NBA Playoffs: Damn you LeBron!

So close, but yet so far.

If only the ball just rolled inward instead of outward from the front of the rim and I'd be cheering like a preteen at a Backstreet Boys concert. It didn't and now the Cleveland Cavaliers have to travel to D.C. to close up the series.

A Caron Butler basket late in the fourth propelled the Wizards to an 88-87 win against Cleveland. LeBron James drove to the basket but his last second attempt was too hard off the backboard and clinched it for Washington.

Now, being an Ohio born person, I was crushed, because I like LeBron. However, I don't view him as the next Michael Jordan. On the surface I hate comparing players, I think it's a poor gauge to connect history. Also, every guy who comes up through the NBA and NHL have to be compared to Jordan and Wayne Gretzky.

A lot of people have been giving LeBron fans crap, saying that he is not clutch, shoots poorly and is just overrated. Now, it's got to be tough to be this guy and this goes beyond Wizards players running their mouths.

I will answer those complaints. First, LeBron can be clutch. He's the franchise player, so when the game is tight, the first option is going to be LeBron. Though, to counter that, having guys like Daniel Gibson to shoot the three helps LeBron make plays. Let's be honest if you want to compare him to Jordan, the Bulls had John Paxson and Steve Kerr to shoot some big shots. Also, it was better to see LeBron take the ball to the basket with 3.9 seconds, rather than attempt an 18 footer.

Yes, LeBron is a average, below average shooter. He does shoot 48% from the field, but looking at the shot chart from last night's game
he made a few three pointers but apart from that he made most of them inside the paint.

Overrated? Well, can you blame a guy for signing so many endorsement deals (this even includes you, Peyton Manning)? So yeah, enough said.

Anywho, looking back on last season's NBA Finals run, LeBron matured as a team leader and he really did become the face of the team and he is getting a little bit of help from some key role players. However, I would still think the Cavs are not front runners for the title.