As a member of the Kobe camp of the LeBron Kobe war, it always delights me to see "The King" fail in some way at basketball. On the tube the other night, he attempted to challenge a busboy to a game of pop-a-shot, that ended, well, see for yourself...

LeBron James, in his effort to dominate the news while being long gone from the playoffs, had old friend Larry King visit his house in Akron, Ohio during his 25th anniversary week. Watch the interview HERE.

LeBron has two, Kobe has two, while MJ has 4. What am I talking about? My list of the top ten basketball magazine covers! Without any further ado:

#10/ Kobe Bryant/ SLAM/ September 2009
   The Jaw, The Scowl, whatever you want to call it, Kobe's version of MJ's tongue went into full effect while trying his 5th ring. Almost there...

#9/ Kevin Garnett/ Sports Illustrated/ June 26, 1995
   It might not have had the same effect on KG, as it did on LeBron (keep reading), but the tagline, along with The Kid himself, made it a classic cover.

Not much here, just another group of NBA fans attempting to draw LeBron to their respective cities. LeBron to the Mavs? As long as the song plays constantly during timeouts.

LeBron to the Mavs

Best line of the night from Van Gundy, "Blood cleanses the soul" after Varejao gets knocked.

Last minute + postgame just seemed plain weird. It did not seem like a team just lost a series to a lower seed.

LeBron couldn't wait to take that uniform off. Started with the headband before the tunnel. I thought the shorts were coming off too.

Anyone remember the Magic? Anyone?

Either the Celtics are going to keep the momentum, or they will flat out die.

Oh yeah, nice excuse LeBron about the elbow, saying you wouldn't blame it on injuries.

LINKS:
Subtitles for the images of the only real 2nd round series (example above): Doc funk

Quick music video for those Clevelanders. Grab the tissues: The Score

ESPN New York is ready: jose3030

It's sad really. It's a tragedy the likes of Shakespeare. I'm not from Cleveland, nor do I root for the Cavs. In fact, I was hoping the Celtics would do the unimaginable and defeat the regular season best Cleveland team with championship expectations. But I wouldn't wish a season ending like this on anyone.
Like seasons before, they fell short. It wasn't supposed to be a train wreck of a 2 game stretch that began a constant cycle of "Will he stay or go" talks on ESPN. Those two games included a 31 point loss to a team who's core might rot soon by the looks of their age, and a 9 turnover game from a King. The game ended before the horn, by the Cavaliers refusing to foul a horrible ft-shooter in Rajon Rondo.
After the whistle it just got sadder for Cleveland, while I watched stunned. LeBron actually took off his jersey while still in the tunnel. For a player who's every act is studied and analyzed, surely he knew people would notice. It was hard to not see it. With that does Cleveland say goodbye to their native son? What will the Chosen One choose? It's a tragedy Cleveland. Everyone knows it, including the King.