LeBron James' Triple-Double Negated by the NBA

Whoops.

Scratch all those articles written about LeBron James's triple-double in Madison Square Garden.

The powers-that-be in the National Basketball Association have pulled back the curtain on the Wizard of Madison Square Garden.  It turns out that LBJ's final line was actually 52 points, 11 assists, and nine rebounds. The 10th board (technically it was the ninth) really belonged to Ben Wallace.

To which I have a couple responses:

1.  Thanks to Eric Adelman, I saw this coming; he posted a link to the clip on my profile.  Any time the announcer casually says that player A secures the rebound and tips it to player B, it's a pretty good indication that player A deserves credit for the rebound. Good call by the NBA.

2.  Whoever's next on the Cleveland Cavaliers' schedule is in a world o' hurt.  If Kobe hanging 61 on the New York Knickerbockers prompted King James to wrestle with a trip-dub and light it up to the tune of 52, what is this gonna do?

Especially considering LeBron and the Cavs were already rightfully peeved about Mo Williams being personally snubbed by Cavaliers-steamed-at-Williams%27-2nd-All-Star-slight">David Stern.

I think it's a pretty serious injustice (in the sports-sense of the word) that, while the Orlando Magic and Boston Celtics have three All-Stars each, the Cavs have only the One to Whom We Bear Witness.  Nothing against Ray Allen, as both he and Williams were deserving, but I think it's relatively obvious that Williams should've been given the nod due to Cleveland's overall success.

I think it's also pretty obvious why Stern gave Allen the nod, and that stinks, but such is the double-edged sword of capitalism. It's not like Allen didn't deserve to go. Then again, I am not an ardent supporter of the Cavs nor am I one of their players.

Try offering such platitudes to someone who fits that description. They have every right to be gassed. This transparent decision was made by just the commissioner.

It's not like this is a coach, player or fan vote. This was a judgment call by one man, the head honcho. But I digress.

The point is, if I were an NBA player and in the way the next time the James Train rolled through the Big Apple, or (basketball gods forbid) on the tracks in the next couple evenings, I'd be finding the closest case of the flu available and gettin' really intimate with its source, toot sweet.

I've written several times that I'm firmly of the belief that truly great players can do almost anything they want when he or she gets particularly motivated.

With a guy like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Michael Jordan or Magic Johnson, there should be a cartoon bubble constantly hanging over his head reading, "Handle with Care."  If you get a player like that agitated, you might just see history made.

David Stern (plus the rest of his henchmen) has just placed a rather large burr under King James's saddle.

Hope they have the good stationery ready, because I wouldn't be surprised if some poor schmuck ended up in the record books for the wrong reasons in the not-too-distant future. It won't be his fault—who amongst mortal men could stop LBJ on a mission?

But there he'll be and the NBA front office will owe him an apology.

It's unwise to place yourself in LeBron James's crosshairs. It's downright criminal to place someone else there.