LeBron James Could Not Have Played in the Old NBA

As I sat on my couch last night, watching the Cavs and the Wizards, I could not help but notice just how much the NBA has changed over the last 20 years. The first two games of the 2008 playoffs resembled the Knicks-Bulls and Bulls-Pistons series in the late 80s and 90s.

The difference: no one in those series received flagrant fouls or was ejected.

The one play that led me to this conclusion happened in the third quarter, when LeBron James was pushed by Brendan Haywood on a layup attempt. Haywood was hit with a flagrant-two and ejected from the game.

He could end up being suspended, and possibly fined for it as well. LeBron spent a post-game interview whining about it, calling it "non-basketball play."

After the play happened and Haywood was ejected, it dawned on me that the epic battles and hard fouls that I grew up watching with the Knicks, Bulls, and Pistons were now officially history.

Seriously, did you hear M.J. complain about the physical nature of those series? Was anyone tossed or called for flagrant fouls? The answer you are looking for is "No"!

Personally, I think it is about time that LeBron was bodied around the rim. Every highlight you ever see of LeBron involves the dunking or sinking of layups with no one around or contesting him.

I mean, I could average 30-some points a game if I could have uncontested layups and dunks.

During Jordan's first couple of years, especially in the playoffs, he was pushed and bumped and fouled hard repeatedly.

Antonio Daniels of the Wizards summed it up perfectly. "There's a difference between taking hard fouls and trying to hurt somebody. No one in this locker room or that locker room fouls anybody with the intention of hurting him.

"That's not the way the NBA is. That's not the way it's played. We all get knocked to the floor. That's playoff basketball.

"When you drive, you should expect to get hit."

Does LeBron expect the rest of the playoffs not to be physical? Does he think that the Pistons won't bump and push him? How about the Celtics?

And let's assume the Cavs make it back to the Finals. Does LeBron believe that the West does not play physically?

The Spurs have Bruce Bowen, the Suns have Raja Bell, and the Lakers have Kobe Bryant. All three of them are or have been NBA All-Defensive first team. They all love to play physically and knock you around. 

The playoffs are more intense than the regular season, no matter which sport you pick. The reality of it is, the play gets more physical, guys get a little more chippy, and the trash talking tends to be more elevated. It's win or go home.

Or, as the Gatorade commercial says, "There are only two choices: make history or become history."

The quicker LeBron understands that is what the playoffs are about, the quicker he will learn how to win a championship.