Lay Off LeBron | SteelCurtain5875's Blog

I never thought I'd find myself defending LeBron James, because I believe he is WILDLY overhyped, but all the criticism being thrown his way over "the pass" he made to Donyell Marshall in Game 1 is largely undeserved. The fans and the media criticize athletes so much for being selfish and when the "face of the NBA" exhibits complete unselfishness at the end of a big playoff game, we scream that he didn't take control, or that this is not what Michael Jordan would have done. Well, in many ways, LeBron James is NOT MJ and the solid, unselfish and sound play he made on Monday was one of them. People seem to have forgotten a lot about the circumstances surrounding the pass: Donyell Marshall is a solid three point shooter (he went to Vegas for the three point shooting contest) and passing to him when he's wide open on the corner is a very solid play. Also, LeBron does not like shooting pressure free throws, as he only regularly shoots in the mid to high 70s, which he could have been forced to do if he had not passed. You could even argue that Tayshaun Prince had been hassling him all night and the last thing he wanted to do was put the game tying lay up against one of the longest and best defenders in the game. But most of all, what he did and had been doing all night was working! He seemed to have tried to take a more balanced approach, nearly getting a triple double, and he had his team within two, on the road against an excellent Detroit team. Why abandon that approach in the clutch when it mattered most? The Cavs were down by two, and passing to his best three point shooter when he's wide open was the smart thing to do. If Marshall makes that shot, I guarantee you we're all talking about how great LeBron is and how he's the next MJ/Magic/insert NBA legend here. But, instead, Marshall missed, and we blame LeBron for their failure. I think that the Cavs should be ENCOURAGED. That's right. Encouraged. The Cavs go on the road, as heavy underdogs in this series, and lose only because of one missed shot by their best shooter. If anything, I think it's Pistons that should be scared. Maybe they won't get so lucky next time.

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