KG to the Suns orI'm So Excited I Think I Just Peed My Pants

Sit down, my children, and let me tell you a story.

Let me tell you a story about one day in 7th grade, when my life changed.

One day in 7th grade, our gym teacher--I believe it was Mrs. Walton--had us play pickup basketball in order to drum up some interest in the boy's basketball team, which needed more people. Specifically, they could have used from interest from the 6'1" 7th grader who had no interest in the game of basketball.

The game began, and at one point, that 6'1" 7th grader got the ball at the three point line, just to the right of the key, on a fast break. He took one dribble, and shot a running hook shot going full speed from a step away from the corner of the free throw line.

As Hubie Brown would say, it was not a high percentage shot.

Yet somehow--fate, perhaps?--it went in.

As that 7th grader turned around and ran back to the other end of the court to play defense, I thought to myself, "Huh, I am pretty good at this."

That auspicious beginning, my children, is what made me the man I am today.

***

To coincide with my sudden interest in sports, I convinced my parents to get me a subscription to Sports Illustrated. One of the first ones I got was the 1992-93 NBA Preview issue, which had Charles Barkely on the cover--fresh off his off-season trade from the Sixers to the Suns. Let's look at the situation the NBA was in at the time:

! The NBA was in the midst of being dominated by one dynasty (Bulls)
! One of the NBA's biggest stars was a hardworking, versatile player whose physical aspects revolutionized the way the game was played (Barkley with his height--or lack thereof--playing Power Forward)
! That same star was desperate to win a title that had thus far eluded him. (Barkley)
! A change of scenery proved to be exactly what was needed to bring out the best in the star, leading to one of the best seasons in his career, and him leading his team to the NBA Finals, to only be bested by the unbeatable best player ever. (you know who)
! The change of scenery was from a freezing, pissant town in the North to the warm confines of a Southern city; a city that is, in point of fact, one of the best basketball cities in America. (Philly to Phoenix)
! The player joined an impressive nucleus already--led by a dynamic point guard--that had had some success, but lacked the drive, determination, and overall skill to get over the hump. (Suns with Kevin Johnson)
! To get to the promise land, it required the newly acquired player to single-handedly defeat one of the dominant teams in the West, a thorn in his new team's side for years. (Barkley's game winning, 1-on-1 jumper from the top of the key over David Robinson to beat the Spurs in Game 6)

Whew, that was fun! What a fantastic year--the year I fell in love with not just basketball, but the NBA and Charles Barkley, my second favorite player of all time (Larry Johnson only gets the nod because he is from Dallas).

Now, let's look at the present day:

! The NBA is in the midst of being dominated by one dynasty (Spurs)
! One of the NBA's biggest stars is a hardworking, versatile player whose physical aspects are revolutionizing the way the game is played (Garnett with his freakish athleticism and ability to play different positions in spite of his 7' height)
! That same star is desperate to win a title that has thus far eluded him. (Garnett)
! A change of scenery will prove to be exactly what is needed to bring out the best in the star, leading to one of the best seasons in his career, and him leading his team to the NBA Finals, to only be bested by the unbeatable best player ever. (hasn't happened yet, but guess what I'm betting on?)
! The change of scenery is from a freezing, pissant town in the North to the warm confines of a Southern city; a city that is, in point of fact, one of the best basketball cities in America. (Minnesota to Phoenix)
! The player will join an impressive nucleus already--led by a dynamic point guard--that has had some success, but lacked the drive, determination, and overall skill to get over the hump. (Suns with Little Stevie Nash)
! To get to the promise land, it will require the newly acquired player to single-handedly defeat one of the dominant teams in the West, a thorn in his new team's side for years. (Is there any way Phoenix gets out of the West without playing the Spurs at some point? Probably not.)

What has changed about those two lists, except for the tense? Only one thing: MICHAEL JORDAN ISN'T AROUND ANYMORE TO RUIN THE FAIRYTALE.

That's it people. That's the only difference. So when I heard that the Suns--who I've obviously always had a soft spot for, and who have Little Stevie Nash, one of my favorite players, who play the style of basketball that has helped rejuvenate my beloved league--were about to acquire my third favorite player of all time, I was crazy excited. Outside of the Mavs landing Garnett, this was a dream come true for me.

Before we look at the trade proposals, several people have asked me--a diehard Mavs fan--why I'm excited about this, as this makes one of Dallas' primary opponents better. Don't mistake me: I'm still rooting for the Mavs, and hopeful that they can win it all. But if the Mavs don't win it (and if the Mavs don't make some sort of change this offseason, which I doubt they'll do, which is making me angrier by the day), I hope the Suns do. Anything that lets my second favorite franchise in pro sports (yes, over the Rangers & Cowboys) and my third favorite player of all time--while also validating a style of play that I love and that I feel the NBA desperately needs--win is a good thing in my book.

Anyway, there are two trade proposals on the table. They are:

1) Phoenix gets: Kevin Garnett from MT; Boston gets: Shawn Marion from PS; Minnesota gets: #5 pick from BC, and players from both teams (most likely Gerald Green from BC, etc.)

2) Phoenix gets: Kevin Garnett from MT; Atlante gets: Amare Stoudamire from PS; Minnesota gets: #3 & 11 picks in draft, and some cap-friendly contracts.

I like #2 a lot better than #1, for all teams involved. Here's why:

First of all, I'd rather give up Stoudamire than Marion. I think Shawn Marion is underrated (hence the Shawn Marion Most Underrated Player award given out every year, except this one because I was too pissed/depressed to give out postseason NBA awards after the worst NBA postseason ever), and I think Amare Stoudamire is overrated.

Hold on, you say. Amare is overrated? How so?

Glad you asked. Amare--from all accounts--is a fairly lazy, egomaniacal player who doesn't work hard and instead relies on his freakish athleticism to play the game. He's already had microfracture surgery once, and while it appears he is the most successful person to have that surgery, he's only one season back from playing with it. Would you want to bet the house on a player who relies on his body when his body has failed him once, and everyone else who has had the surgery he has had has had more problems with their body down the line? Yeah, I wouldn't either.

But it's not just his attitude and his body that I don't like about Amare--it's his game. Is he a dynamite scorer? Yes. But what else does he do? He's never averaged double digits in rebounds, which is ridiculous when you consider his size and athleticism. That means he doesn't even try to rebound, he just grabs whatever comes to a 6'10" player who can jump out of the gym. He's a horrible shot blocker, again which is ridiculous considering his athletic gifts. He's a horrible defender; it's not a coincidence that Duncan always eats up the Suns. He has almost no half court offensive game; when the game slows down in the playoffs (like it always does when they meet the Spurs in the playoffs), Amare can do little to help his team.

Amare is a great player; he's probably a top 20 player in the league. But is he top 10? No way. Not even close. And if you could add a PF/C of Garnett's caliber (with Kurt Thomas backing you up as a more traditional C), which would you rather keep: the overrated one-dimensional injury prone player, or the jack-of-all trades forward who can guard any position on the court, has averaged a double-double for his career (that's right, Marion is freakishly athletic and tries to rebound, so he's had over double digit rebounds in 4 of his seasons--and that's not counting the one he averaged 9.8), and is the perfect above the rim, crazy athletic finisher to the Suns style of play? Sorry...I'm keeping Marion.

As for the other teams, Stoudamire is perfect for Atlanta: a dynamic if somewhat overrated player who can wow the crowd and brings fans back to the arena. Look at it this way: I would describe Dominque Wilkins as a dynamic if somewhat overrated player who wowed the crowd. MY GOD...the past similarities are getting almost creepy at this point! Anyway, he's also much better than anyone the Hawks could pick up at #3 & 11.

The Timberwolves, meanwhile, need to blow it up and get 1992-1994 bad again before they get better. Doing this helps them do that, while giving them the third, seventh, and eleventh picks in one of the deepest drafts in years. If they can't come away with at least one star and one solid player with those pics, then they have the worst GM in the league. Oh wait...that's right...they have Kevin McHale, they do have the worst GM in the league! Wow...well anyway Minnesota, you should be in good position, and the cap friendly contracts should give you the flexibility to sign quality free agents in 2-3 years once the studs you pick up here are maturing. In other words, you're on the right track.

I don't like the first trade because it doesn't make Minnesota better; number 5 is a nice pick, but is it worth KG? No. Factor in that I don't think Gerald Green is really going to ever amount to anything (seriously, is not winning the dunk contest in the post-MJ era the kiss of death? Wow...that would make a great post, I need to write about this...), and they're not getting Al Jefferson from the Celts, and anyone else just really isn't worth it. Also, as discussed above, I want to keep Marion over Stoudamire.

***

So here's what Phoenix looks like when all is said and done:
PF: Steve Nash
SG: Raja Bell
SF: Shawn Marion
PF: Kevin Garnett
C: Kurt Thomas

Bench: Barbosa, Diaw, James Jones, Any free agent they can sign with the mid-level exception who wants to win a title next year.

Let's see: you've got three of the best defenders in the NBA (Marion, Garnett, Bell) in your starting five. You've got a team that can run (everyone except Thomas & Diaw because he was so out of shape last year--and you don't think KG will make sure that Diaw says "non" to the tarte fraise offers next year?), and you've finally got a team that can play in the halfcourt with Garnett's post up game.

They'll be incredible to watch.

So there you go. I'm praying that this goes down. I keep refreshing espn.com, just hoping it will happen.

KG deserves it.

Readers: I Need Your Help!

Last year, I asked you all for your help in supporting the Junior Achievement Bowl-A-Thon. Well, it's time to do that once again.

Last year was fantastic thanks to you all; my team raised the most money, and I'd like to do so again. Again, I'm just asking for $5 or $10 from each of you; nothing major. Click here to go to my JA Home Page where you can leave donations on your credit or debit card. If you'd rather give me money in person, we can do that to.

This is a great program that I've worked with for about two and a half years now, and will continue to work with in the future. So please, have one less drink on a Friday night that I'll buy for you the next time we're out, and help out the children. I thank you. The Backyardigans (our team name this year; I'm Pablo the Penguin) thanks you. The Wu Tang Clan thanks you, as we know that they are for de children. Baby Jesus thanks you.

Amen.

The Responsibilities of a Parent

It's time for me to once again tell you how to live your life.

I know, I know. I'm sorry. I'm really not one of those people (like Carla from Scrubs, which really is one of the greatest shows in the history of television, but that's a post for another day) who constantly goes around telling everyone what to do and butting into things that are not their business. I'm not that kind of person.

But I do believe in educating the ignorant, and every once in a while it's important to share knowledge I've accumulated over the years (like Advice For The Newly Graduated), or on occasion I'll run into a group of people who are so uneducated on correct behavior that they simply must be informed of how society functions (like when I needed to let a wide group of men know how to behave with my Guy's Laws post.

The latter is the situation we face now. I've been surprised too many times in my life with basic, "How are you not doing this?" situations from parents. Some are scum parents who do the barest minimum required to not be considered Deadbeats. Some, though, are good parents, people who I have respect for, who I am shocked when I discover that they don't believe they are required to do these acts.

Well, you are. So here are some duties of parents that might get skipped over. As soon as you have kids, these are your responsibilities. End of story.

You will attend as many of your kid's events as possible.
An event can be many things: sporting events; dance recitals; theatre/drama performances; band performances; debate competitions; chess tournaments; video game tournaments. A parent's job is to encourage their kids in their skills and interests, even if they do not share them.

My parents dislike sports. They probably hate them. They never watch "The Game", regardless of what sport is being represented. Sports is just not their thing. However, once I became interested in basketball, they always encouraged me. They supported me in working hard to become better; they did their parts at the Booster Club in high school; and they damn sure were at every game they could attend. If they weren't there, there was a really good reason, and both were there probably 90% of the time.

Even if you child tells you it's no big deal if you're not there, it doesn't matter. YOU WILL ATTEND YOUR KIDS EVENTS. It does mean the world to them. It will strengthen your relationship. It will encourage them to work hard and strive to be better at everything they do in their lives. It will allow you to be there with them when they don't win the game, or forget a line, or miss a note, and are embarrassed, frustrated, and need support.

It's what a good parent does.

When financially able, you will pay for your kid's college education.
Ah, the cry of the Deadbeat Dad: "Once my kids hit 18, I'm done paying for them. I'm not helping out with college." I've seen this way to many times, and yes, it makes me want to commit physical violence every time. Sure, legally you might be correct, but you're an asshole. When you have kids, you want to prepare them and educate them for the world to the best of your abilities. In this day and age, that means sending them to college. There are way too many families who this is not an option for, so few things make me madder than the parents who can afford to send their kids to school and refuse to do so. You are scum.

This takes sacrifice. This means once you have kids, you probably can't take as many fancy vacations as you might want to, or be able to afford at that moment. You might not be able to buy as nice of a house as you want. You might have to drive a Honda Accord instead of a BMW. THAT'S PART OF BEING A PARENT. When you have children, your wants and needs are secondary. If you don't want to put your needs secondary, then don't have kids. If you do have kids and didn't want to, too bad. This is simply how it is, and giving your kids the best chance to be successful in the future is priority #1.

It's what a good parent does.

When financially able, you will pay for whatever is required by gender for your kid's wedding.
Similar to the college one we just discussed, it amazes me the number of parents who try to skip out on this detail. Again like with college, there are way too many families out there who want to be able to do more for their children, so when I see a parent/parents who can help but simply don't, it makes me angry.

Parents, if you have boys, you will pay for the rehearsal dinner, and you should probably drop a nice little chunk 'o change for the honeymoon. If you've got girls, sorry (for a variety of reasons...sorry ladies ;-). You're paying for the wedding then.

There is some grey area here. If your kids come to you with some ridiculously extravagant wedding concoction, well, you're not responsible for that. If the kids want to go overboard, that's their call. But you are responsible for putting on a nice, reasonable by the current day's standards wedding. Period. End of story. And none of that "our wedding cost $1,000 35 years ago, so that's what we're giving you" shit. No. We all have a general idea of what wedding's cost these days, and you're required to pony up for that.

Again, this requires some self-sacrifice. See above for the vacation/house/car comments. If you're blessed with a little girl, well, know that you're going to have to save more than you would for a boy for when she's between the ages of 18-30. IT'S PART OF THE JOB.

Another thing: parents--and by parents I mean "Mothers"--if you want your kids to have a ridiculous, over-the-top, show-off wedding, that's fine. You can encourage the kids to do that (see previous posts about who really gets to make those decisions at wedding, though ;-). But you better be prepared to pony up for it. Nothing pisses me off more than the Mom who wants to invite 400 people, simply must have the wedding at the Waldoff-Astoria or the Four Seasons, and then offers the kid's $5k for the entire wedding. To quote Kyle Holmes quoting me, "NO!!!! FUCK YOU!!!!". And don't wait for your kids to ask you for help--offer. Let them know up front what you've saved, so they know what they have to work with. And if you start making extravagant demands for the ceremony, go back to them early and say, "look, I know what I'm asking you to do is beyond what you were planning for, so here's some extra cash to cover it". Don't be an ass. Step up to the plate.

It's what a good parent does.

Teach your kids the value of hard work by making your kids work.
Here's an all time favorite of mine: people who have kids, but hire someone to mow their lawn. SERIOUSLY? Is there something wrong with your kids that I don't know about? As my Father used to say (and I will say to my kids--regardless of gender--when they are complaining about having to mow the lawn), "What do you think I had kids for?"

No, that's not why you're making your kids mow the lawn. Well, that's not the primary reason. It's a parent's job to teach their children responsibility, self-sufficiency, how to work, and the value of doing so. They're not going to learn that if you do--or hire someone to do--everything for them.

Make them mow the lawn. Take out the garbage. Have a job in high school. Take care of things around the house. It's important to teach your children the value and rewards that come from hard work. It's important to teach them the pride that comes from a job well done. It's important that your kids know basic skills needed to exist on their own on the outside world.

So toss out the silver spoon. Even if you are one of the lucky few who can afford to do everything or have everything done for your kids, teach them responsibility.

It's what a good parent does.

Don't be afraid to say no to your kids.
This might be the hardest thing to do, for a variety of reasons. You want to make your kids happy, so you want to give them everything that they want because you love them so much. You want things to be as easy as possible, and it's much easier to tell a kid "yes" than "no".

But it's important to say no when needed. Know your children, and know their limits. If you don't think your young child is ready for a PG movie...say no even if they really want to go. If they love a particular kind of food or candy and are eating too much of it, say no when they want some and cut them back or off. If you've bought your kids too many toys lately, or their behavior has not justified the purchase of a new toy, then just say no to the new Transformer toy that just came out that they really want.

A good parent knows the value of saying no to their kids, and has the strength to stand by it, even when their kids get angry, and pout, and throw a fit, and make life more difficult, etc., etc. Life isn't served to anyone completely on a silver platter all the time; even Paris Hilton has come to that realization. Teach your kids that they cannot have everything they want, and that that's okay. It's teaching them responsibility. It's teaching them to be flexible, and learn to live with substitutes. It's teaching them that some of the best things in life to get is what we have to work for, to save for, to be patient for. If we're just handed everything when we want it...well, where's the joy in that? In the short term that's nice, but in the long run, nothing is ever good enough then.

It's what a good parent does.

And, finally, probably most controversially...

Spank your kids.
Oh yes. I'm a spanker. I was spanked. I will spank. End of story.

Here's the thing with kids that too many people don't realize: LITTLE KIDS ARE NOT ADULTS. Adults you can rationalize with. Adults you can appeal to reason. Adults you can appeal to their common sense. Adults you can refer to their sense of safety and/or well being.

You can't do any of that with little kids. They're not that developed yet. There's no reasoning and rationalizing. If you were to hold up a scrumptious, moist chocolate chip cookie to a 4 year old, and then explain--in detail--what diabetes is, and how they have it (not sure that 4 year olds can have diabetes; just go with me here), and how if they eat this cookie, down the line, they will die, do you know what he's going to say when you're done?

"So can I have a cookie?"

And that's what he should say. He's a little kid! He doesn't know any better. So when your kids REALLY do something wrong, sending them to timeout for a few minutes--especially up in their room where all their toys are--isn't going to do jack shit for them. Kids are underdeveloped as human beings. They understand the basics of life: hunger, love, joy, sadness, and pain. There is nothing wrong with a firm spanking to teach your kids the difference between right and wrong. It's not child abuse, and it will help them develop into more well rounded human beings.

I know it hurts you more than it hurts them. But...

It's what a good parent does.

Congratulations That Are Way Overdue

I can't believe I haven't mentioned this on here until now...

On May 21, a miracle happened.

My best friend, Kyle Holmes, proposed to his girlfriend Hayley Thurman. The miracle was she said yes ;-P

So Congratulations to the two of them! I love Hayley, she is a wonderful woman. The two of them are so perfect for each other it's almost scary; truly, they are soulmates, and are meant to be together.

Congratulations to the soon-to-be Mr. & Mrs. Holmes.

Coupla Things...okay, a lot of things...

* A good person helps the homeless. We all know this. It doesn't hurt to give a buck every once in a while.

However, my friend Kortney saw a homeless guy begging on the corner the other day...while listening to his IPod.

...

* Drunk Lithuanians? Angry giraffes? This can only end one way...

* So I just got done dieting, and I'm pissed about how much it costs to eat while dieting. It's fucking ridiculous, and there's no other way to describe it. $7+ for a fucking salad? $6 for four chicken tenders with no breading and no sides? It's insane. There's no reason for that, either. Both items I just listed are cheap and easy to produce.

Meanwhile, double cheeseburgers are $.99. All you can eat pizza is less than $5. Your taco places are all dirt cheap.

If we want America to start eating healthier, then we the consumer must start demanding not to be ripped off for eating that way. It's as simple as that.

Here's some tips for those who want to eat healthy cheaply:

$ Caesar or House Salad at Johnny Carinos ($3): Good sized & excellent salad. You also get bread with it, which is excellent. Good deal either there or to go.
$ Chicken Enchilada Soup at Chilis ($3): Best soup ever. Love this stuff. It's hearty, with a good amount of chicken, tortilla strips, and pico. Add a coupla crackers for free to give it more sustenance if you're not on a carb diet.
$.99 salads at Wendys: Caesar and house salads. They're not great, but they're not bad. Also, you can combine the $.99 Chicken nuggets (yes they're fried, but they're not as bad for you as you would think) if you want to add some chicken to it.
$ Chick Fil A Chicken Sandwich (Grilled or Fried) ($3): Even the Chick Fil A sandwich is not bad for you at all. Get the Sandwich only, add make it a Deluxe to get lettuce & tomato, and you're right at $3. No sides though.
$ Lean Cuisine ($2.50 or less): By far the best of the frozen food dinners. All of their Asian stuff is good (Thai Style Chicken is my favorite). Just experiment and see which ones you like.

* Have you ever seen the movie The Game, with Michael Douglas? Good little flick. Well, someone is actually doing what that company does in the movie! Not in such a grandiose (or somewhat sinister) scale, but still, it's impressive.

* Saw this interesting article on whether sex helps sell female athletics. The correct answer, of course, is who are you trying to sell to?

No, you're not going to get more little girls into swimming with Amanda Beard posing for playboy. I would think that would be a given. However, that's not the market you're trying to increase.

Remember, when it comes to expanding a sport's appeal/ratings/attendance, the Holy Grail is the CASUAL FAN. That's who everyone is going after. See, that little girl we were talking about a minute ago isn't necessarily who you are trying to attract to swimming. If she's a swimmer, she's going to watch swimming, whether Amanda Beard poses for playboy or not. If she's a basketball player, she's probably not going to watch swimming. It's as simple as that.

When a sport uses sex, they're trying to broaden their general appeal to non-hardcore fans. They don't need to appeal to hardcore fans. They're hardcore; they're already committed. They're going for the generic sports fan who flops down on the couch, has an hour to kill watching TV, and is flipping through the channels going "What sports are on right now?" That is the casual fan. That's who you're trying to entice to watch swimming, because all of the little girls who swim--and their parents--area already watching Amanda Beard in the Olympics because they are hard core.

Like it or not, the vast majority of the casual fan base is still made of men--though I readily acknowledge that that is changing--and the majority of casual male fans don't respect women's athletics near as much as men's athletics, for a variety of reasons (some legit, some not; I touched on this a little bit in a blog here). If you want to get that all-important casual fan to stop channel surfing and watch your sport for five minutes, it helps to have Maria Sharapova out there, looking hot as Hell. That's the simple truth. Will it increase your attendance? Minimally. Will it lead to long lasting patronage? Not really. But that's not what you're after. That's where you build your brand; sex is used for the quick and easy.

* So word is Kevin Durant could not bench 185 pounds a single time.

Don't get me wrong. I think Kevin Durant is going to be a fantastic player. The Sonics are incredibly lucky to have him.

But can't bench 185? Not even once? Are you fucking kidding me?

Kiss any talk of Portland taking Durant with the first pick goodbye. Oden is a 100% lock now. Durant is still a 100% lock as the second pick, and there's nothing wrong with that. He just can't possibly be #1 now.

* We have a word for a man who has no self-esteem, and has no backbone at all when it comes to standing up to his woman. We call that man a bitch.

Well, Tony Parker, you are a bitch.

And...because making fun TP never gets old...check this out.

Wow.

* Okay, I'm about to be an asshole. Again. As usual.

Josh Hancock. He's the pitcher for the Cardinals who died in an alcohol related car wreck at the start of the season. Everyone was immediately saddened, and memorials were erected, and teams started banning alcohol in locker rooms after games.

Don't get me wrong: I don't know how you can play a professional sport, and then immediately want a beer after the game. That's just gross to me. Give me some water, please. But let's look at the facts here:

Fact: He was double the legal limit for BAC.
Fact: He had weed in his car.
Fact: He was not wearing his seat belt.
Fact: He was driving 15 mph over the speed limit.
Fact: He was on his cell phone while doing all of the above.
Fact: Witnesses from the restaurant he was at said that he was so drunk "he could barely put a sentence together."
Fact: The reason he was driving a rented Ford Explorer? He had wrecked his Denali 3 nights before while driving drunk.

Okay. So is it really sad that this guy died...or is he just a fucking dumbass, and am I just happy that he didn't take a family of four out with him?

The facts speak for themselves.

* So check this out.

Welcome back. Is that not the craziest thing you've ever heard? My first thought was: man, you can convince a shrink of anything. But then I mentioned this article to several people, and a couple of them said that they had experienced this first hand. So I guess it's true.

I'm a very light sleeper, so I can't imagine doing anything and not being cognizant of it. I wake up if I'm sharing a bed with someone and they roll over (I've trained myself to immediately fall back asleep, but I still wake and am aware of it happening).

But don't be fooled ladies: as the article said, it's a rare disorder. The vast majority of the time a guy makes a move on you and pulls the, "What? I had no idea I was doing that!", he's full of shite.

* Finally, Lebron's game. As you can see from the top 5 list on the left, I think it is the second best postseason performance in NBA history. Probably top 5 in sporting history. Magic's Center game--where Kareem was out with an injury in Game6, and Magic--as a rookie point guard--played center, scored 42 points, and won the game and eventually the series. For his experience level, on that stage, and to have such fantastic success...you just can't top that. That being said, Lebron's game was close. His team's last 25 straight points, and 29 of their last 31 to basically beat the Pistons. It was amazing. It was fantastic. It was...legendary. It was a step in the right direction. Two things to note, though:

1) I thought Lebron's postgame remarks ("Why are you surprised that I did this? I'm Lebron fucking James") were hilarious. He kept acting like this was no big deal, and that he does stuff like this all the time. Lebron, it's okay to be excited the first time you do this, because as much as you think you're the best, up until that point, you've never actually been the best.
2) As proud as Lebron is of himself, and as proud as everyone is of him, let's remember this fact:

FACT: Lebron James still hasn't won shit.

Winning the pathetic Eastern Conference isn't impressive. Don't get me wrong; Lebron has done something for the ages, and is moving in the right direction. But before he thinks he's got everything taken care of, and starts focusing on being a "global icon", just remember Bron Bron: until you when an NBA championship, you ain't done shit.

And there is no way you're beating the Spurs, so you've still got work left to do.

Enjoy! Sorry it's been so long!