Cavs Playing for a Future with Lebron?
Cleveland needs to win Game Six to continue the Lebron-era....
STEPPING onto the floor Thursday night, players from the Cleveland Cavaliers will realise that it’s ‘win or go home’ for them, but lose and Lebron James may have played his last game as their team mate.
Lebron, MVP of the regular season, wore a pained look as he left the Quicken Loans Arena court on Tuesday night, and his expression had as much to do with the manor of his team’s defeat as it did the shoulder injury that he is currently carrying.
Boston’s 120-88 victory, the biggest margin of defeat in Cavs franchise playoff history, put Mike Brown’s team on the edge of elimination, and means that with a win on their home floor, Doc Rivers’ Celtics will advance to face Orlando in the eastern conference finals; a scenario that nobody except those in New England foresaw.
Defeat was only made worse for the Cavs by a chorus of boos that the team departed off the court hearing. Amongst those fans, many will wonder if they will ever see Lebron play in person as an ally ever again. James, who becomes a free agent on July 1, 2010, has refused to comment on his future, and many believe that a ring is the only way to keep their star player for the foreseeable future.
Commentators in the media picked up on Lebron’s rather lethargic body language in Game Five and downbeat tone in his post match press conferences. Although the player himself described his performance as “an off night” the King and his team cannot afford any more slip ups if they want to become NBA Champions.
In Game Three of the series, Lebron torched the Celtics for 38 points but hit just 3 of 14 and 0 of 4 from three-point range last night. Fans of the Cavs will be hoping for a dominant performance to save them from another season of disappointment.
With the added motivation of potentially playing a key role in deciding Lebron’s future, the Cavs players will be in determined mood for the game which begins at 8pm ET. The consequences of defeat affect their own personal futures as well as that of their talismanic forward.
In his six years as a pro, Lebron has reached the NBA Finals only once in 2007, and was powerless as the Spurs swept their way to the title. Last season, Lebron and the Cavs were stopped by the Orlando Magic in the conference finals and with Stan Van Gundy’s side facing the winner of the Cavs – Celtic’s series, Cleveland had a perfect chance at revenge over their state rivals should they prevail in a Game Seven.
Tonight however, the focus will be very much on action at the TD Garden as the Cavs look to force a deciding game back in Ohio. As ever the eyes of the basketball world will be on Lebron, not only his performance but his body language – especially if he is on the losing side.
Cleveland needs to win Game Six to continue the Lebron-era....
STEPPING onto the floor Thursday night, players from the Cleveland Cavaliers will realise that it’s ‘win or go home’ for them, but lose and Lebron James may have played his last game as their team mate.
Lebron, MVP of the regular season, wore a pained look as he left the Quicken Loans Arena court on Tuesday night, and his expression had as much to do with the manor of his team’s defeat as it did the shoulder injury that he is currently carrying.
Boston’s 120-88 victory, the biggest margin of defeat in Cavs franchise playoff history, put Mike Brown’s team on the edge of elimination, and means that with a win on their home floor, Doc Rivers’ Celtics will advance to face Orlando in the eastern conference finals; a scenario that nobody except those in New England foresaw.
Defeat was only made worse for the Cavs by a chorus of boos that the team departed off the court hearing. Amongst those fans, many will wonder if they will ever see Lebron play in person as an ally ever again. James, who becomes a free agent on July 1, 2010, has refused to comment on his future, and many believe that a ring is the only way to keep their star player for the foreseeable future.
Commentators in the media picked up on Lebron’s rather lethargic body language in Game Five and downbeat tone in his post match press conferences. Although the player himself described his performance as “an off night” the King and his team cannot afford any more slip ups if they want to become NBA Champions.
In Game Three of the series, Lebron torched the Celtics for 38 points but hit just 3 of 14 and 0 of 4 from three-point range last night. Fans of the Cavs will be hoping for a dominant performance to save them from another season of disappointment.
With the added motivation of potentially playing a key role in deciding Lebron’s future, the Cavs players will be in determined mood for the game which begins at 8pm ET. The consequences of defeat affect their own personal futures as well as that of their talismanic forward.
In his six years as a pro, Lebron has reached the NBA Finals only once in 2007, and was powerless as the Spurs swept their way to the title. Last season, Lebron and the Cavs were stopped by the Orlando Magic in the conference finals and with Stan Van Gundy’s side facing the winner of the Cavs – Celtic’s series, Cleveland had a perfect chance at revenge over their state rivals should they prevail in a Game Seven.
Tonight however, the focus will be very much on action at the TD Garden as the Cavs look to force a deciding game back in Ohio. As ever the eyes of the basketball world will be on Lebron, not only his performance but his body language – especially if he is on the losing side.