Re: SimWorld NBA: The Chronicle
Adam Jones
April 23rd, 2018
Dethroned?
As the cry in Hamlet goes, "the king is dead / long live the king!" So too it is in the NBA: when one falls, another rises in its place.
There are so many certainties and yet so many uncertainties. We have no idea what a LeBron-less iteration of these Cavaliers looks like. Yet we know all too well what the last LeBron-less iteration of the Cavaliers looked like; and rationally, too, we know exactly how the Cavs will fare without the King. Cast away your preconceived notions of a sort of "Ewing Theory" effect in which the teams plays inspiringly well with their star sidelined. Cast away your eyes, too, because we all know how it will look:
Not. Pretty.
LeBron is out 2-4 weeks; perhaps, superhuman as he is, he'll be back within 10 days or something superhuman like that. But he'll likely be returning to nothing more thronelike than his own couch, as the Cavs are perilously close to the reality of watching the ECF for the first time since LeBron's return. The #1-seeded Toronto Raptors are licking their once-prehistoric chops in anticipation. Toronto had hopes of defeating the King in these playoffs; they'll happily settle for played a Cleveland team in anarchy.
LeBron carried the Cavaliers past the Pacers in six games, playing masterfully. He is the most irreplaceable player in the NBA, even in his 15th season. LeBron is the NBA leader in many playoff stats, and the active NBA leader in almost all stat categories. He's never had to watch from the outside. There's a first for everything, even for LeBron. This postseason has even been somewhat foreign to him. After winning 21 consecutive first round games (which, let it be known, is the number of consecutive years Pop and the Spurs have made the playoffs), LeBron's team fell in game 1—his first opening-game first-round loss ever. Yet of course LeBron prevailed.
That's what he does.
Yes, Kevin Love has been tremendous in his patiently awaited second option role. Yes, Tristan Thompson has returned to his best, 2016-era playoff form, swallowing up rebounds and putting in close-range attempts. Yes, the Cavs aren't technically eliminated yet. But also yes, this is the moment for which the Eastern Conference has bided its time. No team other than LeBron's has made the Finals since 2009.
The Raptors intend to change that. They intend to seize the throne while LeBron has succumbed to a rare injury; never mind that theirs will hardly be a true throne. But if they hold it long enough—if they pry it from the Cavs' grasp, if they win this series and break LeBron's stranglehold on the East—will they change the balance of power in the East forever? Will LeBron decide to leave The Land, or will he return to make good again his promise?
The King is not dead. He is merely sidelined, besuited. The king is dead, for now; long live the king.
Adam Jones
April 23rd, 2018
Dethroned?
As the cry in Hamlet goes, "the king is dead / long live the king!" So too it is in the NBA: when one falls, another rises in its place.
There are so many certainties and yet so many uncertainties. We have no idea what a LeBron-less iteration of these Cavaliers looks like. Yet we know all too well what the last LeBron-less iteration of the Cavaliers looked like; and rationally, too, we know exactly how the Cavs will fare without the King. Cast away your preconceived notions of a sort of "Ewing Theory" effect in which the teams plays inspiringly well with their star sidelined. Cast away your eyes, too, because we all know how it will look:
Not. Pretty.
LeBron is out 2-4 weeks; perhaps, superhuman as he is, he'll be back within 10 days or something superhuman like that. But he'll likely be returning to nothing more thronelike than his own couch, as the Cavs are perilously close to the reality of watching the ECF for the first time since LeBron's return. The #1-seeded Toronto Raptors are licking their once-prehistoric chops in anticipation. Toronto had hopes of defeating the King in these playoffs; they'll happily settle for played a Cleveland team in anarchy.
LeBron carried the Cavaliers past the Pacers in six games, playing masterfully. He is the most irreplaceable player in the NBA, even in his 15th season. LeBron is the NBA leader in many playoff stats, and the active NBA leader in almost all stat categories. He's never had to watch from the outside. There's a first for everything, even for LeBron. This postseason has even been somewhat foreign to him. After winning 21 consecutive first round games (which, let it be known, is the number of consecutive years Pop and the Spurs have made the playoffs), LeBron's team fell in game 1—his first opening-game first-round loss ever. Yet of course LeBron prevailed.
That's what he does.
Yes, Kevin Love has been tremendous in his patiently awaited second option role. Yes, Tristan Thompson has returned to his best, 2016-era playoff form, swallowing up rebounds and putting in close-range attempts. Yes, the Cavs aren't technically eliminated yet. But also yes, this is the moment for which the Eastern Conference has bided its time. No team other than LeBron's has made the Finals since 2009.
The Raptors intend to change that. They intend to seize the throne while LeBron has succumbed to a rare injury; never mind that theirs will hardly be a true throne. But if they hold it long enough—if they pry it from the Cavs' grasp, if they win this series and break LeBron's stranglehold on the East—will they change the balance of power in the East forever? Will LeBron decide to leave The Land, or will he return to make good again his promise?
The King is not dead. He is merely sidelined, besuited. The king is dead, for now; long live the king.
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