Flight 23...

OK, so all Michael Reghi bashing aside, Steve recently touched on a very large and pressing sports debate.

I read a very good article this morning about the importance of shining in the playoffs for LeBron with respect to securing his legacy over the years, and the writer made a very good argument (perhaps without intending to) for LBJ to be the MVP of the league:

Will LeBron make a big splash in his postseason debut? Could he dazzle the nation the way Jordan did when he hung up a playoff-record 63 points in the Boston Garden exactly 20 years ago this week? Could he lead his team on a deep run like Magic and Larry did in 1980?

It's possible. As of Tuesday, the Cavs still don't know if they will face the Wizards, the Pacers, the Bucks or the Bulls in the first round. But they are hot right now, and LeBron just might be good enough to win a series on his own.

In the long run, however, it really doesn't matter.

Win or lose in this year's playoffs, he is already well on his way to joining Jordan, Bird, Magic and the all-time greats in some other areas.

James is about to become just the fourth player in NBA history (and the first since Jordan) to average 31 points, seven boards and six assists in a single season. But what really should open eyes is the way he picked up the Cavs and carried them down the stretch this season. James ran off nine straight games of 35 or more points, helping Cleveland win 11 of 12 games to secure the No. 4 seed in the East and home court advantage in the first round. On the night his streak ended, James had "only" 32 points and hit the game-winning jumper to knock out the Hornets in Oklahoma City.

That's the kind of thing Jordan, Bird and Magic did.

That's a pretty glowing endorsement right there, even if he doesn't come right out and endorse him.


In other news, the Tribe hung 15 runs on Baltimore last night, a day after hanging 10 on the new-look Tigers. God help the AL if our pitching continues to get right (4 runs in the last three games). This offense is built to mash.

Browns are drafting defense. No big surprises there. It will be interesting to see how the first 11 picks pan out, as to whether a QB will be there at 12 or not, and whether then the Browns would trade down. Though Savage says he projects Bobby Carpenter as an inside 'backer in the 3-4 (he's either way off, way smarter than everyone else, or playing the best poker face I've ever seen), I still wouldn't mind a trade down to #20 or so and a selection of Carpenter. The next 10 days should be fun and speculative. Mel Kiper, Jr., has come out of his hole, seen his shadow, and put on 6 pounds of hair gel.