Boston Celtics-Cleveland Cavaliers: Elbowgate Mars Eastern Conference Match-Up

So it begins.  The King, LeBron James, is trying to expand his fiefdom beyond MVP status.

The dreaded green monster, the Boston Celtics, once again stand in his way. He has surrounded himself with a giant of a man in Shaquille O'Neal and, of course, his serfs.

But for the story of the king to gain significance, the king must suffer some type of mortal wound to rise against the odds and somehow save the day.  That wound for LeBron James is a mysterious elbow injury he is said to have been suffering for quite a while.

It was quite noble of LeBron to finally divulge the injury which caused him to shoot a left- handed free throw in the last round. He garnered his second MVP for his troubles.

LeBron vows he will continue to brave the travails of the NBA playoffs, and the Lebronettes will be the better for it too.  After all, they, like all faithful followers, often lose their way when their leader is felled.

If they by chance were to lose this series then the masses will deed their franchises to him because he, LeBron after all, fought bravely through injury only to fall short.  

He would still be their hero—a battered hero, but still their hero.

You see, LeBron has effectively planted the seeds for his next failure in this playoff season. 

In spite of the help the Bishop of Cleveland, Danny Ferry, has surrounded the king with, it all hinges on LeBron's ability to facilitate the offense.  It all depends on if Antoine Jamison can do much more than just average a double-double. 

The other Cavalier players all bring the same thing to the table.  They either stand off the three-point line or cut through the lane when the opponent turns their head to find LeBron.

The Celtics will do what no other team has been able to do so far: That is to not double-team Shaquille O’Neal.  They have enough versatile pieces on their bench to bring a different dynamic to the game.   

Anyone not named LeBron  on the Cavaliers does not have what it takes to make the rest of the team better.

And that my friend is a recipe for defeat.