LeBron James Now = Magic Johnson in 1984

(I honestly didn't want to write a Finals piece. The overanalysis of LeBron's poor play has made folks who rationally criticize him turn to defenders because people are trying to rewrite his legacy every game. It's sucked the fun out of a great series and I've actually boycotted Sportscenter and most media reports since Wednesday. But in my usual form, I decided to write something nobody has brought up to distract me from being jaded. Just real talk and hoops analysis.)

Amidst all the irrational and blustering talk about LeBron James' legacy changing game-after-game (and the overshadowing of the Dallas Mavericks playing on an incredible level since the Game 2 comeback), I want to just suggest one thing as a rational hoops fan that loves the game more than hating a player.

LeBron James is proving once again why he's more Magic than Michael. I've said it before but I realize it now watching this series. LeBron James in 2011 is Magic Johnson in 1984.

For those who don't get it, the 1984 Finals between the Lakers and Celtics has been regarded by folks as the series that helped make the NBA a success in the eyes of marketers and the general public. It was the first meeting between Magic and Larry Bird and it was a 7-game series where the Celtics won in almost dominating fashion.

If you're want further comparisons to Dallas and Miami, the Lakers won Game 1, blew Game 2 on the famous Gerald Henderson steal, blew Game 4 and a 5-point lead with a minute left (the famous Kevin McHale clothesline to Kurt Rambis) and fell short during a Game 7 rally. Up to my last point, does that sound familiar to 2011?

Let's get more familiar. In each of those games, Magic played a key role in contributing to those losses and was infamously called Tragic by Boston fans. He was labeled a choke artist and on the heels of embarrassingly swept in the 1983 NBA Finals and being accused of a coach-killer, his reputation was in tatters despite his greatness.

Heck, this was the man who had one of the greatest NBA Finals games ever. He'd already won two rings and by 24, he was the best point guard in the game who appeared in 4 NBA Finals in his first 5 seasons. His 1000-watt smile had earned him fans across the country and made him beloved in L.A. But after coming up short again, all of that didn't matter.

Gee, does that remind you of anyone? A certain Miami Heat player who has been destroyed for his fourth-quarter screw-ups and seen his legacy ripped to shreds despite being hailed for times when he's come through before. Granted Miami didn't start on the road like the Lakers did but aside from that, this is the same scenario. LeBron also doesn't have Magic's two rings at the time but he does have two MVP trophies to his name.

Let's kill the myth that LeBron James is not clutch. The reason most of us real hoops fans are upset (not Cleveland fans, not anti-LeBron fans) is because we've seen LeBron rise up before and are mystified why he's playing so passively. And not passively as in body language but passive in his play.

I'm just showing folks that what LeBron is doing has precedent. He's on a Miami Heat team that hasn't been tested since right after the All-Star break with the crying game. Name to me the last championship team that wasn't battle tested before they got a ring. Even the Heat's inspiration, the 2008 Celtics, were tested in seven games in the first two rounds and their Big 3 had suffered big losses in the postseason.

Miami breezed through Philadelphia, ran through a weakened Boston Celtics squad and overpowered a not-ready-for-prime-time Chicago Bulls squad. Then they assumed they'd beat up a Dallas team that would either be overwhelmed in the end.

I'm not making excuses, I'm giving out facts. What's happening to Miami is exactly what most of us thought would happen against Boston before the Celtics got old and traded Kendrick Perkins. What's happening to LeBron is shocking considering this is the same guy that killed the Bulls in the Eastern Conference Finals while destroying Derrick Rose in the worst MVP-handcuffing since Hakeem Olajuwon schooled David Robinson in the 1995 Western Conference Finals.

Should Miami lose this series, LeBron needs to study Magic. Read his book with Larry Bird and study how he soaked in all the disappointment of 1984. Magic vowed to get better and he worked hard to improve his game. LeBron needs to ask Magic directly about that summer because what happened after that summer changed the NBA title landscape. Inspired by that heartbreak, the Lakers won 3 of the next 4 titles and cemented their legacy as the team of the 80's.

Will this inspire LeBron? We know what he hasn't done (maybe more than what he has done). He has yet to make his presence felt fully in these Finals despite his triple-double in Game 5 and has become as much pitied as scorned by America. Whatever the case is, he's being tried by fire and getting burned by the pressure instead of heating up

This is his 4th straight year of staring down a disappointing playoff loss. 2008 - losing the Game 7 shootout with Paul Pierce, 2009 - getting blasted by Orlando despite his incredible scoring, 2010 - the last ride with Cleveland where despite 27 points, 19 rebounds and 10 steals (while shooting a poor 8-for-21 with 9 turnovers), he's accused of quitting.

Now, he faces a humbling defeat and for the first time in a year, he's realizing how much harder he has to work to become great. Either he finally rises up in the next game or two and becomes the player he (and the rest of us) expect him to be or like Magic Johnson 27 years ago, prepare for the longest summer of his career and use it as fuel.

Once again, the Decision is his.

Reality's a Trip and the Fall is Hard

You know that feeling you get when your best just isn't good enough. That's what I'm feeling right now about the Lakers, who are down 0-2 for the first time since the 2008 NBA Finals. Just the mere mention of bringing that up is hard to swallow because that's the last time I felt like this team was overmatched.

I'm seeing Dirk Nowitzki have his way and pick his spots with no counter. I'm seeing Tyson Chandler neutralize one Lakers big man at a time each game. I saw JJ Barea in Game 2 and got flashbacks of Phoenix's Goran Dragic from Game 4 in last year's Western Conference Finals with how he sliced and diced through our defense in the 4th quarter.

Most of all I'm seeing a Lakers bench that can't keep up with Dallas.  I'm seeing a Lakers team confused and bewildered. Sad of all, I'm seeing a Lakers team settle for outside shots, the ultimate sign of a team that has no clue what to do against a better team. And to top it off, Artest got ejected. Word to Phife Dawg, I'm having problems.

This isn't the soft Dallas Mavericks. We aren't the dominant LA Lakers. The roles have reversed and I'm seeing a dynasty that looks shaken and old with a king who can't will a team to be better for some reason. I've known this feeling before and I'm not trying to deny it.

2004, I watched the Pistons outmuscle and out-tough the Lakers like I hadn't seen since Karl Malone and John Stockton in the 1998 Western Conference Finals. 2008, I saw the same thing happen with the Boston Celtics. I know this feeling but my heart won't let me give up. I just know that feeling you get when you know your team is in a deep hole.

Oh yeah, having Andrew Bynum say this team is having trust issues isn't helping either. It's not over but it's looking scary. And heading back to Dallas possibly without Ron Artest for a game, the odds aren't in our favor. I have faith but I'm also a realist.

We're seeing a changing of the guard in this playoffs. San Antonio's gone. Boston's in the same situation as the Lakers. Dallas is playing like the Spurs did in the regular season with the right balance of vets (J. Kidd), international stars (Dirk, Barea), bench (Terry, Barea, Haywood), youth/athleticism (Chandler, Barea) and size. Chicago, Miami and Oklahoma City are showing why they're going to be face of the next decade in the NBA.

Part of me though is still bugging out at how good Tyson Chandler has been this series. I grew up in high school seeing him as the biggest recruit ever and thinking he made a mistake going to the draft out of Compton Dominguez. 10 years later, we're both in our 20's and fulfilling some of the promise folks had for us back in 2001.

I'm just mixed about Friday because I'll be at a concert. The last time I attended a concert on a Lakers playoff game? Game 4 of the NBA Finals. Yeah, one of the worst games I've had to handle. I'm hoping that Prince isn't the only thing I'm celebrating that's wearing purple.

This could be the end or the start of something bigger. All my life, I've been a rational Lakers fan and I know when the hand we're dealt isn't a good one. Friday night's either gonna be a good night to be in Purple or an escape from reality sinking in.

Tonight was Dallas showing something extra that the Lakers haven't shown. The roles have reversed and it's not a pretty sight.

25 Years Since 63 - MJ's Arrival

The box score from April 20, 1986 where Michael Jordan made history in the Boston Garden

I gotta thank Twitter for this one. Following @BLKFACTS usually has some cool tidbits but last night saw one I paid attention to. Yesterday turned out to be the 25th anniversary of Michael Jordan's 63-point game against the Celtics in the 1st round of the 1986 playoffs.

What more can you say about this game that hasn't been said. The most points scored in playoff history. Larry Bird calling him "God". Jordan missing 64 games of the regular season and setting Game 2 with a 49-point Game 1 performance. All of this happening in his second full season. Here's what makes this game even more impressive.

- MJ did this against one of the greatest teams in NBA history that had the league MVP in Bird and two of the best defenders in the league that year in Kevin McHale and Dennis Johnson. Boston also finished 3rd in points allowed. 

- He shot over 50% despite having a suspect jumper and didn't take a single three-pointer.

- He led the team with 6 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks.

- Did I mention the 30-52 Chicago Bulls were the 2nd worst team record-wise to ever the postseason. Kyle Macy? Sidney Green? Dave Corzine? These were the guys playing with MJ, Orlando Woolridge and Charles Oakley.
- It was Jordan's 1st 50-point game. Couldn't have picked a better time to have the greatest point explosion in NBA playoff history.

Thanks to NBA 2K11, most folks have a better appreciation of how incredible this feat was. Trying to recreate 63 points is hard enough without factoring in the 6 assists or how good that 86 Celtics team really was (Just look at that box score - Danny Ainge with 24, gimpy Bill Walton off the bench with 10 and 15, and that's before you see what Bird and McHale did

You almost have to be completely selfish to do it before you realize that Jordan accomplished this completely within the flow of the game while recognizing the need to go clutch. In Game 3, Jordan faced constant double teams and only had 19 points to go with 10 rebounds and 9 assists in the loss. To paraphrase, MJ was "held" to a near triple-double as his team was swept. 

25 years later, it's still awe-inspiring. The first of many that showed why he's the greatest basketball player ever. 

The Lakers biggest threat to a 3-peat? Themselves

(This article appears on Bleacher Report - the latest expansion of my resume)

Every April, Lakers fans have to be wondering which team will show up in the postseason.

This year is no exception. 

Will they see the team that went 17-1 after the All-Star break or the team that lost five in a row and barely beat San Antonio and Sacramento? 

The two-time defending champs face the double dilemma of being at their most vulnerable while the Western Conference is more loaded than it’s been during their reign. 

As a result, that annual Finals trip is no longer a safe guarantee. 

Oh sure, folks are smart not to count the Lakers out. Everyone’s deferring to them as the West’s favorites and certainly they showed it by going 4-0 against Dallas and San Antonio in the second half 

Yet living in Los Angeles, you can feel a different edge about this team. Like there’s more at stake and that championship aura just doesn’t feel as confident as before. 

It’s because for the first time in four years, the Lakers face more teams that aren’t scared of them, can match up better and are hungry to prove themselves. 

Last year, they entered the playoffs after losing seven of their last 11; they also entered as the No. 1 seed with home court advantage and benefited from seeing their top rivals bounced earlier than expected in the playoffs. 

San Antonio has a great balance of youth and experience; Oklahoma City is now tougher with Kendrick Perkins in the middle; and Dallas, well—they were a threat before the Lakers beat them by nearly 30. This year’s different.

But the more things change, the more they the same.

Namely, all eyes remain on the left knee of Andrew Bynum. The MRI said Tuesday’s injury was a slight bone bruise and he’s expected to play in Sunday’s opener against New Orleans. 

It’s another reminder how fragile and unpredictable this playoff run will be. The team will already be without backup point guard Steve Blake until at least the second round due to chicken pox.

It also shows their biggest concern isn’t the revamped Spurs or Mavericks. It’s not the meaner Thunder. It’s not Miami or the Bulls looming in the East with the ultimate matchup nightmare in Derrick Rose. 

The Lakers’ biggest threat to a three-peat are themselves and making sure they are motivated and healthy enough to get there. 

It’s not about being in cruise control anymore and expecting to roll over the West. It’s about playing every game with a sense of urgency, knowing that this will be the last hurrah and anything less than a parade is unacceptable. 

If Kobe and company showed us anything after the break, they’re unbeatable when they want to be. No team can match their frontcourt and Bryant is still the most clutch player around.

But the key word is “when they want to be.” 

It’s time for Lamar Odom to remember why he played like the likely Sixrh Man of the Year. It’s time for the Killer B’s (Shannon Brown, Matt Barnes and Blake when he gets healthy) to get consistent. It’s time for Derek Fisher to find that spring clutch gene and tap into one more time.

It’s time for Andrew Bynum to be that force he was after the All-Star break and for Ron Artest to transform into the Queensbridge Strangler not the Lakers' headache. It's time for Pau Gasol to join Bryant in leading by example. 

And it’s time for Bryant to go into Black Mamba mode for two more months to solidify his legacy as the best player of this era. 

There’s no room for error this time around. History has shown that the third leg of a three-peat is the hardest. 

The 2002 Lakers had to survive a thrilling Western Conference Finals with the Sacramento Kings and win Game 7 on the road. The 1998 Chicago Bulls had to survive against the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals and defeat Utah in the NBA Finals without home court advantage.

This year’s Lakers team could face their own version of that adversity starting in the second round. That’s why it’s time they flip on the switch like a still wily gunslinger, instead of being treated like the sheriff in No Country for Old Men. 

The only thing standing in the way of another Figueroa parade is the Lakers. So like Spike Lee said, it’s time for them to wake up and start resembling the team Lakers fans know they can be.

The road is much harder this time, but it will also be the most rewarding.