No matter how much fun you had watching that classic Eastern Conference Finals with that feel-good story of a long-heartbroken sports town and its emerging superstar, it doesn't change one simple fact: the Spurs are not losing.
San Antonio will have the series wrapped up in six games or less and Tim Duncan will have his fourth Finals MVP award. This is fact. The Cavs had a great run and we will always remember how LeBron James overcame the (maybe not so) mighty Pistons all by himself in Game 5. They will fall under the "happy to be here" category aside from the King himself. Clearly, the Global Icon has his work cut out for him.
While the three-time champion Spurs are feared and respected first for their defense, it's their offense that separates them from the Cavaliers. While Cleveland has just finished slugging it out strip for strip and block for block with the rough and physical Pistons, once the ball is in their hands, they have only one surefire option.
Even worse, that one option has an admirable misperception that his lesser options will come through for him if he just set them up with the right pass in the right spot. This strategy worked great for Magic Johnson, but perhaps even the Magic man might have wizened up if his best bet to win game one was a pass to the corner to Donyell Marshall, or if the spectacularly bad Sasha Pavlovic was trying to pass for a point guard on the Lakers.
The Cavs are going to have to hope that rookie Daniel "Boobie" Gibson's 31-point performance in Game 6 was more than a one-time peep show. Especially when the only other player that has ever given the appearance of being reliable over the years besides James is Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who may very well be entirely shut down by the long arms of Duncan in the low-post on both ends of the floor. Even without the defense of Duncan, Big Z has never shown the assertiveness necessary to establish himself as a regular threat, despite having a respectable and accurate array of veteran moves inside the paint.
Now look over at the other side. The defensive-minded Spurs simply have too many weapons even with the ball. Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili can disappear for stretches, but can also break out for 30-point games at any given time. Both can be spectacular and unstoppable when given enough touches. Then beyond that, there are the quiet reliables. Michael Finley and Robert Horry have proven deadly from beyond the three-point arc and have the size and strength to do damage elsewhere on the court, as well. (Remember Horry's gutsy one-armed drive and dunk with a bad shoulder in Game 5 of the '05 Finals? He can do more than make threes, people.)
Even the shady Bruce Bowen, who has made his living with the questionable defensive tactics that have given Amare Stoudemire and Allen Iverson fits, has also been known to make big three-point shots, as well. This is all without the mere mention of soon-to-be four-time NBA Finals MVP Tim Duncan. Put simply, San Antonio has too many weapons.
Yet inexplicably, the Cavaliers managed to earn two of their 50 regular season wins at the expense of the Spurs. But with the Larry O'Brien championship trophy on the line, this should not be a Golden State/Dallas situation. The Spurs have the veterans and championship poise needed to overcome any weaker team that may have had their number in the regular season. If James' goal this year was, in fact, to become a global icon as he claimed, here is his chance. Simply slay the lean goliath wearing No. 21 in front of the rim, and the resourceful men in black surrounding him, and the King's dream is realized. Yet much like that surreal ending of Game 5, this may well also be a solo mission for the new No. 23.
Even if the Cavaliers cannot win the first championship for the city of Cleveland in 43 years, the longest streak in sports for a city with more than two pro teams, they have at least made the Finals fun for all who watch. LeBron James instantly gives the Finals some desperately needed entertainment value, and even makes Duncan more of an intriguing figure as he now has a worthy opponent to battle in the paint where they will inevitably collide at some point as LeBron explodes to the hoop and Duncan quickly slides over on the help defense with arms outstretched.
The Cavs gave us a great story to appreciate, even in their impending defeat, they have breathed life into a city and franchise that knows very little of success, and have done so in spectacular and overachieving fashion. King James' solo performance in Game 5 against the Pistons will almost undoubtedly go down as the top warm and fuzzy memory of these 2007 playoffs, as it essentially took the Cavaliers where they have never gone in over three decades of futility.
Just make sure you Cavaliers bandwagoners keep these happy thoughts fresh in your mind when Duncan and Co. are hoisting that coveted golden hardware in the center of your living rooms. At the end of the season, James may very well have achieved his goal of being a global icon. Tim Duncan won't mind, though, he'll be one level above that: the level known as world champion.
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