Hail, Cleveland!

From The Grandstander of June 2, 2016:

Will LeBron James, perhaps a bit miffed over the everyone's season-long love affair with Curry play like a man possessed to let everyone know that he is STILL King James?  I think that you can count on that.  

Me? I can't wait to watch the James-Irving-Love going up against Curry-Thompson-Green.  I think that we are in store for a terrific series, one that will go the distance, and one that will end the 52 year sports championship drought in Cleveland.

THE CAVS TO WIN IN SEVEN GAMES.

As the saying goes, I believe I had that.

I was semi-wrong in one respect when I said that we were "in store for a terrific series."  Yes, the series went seven games, which by definition makes this a great series, but the first six games were, to be truthful, pretty bad games.  All were blowouts, pretty much decided before the fourth quarters even began.  Only the cauldron of a seventh game produced an authentically great game.

But consider this....

• The Cavs overcame a 1-3 deficit to win this series,
• They won two games at Golden State in doing so,
• And the performance of LeBron James was positively phenomenal over those final three victories.

Not enough can be said about James.  No doubt that Steph Curry was the MVP of the league this season, but there is also no doubt - NONE -that LeBron James is the best basketball player in the world right now.  Back-to-back 41 point games and  a triple double in Game Seven.  When the chips were down and his team had no margin for error left, James produced and he produced Big Time to secure the Cavaliers first ever NBA title.  It is impossible to name, say, the five greatest NBA players of all time.  Too many great ones to narrow it down to a mere five.  But it is equally impossible to even have this little bar room discussion without including LeBron James in the discussion.

There is too much talk about this or that player's "Legacy" in a given sport these days, but if such discussions must take place, then I think we no longer need to have one about LeBron James,  His legacy has been secured.

And I cannot close this without saying how glad I am for the City of Cleveland, whose 52 year sports championship drought has come to an end.  I have many friends and some family in Cleveland, and I absolutely could not be happier for them.  I hope that all of them enjoy this victory to the fullest.

Doesn't mean that I will ever root for the Browns, though.