They don’t call him “King James” for nothing.

As it goes with kings, Lebron James has no problem with delegation. In Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals, James delegated shot-taking responsibilites to two of his Cleveland teammates in the final possessions of the game.

The teammates — Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Donyell Marshall — missed both shots and cost the Cleveland Cavaliers a chance of stealing home-court advantage away from Detroit.

After the game, Charles Barkley and Magic Johnson spoke their piece, ripping James for not having the “Let me do it” mentality. The fire. The desire to take over at clutch moments and be selfish with the rock.

Magic, Charles and any other person placing blame on King James are asbsolutely wrong.

In both moments, James held the ultimate decision-making power. In both moments, James ultimately made the right decision.

Why should James be blamed for his teammates’ shortcomings? Even if — this is a HUGE if — James elected to pass the ball rather than shoot just to escape blame, he is still not at fault. Most of the good point guards would have made the same play 9 out of 10 times.

ESPN’s John Hollinger points out — while breaking down the numbers of why ‘Bron’s decision was statistically correct — that a certain 2-time MVP would have made that pass, 100 times out of 100. Criticism never does seem to flow in the same direction, consistently, in sports.

James plays in the National Basketball Association, a league full of professional ball players. Every player’s role is different but they tend to have similar goals: run, pass, catch and shoot and the bottom line is to score more points than the other team.

The Cavs were this close scoring more than than the Pistions, with the final shot for Cleveland coming from Marshall in the corner beyond the arc. Wide open. Click-clack. The rim had its own Under Armor moment and decided “WE MUST PROTECT THIS HOUSE!”

With 12 seconds to go, a timeout was called. A play was set. The Cavs executed the play to perfection. Lebron James executed the play to perfection. Donyell Marshall screwed everything up.

Don’t blame the team player for assuming his teammates are out on the floor to contribute. NBA players are constantly accused of selfishness but Lebron was anything but in this case. Despite his status as an NBA superstar, he executed a coach-designed play to perfection, set to go for the win on the road. Yes, a layup was possible, but on the road the odds were against the Cavs.

The media/critic/hater backlash is overblown.

Jesters dance, chefs cook and concubines… well, you get the point.

Kings delegate.

Lebron made the right decision at the end of the game, considering Marshall’s 3-point reliability in the playoffs thus far (remember the 6 threes against the Nets). His status as a superstar is the only reason he receives blame. If Steve Blake or TJ Ford makes the same decision, the blame is placed on the missed shot.

But James is “The Next…” so until he hits buzzer-beaters, game-winners and wags his tongue in the wind, the criticism will continue.

For tonight’s Game 2 in Detroit, James promises to shoot more and do all the right things to get past all this undeserved last-play criticism. Should be a classic tonight. Two things: don’t expect Tayshaun Prince to go 1-for-11 again. And don’t expect James to hold back on shooting the rock.

*For some reason this issue reminds me of the Chris Rock special that talks about the Bill Clinton/Monica Lewinsky sexual relations incident and jokes, asking how famous one must be to catapult someone who you “mess with” into their own fame…

Greg Oden Will Have Tim Duncan To Credit For #1 Pick
Remember the debates about whether to pick Kevin Durant or Greg Oden? Gone. Oden is the pound-for-pound, undisputed consensus #1 pick. Now that all but 4 teams have faded into the off-season, Tim “The Big Fundamental” Duncan has taken the big stage, yet again, showing how important it is to have a big man on your roster. Lottery teams have no choice but to take notice, especially considering recent history: Duncan and Shaq, the premier big men of the league, hold 7 of the last 8 NBA championship titles.

Wow indeed.

If we can draw the parallel without being punched in the face, skipping over Oden would be 10-times bigger than the Houston Texans skipping over Reggie Bush last year.

Watching the NBA Through A Racial Lens
Henry Abbott, of TrueHoop (via ESPN), posted the thoughts of a poet/author named Sherman Alexie regarding the NBA from a racial point-of-view. It is poignant and very much worth reading. I have a snippet here but for the entire post go to TrueHoop:

I’m positive the anti-NBA reaction is racial AND racist.

First of all, in racial terms, the game has become so black American and internationally dominated that the typical white American fan has nobody special to root for. That’s not racism, but it is racial. And it’s not a problem. If a Native American ever makes it into the NBA, he will instantly become my favorite player because I will racially, culturally, and physically identify with him. I understand and completely accept why so many white guys love Larry Bird, just as I understand why there are 1,000 black kids in Kobe Bryant jerseys at every Laker game played here in Seattle. It’s a tribal thing.

But the racial aspects of fandom can easily become racist. And I think that many white fans, having no player like Larry Bird or even Tom Chambers to root for, have consciously and/or subconsiously turned that lack of a special white player into an indictment of the league in general. And since the league is black it becomes an indictment of blackness.

Read the rest here.

Was Lebron serious last night?

Eastern Conference Finals… Six seconds left in the game. All my commercials talk about me beating Detroit to get to the finals. I blow past Tayshaun Prince, Sheed is too late for a weak side block. I have a clear shot to the rim and 35 pounds of muscle over Prince. This is the moment Wise Lebron talked about… Umm, I’ll pass to Donyell Marshall. He has not hit a three point shot all night, but he is my teammate and I love him.

Lebron just does not have that killer instinct that makes great athletes. Last night Lebron passed up the most important shot of his career thus far. It is easy to hit game winners against Antawn Jamison and the Wizards in the first round, but during the Eastern Conference Finals against Tayshaun Prince? Lebron has a long way to go.

My theory is Lebron struggles at the end of games because he never went to college. Carmelo Anthony, Dwayne Wade, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird all developed a killer instinct during their college years. NCAA tournaments made these players the NBA stars and legends they became. I had the privilege to watch Lebron in-person during high school; he was by far the best player on the court every night. He never had to learn how to take over a close game in the waning seconds, because he was so dominant. Kevin Garnett and Tracy McGrady have the same “take over a game” problems.

My college coach told me an interesting story about Kobe Bryant’s high school playing days that make him the exception to the rule. Kobe would dominate early having his team up by twenty, then Kobe would allow teams to come back, just so he could bring his team back or hit a game winner. Kobe has that rare Michael Jordan competitive edge, that just makes him scary. For the NBA’s sake, hopefully Lebron will eventual develop that killer instinct.

How bad was Vince Carter in the Playoffs?

Isn’t this guy in a contract year? Doesn’t Vince want to become a free agent for the first time in his career and command one last max deal? Not being able to score on Eric Snow at the end of a pivotal playoff game is causing the Orlando Magic or Charlotte Bobcats gag more than drool. Carter did little to prove he deserves the 3 year, 60 million dollar contract he is seeking.

Vince Carter has been an underachiever his entire career and is SOFT. How can you jump over a seven foot European and not get off a shot on Eric Snow? I thought Jason Kidd would rejuvenate Vince’s career and return him to stardom, but Vince can’t even get onto the new Team Nike Basketball commercial (more on Nike later).

Not only has Vince cost himself millions during the playoffs, he is killing Richard Jefferson’s effectiveness. The former Arizona Wildcat is stuck playing second fiddle to the overrated Carter and for this New Jersey Nets coach Lawrence Frank should be fired. He lets Vince dominate the ball the entire game, knowing Vince will not come through when it really matters. It is laughable that Richard Jefferson draws the assignment of guarding the best player on ever team they face, while his offensive talents are ignored so Carter can try to get his max deal. Lawrence Frank is secretly giving Carter an opportunity to shine so he can leave via free agency. By not allowing Jefferson to shine, Frank is making it impossible for NJ Nets President Rod Thorn to trade Jefferson, giving Frank the player he wants all along. Either way, down with Lawrence Frank for wasting talent!

I miss Lil’ Penny and the Fun Police

What has happened to the NBA sneaker world? I have yet to see any sneaker commercials during the playoffs except for the Lebrons. The Team Nike commercial was cool, but where is the follow up? Amare Stoudamire or Steve Nash can’t get their own Nike commercial? It is understandable why Nike does not give Kobe his own commercial and blends him in with the team, but what about Paul Pierce, Shawn Marion, or Sheed? What happened to the good old days when Lil’ Penny made me enjoy watching Anfernee in commercials almost as much as in games. Remember Sir Charles telling you he was not a role model? I miss the days of Kevin Garnett, Tim Hardaway and Gary Payton’s Fun Police, not to mention Spike Lee playing Mars. “It’s gotta be the shoes!”

The problem is the players do not wear the shoes they endorse anymore. Watch Lebron’s feet during the Eastern Conference Finals, there is 50% chance he will not wear the Lebron James’ that we all see at Foot Locker. I have no idea what Nike sneaker he had on last night (the Air Afraid to Shoot Zooms). Kobe Bryant is also a culprit, he never wears the same store bought Nike you wear.

Honorable mention goes out to the Adidas “starting five� campaign on a great Gilbert Arenas commercial, but what happened to the Tracy McGrady commercial or the Kevin Garnett commercial? Atleast Adidas only puts out one GilZero a season.

My favorite commercial of the NBA season goes out to Dwayne Wades Gatorade commercial. Because the commercial is never on television, I hooked you up with a YouTube link.

Derek Fisher’s story threw a wrench into my plans to root whole-heartedly for the Golden State Warriors.

After missing Game 1 for personal reasons, Fisher showed up to Game 2 with 3 minutes left in the 3rd quarter. By the time the OT buzzer sounded and the Utah Jazz defeated the Golden State Warriors, his relentless defense against Baron Davis and a clutch 5 overtime points made a huge difference in the Utes pulling of the win.

After the game, members of both teams hugged Fisher in support. It’s hard to be mad at a man who did what we hope all players would do — chose family over work — and still managed to show up and contribute to his team pulling a 2-0 lead over the underdog Warriors.

Everyone loves a good story and, of course, Fisher never planned on becoming the main headline of this series. He’s already got his championship rings, but he’ll be the first to tell you that no matter how much all these players say they’d sell their soul for a trophy, the game is only so big and there so many other things larger than hoops.

The Warriors shot themselves in the foot, missing critical free throws down the stretch. If Dirk were in the way and he were allowed to double-pump or shoot from half-court, maybe Baron would’ve closed the game out with mere seconds remaining in regulation. Their fun-and-gun style was bound to get them at some point, but as they are headed back to Oracle Arena, be sure that the crowd will help them balance this series out and keep their run in the spotlight. One night they’ll be off, another they’ll be on, but on most nights lately they’ve made each and every game truly fun to watch.

“Look At Me, Ma!” players of the series have been both Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer. Williams, in just his second year in the league, has shown that he can show up big when the pros need it. Although he ran into foul trouble early last night, he still finished with a respectable 17 points and 14 assists. Boozer has played out of his mind, averaging a double-double each night, including 30 points and 13 rebounds last night. No surprise for both, who’ve seen their averages from the regular season carry over into the playoffs. Remember, the Jazz started off the season with the best record in basketball before they leveled out their play halfway through the season.

Golden State will need for people other than Baron Davis to step up if they hope to turn things around when they get back home. Hopefully the hometown crowd can energize Stephen Jackson (4-18 FGs) and Matt Barnes (3-12 FGs) to get their accuracy up. But I guess that’s easier said than done for Jackson, who has Kirilenko (6 total blocks, 3 on Jackson) covering every move he makes.

Stern Can’t Possibly Credit Playoff Excitement To His League-Wide Outfit And Conduct Rule Changes…Right?

This series, along with the Phoenix/Spurs, only helps point out how much more exciting the West is compared to the East. There aren’t too many “walk in the park” games in the West. Case-in-point: Even the number one seed (Dallas) knew they would have a tough time against the number 8 seed (Golden State) and the result justified their initial worries. The squad who’d fare best out West would be the “Deeeeetroit Bas-ket-ball!” Pistons. They’ve dominated six games in a row and, unless the Cleveland LeBrons come up with an inventive formula to stop… well, all of the Pistons’ starting-5, I’ll get to prove my point of their worthiness in a matter of weeks.

Hurray for exciting pro hoops, in the end. Last year’s highlights included Suns/Lakers and Kings/Spurs (and the emergence of young guards in big-time sit-chee-ations), but the NCAA March Madness tourney still took the cake as far as overall exciting games (excluding the dreaded, blowout-filled Final Four). This year’s NBA playoffs has already had more exciting games than the ‘07 March Madness Tourney (shh… don’t tell that to Dickie V), and we’re only in the second round!

For the sake of continuing the NBA excitement surge, here’s to the Phoenix/Spurs series going 5 more games with exciting finishes throughout, and Golden State turning their boat around in Oakland! And for the sake of home-court advantage, don’t expect Jason Kidd to let LeBron & C0. to sweep his squad out of their last games playing together. Like I’d hoped for Dirk in Round 1, sooner or later Vince Carter will realize that he can jump higher than 99% of the league and take the ball to the bucket instead of constantly shooting the fade-away.

Commish David Stern must be giddy in his league-regulated stir-ups right now.