I am so fed up with reading in every single article about how the TV networks, the NBA, and other financial interests have pinned their hope on LeBron to have a great series! I will not discount the attraction of superstar type players, but the last time I checked basketball was a team sport. I really dislike the concept of deifying one player on a team and ignoring everything else.

The Spurs will probably win this series fairly easily BECAUSE they play well together as a team. Duncan is frequently criticized for not being flashy, yet he is one of the best in history on a team that, if they win this season, will have to be considered a dynasty. What will it be...4 championships in the last 10 years. Now that is impressive!

Those people who want to worship at the alter of Lebron (or Kobe, or any other individual star player), are welcome to do that, just don't forget that it is usually a great team that wins the title, not a great individual.

ok...rant over

I'm with you, LeBron is not that great of a player. I don't know why all of a sudden people are calling him the next Jordan. LeBron should have gone through college to learn humility.

it is really sickening; i do not think he will improve ratings.

Actually, I think that there is a heck of a lot less media hype about LeBron in this series, at least on the internet than there was for the Piston series, which is entirely understandable.

Because all the league needed was for LeBron to get into the finals, not necessarily win them. Though of course I am sure that ABC and Stern would just love to see the series go 7 games.

In fact it is kind of like with Michael. It would seem to me, just like it took Michael more than a few years to finally win a title, so the media and league kept building the suspense and reaping the financial rewards, so too that is probably what they would prefer with LeBron.

It will be a bigger story next year, and harder for the Pistons to get to the Finals again, if LeBron doesn't win this year than if he does.

More breakthrough to the next level stories next year, like they did this year, if he doesn't win it all this year. The media prefers those to the repeat, win again stories, at least until they have milked the next level breakthrough stories then they move on to the repeat win again stories.

Wade is a good example of this. There was a lot more hype around him last year in the playoffs than there was this year. Of course a lot of that had to do with the fact that the media and Stern were smart enough enough to realize that there was no way the Heat were going to win again this year, especially with Wade playing injured in the playoffs.

Well, the guy was straight out of high school and has achieved more in these four years than almost anyone but this goes way back to when ESPN became the highlight machine. I think it was pointed out long ago when Darko (and Jon Bender, for that matter) had 2 or 3 dunks during a game and ESPN highlighted it like it was the second coming. No longer did we have to watch the entire game, we could just flip to sportscenter and catch the highlights (or lowlights).
I can't place any blame on Lebron. The guy is doing what he loves, has made it to the NBA finals in a short period of time, and ESPN and the NBA have deified him.
What is a 22 year old kid supposed to do?
Maybe this thread should be titled "Stern banking on the altar of Lebron"?

Oh, I don't fault LeBron at all. I just kept reading how the NBA and the networks would be disappointed if Detroit beat Cleveland. Detroit epitomizes team play, so they are not bankable. It is a TEAM SPORT. If you want to worship individual excellence, follow Tiger Woods or Roger Federer. I absolutely hate it when the Pistons stop moving and stand around watching one player try to score.

Am I the only one who gets bored with one-on-one basketball and excited by ball movement, back door passes for jams, skip passes for long threes, and other great TEAM play?