Let's sing another song, boys.

The Most Important Written Words on LeBron James and Life. Ever.

Editor's note: This is guest blogger and Buddies roommate John Glenn. The opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of Buddies himself. In fact, Buddies has not even proofread this in any way which is customary to what he does with his own posts. Enjoy.

WTF ‘Bron?

This is the most important moment in the career of the most important athlete of my sports life. I believe in sports and sports alone. I’m deeply affected by the LeBacle.

“That’s why they play the games.” You play the games to know facts rather than guess. I don’t know anything anymore. My beliefs are shaken.

A wise man once screamed “THEY WERE WHO WE THOUGHT THEY WERE!!!” I have screamed to myself the exact opposite sentiment countless times this series. I thought the Cavs were good. I thought they would play with energy, especially on the defensive end. I thought they were happy. I thought the Celtics were old. I thought they loved to crumble too early. I thought their horribly annoying attitude would make them look foolish against a vastly superior opponent.

Wrong. Wrong, Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. I’m shocked by everything that has occurred in this series. I’m scrambling to make up answers to questions I now have.

This is somebody’s fault. WHO DO I BLAME?

Boston? Boston’s good?

This is not true.

Mike Brown?

I feel bad for Mike Brown. I was always under the impression that he was there to develop an elite defensive scheme and stay out of LeBron’s way. Considering his only tasks, I don’t blame Mike Brown.

Motivation is not MB’s job. Motivation is in the job description for the projects Scott Skiles and Larry Brown undertake. Mike Brown coaches under the assumption that title contention is motivation enough. His schemes and rotations are designed under the assumption that effort is greater than zombie level. Until Stern allows 7 defenders, there isn’t a defensive plan that would work given the effort the Cavs have put forth so far these playoffs.

The guy is going to lose his sweet job through no fault of his own. He’s not brilliant, but he’s not there to be brilliant for that entails getting in LeBron’s way. For reasons unknown, the necessary effort is not present. Without effort, coaching is irrelevant.

Supporting Cast?

I don’t have great reasons for not blaming the supporting cast. My expectations are low for this bunch. They feed off LeBron. Their job is to convert open shots on defenses desperately adjusting to the best player in the league. I could be getting cause-and-effect wrong, but I doubt it. If they were botching LeBron-created opportunities, I would quickly blame them. There are no opportunities to botch.

Cleveland?

This is my favorite possible culprit. Cleveland has a few jobs: buy everything for a lot of money(especially Quicken Loans), rock the Q, and believe in this lovable team. I’m assuming Cleveland sucks at buying things because it looks better for my argument if they’re bad at all three jobs.

Daily Dime Poll: Who will win Game 6, Boston or Cleveland?

Nation Results

Boston 66%

Cleveland 34%

Massachusetts Results

Boston 91%

Cleveland 9%

Ohio Results

Boston 38%

Cleveland 62%

How good is Cleveland at believing? Zero. At least 90% of Ohio should click the Cleveland button for this poll. Even if you’re worried, just click the button! This isn’t actually about what you think. The nation can see these results. Mo Williams can see these results. Mo’s sad. Show your support with that click of your mouse!

Boos started fairly early in the 3^rd quarter of Game 5. In Game 1, they waited for the Mo Dunk to get color back in their faces and get back into the game. In basketball, fans have to power to create energy and affect the game. Cleveland doesn’t do this on the biggest stages. It’s understandable, but not excusable. The city deserves to suffer their sports failures if they continue to be Negative Nancies. They can’t be upset about results unless they do their part. Hate and fear are not productive. Karma is real.

LeBron?

LeBron is 99% to blame. If he were playing the way we know him to play, the series would be over. That statement alone makes this all his fault.

So it’s ‘Bron’s fault. ¡¿Que pasa con LeBron?!

Start Spreadin’ the News…

LeBron is already mentally in New York. He’s checked out. If he knows he’s leaving, he can’t get emotionally up to the level necessary to succeed in the playoffs.

I don’t buy any part of this theory. This is not in LeBron’s best interest. He cares about his legacy. Bowing out like this is stupid. Even if he hated the city of Cleveland and every soul in it, he still wouldn’t do this.

Elbow

This is an injury unlike any other LeBron has played with and he doesn’t know how to adjust his game or routines. The injury sounds torturously mysterious. As an athlete, injuries are a bummer. Athletes learn to cope with injuries that make sense. I hurt X body part and it will take X weeks/months to heal after X treatment/surgery/rehab. Tell an athlete these things and they’re bummed but ultimately they can handle it. Tell an athlete you have no idea what’s wrong and what it will take to heal? That’s really not OK.

The elbow is an issue. LeBron improved his jumper to punish defenses like the Celtics’ from working consistently. Without confidence in his jumper, LeBron is a shell of an MVP. If it were the elbow alone, he would just revert to younger LeBron and barrel into the paint. This version of LeBron was solid enough to beat these Celtics. This explanation isn’t complete.

Lebron Needs a Hug

Weird to think about, right? A thought that is probably even more preposterous to LeBron than it is for us humans. I can’t help but remember when the Monstars stole Patrick Ewing’s talent. This led to many doctor’s visits including a trip to a therapist.

Imagine you’re LeBron James. You’re a supreme being from the start. Your talent, physical gifts, and intelligence set you up for unparalleled success at every point in your life/career. Your dick is 22 inches long. You’re the youngest and best to do everything. When you fail, it’s the fault of somebody else, or you get a pass because you’re young. Adversity doesn’t exist in your life.

Too old for that excuse. You have enough players around you. MJ won in his 7^th year. Most important free-agency in the history of the universe looming. The pressure is greater than ever. This alone is not a problem. You’re LeBron and you’re going to approach this like everything else: with confidence. Until you get this unpredictable, unfamiliar elbow injury, screwing up the whole LeBron approach.

I obviously don’t know how likely this is or how common it is in professional sports or what measures teams take to combat mental illness. I see a guy who looks out of sorts. He’s not himself. Isn’t it at least fathomable that the combination of intense pressure and an uncertain injury have wreaked havoc on the man’s mind? So many questions come to my mind. Am I the only person to suspect this? Does anybody approach him about it? Isn’t the stigma against depression about as great as possible if you’re LeBron freaking James? How likely is that guy to take medication or talk to a therapist?

Somebody give that guy a hug and a bro2bro!

Bronball Can’t Win?

I love LeBron. I love the way he operates. LeBron and his teams have an essence that I’ve never known in sports. I don’t know how much of this is calculated by LeBron or how much is simply an inevitable result of his personality. This doesn’t even matter to me. I love him equally either way.

I like to think of sports as a mirror of life. It’s corny but I truly believe it. Preparation, hard work, teamwork, competition, bad luck. Any idea that you must embrace in the field of sports, you encounter in life in some capacity.

If I were to live my life and treat those around me like a superstar basketball player of the past 30 years, I would choose LeBron in a landslide decision. LeBron’s conduct is most similar to that which leads to happiness.

MJ? Shaq? Kobe? Larry Bird? Magic Johnson? Tim Duncan? Charles Barkley? Allen Iverson? David Robinson? Steve Nash?

Has anyone won prolifically while treating their teammates the way we should all treat people in our lives? Does LeBron’s positive, happy, inclusive, light-hearted attitude only work in low pressure situations? Are his teams doomed to hit road blocks and fall apart?

I don’t want to believe this. I want to believe there is a chink in Bronball with this Cavs team. They aren’t doing enough loving somewhere in the chain. LeBron doesn’t have the wrong attitude. He needs to do even more of what he knows he should do.

Is it time to jump in the lake?

No. LeBron will dominate Game 6. I still believe in LeBron. Blowing a 3-2 lead at home is exactly how this Boston Celtics era will end.

If this doesn’t happen, my world will explode. I’ll be done with sports. I’m going to start reading news and voting.

Final notes

Ice Cube’s 30 for 30 doc is by far the worst of the series. Is anybody shocked by this?

Julia Louis-Dreyfus is looking good on Kimmel right now

Games 3 and 4: Varying Levels of Focus

In a span of three days, the Cavs have given the public strong arguments as to why they are championship contenders and why they are not.

In Game 3, notably after an embarrassing loss by the Cavs at home, Cleveland couldn't miss and Boston couldn't breathe. It was a dominant performance in a game the Celtics had every reason to want to win. Then, during LeBron's likely normal nap time, the Cavs forgot to wake up on a Sunday afternoon game and refused to choke the life out of the wobbly Celtics. That is the one step Cleveland has yet to take in becoming a title contending team. They beat the Celtics in a game Boston WANTED but they haven't yet beaten Boston in a "must-win" game for THEM. There's a difference.

I'll spare you the actual adjustments that could be made because they're only medium important. I'm coming at this series, and whole playoffs for that matter, with a wait and see attitude.

So far, these playoffs have been unpleasant to watch...especially when compared to last years' first two round turbo sweeps (which Orlando perfected this year). Last year's team started LeBron James and Mo Williams, one and a half All Stars. The rest of the starters were Delonte West, Anderson Varejao, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas. I've said this a million times and I'll say it again, that lineup isn't really that good. That team was stealing games with hustle and defense (and LeBron) and covering up for their lack of real talent off the bench. They played such a fun brand of basketball because they knew they couldn't coast but they had such a unique player in LeBron that when his good vibes were flowing, they blew teams out of the water. Once Orlando figured out that they matched up perfectly with the Cavs and that they could win games with LeBron playing almost flawless games, it was basically over. Once a super talented team realizes it doesn't have to scramble to stop LeBron, they can just play. The Cavs couldn't make the Magic panic last year no matter what they did.

So, back to the psychology...

This is the culminating year of the perceived preordained championships LeBron is supposed to win. They've been waiting for the Orlando/L.A. back-to-back series for a while now. When analysts say about veteran teams that the regular season bores them, I usually say, "Ahhh shut up, they're old and they suck."

Well now I'm coming back to that. This Cavs team has no beef with the Celtics anymore. If they did, don't you think they would try in the playoffs? In the playoffs so far, the Cavs have given full effort for one game in each series and they won by almost 30 in both. Nobody likes watching a team that isn't trying and it seems distasteful.

I don't know if this lack of effort is concerning or a problem...I don't even really know why it's happening. I've never been that good at anything or in the position that the Cavs are in right now. That's why all I can do is wait. I can argue with poor substitutions or strategies but it's hard for me to be critical of effort for some reason. Ultimately, it's their team and they can do what they want. I don't know what is going on with this team so all I can do is trust that they know what they are doing. I personally believe that Cleveland has the best team and will eventually show it consistently.

Basically, I have no predictions. We're in uncharted waters here. Most of the time, when a team wins the title, it doesn't come without a period of doubt. Here's to hoping this is that period.

Game 2: Embarrassment of Riches

For our sanity's sake, let's start with the "riches."

The team with the best record in the first half of the season and no distinct disadvantage against any elite team traded for Antawn Jamison, an occasional All Star and prolific scorer. Through most of this, the starting and back up centers were hurt and gone, respectively. Then, right before the playoffs, everybody came back relinquishing the starting power forward for almost the entire season not only to the bench, but damn near out of the rotation. This is all without mentioning that the starting shooting guard is coming off the bench and the starting point guard from the team that went to the finals not even sniffing playing time. The guys in suits: trade throw-in but early round draft pick (Telfair), rookie Danny Green and champion backup power forward Leon Powe. When the Cavs went on their longest winning streak of the season, former All Star Mo Williams and back up point guard Delonte West was as well. This is a testament to how incredibly deep this team is.

Now, for the embarrassment.

I'm not even sure what any of this means, really. It was clear on Monday night that the Cavs were not at full effort and concentration. That's always annoying, frankly. Most fans can't imagine not being interested in playing in any NBA game but in the middle of such a long season, it's understandable however irritating. With that said, playing in the second round of the playoffs against a team that is owed a such a beat down and being as sluggish as the Cavs were in Game 2 is pretty hard to fathom.

Let's go back to that winning streak in the middle of the season with Boobie Gibson at point guard. It seemed as though the Cavs were constantly threatened by everyone. They assumed every team was out to get them because they seemed vulnerable. Every player stepped up like they had something to prove. Is that still there with everyone healthy? Does this team need someone to get hurt before they start playing well again? Mike Brown uncharacteristically criticized him team after that game. Maybe that's good. Maybe someone just needs to insult this team.

Now for the elephant in the room: Is LeBron OK?

Never have I seen LeBron play the way he has played in these first two games. When he says in response to questions about his elbow, "I'll be a productive player." For this team, that isn't good enough. The Cavs are based off of LeBron being constantly aggressive. Sometimes you'll get heat check threes and overshooting and turnovers...I'll take that over this passive James we've seen in this series. The supporting cast thrives off of the assertion of his dominance. He has at least one of those plays in most games. He's not even attempting them so far. If he's hurt or trying to prove something, I don't know. If there is something physically wrong with him that's causing him to play this way and it cannot be fixed, the Cavs cannot win. LeBron can't blend in.

I guess we'll see what's really going on with him and if the Cavs can overcome their own depth in the games to come.

Game 1: Let's Review...Shall We?

Although I can't find it on NBA.com (and therefore, gave up), I saw a glimpse of the Doc Rivers post game presser on the Inside the NBA post game show and he said something like, "It's about us." This quote, of course, insinuating that if the Celtics play the best they will win and it's up to them to do so. Ironically, what we have in this series is the exact opposite situation...one of many confounding things about this game.

The first half for the Cavs was grotesquely low energy. Down 11 without the Celtics doing anything remotely spectacular, several missed layups and LeBron playing like he really does have a dead right arm. This, unlike what the Doc would lead you to believe, is the only type of game the Celtics can win against the Cavs. Boston has to somehow lull the Cavs into playing a slow and low energy game and sneak up on them and win at the end. This, by the way, is the reason the Celtics can't win this series. If they win a few games, the Cavs will turn up the heat and eviscerate this over-the-hill team. There's just no way you can close out a team if, once you get the other team's attention, you have no chance.

This can be a problem for the Cavs though. As we saw in the first half, the Cavs play timid and without interest sometimes. Eventually, LeBron usually makes such an amazing play that the rest of the team gets fired up and goes on an unstoppable run to win the game. The problem on Saturday was that LeBron was playing as timid as I've ever seen him play and wasn't able to bring the spark. It had to be delivered by someone else.

The spark came from the most unlikely source, Mo Williams. Not unlikely because he isn't any good, unlikely because he looks the most frightened in the playoffs of any player on the roster. After he stole the ball and dunked on Paul Pierce, his second dunk of his NBA career, he was unable to miss for the rest of the 3rd quarter. This play slapped the whole team back into reality and LeBron and Shaq were able to close it out. This time, Mo picked up LeBron.

The way LeBron and Shaq finished the game was interesting too. After a first half that was shockingly low-effort for a rivalry home playoff game, LeBron and Shaq had two or three baskets between them that were purely effort and guts. This was a great thing to see, especially from Shaq. Being able to keep him on the floor the entire fourth quarter (while feeding his ego) is fantastic.

In the end, I know old man analysts like to pick the Celtics out of respect, but I couldn't see it happening and nothing in Game 1 led me to change my mind. The Celtics played pretty well. Their one mismatch (Rajon Rondo) certainly filled that role and yet when the Cavs went on their single run of the game, there was no resistance. As my brother and I discussed, the Celtics are like a boxer trying to win a match with no right hook. All he can do is jab, jab, jab. Boston jabbed all game, and they'll continue to, but the Cavs won this match with only throwing one punch and that can't be a good sign for Boston.