Lebron, Just Stop!

After reading Josh’s excellent article, I couldn’t help get to thinking about our beloved Celtics and how they have been slipping recently because of injuries. Even though they have been struggling, the Boston Celtics are still coming away with enough wins to lock up the #2 seed before the playoffs. Players like Glen Davis, Eddie House, and Miki Moore are stepping up in the absence of KG, who will presumably come back at full strength before the playoffs. Also, Tony Allen, Brian Scalabrine, and Leon Powe should all be ready for the playoffs.

The Road to the Finals

The Celtics are projected at this point to play either Chicago or Detroit in the first round and likely Orlando in the second round. While all of these teams pose a challenge in their own respects, the Celtics should be able to get through to the Eastern Conference Finals. However…this man awaits.

Lebron James is a beast

Seriously, all it took was a competent point guard to make Lebron and the Cavaliers nearly unstoppable? The Cavs are riding a 12 game winning streak and are outpacing the Lakers for home court advantage throughout the postseason. Here are some stats during their 12 game win streak for you to chew on:

• The Cavs are averaging 100.5 points a night, outscoring their opponents by just under 10 points a game.
• Lebron is averaging 28.4 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 8.8 assists with a .479 FG percentage.
• Mo Williams is averaging over 20 points and hitting over 50% of his 3 pointers.

King James the MVP

Not to mention that the Cavs are an absurd 35-1 at home this season with their only loss coming to the Lakers, who are heavily favored to run the table in the tough Western Conference. Lebron is even making lifetime losers like Anderson Varejao and Wally Szczerbiak look like they don’t belong in the D-League. If that’s not a good enough example of why Lebron should have his name already engraved on the MVP trophy, then I don’t know what is.

But don’t worry Celts fans; there is a silver lining to all of this. The Celtics are 2-1 this year against the Cavs and have one more game left to play in Cleveland. The Cavs are also 0-4 on the road against the other top three teams in the league (Lakers, Celtics, and Magic). If the Celtics can come away with a win, it will be a strong morale boost and prove to the Celtics that health, not home court advantage, is the most important factor going into the playoffs.

Quick Note: Since this article was written, the Cavs had their 13 game win streak snapped by the Washington Wizards. They were then blown out on the road by the Orlando Magic by 29 points. However, the Cavs won their following game against the San Antonio Spurs to extend their record to 37-1 at home.

Thanks to Keith Allison for the excellent photo of Lebron.