That’s it for Lebron (and Cleveland)

Well, that’s it.  Lebron is gone from the playoffs and I’d be lying if I said it didn’t diminish my interest a little bit.  Will I be watching the Finals?  Of course I will, we’ve still got Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, all the other absurd players the Lakers have and the traveling 3-point party that is the Orlando Magic.  I’m still in there like swimwear [(c) Rod Benson], but it’s just not quite the same without Lebron James.  Sure, sure we can have the LOLs that are all over the internet about Nike, Vitamin Water and David Stern crying hot tears over The Chosen One’s early exit, but what is this really going to mean?

I think this causes pain far deeper than just a playoff exit for the city of Cleveland.  This year looked like the year they were finally able to surround Lebron with the team he needed to succeed- they won 66 games and then ran a train on all comers during the first two round of the playoffs.  Then came the Magic and the collapse.  For what it’s worth, I don’t think they’re as bad as all that, the Magic are just a matchup nightmare for them.  Then again, a championship squad helmed by perhaps the most dynamic player in the game doesn’t have a team in their own conference that can beat up on them this bad.  They still need one or two more pieces and how good does that trade for Shaq look now, halfway through the season?

That’s right, they had the opportunity to go Shaq for Wally Szczerbiak- can you imagine what a difference that would have made?  Trade middling defense and some really weak shot attempts for Shaquille O’Neal.  He’s not the same player that he was, yes, but he’s still a top five big man in this league and you know he’d be bringing every little bit he has left for the playoffs.  That’s one big body that Howard can’t push around which would have allowed the Cavs to actually play defense and contest that torrential downpour coming from behind the arc.

But none of that happened and now Lebron is out of the playoffs, knocked out in the Conference Championships after winning 66 games.  That’s bad news for Cleveland and good news for Knicks/Nets fans- the hometown discount only applies if it’s not hurting his chances to get those rings.  Because Lebron needs those rings.