Lebron Choke-King In Playoffs Again: Sixers Break Through With Win in Game 4 On Williams' Three and Lebron's Lebrick

PHILADELPHIA, PA. Trailing by six points with only 1:35 left from being eliminated from the first round of the NBA playoffs, the Sixers were a confident bunch. They were certain that they would be on a plane going back to Miami for another game.

The feisty Philadelphia 76ers fought back to take Game 4 with great defense and huge shots from Turner, Holiday, and Williams.

Their belief has them packing their bags for Miami and preparing for another game with the Miami Superfriends.

The Sixers' comeback was built on a 10-0 run to end the game. Evan Turner, the poised and talented rookie, scored on a runner to cut the lead to four. A long Jrue Holiday three with 0:46 left cut Miami's lead to one, and on the very next trip, Lou Williams confidently rose up at the top of the key, shot over Dwayne Wade, and hit on another huge clutch three for the Sixers to put the home team ahead by two.

With an opportunity to tie or win the game with 8.1 seconds left, the Miami Heat put the ball in the hands of the Choke-King, Lebron James. He took a few dribbles towards his defender, Andre Iguodala, drove to his right, and put up a contested runner that was blocked by Elton Brand.

Lebron "Choke-King" James adds to his legacy of playoff failure with another blocked runner in the closing seconds in Game 4 against the Sixers.

Off the deflection, Turner ended up with the ball and was fouled. The rookie sank his two free throws to seal the win for the Sixers, and he finished with 17 points and 6 rebounds off the bench for Coach Doug Collins.

This continues a Miami Heat trend of struggling to close competitive games, despite having three All-Star options.

Lebron "Choke-King" James has a long history of coming up short as a closer and has been criticized for his lack of killer instinct and closing ability. Having been called upon to take the final shot in several games for the Heat this season, Lebron has not converted a single play to tie or win the game for his team.

Most objective analysts of the game have suggested that Dwayne Wade should be the one with the ball in his hands in the final seconds, and it would be crazy to think that no one in the Miami Heat organization realizes that DWade is the superior closer to Lebron.

Why is Lebron still taking the last shot then? One must guess that Lebron, with his history of being coddled and spoiled by those around him and the sensitivity to public criticism that we have seen since his move to Miami, is demanding to be given the ball in order to disprove those who have labelled him "LeBrick", "Dwayne Wade's Sidekick", and "Choke-King".

However, with every LeBrick that he throws up in the final seconds, he proves the point that he needs Dwayne Wade, he can't get it done in the clutch, and history will recall him as a sidekick, if he is remembered at all.

To be remembered, you have to win Championships. And you have to be the best player on your Championship team...

With the rise of the Chicago Bulls and Derrick Rose, who is a bonafide closer and NBA MVP leader of a young Championship-caliber team, and other talented young challengers who hunger to be great, Lebron may never sniff the NBA Finals during the prime of his career.

It may just be Lebron's Karma.

Here are highlights of the MIAMI HEAT vs. PHILADELPHIA 76ERS NBA PLAYOFF FIRST ROUND GAME 4:


Look for the Heat to have a tough time closing out the confident and well-coached Sixers on Wednesday night. If the Sixers can steal pivotal Game 5 in Miami, look for the series to possibly go 7 games.

Lebron Fails To Lift His Team: DWade-less Heat Fall To Third Place In East With Loss To Milwaukee Bucks

MIAMI, FL. Dwayne Wade was in a dapper suit as he sat out the final meeting of the season between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Miami Heat.

Once again, his faithful Sidekick got the numbers but did not step up to give his team the only stat that really matters, the Win.

The Bucks physical style was just a playoff preview. Can Sidekick and the Heat take the beatdown?

The Bucks, clinging to dwindling hopes of making the playoffs, came to play, and they took an early lead and built it to a 25 - 15 advantage at the end of the first quarter.

The Heat, with their go-to guy on the bench, had to rely on Lebron to get them back into the game. With his jumper working, the Heat got back into the contest and managed to pull to within 1 point of the Bucks at 41 -40 before the Bucks defense held them scoreless for the final 3:55 of the first half, and the teams went into halftime with the score reading Bucks 45 - Heat 41.

News of the Bucks official elimination from making the playoffs came sometime during the second half of the game, but even when Miami managed to pull into a tie entering the 4th quarter, the Bucks were not going to let their efforts be wasted. If they could not be playoff contenders, they would be spoilers.

And that they did.

Lebron re-entered the game with the score tied 69 - 69 with just under nine minutes left in the game. In the final quarter, Lebron shot 2 for 6 (0 for 3 from 3-point range). Suffice it to say, there weren't any chants of "M-V-P! M-V-P!" in his own building.

Carlos Delfino stepped up in a huge way for Milwaukee. After checking in with 3:15 left in the game, he shot 2 for 3, 2 for 2 from 3-point range, with the second 3-pointer being the nail in the coffin with 0:24 seconds left in the game.

Lebron's answer for three was no good, and Milwaukee was able to make their clutch free-throws to go home with the spoiling victory.

Here are the highlights:


With the loss, the Miami Heat fell from 2nd place in the Eastern Conference to 3rd. At this moment, they would have to play the New York Knicks, who retook 6th place with a victory tonight, in the opening round. By all accounts, the Knicks would prefer a matchup with the Heat rather than play the defensive-minded and disciplined Boston Celtics.

The loss also means that, if Miami advances to the second round, they likely would face the Boston Celtics, a team they have not beaten in three meetings this season. As the lower seeded team, the Heat would not hold home court advantage, and a potential 7th game would be played in Boston.

Chicago Bulls Sweep Regular Season Series With Miami and Continue Heat Losing Streak; Rose Makes Strong Case For MVP

MIAMI, FL. With another victory over the Miami Heat, in another game that they clearly treated like a must win, the Bulls took the Heat's best shot and did what they have done to the Heat twice before, came back and won behind great team defense and leadership from Derrick Rose.

A week and a half since Derrick Rose helped carry the Chicago Bulls back from 18 points down to win against the Miami Heat in Chicago, he cemented his claim to the NBA MVP award with his play and leadership in bringing the Bulls back from a 12 point deficit to another victory over the Heat.

Check out this amazing play where Derrick Rose takes it in with Jordan-like killer instinct and scores on both Dwayne Wade and Dwayne Wade's Sidekick:


Despite the Bulls clawing way back and finally taking the lead from Miami about midway through the 4th quarter, the Miami Heat stayed close mostly because of Dwayne Wade's efforts. Wade had 9 of his 20 points in the fourth to keep the Heat close.

Rose put up 8 points of his own in the final quarter, and the Bulls went into the final possession with a 1 point lead.

It was deja vu for the Heat, who had lost 3 in a row and 4 of their last 5 games. Three of their losses were decided on the final possession of the game, where they were unable to come through with a score.

Lebron got the ball at the top of the key, defended by Joakim Noah. Lebron drove and put up a contested shot that hit high off the backboard. Wade came up with the rebound and put up a short jumper but also missed.

This has been an amazing weekend for the Bulls, who won a great game against Orlando two days ago. And recently, Hollinger put out his statistical analyses that not only supported the Bulls not making a move at the trade deadline (and keeping Omer Asik and Taj Gibson) but also revealing that the Bulls have the best statistical chance of reaching the NBA Finals from the Eastern Conference.

Chicago fans are too down to earth for such things to get their hopes too high, but they are all united in the Derrick Rose for MVP sentiment.

With another victory over Sidekick and the Heat, Rose has the swagger of an MVP.

The evolution of Derrick Rose has been amazing. After a summer where he started for Team USA and helped them to win Gold at the 2010 World Championships, he stated in his usual modest tone that he wanted to be NBA Most Valuable Player.

He has now taken a team that was thought to be about the 4th or 5th best team in the Eastern Conference and has them in sole possession of the 2nd seed in the East behind Boston. And he has managed to do this with Carlos Boozer missing a month at the beginning of the season and Joakim Noah missing nearly two months for surgery, as well.

For all these reasons, most true fans of the game of basketball acknowledge that Derrick Rose is the most deserving of the NBA MVP, and at this point, he has another statistic in his favor against his closest competitor: a three game sweep of the regular season series over the Heat and coming through when his team needed him the most.

Tony Parker Returns To Help The League-Leading Spurs Beatdown DWade, Sidekick, and The Heat By 30 Points

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS. The league's best team proved it once again as they also proved that good team basketball trumps a Big Three every time.

A night after the Orlando Magic erased a 24 point deficit to beat the Heat, the Spurs had eight players in double figures and pummeled the Heat on their way to a decisive 30 point victory, adding to their league-leading record.

Tony Parker returned in just a week from a calf injury that Spurs trainers had expected to keep Parker out of the lineup for at least a month. Parker was extremely efficient, putting up 15 points, 2 rebounds, and 8 assists. Tony Parker was a plus/minus of +31 for the game.

Tony Parker returned early from injury to help lead the Spurs to a 30 point win over Lebron. 

The Spurs started hot from downtown, hitting eight 3-pointers, and built a 24 point lead in the first quarter. Ginobili lead the charge with 11 of his 20 points in the first quarter. The Spurs built on their lead in the second quarter and cruised to the easy victory.

The Spurs connected on a franchise best 17 three pointers, lead by Matt Bonner, who went 4 for 4, and Manu Ginobili, who went 3 for 4.

The 30 point loss was the biggest of the season for the Heat. The previous biggest loss of the season was a 28-point loss to the Denver Nuggets, before the huge midseason trade that sent Carmelo Anthony to the New York Knicks.

It was a crushing embarrassment after giving up a 24 point lead to lose to Orlando the night before. The Heat have now lost 3 in a row and 4 of the last 5 games.

The Heat are now 1 W - 8 L vs the Spurs, Celtics, Mavs, Bulls, and Lakers.

It continues a disturbing trend of failure against the NBA's best teams. The Heat are now 1 win and 8 losses against the 5 top teams in the league: San Antonio, Boston, Dallas, Chicago, and Los Angeles.

It seems that teams have figured out how to beat the one-dimensional Heat. The teams that have had success against the Heat boast strong point guard play, great rebounding, and are committed to defending in transition, where the Heat try to score most of their points. The Spurs executed that formula to perfection tonight.

Things don't get easier for the embattled Heat who face the NBA MVP leader, Derrick Rose, and the charging Chicago Bulls on Sunday.

Kobe Bryant Increases His Lead Over Lebron With 4th Career All-Star Game MVP

LOS ANGELES, CA.  It was something that NBA Basketball fans of the world never really got to see: Micheal Jordan vs. Kobe Bryant when both were close to their primacy.

However, the 2011 NBA All Star Game was yet another chapter in Kobe vs Lebron (AKA Dwayne Wade's Sidekick, now), and despite having the support of his two superfriends teammates, DWade and Chris Bosh, Sidekick still missed out on the big prize of the night: All Star Game MVP.

Bryant, once again, was the star that burned brightest, on this occasion, in front of his home town, "Hollywood" crowd at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. He put up 21 first-half points on his way to 37 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals in leading the West to victory.


Kobe still soars higher than Lebron whenever there is a big prize on the line.

Sidekick once again settled for a distant second prize (possible foreshadowing to come?). Lebron put up a triple-double to become only the second player to do that in an NBA All Star Game.

Michael Jordan, of course, was the first, although the feat resulted in a victory for Jordan's East team in 1997. As we've come to know, Sidekick can put up gaudy numbers, but not to carry his team to a win when it counts.

The NBA All Star Game MVP Award was Kobe's 4th of his career, tying Bob Petit for most in NBA history. When it counted, Lebron couldn't stop Kobe from extending his lead in career accomplishments, and Sidekick falls further behind in the comparisons.

Kobe has won his championships and individual awards while Lebron has been an elite player in the league, which for all intents and purposes, remove Lebron from any conversations for Greatest of All Time... Only Greatest of All Time Disappointments given his talent and physical gifts.

The pivotal moment of the game that captures the careers of Kobe and Lebron in a single illustrative snapshot was when Kobe had a fast break and saw Lebron out of the corner of his eye pursuing. Without hesitation, Kobe accelerated, knowing Lebron would try to sneak in from behind and block the shot, and threw it down.

Kobe laid to rest any talk of Lebron is better than Kobe in just one great moment.

The play captures the Killer Instinct that Michael Jordan had and that Kobe has shown throughout his career; Lebron has always been criticized for not measuring up in this respect, and for all those who keep believing that some day he might develop a Killer Instinct, he won't--he joined DWade's team because he is not that type of player.

He's the guy that can sneak up on you when you're not conscious of him, but if it's the final play of the game and you key your defense on him, he can't get it done. That's what superstars do. That's what closers do.

That's what Kobe did tonight.

Knicks Beat Heat at Madison Square Garden as Stoudemire and Gallinari Close, and Dwayne Wade and Sidekick Can't

NEW YORK CITY, NY.  Sidekick clanked shot after shot, and DWade cooled off in the 4th quarter as the New York Knicks pulled away and beat the Miami Heat tonight in front of a raukus crowd of pumped up Knicks fans at Madison Square Garden in NYC.

Amare Stoudemire dunks on Joel Anthony and Sidekick, who just bends over and takes it.

It was a great game for the Knicks, who not only overcame a difficult loss to Miami in their previous meeting at Madison Square Garden and the continued speculation of trading for Carmelo Anthony, but also a hot shooting Dwayne Wade who powered the Miami Heat through the first three quarters on a scorching 14 of 15 shooting from the field.

The New York Knicks' MVP candidate, Amare Stoudemire, kept the Knicks close in spite of Wade's hot shooting, and Danilo Gallinari, Landry Fields, and Raymond Felton stepped up for the Knicks in the fourth quarter to secure the win for the hometown team.

New York was finally able to contain Wade (0 for 7 in the fourth quarter), and Sidekick, as he did in last year's playoffs against the Boston Celtics, joined the "Quitness Protection Program", missing shot after shot in the final quarter when his team needed him. Sidekick finished with 24 points, but only shot 7 for 24 for the game.

This was a huge win for the Knicks, not only to beat an Eastern Conference rival, but the victory clearly shows the potential of a team that could potentially add Carmelo Anthony this summer in free agency, without losing any significant parts.

The invitation to join a team that can already beat, arguably, the most talented team in the NBA, the Miami Heat, could prove too much to resist for Melo, a native New Yorker who won a National Championship at Syracuse University.

The only thing standing in the way of New York's return to the elite of the basketball world? A poor "decision" like Lebron's.

DRose Outduels DWade To Claim Jordan Mantle In "The House That Michael Built" As Sidekick Watches From The Sideline

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.  It seemed that a lot of people were disappointed when Lebron announced his "Decision" this past July, however Derrick Rose was not necessarily one of them. 

DRose raised his game higher than any other star in the United Center tonight.

Rumors emerged that DRose did not want Lebron to come to Chicago because he wanted to be "The Man".

Then, DRose stated in an interview before the season that he wanted to be MVP, the Most Valuable Player, in the league.

Well, as of this week, Rose is the frontrunner for the award according to ESPN. And while in Miami, it will always be DWade's team, there is no doubt that Derrick Rose is "The Man" on the Chicago Bulls; and he has delivered in the clutch, when it mattered most.

In many ways, DRose's entry into the NBA mirrors Lebron's: both were super-talented, homegrown products drafted #1 Overall by their local team and heralded as the hometown hero who would save their respective NBA franchise. However, that is where the similarities abruptly end.

After promising to bring a championship to the championship-deprived city of Cleveland, Lebron's decision to leave town to join a stacked team in Miami revealed his complete selfishness and lack of integrity and perserverence. His announcement of "The Decision" in a one-hour special on ESPN was a self-aggrandizing act of pure hubris. While Lebron chose the easy way out to get his championship, the people of Cleveland were witness to nothing but a single NBA Finals appearance and several early playoff exits.

Rose is essentially the anti-lebron; he is a modest, hard-working phenom who relishes the burden of the Jordan legacy, including the effort it takes to be the best. While Lebron and his posse played with the emotions of GMs, cities, and teams' fans, Derrick Rose played the point for the U.S. team that won the Gold Medal at the World Basketball Championships this past summer.

Then he got in the gym, and in his understated, modest tone, "I've been working on my shooting range." All the way out to 3-point range; he is shooting 3-pointers at 37.9%, higher than Lebron's 35.8% clip for the season. Just as Jordan worked to add new facets to his game, Rose has gone from great to unstoppable.

Lebron quit as Rose and Wade battled for the Legacy of Jordan

On the other hand, when faced with stepping into Jordan's shoes, Lebron ran away as fast as he could to join another Chicago product who found inspiration in the miracles Michael Jordan performed as the face of the Chicago Bulls.

Dwayne Wade, more than any other player on the Heat, embodies the will to win that helped Jordan claim 6 NBA Championships. Wade's incredible performance in the 2006 NBA Finals was one for the ages.

How appropriate that Lebron "not Jordan" James stepped aside to allow two Chicago boys to duel for the Legacy of Michael Jordan.

And in the end, it was Derrick Rose who claimed the win and the mantle of heir to the Jordan Legacy in Chicago. In the victory, Rose put up 34 points, 4 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 blocks, and most importantly for the young man and the city of Chicago, the win.

The true Legacy of Jordan was to not only say what you are going to do, but to do it.

Lebron Returns to Cleveland: To Chalk Toss or Not To Chalk Toss

CLEVELAND, OH.  Without a doubt, there will be a lot of emotion for everyone involved in Lebron's first game back in Quicken Loans Arena, the stadium he called home when he won the NBA Most Valuable Player Award just last year, leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to a league-best 61 - 21 record.

Now, after his antics during the "Summer of Lebron", he is the enemy, in more ways than simply returning as an opposing team's player.


Lebron was supposed to be "The Chosen One" to bring a sports championship to a city that has not won a major sports championship since 1964 and has had worse sports fortune than arguably any other city in the world. Cleveland is the punchline of sports joke after sports joke because of heartbreaking and infamous sports moments as "The Drive", "The Fumble, and "The Shot" where they snatched defeat from the jaws of almost certain victory.

Part of Cleveland's heartbreaking sports history has to do with losing more sports talent than any other city, culminating in losing an entire team when Art Modell decided to move the Cleveland Browns football team, earning him the honor of most hated sports figure in Cleveland. Until this past summer. Until "The Decision". And that brings us back to Lebron James.

In a move as classless and heartbreaking to the city of Cleveland, Lebron announced his plan to "take his talents to South Beach" and play for Dwayne Wade and the Miami Heat during a one-hour special called "The Decision" which aired on ESPN. It was a forgettable public spectacle to most, but to the loyal fans of the Cleveland Cavaliers, it was a public humiliation. The hometown kid who had promised to bring a championship to the city, had tried and failed, and was now going to quit on the city of Cleveland and get a ring for himself in an easier situation.

Tonight marks Lebron's first game back to face the Cleveland Cavaliers. As hurt as they are, Cleveland fans have too much pride and class to avenge Lebron's actions with physical violence. Several creative solutions are trying to garner social media support.

However, will we see Lebron humble himself enough to regain the respect of the fans of Cleveland?

Will Lebron do the Chalk Toss before the Cleveland crowd as an opposing player?

TO CHALK TOSS OR NOT TO CHALK TOSS?

Lebron copied and evolved a well-known Michael Jordan pre-game routine into his own pre-game ritual known as the Chalk Toss (pictured at right), a ritual that he used to pump up and engage the hometown fans in Cleveland.

And although he has every right to do his ritual in NBA arenas all over America, it would be a great show of respect and honor to the city of Cleveland that had been loyal until they were betrayed. Lebron knows that in this simple gesture, there may be salvation for his legacy in Cleveland.

"What Should He Do?": Skip the Chalk Toss tonight in Cleveland.
What Will He Do?": ...Be a LeBiatch, and do the Chalk Toss, cementing his legacy of being the Most Hated Sports Figure in Cleveland.