Does LeBron have "IT?" by Chris Wallace

This wasn't the scene that ANY basketball fan expected...at least not HERE, not NOW. But there he was...the second most famous #23 in the world was walking off the basketball court with 3:58 remaining in the 4th quarter of Game 5 of the 2010 Eastern Conference Seminfinals against the Boston Celtics to a smattering of boos, plenty of empty seats and puzzled looks on the faces of fans, teammates and even himself. Favorites to win NBA titles shouldn't lose games like THIS---a 32-point HOME loss to a team that's allegedly "too old" to win...a team that possesses a group of 30-somethings Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett. A team that supposedly has a 20-something that can't shoot jumpers in Rajon Rondo....a team that supposed has "nothing left in the tank." But they have essentially become a team that NOW has a player that has been the best player in this series BY FAR.

Through the first five games of this surprising series, Rajon Rondo appears to have stolen LeBron James' mojo. Is it the elbow? Is it the impending free agency? Or does LeBron just not have "IT?" By the way, whatever happened to LeBron "asking" to guard Rondo in Game 5?? Whatever the case may be, the Cavaliers potential loss in this series would not only spell the end of their season but potentially the end of an era in Cleveland for the league's back-to-back Most Valuable Player and one of the game's all-time greats. Is this really happening? Is the Cavs season on the brink AGAIN after being favorites to win it all AGAIN this season? Most importantly, does LeBron James' demeanor and words look and sound like a player who urgently wants to win or is anticipating his next big move?

As LeBron, sharply dressed, posted up behind the podium and adjusted the mic on Tuesday night, he boldly stated “I spoil a lot of people with my play. When you have three bad games in seven years, it’s easy to point them out. I put a lot of pressure on myself to go out and be great and the best player on the court. When I don’t, I feel bad for myself.” Huh? Are you kidding me? How dare a player of his caliber use such a cop-out in explaining his woeful 3-for-14 performance by covering his own ass? How dare he sound so immensly selfish that I had to do a double take to make sure this was indeed LeBron speaking. How dare the game's best player, Most Valuable Player not take on a more urgent approach by stating something along these lines---"We will play better and I will make sure we play hard." Kobe would have done it. So would Michael. So would many of the other all-time greats who have won titles.

But LeBron? Perhaps he has already mentally departed the Cavs. Maybe his mind is REALLY more on being a billionaire than winning titles. Maybe his impending free agency has him exploring those options more than he's leading us to believe. The Cavs have babied and pampered LeBron for seven years, surrounding him with the talent to win NOW, sitting back patiently even as he "flirts" with teams such as the New York Knicks and Chicago Bulls, watching as he brushes off his coaches overtures to play defense or run the offense, watching him dance in front of opposing teams' bench which is an act of disrespect, not disciplining him last season as he rushed off the court in disgust over losing to Orlando (an act in which he shook no ones hand and declined an interview) and most importantly, watched as he has displayed no real sense of urgency in this series, at least not the kind you want in your superstar.

Whatever the case may be, LeBron's legacy is beginning to hang in the balance. Seven years in, there's still nothing really to show for what he has accomplished...yea there's a few MVP's, a few all-star games, scoring titles, all-NBA accolades, etc, etc but players are not measured by the number of all-star games and scoring titles and things of that nature. They need hardware and Lebron knows this. He's currently chasing Kobe Bryant's greatness and popularity (hence his jersey number switch after Kobe's jersey was reportedly the league's top-selling jersey for the 2nd straight year) and wants to be known as "the greatest player of all-time." A loss on Thursday night would almost certainly mean that LeBron's legacy as a Cav would be widely known as the "era that SHOULD and COULD have been." Lost under the rubble would be the Cavs failures in years past. Perhaps Jordan's jumper over Craig Ehlo becomes replaced by LeBron's losses in back-to-back years when the Cavs were considered heavy favorites to represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals. Maybe even Ernest Byner's fumble against the Broncos gets forgotten. Or perhaps those moments become even MORE engrained in the minds of Cleveland fans, who have yearned for a title for more than 40 years now.

This series, by all means, is far from over. FAR FROM OVER. I mean honestly, the Cavs still have LeBron, who could detinate for 50 or so on a given night, and they are still playing the Celtics, who may not have the legs to finish this series. But time is running short. I have said this a number of times before and I will say it again...The time is NOW for LeBron. All eyes are watching. Kobe's eyes are watching. Jordan's eyes are watching. Fans eyes are watching. Other all-time greats eyes are watching. Sports commentators and observers are watching. Every damn body is watching. So as this series shifts to a potentially season-ending Game 6 is Boston, I hope LeBron is also watching. The clock is ticking...tick...tick..tick.....