Lebron, Cavs Exit

The Cleveland Cavaliers season came to an end last night when they lost to the Boston Celtics 94-85. The Celtics advances to the Eastern Conference Finals for the second time in the past three seasons, and the future of Cavaliers F Lebron James will be the hot topic of the offseason. James had a triple-double, but also had nine turnovers, and seemed disinterested once again, as the team fell short. The Cavaliers have become the second team in NBA history to have consecutive 60-win seasons without an appearance in the NBA Finals. The 1972 and 1973 Milwaukee Bucks were the other team to do that. The Celtics will play the Orlando Magic in a rematch of last year's Eastern Conference Semifinals, when the Magic won in seven games en route to the NBA Finals.

The performance from James have raised eyebrows from many NBA fans across the country, and it also leaves people wondering if he wants to be in Cleveland anymore. Even though James did have a good game statistically, he didn't show any interest in putting his team on his back and winning the game in the fourth quarter. He committed many turnovers, and on occasion, deferred to G Mo Williams on running the offense in the fourth quarter, which is unlike James.

This may have been a protest for James, stating that he knows there aren't enough pieces on the team to win a championship. C Shaquille O'Neal also has an uncertain future, and I believe James choice will affect O'Neal. James will have a decision to make. The Chicago Bulls, New Jersey Nets, and New York Knicks will be heavily pursuing James, and there is also the real possibility that he returns to Cleveland. The Cavaliers, under the collective bargaining agreement, can offer James the most money. However, if one of these three teams sign another max free agent player, that might lure James to that team for the possibility of winning a championship. For now, we'll have to enjoy the rest of the NBA playoffs, and then see what happens in the offseason.