March 6, 2015--LeBron

I used to be the star of  my PS 244 basketball team. Not because I was that good but because I was overgrown--a full 6-4 at age twelve and stood a head above the other sons of Eastern European immigrants. Thankfully I didn't get much taller. My father, however, was disappointed. He was hoping I'd get a basketball scholarship to pay for college or, as a backup, a job at the the Ringling Brothers sideshow.

Therefore, and in spite of this, I have been a lifelong basketball fan. Less so, I admit, in recent years when my New York Knicks have become such a dysfunctional disgrace. For example, they lost the other night by 38 points.

Thus, it wasn't until this past Sunday, with the NBA season two-thirds over, that I watched my first game, the second half of the Huston Rockets-Cleveland Cavaliers showdown. I tuned in mostly because James Harden was playing for the Rockets and of course LeBron James for the Cavs. Perhaps the two best players currently plying the hardcourt.

I'm not good at remembering scores, but when I tuned in early in the third quarter, the Rockets we up by about 10 points. From a King James perspective that was essentially a tied game since at any moment he could go on a 14-0 run and the Cavs would as a result coast into the lead, which, with LeBron in charge, would essentially mean Game Over.

It didn't turn out that way. The score seesawed back and forth well into the fourth quarter and, at the end of it, was tied and there was a five-minute overtime. James Time, I thought. Game Over.

Wrong again. The Rockets wound up on top because LeBron messed up in all aspects of the game--his defense was suspect, he couldn't make crucial baskets, and even worse missed six of his last seven free throws. He's a 78 percent foul shooter so this was unexpected. Perhaps it was the result of his choking.

Though I suspect something else was at issue, something with cultural implications.

The Cavs are not really a team but rather a stage on which LeBron James is the only star.

James Time, unlike Michael Jordan Time, does not include or involve other teammates nor does James' brilliance and will to win lift his teammates' performance.

Here's the way the last ten minutes of Cavs' games proceed--

When they have the ball, James slowly dribbles it into the forecourt. His other four teammates retreat to the four corners of the other team's defensive end. James holds onto the ball, counting down the seconds on the shot clock. With 8-10 remaining, with his teammates continuing to stand far out of the way, he begins to attack the basket. Again, unlike Jordan, he rarely passes off even when he is triple-teamed and the other Cavs are wide open. He relentlessly elbows his way to the rim and throws up a shot, hoping to score or at the minimum get fouled.

The other night, since he was not making his free throws, the Rockets hacked him and he went to the foul line line where he repeatedly missed his attempts. As a result, the Rockets won by two points--105 to 103.

In my day, and among some current retro-NBA teams, basketball was a team game. Yes, there were stars but with the better teams all five players were involved, had chances to touch the ball and even shoot. There was no standing around as if they were an retinue of acolytes.

In the age of over-praise and social media, especially Facebook and Instagram. it is no wonder LeBron James refers to himself as the King.

For me--I can't wait for the baseball season to begin.