Would You Bet Against LeBron?

Let’s take a look at the NBA Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Man, that is fun to write. I never thought I’d be able to write a sentence that contained the words “Cleveland Cavaliers” and “NBA Finals” without the words “don’t have a chance to reach the.” Well now, most people are using those phrases but just dropping the “to reach the” part and saying the Cleveland Cavaliers don’t have a chance in the NBA Finals. And you know what, on paper, they probably don’t. The Spurs have the advantage in most of the starting match-ups, they have the Finals experience, they have the rings, they have the coach, they have Duncan who has won three Finals MVPs in three tries and they have Robert Horry, who seems to collect rings like Shawn Kemp collects babies.

With all that said, the Cavs have LeBron James. Is anyone going to bet against him now? Can someone look James in the eye and tell him his going to lose this series? I dare someone to try. If you look him in the eyes and try to say “you don’t have a chance” it would probably come out “oajodja joajodf oaijeoj oismnsdoai.” You know he is going to do everything in his power to will his team to a victory. Whether that means putting up a 48-spot or dishing out 12 assist, or both, he will do it. And not just will, but he can do it. He is the only one who has believed this team was a championship team all year. When he started the year breaking huddles and meetings with “1-2-3-Championship” everyone thought it was cute, but not serious. Now it is. He knew it all along. And now that he is this close, go on, try to tell him he has no chance.

The Cavs are the underdog again. No surprise and no worries. The only series the Cavs were favored in this postseason was the first round against the Wizards. Against New Jersey, a lot of the NBA analysts were picking the Nets. Kidd, Carter and Jefferson, with their playoff experience would be too much for the Cavs. It wasn’t. Then it was the Pistons with their experience, team ball, smothering defense, intimidation and history over the Cavs as they quickly established at 2-0 lead. There were critics of LeBron. He couldn’t finish. The Cavs were too soft. They would be swept. Wrong again.

Now it’s the Spurs. The picture-perfect organization. The model the Cavs are being built after. Mike Brown and Danny Ferry, along with a slew of assistant coaches, were with San Antonio just a few years ago. No doubt the Cavs have an uphill battle in front of them but you’re going to tell me they don’t have a chance? Did you not see LeBron in the last four games of the Pistons series? Would you bet against him?

The Spurs have a superstar in Tim Duncan. The Cavs have THE superstar in LeBron James. The Spurs play good defense. The Cavs play good defense. It will come down to which team can stop the other’s star? I’ll take LeBron. When he is on the floor anything is possible. I’m not betting against him. Would you?

LeBron has had a picture, similiar to the one above, above his locker since the end of November. It’s a picture of him with is sky-soaring, gravity-defining, I’m-not-scared-of-you-or-your-team-dunk over Duncan from when the Cavs beat San Antonio in Texas this year. LeBron rose up over Duncan then and he is hoping to RISE UP over him now. Think he can’t do it? Would you bet against him?