Tag: lebron james

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Cleveland Cavaliers

Around the Rim: It was downright scary in Cleveland on Halloween


1. Trick or, errr, Trick!
It didn’t take long for a team to get blown out of the water, but nobody expected it to be the Cavs whose battleship got sunk. The Mavericks torched Cleveland to the tune of 92-74 last night. 18 points might not sound like much, at least not by blowout standards, but the Cavaliers looked rustier then your grandpa’s clunked out ’58 Chevrolet Apache. LeBron James finished with just 10 points after getting nada during the first half. Behind Jason Terry’s 24 points, Jerry Stackhouse’s 17 and Dirk Nowitzki’s 15, the Mavs never allowed Cleveland to take the lead. Perhaps the most amazing stat out side of Zydrunas Ilgauskas’ gaudy double-double (17 pts, 18 reb) was the incredible shooting accuracy displayed by Big D (FG: 33-69, 3FG: 9-18, FT: 17-20). If this is all Cleveland’s got then it shouldn’t take long for Boston to grab hold of the Eastern Conference reigns.

2. “I’m out!”

Scratch Dallas off the possible future destinations for the most coveted trade bate in the league. According to Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, Dallas isn’t looking to make a trade for Kobe Bryant and, contrary to rumors, there was never a deal in the works. “We haven’t talked to them,” Cuban told ESPN’s Lisa Salters during a sideline interview. “It’s not going to happen. We’ve got a great squad. We like it.” And thank goodness for that, talk about the rich getting richer. But it sure could have been fun to watch Cuban squirm as he tried to divide his man-love down the middle.

3. Joey Crawford is back behind a whistle
Referee Joey Crawford returned to the court for the first time since he threw Tim Duncan out of a game because he giggled and supposedly challenged Timmy to a fight. Well, no punches were thrown and no questionable ejections occurred as Crawford officiated Indiana’s 119-110 overtime win against the Wizards. We love how David Stern is trying to `clean up’ the league, but yet he continues to employ the same dirt bag refs. If Stern wants people to take his initiative seriously then he needs to just clean out all the current officials’ lockers and start from scratch. Sure, it’s kinda harsh and a bit drastic, but other than missing out on Bavetta vs. Barkley II, do you really care?

Wednesday’s Player of the Day: Manu Ginobili @ Memphis 31 min, 30 pts (FG: 6-14, 3FG: 5-9, FT: 13-14), 5 reb, 7 ast, 2 stl, 1 blk

Thursday’s Game to Watch: Phoenix (0-0) @ Seattle (0-1)

The Suns are quite possibly the most exciting team in the NBA and the crew is looking for revenge after they feel they were screwed out of the playoffs. And after the flaming bag of referee/gambling scandal was splattered across the league’s front doorstep for the world to see, the San Antonio Screw Job could be a reality. But Phoenix can’t worry about the past when the future is here and now. First there is the future of the league in Kevin Durant. The Sonics dropped their opener to Denver on Wednesday as KD finished with 18 points on a horrible shooting performance. Still he showed plenty of promise and the potential for major mismatches. One of the guys responsible for guarding Durant will be Shawn Marion, the same Shawn Marion that over the summer said he wants out of Phoenix. With Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire locked down, the Suns might think Marion is an on-court expenditure but, that’s quite possibly the most ridiculous mistake the NBA.

Buzzer Beater: Lamar Odom is missing the opening portion of the season after having shoulder surgery in the off-season, but it wasn’t his shoulder that was hurting him on Tuesday. It turns out that Odom was involved in a car accident that morning and sustained a minor concussion. Just like in real life, any drive that ends with contact is probably going to send Odom to the pine. But, hey, at least Lamar showed up to the game, unlike some people. Lakers owner Jerry Buss missed the season opener as well after David Stern suspended him for two games and fined him $25,000 for his drunk driving arrest in May. Life in LA just keeps getting better for the Lakers.

Categories
General Sports

LeBron James got showed up on SNL

If you’re anything like us then you probably don’t watch Saturday Night Live anymore. However, we will tune in when sports figures are bestowed the hosting duties for the week. So, when we heard that LeBron James was going to host the season premier of SNL, we made sure to set up our DVR. Unfortunately, Kanye West stole the show.

After the show, Kanye proceeded to call out LBJ for winning the Eastern Conference Championship, claiming that it was his album that went crazy against the Pistons in Game 5.

Categories
Cleveland Cavaliers

LeBron James is having one busy summer!


Scary thought for all you non-Clevelandites out there, LeBron James just got even better. Yup, after torching the league all the way to the NBA Finals last year, LBJ had Lasik surgery on his eyes which has improved his vision to 20/15 according to the doctor who performed the surgery. He had the surgery over the weekend and is already cleared to get back in the gym to start working on his game.

It seems a little unfair to us quite honestly. After all, we are talking about a 22-year-old who makes rookies and vets alike look like statues on defense. We’re talking about a kid who was dishing out passes as sweet as the Magic Man’s before the surgery; a kid whose long bombs could make dramatic improvement with the added focus. We know that he’s not getting bionic goggles implanted in his pupils, but he’s not gonna go under the knife if it doesn’t give him and additional advantage on the court.

And as if getting ready to defend the Eastern Conference championship isn’t enough for LeBron, turns out that he’ll be hosting the season premier of Saturday Night Live on September 29. We only caught bits and pieces of the ESPY Awards, but James wasn’t half bad in his hosting duties from what we saw. Does that mean he can carry the load of an entire late night comedy franchise on his back? Who knows, but Peyton Manning did it. Michael Jordan did it. Charles Barkley did it. Tom Brady did it. Hell, Jeff Gordon, Joe Montana, John Madden, Hulk Hogan and George freakin’ Steinbrenner pulled it off. So did the Juice, but we won’t hold that against SNL. And anyways, if the comedic load gets too heavy for King James he can always just recruit the other LeBrons to help him out. We’d love to see Wise LeBron and Business LeBron do their thing on stage. Anything is better than watching Seth Meyers and Amy Poehler slaughter the Weekend Update.

Links:

[USA Today]: LeBron James undergoes Lasik eye surgery
[Cleveland.com]: James sees better than ever after eye surgery

Categories
NBA General

Santa Shaq can stay, but Kobe isn’t welcome at Christmas this year


If you’re already getting burnt out on all the Tim Donaghy chatter that has dominated the NBA landscape for the past few days, here’s something that might distract you from the incessant coverage. It seems that the NBA and ABC have finally given up on the holiday bad blood between Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal and for the first time in a long time it appears that the fans won’t be settling into a Lakers/Heat game on Christmas afternoon. Instead, the scheduling gurus have decided to focus on the on-court feud of the future between LeBron “Baby Dunker” James and O’Neal’s sidekick, Dwyane Wade. Of course, this could have a little something to do with the fact that Bryant is pushing to get outta Los Angeles too.

Now, the schedule isn’t final and this is all speculation at the moment, but we’re really hoping that this is true. We were getting sick of all the hype that went along with the LA/Miami game and the James/Wade battle has a lot more sizzle to it anyway, considering that both are able to compete at extremely high levels still. Sorry Shaq, we’re not saying that you’re washed up just yet, but if you’re going to be the main billing in a X-Mas day contest, you should at least be in better shape than the obese kids you’re profiting off of.

Links:

[MiamiHerald.com]: Stockings void of Shaq-Kobe

Categories
Cleveland Cavaliers

LeBron and his little ball of joy

We just couldn’t bring ourselves to watch any of the repeated showings of the ESPY Awards last week, so, other than knowing who won what, we had no idea what went down. In fact, it wasn’t until this morning that we heard of the controversy surrounding co-host LeBron James and his baby boy. Apparently, some people think LBJ was completely out of line when he brought his infant son, Bryce Maximus James, on stage to teach him about hoops and the graceful art of the slam dunk, but we can’t seem to figure out what all the fuss is about. Just looks like normal father-son bonding type stuff to us.

That definitely gives a new meaning to the term “diaper dandy.”

Categories
NBA General

Nobody watched the NBA Finals


I felt a little guilty because even though I’m a huge sports fan and I blog about sports, I couldn’t bring myself to watch the NBA Finals. It wasn’t like forgot the games were on, I even checked the scores now and then between checking on baseball scores — I just couldn’t even reach over two feet to get the remote. Instead of watching the television equivalent of Ambien, there were just so many other things to do, like watching the cars go by or defragmenting my PC again.

It turns out I wasn’t the only one who had better things to do. The 2007 NBA Finals were the lowest rated finals in history. The four-game sweep finished with a 6.2 rating and an 11 share, which means only about 7 million people watched the games. Now, this isn’t nearly as abysmal as the paltry 1.6 rating for the NHL Finals but do you really want to compare yourself to the NHL to feel better?

I’m not really sure what the NBA can do to fix this problem. First, the Spurs are just a boring team to watch with absolutely no one with a personality. Even trying to make a villain out of Bruce Bowen didn’t help. I expect that next year, the refs will be “guided” to let more play go so that a running fun team like the Suns or the Warriors will get into the Finals from the West. As for the East, they are completely screwed. The Cavaliers were about the only watchable team in the East and they screwed the pooch in their Finals appearance. Perhaps next year, it’s the Bulls turn as the young guns and perhaps they’ll be able to represent the JV conference a little better.

Links:

[AP]: NBA finals suffer record-low TV ratings

Categories
NBA General

Around the Rim: It’s just a matter of time now



How did this guy not inspire
the Cavs to victory?

1. “I was fouled!”
It’s all over folks. But we didn’t need Game 3 to tell us that. San Antonio put a hurtin’ on the LeBron James gang when the series was in Texas, so why should anything change because the finals shifted to Cleveland? The Cavaliers let a golden opportunity slip through their hands as Manu Ginobili didn’t score a point in the game until the final 11 seconds. And Tim Duncan struggled from the field to a 14 point night. But LBJ couldn’t connect on a long 3-pointer as time dwindled away and the Cavs fell down 3-0 in the series with a 75-72 loss. Of course, there’s was a little controversy surrounding Bruce Bowen‘s defense of James on the game-tying attempt and the refs blew a critical call that could have forced overtime but that’s no excuse for losing the team’s first ever home finals game. In the end, it simply came down to the fact that SA hit the big shots when they needed to and Cleveland didn’t.

As fans, we’d much rather see back and forth games that end in the 120’s, but the Spurs are a team that will beat you anyway you choose. Their versatility is unmatched as they can win an exciting, up-tempo game against the Suns or they can win a game that ties for the second lowest scoring game in the history of the finals. It’s not always pretty but you can’t fault the guys for being good; just don’t get unappealing confused with boring. The Spurs can run with the best of ’em but they will always be unappealing to the masses. Even if they hang four banners in the rafters and a sweep out the league’s golden-boy.

2. Sad, sad story

J.R. Smith was released from the hospital on Tuesday after being involved in a horrific car accident that claimed the life of his passenger and good friend Andre Bell. By all accounts, Smith drove through a stop sigh before colliding with another car and ejecting both himself and Bell. Unfortunately, this could have all been prevented if Smith had been just a little safer on the road. And what makes a sad situation even worse is that Smith had numerous traffic violations on his license that should have indicated to himself, if no one else, that he needed to become more cautious when behind the wheel. The Nugget had 27 points against his license stemming from eight violations in just seven dates, with five being for speeding. His license had also been suspended on five separate occasions in less than one year. Obviously fines and tickets just don’t affect supremely wealthy individuals the way they are intended to; it’s just a drop in the bucket to them. But hopefully this tragic accident will teach Smith a lesson that could end up saving someone else’s life in the future; perhaps even his own.

3. Is Rick Carlisle gonna get first crack at coaching Kevin Durant?
The NBA coaching carousel continues to turn and while Rick Carlisle might have been booted out of the coaching slot in Indiana for a far lesser coach in Jim O’Brien, Carlisle’s future looks like it could still be pretty darn bright. Especially if he ends up as the new head man in Seattle with the possibility of leading a Sonics squad with the untapped potential of Kevin Durant at his disposal. Despite getting fired as the head coach, Carlisle was still with the Pacers’ organization as the Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations. However, now Carlisle is free to go anywhere he wants since he’s completely cut ties with Indiana. And regardless of where Carlisle ends up, we’re pretty certain that he’s going to land on his feet. Of course, it would be a heck of a lot easier to hit the ground running if he ends up with the young and hungry Seattle club as opposed to a sorry Sacramento franchise that is just waiting to fall apart at the seams.

Game 3’s MVP: Tony Parker @ Cleveland 39 min, 17 pts (FG: 7-17, 3FG: 1-3, FT: 2-4), 5 reb, 3 ast

Buzzer Beater: Phil Jackson went in to the hospital the other day and had his left hip replaced just eight months after having his right hip replaced. So, needless to say, the Zen Master is no stranger to pain. In fact, he would probably rather deal with the physical pain of an operation over the mental anguish that a coach’s personal worst season can bring on. Jackson’s biggest headache this season is also his most potent pain reliever: Kobe Bryant. So, Jackson better get back into form quick because there is no telling when the next time Bryant flips or flops might be. And after he seemed to be the only guy to talk Bryant out of his “trade me” demands, Jerry Buss had better hope that the doctors don’t give Jackson any medication that causes drowsiness. Who knows, he could fall asleep for ten minutes and wake up with Bryant blasting the management on the radio again. For the Lakers’ sake, get well soon Phil.

Categories
Cleveland Cavaliers

Why didn’t we see this guy on America’s Got Talent?

Being that we’re really cool sports bloggers and all, you won’t usually catch us talking about kiddie toys. No Lincoln Logs, Mr. Potato Head and his bucket of parts, Legos or Play-Doh, BUT we’re going to make an exception and lower our “Rad-O-Meter” a few notches and admit that this video of Etch A Sketch superstar George Vlosich slapping together a LeBron James masterpiece on the little red frustration device is totally awesome!

So, who’s gonna step up for the San Antonio fan base and display their completely ridiculous/amazing talent in the name of team spirit? Oh, wait, the Spurs already have a decided advantage when it comes to super sized support. But if anyone can create a realistic Lite-Brite depiction of Tony Parker and Eva Longoria, go ahead and let us know.

Links:

[Can’t Stop The Bleeding]: Slightly More Hardcore Than Naming Your Cat After Craig Ehlo

Categories
Cincinnati Bengals

Chad Johnson shuts us up

A while back we told Chad Johnson that he should reconsider racing a horse because we thought that he’d get smoked. Well, when you’re wrong, you’re wrong and this time we were wrong. Ocho-Cinco ended up being the one doing the smoking (no, not that kind of smoking) as he torched that colt like he torches, well, the Colts.

But what really surprised us was what Johnson said after the race as he called out Floyd Mayweather, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and some NASCAR hillbilly to take him on in their respective professions. Listen, we all know that Johnson is a helluvan athlete but surely he’s bitten off more than his big mouth can chew this time. That stupid horse might have made us look stupid but there is no way CJ KO’s Mayweather or dunks on LBJ. Is there?

Categories
NBA General

Around the Rim: Cleveland is starting to look a little silly



3-D disappointment

1. LeBroom??
Dorothy said that there was no place like home but it’s the Cavaliers who are praying that the words are true because after getting hammered in the first two games of the NBA Finals, Cleveland could definitely use a little home court advantage. Thanks to another dominating effort by the Spurs, the three time champions are now only two wins away from becoming four time champs as Tony Parker (30 points), Manu Ginobili (25) and Tim Duncan (23) combined for 78 of the Spurs points in a 103-92 spanking that gives SA a huge 2-0 lead. The Cavs were able to put together another late run but all it did was make it kinda interesting at the end. Unfortunately, LeBron James‘ poor shooting and early foul trouble put them in such a deep hole that not even Big Z could poke his head out. Everybody knew coming into this series that it was going to be a franchise (the Spurs) versus a franchise (LeBron), but this is starting to get ridiculous. The Cavs have got to be able to weather the storm when LBJ is struggling if they are going to win a championship. They better hope that the home crowd can jumpstart this club and energize them to a couple of victories because if things continue at this pace we could be seeing a SA celebration in Cleveland on Thursday night.

2. Arenas wants to stay, but only if you pay

Gilbert Arenas wants you to know that he’s planning on bolting from the Wizards next season. He’s not saying that in so many words but it’s true. But don’t get down on yourself if you’re a Washington fan, it has nothing to do with you; Agent 0 also wants you to know that he’s leaving for the money. At least the guy is honest. Still, his timing could probably use a little work because now this is going to have to be a story for an entire season before it even becomes a story next off-season. We’re guessing that as long as he can manage to stay injury free then he’ll be following his nose all the way to a big time pay day and straight out of D.C. So, enjoy it while it lasts Wizards fans because this is going to be one long, long good-bye tour.

Game 2’s MVP: Tim Duncan vs. Cleveland 36 min, 23 pts (FG: 9-16, FT: 5-7), 9 reb, 8 ast

Buzzer Beater: J.R. Smith was in a nasty car accident on Sunday in which he got tossed from his vehicle but managed to escape without serious injuries, however he is still being treated in the hospital. Unfortunately, his passenger is in much worse condition as he fights for his life. Apparently, Smith drove right through a stop sign and collided with another car in New Jersey and overturned, tossing both Smith and his friend, Andre Bell, from the SUV. And if that isn’t enough bad news for the Nuggets, DerMarr Johnson was charged with resisting arrest and interfering with police at a Colorado nightclub. The boys in blue eventually tasered his ass and took him and two women to jail. Johnson’s lawyer said that DerMarr was just trying to break up a fight between the two ladies. If Johnson was smart he would have taken the Carmelo Anthony approach and just run the hell away from any confrontation.