Bron-Bron Rises Up

Seems like every nine years---to a tee---we get an era-defining shot in the NBA.

A shot that serves as a sign that a new day is dawning.

There's Magic Johnson with the skyhook to win Game 6 of the 1980 NBA Finals for his Lakers . . . There's Michael Jordan with the hanging winner against Cleveland in a first round Game 5 in 1989 . . . MJ again with the (what should've been) career-capper versus Utah in 1998 . . . Skip to the now, nine years later, and there's LeBron James with a fadeaway 3-pointer from the left wing to help push his Cavs versus the Pistons in Game 5 of the 2007 East Finals....

Picking one shot from that phenomenal 48 point, 9 rebound, 7 assist performance is darn near impossible to do, there were just so many tremendous shots on display from LBJ's already-vast repertoire. But clearly the fadeaway three, the shot that tied that Game 5 up at 107 in double overtime at Detroit, that was the shot that stabilized Cleveland, that was the shot that set up James' winner a little over a minute later, and maybe it was the shot that changed the future of the NBA.

You know it's a big deal when His Airness himself, Michael Jordan aka the Greatest Player of All-Time---a guy who's always been hesitant to dole out compliments to other players----he says that LeBron's performance against Detroit was "one of the best I've ever seen."

The guy hit jumpshots, he drove with authority, he slammed, he passed, he willed his team to victory against a decidedly more talented collective. Doing it so smoothly against a series of double and triple-teams was probably the most impressive part of LeBron's Eastern Conference Final performance this year, if mostly because the guy played like he'd been there before. Obviously, at just 22 years of age, James hadn't been there---not yet, at least---but he sure played the part, and at long last the NBA has a Finals storyline that it can sell again.

Watch LeBron James and his band of merry thieves as they try to rob the crown from the title rich Spurs fans of San Antonio and give it to the poor souls rooting for anything Cleveland! Alas, the Browns, Cavs and Indians have long been amongst the doormats of their respective leagues, but maybe, just maybe, that's about to change.

If LeBron James can continue playing at his current extraordinary level---a major if against the defensively-minded Spurs, even for Lebron---then the Cavs have a chance.

If Daniel Gibson and Larry Hughes and Donyell Marshall and Sasha Pavlovic can consistently make open three-pointers---another major if---then the Cavs have an even better chance.

If Drew Gooden and Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Anderson Varejao can step up their defense, use their fouls wisely and frustrate the heck out of Tim Duncan---maybe the most unrealistic of the ifs---then the Cavs are seriously in business.

Of course all this involves a combined breakdown of San Antonio's backcourt play by Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili---a solar eclipse is probably more likely to come first----but it's okay to dream right?

All major ifs, but you know the NBA wants it to happen sooo badly. It's a chance to officially pass the torch from Jordan to the next great marketable player in the league (no offense to Kobe and Dwyane).

Call him Bron-Bron if you want, or King James if you want to be formal---the guy is a stud of a basketball player.

Physically, Magic Johnson meets Karl Malone.

Competitively, hungry like Mike.

And if in some metaphysical fluke the basketball stars align just right over the next two weeks, LeBron James will walk away with the first of what's sure to be multiple NBA titles.

A lot of ifs. But at least there's something finally worth rooting for in an NBA postseason that has so desperately needed anything.

I'm rooting for you, LeBron. It's fun to dream every once and a while.

NBA Finals Prediction: San Antonio in six games


-JAB