Pop Quiz: NBA Postseason Recap (Part One)

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Perhaps, next time, they may even play a little defense. Regardless, they’re going to win many games for their teams and earn many All Star selections.

Rose might even win an MVP by the time it’s all said and done.

He’s that good.

I guess we also learned that the Celtics cannot win a championship without Kevin Garnett. Defense is simply an afterthought when KG is on the sidelines barking obscenities.

If Garnett is able to return healthy next season, the Celtics return as legitimate title contenders. If not, they’re pretenders like the next team we learned a lot about this past postseason.

Ahh, the ’08-'09 Cleveland Cavaliers.

I admit it.

You guys had me fooled with the 66-win regular season, the chemistry, the defense, etc…I really bought into the hype.

Unfortunately, I rudely learned that this team wasn’t who I thought they were. I learned that chemistry is nice, but liking your teammates and intricate pregame rituals can only get you so far.

Bottom line, I learned that LeBron didn’t have players capable of doing just enough to enable him to will a championship for the forlorn city of Cleveland.

Here’s a little math to sum up the state of Cavs basketball:

2.  If LeBron = MVP, Mike Brown = Y, and Teammates Exposed + Unfavorable Matchups = X, what does MVP – (Y + X) = ?

   A. Help!

            B. Hello, New York!

            C. CHAMPS!

            D. Whatever. It’s Cleveland.

The correct answer is A, although B and D are also acceptable response at this point.

Sure, LeBron played like the MVP he most definitely is. It was enough to win 66 games in the regular season and sweep the first two rounds of the playoffs.

However, his 38.5 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 8.0 assists in the Eastern Conference Finals were not enough to get past the Orlando Magic. Nor was “The Three” in Game Two or his dominance in the fourth quarter of Game Four.

As good as LeBron played, it just wasn’t enough to overcome the coaching performance mailed in by Mike Brown, Mo Williams shooting 37 percent from the field, or the obvious fact that the Cavs simply could not match up with the taller, more versatile Magic players.

So, what does this all mean for Cleveland heading into the ’09-’10 season, the last year in which the Cavs have the King under contract?

It means that the 66-win regular season was an illusion.

It means that the Magic were clearly the better team.

It means that that Cavs are a little farther away from a championship than we were led to believe.

Most importantly, it means Danny Ferry must surround LeBron with championship caliber talent next year.

They need a tall, athletic swingman.

They need a low post presence.

They need a backup point guard.

In essence, they need better players.  Otherwise, LeBron will be leaving Cleveland when his contract is up next summer, and the city will further sink into its 55-year sports depression.

The being said, we learned that the Orlando Magic were really good.

They had players everywhere.  They had a big man capable of being dominant in Dwight Howard. Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu were matchup nightmares for opponents to defend.

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