Lebron and Shaq Equal Success For The Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers thought they were going to hoist the NBA Championship in 09′, it wasn’t to be. Their record during the regular season impressed all.
It was great to make the finals, but they were swept by the Spurs that season, LeBron James was young and constantly improving his game. Standards are set really high in Cleveland and this isn’t acceptable anymore.
2008 came around, and the Boston Celtics had a bolstered roster that was simply too strong for the Cleveland Cavs. They nearly defeated them, but Boston marched on and captured an NBA title under the leadership of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen.
The last few seasons the Cavs have been a great regular season team – 08-09′ 66-16 – winning the Central division by more the 25 games. The regular season gives teams the chance to build chemistry and acquire home court advantage – the Cavs seemed to have excellent chemistry during the regular season (taking fake photos during the pre-game introduction).
Unfortunately, the team’s run was spoiled by the Orlando Magic. This left Cleveland fans wondering if Dwight Howard and the Magic had the Cavs’ number, and what could be done about this.
Winning a championship isn’t all about how well Lebron and Shaq play – the other players on the Cavs must raise their game also. The Cavs sat around watched King James put on a show without showing up themselves. The Cavs brought in Mo Williams to add some scoring to the team – Mo did little in the playoffs.
In basketball, more then in any other professional team sport – one player can take a team to the Finals but typically those “one man band” teams don’t win the championship. Jordan didn’t win a title until he got Scottie Pippen.
With Lebron’s contract coming to an end, the time is now for Cleveland. If they have any hope, it’s only going to be while Lebron’s in town. There’s a chance he stays in Cleveland, but there are going to be some real hefty offers from some major market teams, which Cleveland may not be able to match.
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