Lakers, Cavaliers are on a collision course
By: Larry Fitzgerald
Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder
Originally posted 04/23/2009
It's just matter of time before it becomes official that LeBron James will be named the NBA's Most Valuable Player — he led Cleveland to the NBA's best record (66-16) and was second in scoring with 28.4 points per game.
He also led the Cavaliers to the best home record in the regular season — they were 39-2. He has been the king since coming on the NBA scene. Remember, two years ago he single-handedly helped the Cavaliers reach the NBA Finals.
The Cavaliers also had the NBA's best victory margin, winning by at least nine points a game on average. The Lakers were second with a 7.7 point differential and were 65-17 for Phil Jackson. Jackson has tied Red Aurbach with nine NBA championships as a coach, and he's knocking on the door again trying to stand alone.
Kobe Bryant, the reigning league MVP, was third in scoring this year with 26.8 per game. Last year, Boston's Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen denied Jackson and Kobe another ring.
How does a superstar allow himself to be coached? “You gotta want to be better,” said James. “You gotta want to take constructive criticism at times, and you gotta want to get better as an individual. And, you gotta be a team player. I'm all of the above.”
Mike Brown, Cleveland's head coach and NBA Coach of the Year, said on the subject of coaching LeBron James, “He allows me to coach him. When you have a superstar like that, it makes your job easier. I was fortunate enough to be on Greg Popovich's staff down in San Antonio for three years and be a part of a championship in 2003, and Tim Duncan allows [Popovich] to coach him.
“What that means,” Brown explained, “is you can get on him, you can criticize him, you can praise him, you can do a lot of different things and he's going to be the same guy. He's just going to keep coming and coming. And everybody else kinda has to fall in line with that, because if he's getting coached and criticized and he's taking that very well, then everybody else has to, and that definitely makes my job easier.”
James is the NBA's most marketable player by a wide margin over Bryant, Garnett, Dwyane Wade and Yao Ming. “I think every year he's improved in team concepts,” Brown continued. “I think we've helped him in those areas, but he works extremely hard on his game individually from three-point shooting to free-throw shooting to shooting off the dribble to shooting off pin downs.
“His overall game offensively has grown up every year, and the same on the defensive end of the floor,” said Brown. “I think he's really committed to that end of the floor, and when you have someone as committed as he is, that makes my job easier, because everybody has to fall in line.”
Last year was the year of the Celtics. Of the five active leading scorers with the most career points, Garnett, Allen and Pierce were ranked five, three and two respectively. They teamed up and won it all.
Number one on that list now is Allen Iverson with Detroit, and fourth is Dirk Nowitzki of Dallas. Denver is going to be tough with the leadership of Chauncey Billups and Carmelo Anthony — the Portland Trail Blazers are good — and Houston with Yao Ming, and the Spurs with Tim Duncan and Tony Parker.
In the East, the Celtics without Garnett are handicapped. Orlando with Dwight Howard won 62 games. But when it's all said and done, it will be Lakers and Cavaliers in the finals in June.
Larry Fitzgerald can be heard weekday mornings on KMOJ Radio 89.9 FM at 8:20 am, and on WDGY-AM 740 Monday & Saturday mornings at 7:50 am and Fridays at 3:50 pm; he also commentates on sports 7-8 pm on Almanac (TPT channel 2). Larry welcomes reader responses to lfitzgerald@spokesman-re corder.com, or visit www.Larry-Fitzgerald.com.
