, but LeBron does about 50% of the work. Will the other teams in the Southeast catch Miami? No, at least not for a long time and while the Big Three is still able to run up and down the court.

The team that has the best shot of one day beating the Heat out for the Southeast crown is probably the Wizards even though they’re stuck near the bottom now. Once they figure things out I believe they should be able to surpass the dysfunctional Hawks who can’t seem to figure out how to win when it counts.

So, what does LeBron scoring 20,000 points really mean? It means that the rest of the Southeast is going to have nightmares of Heat for a long, long time.

Chopping Down the Beanstalk

Both the Orlando Magic and the Washington Wizards played the upset role this week beating two high caliber teams

By Kyle Basedow

Fee fi fo fum where is Andrew Bynum?

On Sunday night, all Lakers fans were begging that question. The Orlando Magic beat the Los Angeles Lakers 113-103 after an impressive performance from the Magic’s starting five.

The Lakers, on the other hand, were less than spectacular, especially on defense and at the free throw line. Dwight Howard shot 9-21 from the line while scoring 21 points and grabbing 15 rebounds.

Howard was acquired in the blockbuster trade this summer that involved four teams and sent former Lakers center Andrew Bynum to the Philadelphia 76ers where he has yet to play due to injury.

AP Photo/ Mark J. Terrill

The Magic, meanwhile, shined on offense with all five starters scoring in double digits. Arron Afflalo had 30 points with 5 rebounds and 5 assists, Jameer Nelson had 19 points and 13 assists, Glen “Big Baby” Davis scored 23 points with 12 rebounds, and Nikola Vucevic had 17 points with 4 blocks and 12 rebounds. The only Magic starter who had an average night was J.J. Reddick, who scored 14 points with 7 assists.

With both teams scoring close the same amount of points in the paint and on fast breaks, the game ultimately came down to who could shoot free throws better. The Magic shot an impressive 19-20 from the line as a team and the Lakers shot 25-39 with Dwight Howard accounting for all of the misses except for two.

It’s ironic that Howard’s former team beat his new team in their first matchup against each other since the trade. Adding to the irony is that Dwight Howard, who was trying to get out of Orlando as fast as possible, is quite possibly the main reason for the loss, due to his poor shooting and his less than stellar defensive play.

The Washington Wizards also knocked off a giant of their own on Tuesday night, beating the Miami Heat, one of the top ranked teams in the NBA, 105-101.

The Wizards triumphed despite having only one player score above 20 points. The Heat, on the other hand, had every member of the “Big Three” score more than 20 with LeBron James drop a triple-double with 26 points, 13 rebounds, and 11 assists.

The Heat dominated points in the paint 56-34 but fell short due to poor shooting. As a team, Miami shot 28.6% from three-point range and 68.8% from the free throw line.

The Wizards, on the other hand, shot 36.8% from three-point range and 75.9% from the free throw line.

The difference in shooting wasn’t much, but it was just enough to make a big difference. The Wizards led at the end of every quarter, despite only out scoring the Heat in the opening quarter.

The game was still close in the end, with the Heat within a basket from tying the game up, but poor shooting by Mike Miller and Ray Allen led to the game slipping away from them.

Still, with 0:06 left on the clock, the ball was in LeBron’s hands and he was able to get off an awful shot from the corner that never really had a chance at going in.

Two things that are interesting to note here: this was only the Wizards second win of the season and their second in three games after starting 0-12. The other is that when the game came down to it, LeBron James had the game in his hands as opposed to Dwyane Wade or even Ray Allen. Granted, Wade isn’t a great outside shooter, but Ray Allen is the one of the best in NBA history so it’s an interesting play call by Heat coach Erik Spoelstra.

Game, Set....Loss?

The Heat Lead the Division Once Again, But They Aren’t Invulnerable

By Kyle Basedow

As the clock wound down on the clock during Saturday’s game between the New York Knicks and the Miami Heat, the look on Eric Spoelstra’s face said it all.

“Not again.”

In only the second game of the season, one game after dominating the Boston Celtics in a 120-107 win, the Heat got held to 84 points by the Knicks. The KNICKS. The same Knicks who let up 94.7 points per game last season although through three games this year they’ve only given up a league low 85.3 points per game.

The Knicks dominated the Heat, who almost looked like they were playing a step behind the whole game. As good as they looked in the opener, they looked like a mediocre team in their second game.

None of the Big Three had a good game, with only LeBron James getting above 20 points. James finished with 23 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and three blocks in addition to 5 turnovers. Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh finished with 27 points, 16 rebounds, 5 assists, and 7 turnovers combined. Bottom line: They needed to play better.

Chris Bosh responded in the Heat’s next game against the Denver Nuggets, exploding for 40 points, his most in a Heat uniform. Ray Allen also chipped in with his late game heroics, taking a pass from James and hitting a corner three while getting attacked by Corey Brewer of the Nuggets. Dwayne Wade and LeBron James played better too, with James one rebound short of a triple-double (20 points, 11 assists, 9 rebounds). Still, had it not been for Allen hitting the game winning shot with seven seconds left, the Heat might have lost or gone into overtime.

The Heat then reverted back to their dominating ways against the Phoenix Suns, winning 124-99. They came out hot and stayed hot the whole time, out-scoring the Suns in every quarter.

Regardless of how they played the past two games, the game against the Knicks proved one very important thing: The Miami Heat are not unbeatable. They are vulnerable down low and are having some issues hanging onto the ball. They’re a very good team that needs to start playing that way, otherwise teams like the Knicks will move in and start to assert dominance in the Eastern Conference.

Either way, the Heat need to gear up for the long haul or else they could lose their place as the NBA’s best team.

The Celtics Drop Season Opener Against Miami Heat

Miami defeats Boston with the help of former Celtic Ray Allen

By Ali Koskoris

In a rematch of last season’s Eastern Division Finals, the Boston Celtics fell to the Miami Heat 120-107.  The season opener was especially dramatic because Ray Allen, part of the 2008 Celtics Championship team, left the Celtics as a free agent after last season, to play for the Heat.

AP Photo/ J Pat Carter

Miami proved to be just as strong as last year, if not stronger.  LeBron James and Dwyane Wade started the game in attack mode, driving to the basket and passing out, hitting open jumpers and taking it to the hoop.  The Celtics countered with effective play from Paul Pierce (16 points in the half), Rajon Rondo (8 points and 8 assists in the half), and Brandon Bass (8 points and 7 rebounds in the half).

Ray Allen entered the first quarter with a Heat lead of one, and his dangerous shooting allowed Miami to pull ahead, ending the first half with the score of 62-54 in the Heat’s favor.  He scored 13 points in those first two quarters.  James left the half with 16 points and Wade with 13.

The second half did not go much better for the Celtics, as they never gained a lead.  With two minutes and nine seconds left in the fourth quarter, Boston was able to cut the Miami lead to four, but was unable to pull ahead. 

The Heat continued to play tough, and James finished the game with 26 points and ten rebounds, Wade finished with 29 points, Chris Bosh finished with 19 points and ten rebounds, and Allen finished with 19 points in his 30 minutes of play (he played longer than starters James and Shane Battier).

For the Celtics, Pierce finished with 23 points, five rebounds, five assists, and two steals; Bass finished with fifteen points, six offensive rebounds, and five defensive rebounds; Kevin Garnett pulled down 12 rebounds—though only scored four points; sixth man Leandro Barbosa scored 16 points in 16 minutes of play; and Rondo finished with 20 points, 13 assists, and seven rebounds.

Boston’s lack of execution and 15 turnovers cost them in this one and Miami came away with the win.

The Heat will prove to be very dangerous, with two superstars in starters James and Wade, dominating starter Bosh, and future Hall-of Famer Allen off the bench.  The Celtics need to continue to play their own game of defensive emphasis, which will allow them to control the pace of the game.  Rondo is key to Boston’s potential success in controlling the speed, and therefore the outcome of a game.

And So It Begins...

With the NBA season just beginning, it’s time to take a look at the NBA Southeast

By Kyle Basedow

Tuesday night’s NBA season opener kicked off with two teams in the Southeast playing. In the season opener, the Washington Wizards visited the Cleveland Cavaliers. The second was a rematch of last year’s Eastern Conference Finals, with the Boston Celtics paying a visit to the Miami Heat.

The remaining teams kickoff on Friday, all at home. The Atlanta Hawks host the Houston Rockets, the Charlotte Bobcats host the Indiana Pacers and the Orlando Magic host the Denver Nuggets.

Last night, the games went pretty much as expected. The Heat dominated the Celtics and the Wizards put on a sad performance against the Cavaliers. Here are a few things to take note of…

Miami Heat: 120, Boston Celtics: 107

AP Photo/ J Pat Carter

1. Super Mario 2K13: Mario Chalmers decided to show up and put on his big boy pants last night. He posted a team high of 11 assists and added three steals along with 8 points. If he continues to post these numbers (though 11 assists a night is highly unlikely), he could be worthy of an All-NBA Second Team mention.

2. The Big Four?: Ray Allen, a former member of the Boston Celtics’ Big Three,  played his first game for the Miami Heat last night and made quite the lasting impression on his former team. He logged a solid 31 minutes and had an impressive19 points with 2 rebounds and 2 assists. He could be of great help to the Heat this season, who are already the top team in the NBA.

3. Celtics versus Father Time: The Celtics have very few players that can log consistent minutes, proven by the fact that Rajon Rondo and Paul Piece both logged 40 plus minutes.  Kevin Garnett was the only other player to log more than 30 minutes, and he can’t be expected to do that every game. Doc Rivers needs to find a way to speed up the development of their younger players or they could be in big trouble in the Eastern Conference.

Washington Wizards: 84, Cleveland Cavaliers: 94

AP Photo/ Tony Dejak

1. NBA D-League: This matchup wasn’t highly anticipated; watching the game could most certainly have put a few people to sleep. With both John Wall and Nene missing in action for sometime, the Wizards could be in for a rough ride these first few weeks. The Cavs, on the other hand looked better than last year and could be progressing towards the mid tier of NBA teams.

2. Anderson VareWOW: Who would have thought that one game into the NBA season you could compare Anderson Varejao to Wilt Chamberlain? Varejao had 9 points, 9 assists, and 23 rebounds in an absolutely monster game. It seems that Varejao doesn’t intend to go quietly in the NBA center discussion.

3. A New King?: Kyrie Irving dropped 29 points in last night’s season opener, with 6 rebounds and 3 assists. Irving’s 29 was 9 points less than the entire Wizards starting five. I know it’s too soon to crown him, but Kyrie Irving is certainly helping the Cleveland fans forget about LeBron James.

Overall, the performances yesterday were average, only because the Heat played so well and the Wizards played so badly. This Friday will be the true test to see how strong the NBA Southeast will be this year.

On another note, I bet the Magic are happy that they gave away Dwight Howard now, after that dismal performance yesterday. The owner and GM may have jumped for joy while they watched Howard shoot 3-14 from the free throw line.

July 8th, 2010: A Day To Remember

A reflection of “The Decision” two years later and why LeBron leaving Cleveland was better than him staying

By Kyle Basedow

I remember where I was when I heard about it.

At 9:28PM on July 8^th, 2010, I was just coming off the field after playing in the first half of one of my summer lacrosse games in Montville, New Jersey. My friend’s dad was following “The Decision” on his phone. As we all attempted to catch our breath and get ready for the second half, he announced, “LeBron James has decided to play for the Miami Heat next year.”

Soon after, a teammate took his lacrosse stick and broke it over his knee. Snapped it clean in half. It was just another notable struggle from a Cleveland fan.

AP Photo/ Alan Diaz

Then, my friend’s dad said something that I’ll never forget. “Michael Jordan didn’t need to go play with other superstars. He made everyone around him better. Remember that gentlemen, LeBron will never be as good as Michael.”

My initial knee-jerk reaction was, “Man, LeBron just permanently placed himself as the second best basketball player of all time. Michael Jordan never would have done that.”

Eventually however, my reaction settled to a state of disappointment. I was right, Michael Jordan would never have done that. He never would have teamed up with his rivals in order to win a championship but that’s because Michael Jordan was one of the greatest competitors of all time. LeBron James is not.

Both are the rare combination of basketball player and god and deserve to be placed at the top of the best players to ever play the game, but James will never be the competitor that Jordan was.

Cleveland was doing nothing for LeBron, though. He had to go out everyday and do it all, with no real help. They repeatedly tried to bring in young talent, none of whom really panned out. The same was the case with some of the older veteran players who were brought in at the twilights of their careers. 

When Miami lost in the NBA Finals to the Dallas Mavericks, everyone criticized James for leaving Cleveland, arguing that James would have achieved the same thing had he stayed.

Cleveland, however, was nowhere near being able to compete for a shot at the NBA Championship. Just because LeBron left doesn’t mean that there should be a negative 40 game swing in wins. Sure, having James on your team would help but he can’t do it all by himself, as he proved in his years with the team.

When James left, he exposed every hole in the Cavaliers organization that his stellar play had covered up for so long. This allowed the Cavaliers to understand that they needed to rebuild. They now have reigning Rookie of the Year in Kyrie Irving. In addition, they have their 2012 first round pick and former Syracuse University guard, Dion Waiters, to lead the team.

It’s no question that LeBron got the better end of the deal (seeing as he has already won an NBA Championship), but Cleveland is better off now as well. It’s better to have an assortment of solid players than one exceptional player.

James’ decision to leave Cleveland and to team up with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh was the wise choice, even though he got ridiculed for it. He deserved everything he got, however, because if he had simply left Cleveland for Miami without going on national television, he could have saved himself a lot of criticism.

In the end, James put himself in a better position to win and improve his legacy, while also letting Cleveland out of a huge money obligation so that they could start over. LeBron may never be the competitor that Michael Jordan was but he’s already done something Michael never did. He won the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award in two different cities. Now that’s something special.