Alright, maybe we were kidding ourselves thinking that the Cavs had a shot against the Spurs… Did we all let the LeBron-o-rama that built up in the media get the best of us? Yes. Was it wrong for us to let ourselves get sucked in? I still don’t think so. As I stated in “the re-up,” I think it was an opportunity worth getting excited about. Now, I’ll take one sentence to give props to the Spurs before getting back to James; Bruce Bowen’s defense reached heroic levels in the way he was able to keep Lebron out of rhythm and the Cavs lack of an elite perimeter defender themselves (Larry Hughes can fill that void when he’s healthy, but obviously wasn’t healthy for this series) made it impossible for them to contain Tony Parker (Who has a pretty tight rap video on the web with Fabolous, check it out). So what now? Will LeBron respond? I believe he will. Its a predictable answer, and it takes no brass to stay on the LeBron bandwagon and assume that he will be back to the finals because we all WANT to believe that he’s going to be an all-time great when his career is done. However, there are reasons I believe that LeBron is in fact an all-time great and will soon have the hardware to prove it.

First of all, one man can only do so much for one team. LeBron consistently had the attention of the entire Spurs team, and he consistently found his teammates for wide open jump shots that they consistently banged off the iron and missed. Was LeBron’s offense at his best? No, but its important to remember just how good of a defensive team the Spurs are, especially Bruce Bowen personally shadowing LeBron for all 4 games. If the Cavs were going to win, they were going to need Pavlovic, Donyell Marshall, and “Boobie” Gibson to light it up from the 3-point line and they didn’t. The Spurs were just too good to let LeBron beat them by himself, and thats exactly what he had to try to do in this series.

Second, losing in your first appearance in the NBA finals does not mean that you are cursed, or you aren’t capable of performing on the biggest stage, or that you won’t be back. People may think and say, “Well, Jordan, Magic, DUNCAN, and all of the great players in the game won their first finals, why couldn’t LeBron?” Lets look back a few years. 1995 NBA finals, the latest young phenom in the NBA at the time, a man who is devoting his 2007 summer to helping obese kids change their lives, none other than 3-time NBA finals MVP Shaquille O’Neal made his first NBA finals appearance. The outcome? A 4-game sweet at the hands of the more experienced and deeper Houston Rockets. As I already aluded to, this did not keep Shaq from going on to have on of the most celebrated careers in NBA history. He now has 4 NBA titles, 3 finals MVP’s and a place as one of the greatest NBA centers of all time. I won’t be surprised if LeBron follows the same mold. Cavs nation are all believers now that LeBron can get them TO the finals. Its on the organization to give him enough help now to actually win it.

Finally, the man can’t shoot and he STILL was just that close. What do you think LeBron is going to work on every day this off-season (aside from spending his money, fuxing mad females, and trying to catch Peyton Manning in total hours of TV commercial footage)? I don’t think he’ll be in the gym trying to get bigger and stronger. After all, we all saw how he used those attributes to beat the Pistons. That part of his game is fine. I’ll tender a rough estimate that LeBron will shoot 2000 jump shots every day this off-season so that next year, people won’t be able to crowd the lane on him, because he will make it rain all over them. Michael Jordan had a signature fade-away jumper. We saw flashes of it from him against the Pistons, and I won’t be surprised if some day LeBron is known for his patented step-back J. So its all over, basketball is done for til Halloween time, so I’m left with one question, ARE U READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?!?!?!?!

in order to get over to choad’s to smash bros, i give you the re-up, 2 hours ahead of schedule:

Are we setting ourselves up for a let-down? Simply put, yes. How can you argue otherwise? With the unbelievable amount of hype swirling around Lebron James right now, a failure to perform in the NBA finals couldn’t be classified otherwise. However, I don’t think setting ourselves up for let-down is necessarily a bad thing. Instead of wondering what will happen if they lose, lets look ahead to what it will be like if Lebron goes on to lead the Cavs to victory, with spectacular performances along the way. IF Lebron can pull off what would absolutely be a HUGE upset of the Spurs, the buzz surrounding him will be 100X the incredible levels it is right now. 25 years from now, this seasons NBA finals might be most comparable to the Ali vs Liston boxing match of 1964, when The Greatest won his title for the first time. I can only read about the buzz back then, but as far as I’m concerned, risking a big let-down if Lebron loses is well worth the chance to experience a buzz like that first hand.

Could Lebron POSSIBLY be THAT good? Again, YES. If you watched the Eastern Conference Finals, you most likely agree. If you didn’t, start watching now for the ESPNclassic replays, it’ll be worth it. In six games of the Eastern Conference Finals, Lebron James averaged (per game): 25.7 points, 8.5 assists, 9.2 rebounds, and 2.7 steals. If the numbers alone don’t mean much to you, the story behind them will. Games 1 and 2 were in Detroit, where the Pistons were one of the toughest teams to beat all season. The Cavaliers lost both games, both by the score of 76-79. Lebron James came under massive criticism after game 1 for passing the ball in the closing seconds to a WIDE OPEN teammate for a three point shot. Every analyst on the planet came down on Lebron for not taking the last shot himself (Was Jordan wrong for passing the ball to Steve Kerr to let him finish off the Jazz in the Finals in 1997?). In game 2, Lebron was presented with the exact same situation, where he took this shot himself and missed, sending the Cavs to a 0-2 series defecit that no one thought they could overcome. Games 3 and 4 were victories for the Cavs back in Cleveland, where Lebron played stellar basketball to get the Cavs to a 2-2 series tie. The real definining moment of Lebron James’ young career came in game 5 in Detroit. Lebron’s final stats for that game: 48 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists. But they do not tell nearly the whole story. From the midway point of the fourth quarter through the end of the game (after two overtimes), Lebron scored 29 of his team’s final 30 points. 29 of 30 and the final 25 points for one team were scored by one man. Unbelievable barely tells the tale. The Pistons had adopted an anti-Lebron defense, consisting of packing everyone into the lane and having all 5 Detroit players stare at Lebron as he worked at the top of the key. Their goal was to prevent Lebron from penetrating into the lane and finishing at the rim which he does like no one else. What they accomplished was to ratchet up the degree of difficulty ratings on Lebron’s highlight film. Lebron beat Detroits anti-Lebron defense in every way they thought he couldn’t. When he wasn’t making it rain all over Michigan with step-back and pull-up jumpers that touched nothing but nylon, he was driving right down the land through all 5 defenders en route to absolutely re-d0nck’Z-ulous dunks. It was the most amazing performance I’ve ever seen in a basketball game, INCLUDING all of the games I’ve seen on ESPNclassic. You may say, how can one game define a man so? Watch it. You’ve never seen one man dominate an entire team that was that focused on stopping him like he did before. Not the way he did it. As icing on the cake, Lebron proved in game 6 of the series that he is about the team-first before himself. Following his coming-out party in game 5, everyone expected to see Lebron take over from the opening tip of game 6 en route to another historical performance. What people got was Lebron routinely passing off to his teammates who stepped up to make big shots all game long and send Detroit home, not for a game 7, but to get their golf games in line for the rest of the summer. Is Lebron the best? Only time will tell, but I say that what he did in game 5 was way beyond even his astronomical expectations, so those expectations for him to be one of the all-time greats seem pretty reasonable to me.

What if the Cavs lose? If the Cavs lose, Mrs. Gloria James, whose name resides on the monstrous biceps of her son Lebron, will probably shed some tears. She probably won’t be the only one. The city of Cleveland, toyed with but then disappointed by its sports teams for decades, will probably have more waterworks than the space between Marvin Gardens and Ventnor Ave. on a Monopoly board. What WON’T happen if the Cavs lose the 2007 NBA finals is Lebron James bowing out of the NBA finals for good. Believe me, he’ll be back. The man is just now getting to the point where he’s older than the rookies in the league. Injuries aside, he will be in the NBA for at least another 10-12 years, and he’s on a youthful team that will only get better, just like him. In fact, if Lebron and the Cavs do indeed lose the NBA finals, its my guess that Lebron will respond the same way he responded from losing games 1 and 2 against Detroit. He’ll come back to answer all critics and exceed all expectations. If the Cavs lose, look for Lebron to sweep the regular season MVP and NBA finals MVP next year en route to his first title.

Does Lebron really deserve the comparissons, so much attention and so much praise before winning a single NBA title? When thinking about history, people (including me) compare Lebron James to Michael Jordan because Jordan was the best without question, and people think Lebron might be the best when he is all done. When people break down Lebron’s actual basketball skills, you might say that he’s actually closer to NBA legend Magic Johnson because of his unique combination of size and speed with an understanding of the game that allows him to create scoring opportunities for his teammates whenever he doesn’t feel like scoring himself. The question remains, has Lebron earned the right to be named with MJ and Magic before he ever wins an NBA title? Does he deserve the accolades that are being thrown at him like D’s on a caddy? I say yes, yet again. Lebron has been playing in the national spotlight since he was 17. His regular season high school basketball games were on national TV and probably more watched than NBA games at the time. He’s turned around the Cleveland Cavaliers, who before him, were seen on TV most commonly because one of MJ’s most heroic shots was rained all over their face nearly 2 decades ago. Lebron James’ statistics are mind-boggling in his first 4 seasons. In 316 career games, Lebron has averaged more than 25 points, more than 6 rebounds, and more than 6 assists per game. Based solely on those numbers, he belongs in a class with the all-time NBA greats. Statistics alone earn him the right to be hyped, the right to be compared to anyone. Take into consideration the pressure that has been put on Lebron of being tabbed as an NBA great from the age of 15, being in the national spotlight since he was 17, having an entire team and an entire city rely on him every night to win for them, AND to stay out of trouble despite the copious amounts of cash he has to drop wherever he feels like it. Put the numbers together with the circumstances of his young career, the undeniable charisma that he carries with him, and the unforgettable performances we are seeing on the court during these playoffs, and you would be insane NOT to hype the man; NOT to look at how he stacks up with the best of all time. Whether you’re a fan of basketball or not, you would be wise to do yourself a favor and if you can’t watch, at least get on the web and read about Lebron in the NBA finals this year. Whether or not he has his chair (an NBA title), Lebron James truly is the new King of the NBA castle.

We’re all old enough to remember the time when there was only one important name in basketball, and it had an “air” in the middle. But lets be honest, while we may have watched some Bulls games with our families, we were too young to truly appriciate the rise of the greatest basketball player the world has seen. Watching every game from all 6 of the Bulls’ runs to NBA championships on ESPNclassic (which I pretty much have) pales in comparisson to watching the games on TV, discussing them with friends before, during, and after, and overhearing people talk about it on the street everyday. It is for that reason that I strongly encourage EVERYONE WHO CAN to watch the NBA finals this weekend and next week.For those who don’t know, this year’s NBA finals are between the San Antonio Spurs and the Cleveland Cavaliers and game 1 is on Thursday, June 7th. A little background on the teams, before I start on the man of the hour; The San Antonio Spurs are a heavy favorite in this series largely due to their experience and depth. They are led by 3-time NBA Finals MVP Tim Duncan, who can dominate a game offensively and also provides a strong shot-blocking presence on the defensive end. The Spurs are known for their lock-down defense that they play on every single posession for the other team (an increasingly rare quality of NBA teams today) and a team-oriented offense that can come at you from anywhere on the court. San Antonio won the 1999, 2001, and 2005 NBA championships all under Duncan’s leadership and playing the same, what some critique as boring, undeniably winning style of basketball.

Meeting the mighty Spurs in the 2007 Finals are the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavaliers are a young team built around a couple of key veterans and their one superstar (if that even describes him). They are like the Spurs in that they pride themselves on defense first. They are led by Lebron James, a basketball phenom since the age of 12, and the current man who many consider to be Air Jordan’s heir apparent. I say “the current man” because there have been many before him to be cast as the next Jordan by fans and analysts. Grant Hill, Jerry STACKhouse, Vince Carter, and Kobe Bryant have all been the man who, at one point or another, was a consensus as the most likely to match Jordan’s amazing career. So far none of them have matched what His Airness was able to accomplish (Kobe has come the closest, but his 3 NBA titles were all in the shadow of Shaquille O’Neal and his team has had little success with him as the focal point).

So here we are again, another candidate to be the new “greatest basketball player to ever live” on the court, and excitement about the NBA in the streets once more. I ask, are we setting ourselves up for a let-down? Could Lebron POSSIBLY be THAT good? And what if the Cavs lose? Does Lebron really deserve the comparissons, so much attention and so much praise before winning a single NBA title? The answers are, in order: yes, yes, Mrs. James will cry, and yes. For elaboration about these questions and my answers to them, please visit imma kiiiiiiiiiiing (the re-up), coming Wednesday.

A few have told me I should post my thank you letter to Exxon-Mobil, so here it is. First a little background: about a year and a half ago, I applied to some Hispanic Scholarship Fund engineering scholarship, with little hope, in my mind, of actually receiving it. I was in Brazil a few months later when my mom told me I had received a letter back home from HSF. They wanted to congratulate me, as they were awarding me the engineering scholarship I had applied to, and by the way, Exxon-Mobil funded the scholarship, so I had better write them a thank you letter. I did, and they were so impressed they decided to renew my scholarship for one more year, and they really want me to drop Volume 2 of my infamous thank you letter. Also, I gotta give props to my man Checkmate, for polishing my rough note of gratitude into a dC blog worthy thank you letter. Now without further ado, the letter:

Dear Exxon-Mobil,

I would like to express my sincere gratitude for your generous support of the HSF/Exxonmobil Foundation scholarship, which I humbly and most gratefully received this year. It fills me with joy to see Exxon doing it’s part to support the higher education of young Latinos throughout the United States, empowering us to one day make our own personal contributions to society. If only the mainstream media would focus its attention to this kind of philanthropy! Instead, unbalanced journalists have subjected your firm’s record profits (a natural product of efficient management and operation) under the glaring scope of its harsh, partial scrutiny. Leave it to the liberal media to attack good old fashioned American entrepreneurship, as if there is a moral obstacle standing between conscientious firms and Exxon-level profits. As a profit-driven firm (which firm isn’t?), Exxon has simply succeeded unequivocally. Politicians are trying to tar and feather Exxon with threats of investigations and the consequences of alleged price gouging. The notion of Exxon-Mobil being afraid of tar is laughable; you should be the ones selling it to them! And as for feathers, just take one look at those marine birds in Alaska—Exxon-Mobil is clearly not afraid to get a little plumage ruffled!

Some opportunistic environmentalists are trying to create problems out of thin air by claiming that Exxon-Mobil’s policies are exacerbating the already serious problem of global warming. They use such evidence as the recent study by Science Magazine that analyzed 928 peer-reviewed papers published between 1993 and 2003 on global warming, and concluded that 100% of them were in agreement that the Earth’s temperature is rising due to human activity.

Again, this is a clear demonstration of the huge gap that exists between the real world and the esoteric research, baseless theorizing, and untenable moralism that takes place in isolated ivory towers. Luckily, we have men in office such as Senator James Inhofe (R-Okla) who still have the guts to stand up against elitist intelligentsia and tell us the truth that “global warming is the biggest hoax perpetuated on the American people.” He would know. Never mind that his campaign is the second biggest recipient of donations from the oil and gas industry (only second to that of the honorable senator from Texas, John Cornyn), Inhofe is on the Environmental and Public Works Committee—he must be well informed to do his job.

Once again I would like to express my thanks for the $2500 scholarship. I genuinely hope its funding did not negatively affect Lee Raymond’s $190,915-a-day salary last year, or from his subsequent $400 million retirement package. I suppose making record profits allows for fiscal flexibility—your success has made Mr. Raymond and I both better off! I’ll use this money to help finish my engineering degree, and then, if the whole Iran problem has been “taken care of” by then, I could perhaps offer my technical knowledge to help build a pipeline from Tehran straight to Houston. Hopefully then, I won’t have to fill up my SUV at $3 a gallon.

Sincerely yours,