The Cleveland Cavaliers are a better team. LeBron James is a better player.
Of course, no one in Philadelphia wants to hear that. Particularly after watching a 37-point, 12-assist night by Allen Iverson wasted in the 76ers' 123-120 loss last night at the Wachovia Center.
But after witnessing James perform his wizardry - resembling Michael Jordan one minute, Magic Johnson the next - for one rare moment this town should reserve some brotherly love for someone other than its own.
James hasn't visited the playoffs yet, let alone won a playoff series. And since he's just 20 years of age, no doubt the great ones would be insulted by having the name of someone who hasn't reached the drinking age mentioned in the same breath as their own.
But look at James. He stands 6-foot-8, his 245-pound frame built of chiseled muscle; his ballhandling skills are solid, his passing superb. He's capable of scoring on anyone anytime he wants.
"I just hope I'm earning people's respect," James said.
Please!
The stat line at the end read like this: 36 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, marking James' fifth-career triple-double.
"The thing I'm most proud of is that the things I've worked so hard on throughout this off-season seem to be paying dividends," James said. "All off-season, I worked on my lateral movement for defensive purposes, my ballhandling - because I knew people would try to test that - and my perimeter shooting.
"Everything seems to be going well now. We have won seven straight. All I'm saying is that I'm not trying to watch another postseason. I'm trying to be in it."
Jealous? If you're an NBA fan, you should be, because there's nothing like him in the game today.
"I haven't said this very much in my lifetime, but tonight, that young man reminded me of Oscar Robertson," said Sonny Hill, an adviser with the Sixers and Philly's preeminent basketball aficionado. "Look at what he did. He spent the better part of the game letting the game come to him, setting other guys up, being a facilitator, a distributor. Then he noticed no one was getting anything done in the fourth quarter and just took over. Nobody - and I mean nobody - has ever done that better than Oscar Robertson. That's how LeBron looked in this game."
And so it goes. The guy known as King James, who is constantly prodded for his birth certificate because few believe he's 20 years old, has already established himself as an all-star, an Olympian and, in some people's eyes, a future champion.
Nothing seems too far-fetched with him.
If only we could say the same for these Sixers.
Don't get me wrong, the Sixers have an upside. If Iverson and Chris Webber, who entered this season taking up a combined $113.6 million of the Sixers' dollars over the next three years, continue to play the way they're playing, the Sixers are going places.
Both are scoring at will. Webber really looks impressive, as if he really did work on his legs this off-season. Andre Iguodala (17 points last night) is coming alive more and more every game. Kyle Korver is a marksman if ever there was one. And if John Salmons can become more consistent, and Samuel Dalembert is able to come back and give you anything this season, there's promise with this team.
Just not the kind of promise that comes attached to King James.
At the moment, James doesn't appear to have a weakness in his game, if for no other reason than because he's occupying everyone with his explosiveness. And the proof doesn't just lie in his 13-point fourth-quarter on 6-for-8 shooting.
"It's everything else about this kid," first-year coach Mike Brown explained. "His leadership is off the charts. He's not just a leader on the court; he's a vocal leader. He leads us in drills. When he loses, he's sprinting around the court, making others do the same. Clearly, he's on a mission. And I'm not sure it's just to be a champion. He wants greatness. He's determined to have it, and everyone's following his lead."
The Cavs proved as much with 50 percent shooting in the fourth quarter, overcoming a nine-point deficit to pull out the victory. And as the final buzzer sounded, the resignation on the faces of the Sixers spoke louder than anything else.
They put up 120 points. Got a combined 63 points from Iverson and Webber. Lost anyway, and didn't even appear that frustrated.
"I've been there before myself," Cavs point guard Damon Jones said. "You know, when you do your best and it's not good enough because of one man."
Then he looked over and LeBron James and just smiled.
Somehow, you get the impression that will happen a lot for anyone who plays with this guy.
Link
Of course, no one in Philadelphia wants to hear that. Particularly after watching a 37-point, 12-assist night by Allen Iverson wasted in the 76ers' 123-120 loss last night at the Wachovia Center.
But after witnessing James perform his wizardry - resembling Michael Jordan one minute, Magic Johnson the next - for one rare moment this town should reserve some brotherly love for someone other than its own.
James hasn't visited the playoffs yet, let alone won a playoff series. And since he's just 20 years of age, no doubt the great ones would be insulted by having the name of someone who hasn't reached the drinking age mentioned in the same breath as their own.
But look at James. He stands 6-foot-8, his 245-pound frame built of chiseled muscle; his ballhandling skills are solid, his passing superb. He's capable of scoring on anyone anytime he wants.
"I just hope I'm earning people's respect," James said.
Please!
The stat line at the end read like this: 36 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, marking James' fifth-career triple-double.
"The thing I'm most proud of is that the things I've worked so hard on throughout this off-season seem to be paying dividends," James said. "All off-season, I worked on my lateral movement for defensive purposes, my ballhandling - because I knew people would try to test that - and my perimeter shooting.
"Everything seems to be going well now. We have won seven straight. All I'm saying is that I'm not trying to watch another postseason. I'm trying to be in it."
Jealous? If you're an NBA fan, you should be, because there's nothing like him in the game today.
"I haven't said this very much in my lifetime, but tonight, that young man reminded me of Oscar Robertson," said Sonny Hill, an adviser with the Sixers and Philly's preeminent basketball aficionado. "Look at what he did. He spent the better part of the game letting the game come to him, setting other guys up, being a facilitator, a distributor. Then he noticed no one was getting anything done in the fourth quarter and just took over. Nobody - and I mean nobody - has ever done that better than Oscar Robertson. That's how LeBron looked in this game."
And so it goes. The guy known as King James, who is constantly prodded for his birth certificate because few believe he's 20 years old, has already established himself as an all-star, an Olympian and, in some people's eyes, a future champion.
Nothing seems too far-fetched with him.
If only we could say the same for these Sixers.
Don't get me wrong, the Sixers have an upside. If Iverson and Chris Webber, who entered this season taking up a combined $113.6 million of the Sixers' dollars over the next three years, continue to play the way they're playing, the Sixers are going places.
Both are scoring at will. Webber really looks impressive, as if he really did work on his legs this off-season. Andre Iguodala (17 points last night) is coming alive more and more every game. Kyle Korver is a marksman if ever there was one. And if John Salmons can become more consistent, and Samuel Dalembert is able to come back and give you anything this season, there's promise with this team.
Just not the kind of promise that comes attached to King James.
At the moment, James doesn't appear to have a weakness in his game, if for no other reason than because he's occupying everyone with his explosiveness. And the proof doesn't just lie in his 13-point fourth-quarter on 6-for-8 shooting.
"It's everything else about this kid," first-year coach Mike Brown explained. "His leadership is off the charts. He's not just a leader on the court; he's a vocal leader. He leads us in drills. When he loses, he's sprinting around the court, making others do the same. Clearly, he's on a mission. And I'm not sure it's just to be a champion. He wants greatness. He's determined to have it, and everyone's following his lead."
The Cavs proved as much with 50 percent shooting in the fourth quarter, overcoming a nine-point deficit to pull out the victory. And as the final buzzer sounded, the resignation on the faces of the Sixers spoke louder than anything else.
They put up 120 points. Got a combined 63 points from Iverson and Webber. Lost anyway, and didn't even appear that frustrated.
"I've been there before myself," Cavs point guard Damon Jones said. "You know, when you do your best and it's not good enough because of one man."
Then he looked over and LeBron James and just smiled.
Somehow, you get the impression that will happen a lot for anyone who plays with this guy.
Link
