If the Cavaliers Lose To the Celtics, Is LeBron James as Good as Gone?

The Cleveland Cavaliers have racked up a total of 127 wins over the past two seasons and have established themselves as not only an Eastern Conference powerhouse but a force in all of the league.

A seven-game series against Cleveland early in the postseason usually is a death sentence; just ask the Chicago Bulls, Atlanta Hawks, and Detroit Pistons, who were beaten by the Cavs by a combined 12 games to one.

Over these two seasons, Cavs star LeBron James has won two straight MVP awards, with his latest being a runaway. No one was within miles of James, who averaged nearly 30 points, seven rebounds, and a career-high eight assists per game in leading the Cavs to another No. 1 seeding in the postseason after a 61-win season.

Life is good if you're in Cleveland, and life is even better if you're LeBron James.

Following last season's disappointing finish with a conference finals loss to the Orlando Magic, the Cavaliers were destined for their first NBA championship in the 2009-10 season. They signed All-Star center Shaquille O'Neal for the sole purpose of stopping Dwight Howard and later made a deadline deal to acquire All-Star power forward Antawn Jamison.

While O'Neal is only a shell of his former self, he still has the power to draw constant double-teams and free up James and his teammates for easier shots. Jamison has averaged 16 points and eight rebounds since joining the team and has played fantastic basketball in his role as a stable scoring option.

The Cavs got on their run for a title with a five-game series win and started their semifinals push with a Game One comeback victory over the Boston Celtics. The Celtics have been showing their age down the stretch of games all season, and the Cavaliers took advantage.

The second game, though, was much different.

In Game Two at the Quicken Loans Arena, where the Cavaliers were an NBA-best 35-6, they lost to the Celtics by 18 points and have now squandered home-court advantage for a crucial conference semifinals series against a Boston team that can erupt for blowouts at any given moment.

Say, for instance now, that the Cavs play the rest of the semifinals like they did in Game Two and lose the series in six games, watching Boston go on to play the Orlando Magic in the conference finals. This would obviously be the biggest surprise of the season and a shock to the Cavaliers organization and fan base.

The biggest problem would be LeBron's state of mind concerning free agency. As we are all aware, James has the choice to opt out of his contract and either sign with the Cavs or go elsewhere to a team he feels could be closer to a championship run instead of the possibility of another disappointing season in Cleveland, where the team might have peaked this season.

There are many options for James, who has been constantly wooed by the New York Knicks and New Jersey Nets for nearly three years now. He also has the choice to join Dwyane Wade in Miami if Wade re-signs, play alongside Derrick Rose in Chicago, or pretty much create his own franchise if he signs with the Los Angeles Clippers.

Each team has done its part to convince James to come to its respective team, including Heat President Pat Riley claiming that signing LeBron James is Miami's second priority behind re-signing Wade. The Los Angeles Clippers have even gone as far as saying that James can pick his coach and pick who makes up his team as well, as he could literally be a player-president.

At the moment, LeBron seems to have his heart in Cleveland and is most likely to re-sign with the team he has grown to love over the past eight years, but following an 18-point loss at home to Boston and now facing the prospect of an early exit looming, the possibility of LeBron leaving is slightly more real.

There is no doubt that James wants to stay in Cleveland, but after capturing two MVPs, he is only missing the championship that would solidify himself as one of the most elite players the NBA has ever seen. With the series tied at 1-1 going to Boston for two games, LeBron might see greener pastures in another city that could finish the deal when it comes to winning NBA titles.

The possibility of witnessing the the Cavs lose to the Celtics is still very slim, especially with Boston's 24-17 home record, but it is still very possible that the Cavs could lose this series and find a very disgruntled LeBron James who has NBA championship dreams outside of Cleveland on their hands.

The summer is looming and the chatter and gossip continue to grow, but this series against the Boston Celtics could see witnesses to King James' reign in a different location outside than Cleveland as soon as a couple months from now.