LeBron's last game...

Last Thursday night, I was sitting at Tu Tu Tango in Orange County watching the last game of the year for LeBron James. Speculation is flying that The King is looking for a new throne. However, I want to take a few moments and look back on the last few minutes of his last game of the '09-'10 season. There was a moment with just over 9 minutes when I thought Boston made a tactical error. Ray Allen brushed off Rajon Rondo on the fast break, James got the steal and made a hoop in transition. The momentum (bad word) was short lived and the Cavs proved to have no heart.

4:52 - Antawn Jamison and Mo Williams take turns bricking shots. As I watch this I am getting the feeling that the Cavs are really tight. It feels like all of the Cavs know if I miss this shot, it could be the shot that sends the King out of town.

3:50 - Anderson Varejao hits two free throws to pull the Cavs within 90-78. Except old Andy, he plays with heart...passion...I like his game.

3:38 - Rasheed Wallace bricks a free throw, sinks the second. Shaq, The Big Albatross, sits on the bench sucking on his mouthpiece. There is something wrong with pro sports when we pay guys long beyond their usefulness. Shaq sucks up $21mm in cap and salary from the Cavs, yet he is sitting on the sideline not producing when the season is on the line.

3:27 - LBJ drives hard to the hoop. Paul Pierce commits the foul. The first throw rolls around and drops. The second perfect. 91-80 I am not exactly sure where this LBJ was tonight or in the previous game, but something has definitely been different.

3:09 - Wallace bricks a jumper. Every time I watch the Lakers, I prefer Kobe shooting a horribly difficult shot than anything Luke Walton can muster up against the shot clock. So, watching Wallace cast up shots with Ray Allen and Paul Pierce on the floor makes me nauseous.

2:53 - Anthony Parker nails a huge triple. 91-83 Big shot, we might be heading to a great finish.

2:30 - Wallace bricks another jumper. Wallace is bricking more jump shots than Peja and C-Webb did in the 2002 Western Conference Finals. Those guys almost broke the backboard because they were so off, Wallace is trying to shoot the Celts out of the game.

2:21 - Bron drives hard to the hole, no foul. I can't understand where LeBron is. He is completely disengaged.

2:16 - Rondo gets fouled. He bricks the first and sinks the second. I like Rondo's game. He is fast, quick, makes good decisions, rebounds like crazy and sets him team up for easy looks. What he doesn't do, he can't hit a jump shot to save his life. This is the way that I would begin to defend the Celtics. MAKE RONDO SHOOT!

2:06 - James dunks (92-85). The Cavs are right there. They need to rebound and defend to put pressure on the Celtics.

1:36 - Garnett misses a hook, Pierce misses a chippy, Rondo grabs the ball and Doc calls time. The Cavs look terrible tonight. I have no idea how they did not get the most important rebound of the season TWICE!

1:27 - Garnett hits a turn around jumper (94-85). This is what Garnett can still do.

Sidenote: I was watching ESPN the other night and saw a story about Garnett and his friend Malik Sealy. KG met the guy in Minnesota and they became very good friends. Sealy was an NBA vet when KG got to the Wolves. Anyway, long story short, Malik Sealy was killed in a head on collision. A drunk driver was driving the wrong way on the highway and struck his car. Sealy was on his way home from KG's birthday party.

Kevin has been on my list of disliked athletes because the immature way he handled being eliminated by the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals in 2004. He couldn't speak without dropping f-bombs.

Anyway, after watching the story, I felt a little empathy for him. He was human. I just threw up a little in my mouth.

1:22 - Bron drives and throws under the basket to Wallace. I have no idea what LBJ is doing in this sequence. However, it is clear that he was out of the game. The entire Cavs team played like they wanted to savor the moment, rather than seizing the moment and competing for a Championship.

0:33 - Pierce misses a jumper. The Cavs let the Celtics run the clock down.

James finals line looks good, 27-19-10 on 8-21 shooting. However, he was not in this game. He looked far away. He looked like he was reflecting on the past, thinking towards the future and the enormity of his impending decision was weighing on his shoulders like nothing ever has before. He looked like kids at graduation. Satisfied with what they had accomplished, remembering the good times with fondness (the friends, the dances, etc...), nervous about what lies ahead.

Before game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals, I would have said 100% he is going to return. Now, I think he is on his way out.