Magic in the Finals, but the headline is still LeBron

(Editor’s note: because of the massive response his last 2 articles received, Kenny will be writing 3 articles in 3 days in preparation for the NBA Finals…i.e. he’s been slacking too much with his article output, so, we’re making him crank out 3 of them before Thursday. Here’s article number 1)

Well, it's finally here. Come Thursday, the NBA gets the Finals matchup it wanted all year! The two best players in the league square off to finally decide who is truly the pinnacle of greatness. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, Kobe vs. LeBr...huh...you're telling me the current MVP of the league isn't in the Finals? No, no, I just saw the Nike and Vitamin Water commercials, they're obviously in...seriously? I severely think you are mistaken. I just watched ESPN for 24 hours straight and all they were covering was the greatness of King James. I mean, every single one of the analysts on ESPN.com picked the Cavs to win. Impossible that every single one of them were wrong, just impossible...are you sure? I mean, the only 2 nationally based analysts to actually pick the Magic to go to the Finals were me and Charles Barkley. That CAN'T be a credible group...well, if you're that sure about it, then I guess, it's Los Angeles vs. Orlando...well, if that's the case, that must have been one hell of a series between the Magic and the Cavs...a full 7 games, each one going into overtime, right? Only 6? Ok, ok, I get it, enough with the jokes...you're not kidding? Well, then each of those 6 games had to have been wire to wire matchups...only half of them? Wait, Orlando won by double digits in TWO of those games?...almost a sweep? You're telling me that the only thing preventing Cleveland from getting swept was a 30ft shot at the buzzer? What is this, bizzaro world? Ok, so, the Magic won in game 6, which I guess is cool that they won at home. LeBron gave his respects to the players, I'm sure...he stormed off the court you say? That was after he shook the hand of Dwight Howard, right? I mean, they were Olympic teammates...just walked off the court...hmmm...what'd he say to the media after? Wait, he left? Like, just got up and left? Didn't even give any explanation for that? Oh, the next day...ok, then obviously he was just steamed and congratulated Orlando the day after...you're kidding me...he's not even sorry for what he did?

Dead horse aside, everything about the Orlando/Cleveland series couldn't have been a better showcase of how a winning team is supposed to perform and how classless LeBron James can be (which I detailed here). 14 years of anticipation have

Superman brought a spirit back to Orlando not seen in
over a decade, and now the future of the City Beautiful
is in his hands. (Photo courtesy of the Associated Press/
Phelan M. Ebenhack)

built up to one of the most breathtaking playoff runs the City Beautiful has seen since the Shaq/Penny days. After Saturday night's Eastern Conference Finals clinching victory at the Amway Arena, Downtown Orlando was euphoric. You could not find one person who didn't have the spirit of the Magic inside of them. New chants of jubilation were started immediately after other chants died. Blocks upon blocks, bars upon bars, cars upon cars were all a part of the celebration. Strangers were embracing on the sidewalks, drinks were being purchased faster than bartenders could make them, and unlike the streets of Detroit of Philadelphia, cars remained intact and un-burnt (cheap shot at those 2 cities, I know). As I've stated before, the city is abuzz with everything Magical; a community spirit not seen in over a decade. (Which, while we're on the subject, with the exception of picking New Orleans over Denver...very dumb pick...I've gotten every single series correct. Not to toot my own horn, but, I am on fire with predicting the playoffs, claiming the Lakers and Magic would make the finals, foreseeing LeBron's lack of poise, describing how fanatical the city can be...I might as well get my own 800-number) Even random Cleveland fans (I'm sorry, "LeBron fans", seeing as 90% of those toting #23 jerseys have never been to Cleveland, nor know anything about the Cavs prior to LeBron other than Craig Ehlo) were congratulating those donned in Black, Blue, and White. Everyone within the city limits were magnanimous in victory or gracious in defeat.

Everyone, that is, except for 1 person: LeBron James. I know, I'm a little late to the party when it comes to talking about what happened Saturday night, but, as shocked as other NBA analysts are (and how funny it is that, if Kobe did the exact same thing, it would take top story away from Orlando winning), I have to chime in with my 2 cents. For those of you living under a rock (or are so engrossed with the Stanley Cup Finals...all 7 of you), LeBron immediately exited the court after the Magic officially took the Eastern Conference crown. Then, after quickly getting dressed, put on headphones and exited the arena without speaking to any players, any members of the media, or any of the Nike executives reportedly waiting for him after. If that doesn't define "sore loser" I don't know what does. Listen, I know he's one of the most competitive people in all of sports, and I can only imagine how disappointed he was after the loss (it's an emotional game), but you still at least make an effort to speak to the media and congratulate the opposition. A lot of the LeBron supporters kept claiming how he could talk to the media the next day. Unfortunately, in the age of the internet and deadlines for newspapers, the media NEEDS the quotes right away. No one will care comes Tuesday what LeBron said about Saturday night's action. A good majority of society has the perception that the media doesn't matter and that LeBron doesn't need to speak to us, but, unfortunately for "the Chosen One", he's required to. Contrary to popular belief (and as indicated by the fine afterward), James was required by the NBA to speak to the media afterwards. It's a part of his contract. Much like "abiding by the dress code" or "not punching another player", all NBA players must be made available for the media, whether they played all 48 minutes, or rode the bench all game. Oh, and great way to step up as a leader and leave your teammates to explain why the “best” team in the league lost; how the most hyped unit this year failed to reach the ultimate goal. True leaders accredit others for victory and are not afraid to accept blame in defeat. It’s the “first one in, last one out” attitude that separates the leaders from the followers. After Saturday night, it was clear that LeBron is not a true leader.

However, the biggest act of cowardice was when James refused to congratulate Orlando for making the Finals. In any other circumstance, the opposition would congratulate LeBron for the victory, even if he dropped 50 on them and blew them out with a triple-double. But, when the tables were turned, James showed his true colors, ignoring even those on his own team in a pout-filled evening. What was even more appalling was his backhanded congratulations of the Magic, claiming "I'm a competitor and that is what I do. It doesn't make sense to me to go over and shake somebody's hand." King James could not be any more wrong. By no means do you say "thanks for beating me, you're a swell fella!", nor should you be even remotely happy that your best chance to win it all came crashing down. But, you at least acknowledge that another team, or another player achieved a higher level. It's called respect. It's called being a man.

I could go the rout of "how 'bout them apples" and "they're in the Finals, you're not nah nah nah", but I won't. I, as a professional, can handle criticism, can handle a low viewed article, can handle multiple edits of my article with class (although, I really wanted to crank out a "Lil Penny made it further than the LeBron puppet" joke). So, I'll just rebut with this example: Los Angeles was throttled by 37 points in last year's NBA Finals during the championship clinching game 6 against the Boston Celtics. Kobe, just as ferocious of a competitor as LeBron (if not more), went over and congratulated Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, et. al. Kobe has 3 rings. Kobe has class.

For the face of the entire NBA, and for someone who's more marketed than Peyton Manning (and that's saying something),

As great as King James has been on the court
his action off the court show's he's merely a
Prince, if not a Pauper.

he's embarrassed not only himself, but the league. As El DeBarge (I mean, David Aldridge) eloquently put in his article:

"No one likes to lose, especially someone as competitive as you, who's as used to winning, and winning big as you. You have won more in your short life than most people do in their entire lives. But that doesn't give you the right to be a poor loser, on the rare occasions that you lose."

And that's exactly what James was, a poor loser. You can't have it both ways, LeBron. You can't throw powder up in the air, take fake photos with your teammates, joke around practice with trick shots, and claim to the media that "we're just having fun" after the first two rounds of the playoffs, and not accept defeat in a professional manner. It seemed like we were watching a 5-year old pout after not getting the Christmas gift he wanted. Look, I'll never take anything away from James as a player, ever. The fact he's carried the entire team on his back for 6 years is a feat only the greats can accomplish. But until he gets an attitude adjustment, the constant claims of "he'll never be Jordan" or "he's just a kid" will always linger.

So, go ahead LeBron lovers, write your comments below. Then, take emotion out of it and try to defend what King James did. You can't. And to all of those who thought it was a sure bet that the Cavaliers would make the finals, you may have the best player, but Orlando has the best team.

(Stay tuned tomorrow for another article in Kenny’s “NBA Finals: 3 in 3” series)

Got a question? Disagree with the article? Want to be included in the reader mailbag?: E-Mail Kenny at MagicExaminer@yahoo.com