LeBron's Self-Induced Drama a Plea to Reclaim NBA Center of Attention

            In LeBron James' letter to Sports Illustrated announcing his return to Cleveland in July 2014, the four-time NBA MVP sounded like a mature, changed man. He admitted his mistakes in the handling of his departure from the Cavaliers in 2010, noting ‘The Decision’—a deplorable nationally televised event that made him look like the most self-absorbed player in league history—was something he wishes he never took part in.

            LeBron recognized it was the way he left Cleveland—not the act itself of defecting to Miami—that was his demise among the public. In explaining why he was coming back to the Cleveland Cavaliers as a free agent, LeBron depicted in his letter the love he holds for his former Miami Heat teammates and the team's front office, relishing in the success the team enjoyed in his four-year tenure in Miami. He made it clear he was leaving the Heat, who he led to four straight Finals and two championships, for one single goal: To win a title for championship-starved Cleveland.

LeBron set his sights on winning the Cavs their first championship in franchise history. Will his self-imposed drama ruin Cleveland's title plans? (Tony Dejack/AP)

            In the Cavaliers' 2014-15 media day, LeBron objected to reporters who referred to him, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love as a Big Three, declaring they were just three members of a team. This was a far cry from the LeBron from four years prior when he danced on the stage at American Airlines Arena with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh after the three stars infamously celebrated uniting together to play for the Heat. LeBron confidently asserted on the stage that night the new Miami trio was talented enough to win "not five, not six, not seven" but eight championships.

            The narrative of LeBron returning home to Cleveland to bring the City a title nearly came true in his first season back with the Cavs. Even with a rocky start to the regular season, LeBron led the Cavs to the 2015 NBA Finals, despite Love dislocating his left shoulder in the first-round of the playoffs and subsequently missing the remainder of postseason. The Cavs also lost Irving due to injury, as the star point guard fractured his left knee cap in Game 1 of the Finals which required surgery and sidelined him until December of this season. Devoid of his two star running mates, LeBron propelled the Cavs to a 2-1 series lead before falling to the eventual NBA Champion Golden State Warriors in six games in one of the most prolific player performances in Finals history.

            Nine months removed from the Finals loss to the Warriors, LeBron is acting like his former pettish self which once made him the league’s most hated player. He is sending out cryptic tweets which have led analysts, mainly Stephen A. Smith, to speculate the 12-time All-Star could bolt Cleveland again. LeBron galvanized controversy with these tweets and furthered the hysteria by working out with Wade in Miami in one of the Cavs’ off-days, leading some to believe LeBron had regrets of leaving South Beach.

            You can blame the media for stirring the pot in somewhat unfounded speculation that LeBron will leave Cleveland again. LeBron almost certainly will remain with the Cavs for the rest of the career. As you may recall, he promised to “never forget” where he “came from,” a quote of his which remains on his personal Twitter background.

            The reality, though, is the onus falls on LeBron for causing a media frenzy. With Stephen Curry dominating the league in unprecedented fashion and well on his way to a second consecutive MVP crown, LeBron is not the center of attention in the NBA for the first time since the self-declared ‘King’ was drafted No. 1 overall in 2003. From an outsider’s vantage point, LeBron simply can't deal with no longer being the face of basketball.

LeBron  James is struggling to accept that Stephen Curry is now the talk of the league. (Ben Margot/AP)

            LeBron, who tweeted “Do not take his greatness or anyone for granted,” felt compelled to remind the NBA and the City of Cleveland he has the power to change the landscape of the league by walking away from his current team. It’s undeniable that any team who lands LeBron becomes an instant title contender. But why is LeBron even bothering to bring up his excellence via social media? By all accounts, he is threatening to leave the Cavs—a franchise he has a stranglehold over—by sending out messages that evoke NBA followers of his greatness.

            In typical self-induced LeBron dramatic fashion, this childish, fake threat is all for show. He is bluffing leaving Cleveland, where the fans worship him like a God. LeBron cares way too much about public reception and his legacy—which he’s made clear by discussing continually where he places among the NBA’s All-Time Greats—to depart the city he refers to as "The Land." Ditch Cleveland and the basketball world will consider him “persona non grata.” He came back to the Cavs not only to win Cleveland a championship for the first time since Jim Brown ran the Browns to an NFL Title in 1964, but to cleanse the mess of ‘The Decision.’  

            LeBron would never risk tarnishing his brand by decamping Cleveland. But these tweets and hollow quotes from LeBron swing the center of the league's attention back his way. And apparently that’s what 'The King' cares about most.

Celtics' Franchise Four Shafted in ESPN's All-Time Rankings

            ESPN.com wrapped up its All-Time #NBArank list of the 100 greatest players in league history on Wednesday. A heavily scrutinized list, ESPN’s expert panel gave almost no method to their madness, outside of “basing their voting on peak performance and career value.”

            The rankings were none too kind to Larry Bird (Ranked No. 6), Bill Russell (No. 7), John Havlicek (No. 28) and Paul Pierce (No. 45)—widely considered the four greatest players in the history of the renowned Boston Celtics franchise.

The Mount Rushmore of the Boston Celtics Franchise (John Havlicek, Bill Russell, Larry Bird and Paul Pierce from left to right) all deserved a higher placing in ESPN's All-Time Rankings.

Understanding the Truth: Pierce Severely Underrated in Rankings

            Pierce, the Celtics’ franchise all-time leader in three-pointers, free throws and steals, was curiously ranked behind Bob Cousy (No. 39) and Kevin McHale (No. 31) among Celtics’ greats. Pierce—a 10-time All-Star and one-time NBA Finals MVP—ranks second in scoring in franchise history, fourth in PER (player efficiency rating), second in Offensive Win Shares, fourth in Defensive Win Shares, third in overall Win Shares and second in Value Over Replacement—all marks above both Cousy and McHale.

            Cousy’s dominance cannot be denied: He led the league in assists eight times (1953-1060), appeared in 13 All-Star Games (1951-1963) and won a league MVP (1957). The 6-time NBA champion dominated an era devoid of substantial guard talent. Most pundits surmise that his talents would not have translated to today’s NBA game, unlike other Greats from his era. And while Cousy won six titles (1957, 1959-1963), he was never the best player on any of those teams—that honor belonging to none other than Bill Russell.

            Similar to Cousy, McHale won more titles than Pierce—but was never the best player on any of his three championship teams. McHale even merged into a reserve role—albeit he did it in extraordinary fashion, becoming arguably the greatest sixth man (he won Sixth Man of the Year in consecutive years from 1984-85) in league history—for the Celtics’ titles in 1984 and 1986. Pierce, meanwhile, was in fact the best player on the 2008’ title team (though Kevin Garnett had a greater impact on the team’s regular season success) and was the face of the franchise for each of the 15 seasons he spent in Boston.

            The biggest disrespect towards Pierce, perhaps the most clutch player of his era, came in the rankings among small forwards. He failed to make the top-10 for the position. Pierce, who ESPN selected as the 11^th best small forward, ranked behind Dominque Wilkens (No. 44, 10^th among SFs), James Worthy (No. 43, 9^th among SFs), and Rick Barry, (No. 37, 8^th among SFs) to name a few.

            Wilkens, who failed to reach the Conference Finals in his 16-year career, has scored the 12^th most points in NBA history, ahead of Pierce (currently 16^th). But Wilkens—along with Worthy (98^th all-time in scoring) and Barry (60^th all-time in scoring)—ranks behind Pierce in every other significant statistic—rebounds, assists, free throws, three-pointers, steals and blocks.

            Barry and Wilkens each own an NBA scoring crown, but it should be noted that the season scoring champion for the league is measured in points per game—not total points. This in itself is ridiculous because players should be rewarded for staying healthy and playing as many games as possible. (Imagine the MLB giving the home run crown to the player with the most homers per contest, instead of total home runs. ) Pierce led the NBA in total points scored in the 2001-02 season but failed to win the scoring title as Allen Iverson averaged more points per contest.

            The lack of postseason success for Wilkens should omit him from the top-10 of small forwards. Worthy owns three rings, but was the third piece in the “ShowTime” Los Angeles Lakers dynasty of the 1980s behind Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The tandem of Magic and Kareem did the heavy lifting for the championship teams (1985, 1987, 1988) that Worthy was a part of.

            Barry enjoyed roughly the same postseason success as Pierce—winning a title and a Finals MVP—but putting him ahead of The Truth feels wrong. As previously noted, Pierce ranks ahead of Barry in every statistical category, and furthermore, was more of an elite one-on-one player. In addition, Pierce, a criminally underappreciated defender, is No. 22 all-time in defensive win shares—third among small forwards behind only Scottie Pippen (No. 16) and Havlicek (No. 12).

Paul Pierce's (ranked No. 45 overall by ESPN) omission from ESPN's top-10 small forwards of all-time is puzzling, to say the least. (Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

            Other retired players that were baffling to see ranked ahead of Pierce, who is 4th all-time in three-pointers (most among forwards), included Bill Walton (No. 42) and George Mikan (No. 33). It’s too soon to rank the young active Greats—Chris Paul (No. 29), Stephen Curry (No. 23) and Kevin Durant (No. 22)—so high this early in their careers. Assuming "CP3" attains some shred of postseason success, all three are well on pace to establish a more eminent legacy (particularly Curry) than Pierce.

Hondo’s Greatness Undervalued

            Havlicek ("Hondo") is the all-time leading scorer for the most successful franchise in NBA history. An eight-time NBA champion (1963–1966, 1968–1969, 1974, 1976) and 13-time All-Star (1966–1978), Havlicek is 13^th on the league’s all-time scoring list (LeBron James will soon pass him). A one-time Finals MVP (1974), Havlicek’s array of talent goes beyond scoring. He made five NBA All-Defensive First Teams (1972-1976) and is the all-time leader in defensive win shares (74.09) among small forwards.

            Despite the aforementioned accolades, Havlicek is found as just the seventh-best small forward in league history, according to ESPN. Pippen (No. 25, 6^th among SFs) was a masterful defender (10-time NBA All-Defensive First Team) and the ultimate sidekick to Michael Jordan. Havlicek, too served as a complimentary player, as Russell was the spearhead of the Celtics’ 11 titles from 1957 to 1969. The difference between Pippen and Havlicek lies in offensive prowess. Havlicek was a far more effective two-way player and the second greatest scorer of his era (Wilt Chamberlain owns that era's honor).

            Elgin Baylor (No. 24, 5^th among SFs) somehow landed above Havlicek in the rankings. An athletic freak, Baylor ranks third in points per game, behind Jordan and Chamberlain. He is one of two small forwards (the other being Larry Bird) to finish with 10 NBA First Team honors. Baylor, though, never accomplished ultimate postseason success. The championship-deprived Baylor also failed to capture an MVP trophy.

            Baylor did reach five NBA Finals before Chamberlain joined the Lakers in 1968, losing each time to Russell and Havlicek’s Celtics. The tandem of Chamberlain and Baylor reached three Finals together, losing twice to the Celtics and once to the New York Knicks. Chamberlain eventually won a title with the Lakers in 1972—the season after Baylor retired. Baylor finished his career with an egregious 0-8 record in the Finals.

            The most shocking ranking for small forwards has to be Kevin Durant (No. 22, 4^th among SFs). In the midst of just his 9^th NBA season and still yearning for his elusive championship, Durant has no business being ranked ahead of Havlicek. If Durant can win a title, he can certainly earn his current status on ESPN’s list. The 27-year-old has four scoring titles—third-most behind only Jordan and Chamberlain—and an MVP crown already. Durant himself says it’s too early to be ranking him this high. Let’s wait five years or so and reevaluate his place among NBA Greats.

Bill Russell Left Out of Top-5…How?

            The greatest winner in the history of the four major American sports, Russell was placed seventh in ESPN’s all-time rank. Winning a whopping 11 titles, Russell carved his legacy from the late 1950’s onward to the entire 1960’s. Second all-time in rebounding, Russell won five MVP awards—second-most  in NBA history.

            Russell is the greatest Celtic of all-time and should be ranked above Bird (No. 6). Russell was the best player in the league for the entirety of his 13-year career. Bird’s higher ranking on the list is likely accounted for his ability to score, distribute and consistently come up with clutch, late game heroics in an unprecedented manner. Since the two Celtics Greats played in a different era, the argument is at least plausible.

            How, though, could the ESPN panel rank Chamberlain ahead of Russell? Yes, Chamberlain accumulated more career points (a remarkable 30.1 points per contest) and rebounds (an otherworldly 22.9 rebounds per game). And sure, he was able to post a 100-point scoring effort and lasted two seasons longer than Russell. But Russell’s teams owned Chamberlain’s—particularly in the playoffs. Russell won eight of the nine head-to-head playoff series, including two NBA Finals (1964 and 1969). Russell also dominated the regular season matchups, winning 82 of the 142 contests against Chamberlain. Chamberlain put up the gaudy stats, but it was Russell who almost always came up on top in team wins.

Bill Russell Owned the Head-to-Head Matchups Against Wilt Chamberlain. (Kevin Regan/Getty Images)

            And is it really fair to rank both Magic and Kareem ahead of Russell? The two got the pleasure of playing alongside one another to wreak havoc against the league for over a decade. But the reality is Magic’s status has to be downgraded a bit because he was in the presence of Kareem, who owns a record six NBA MVPs.

            Kareem over Russell—maybe? But Magic ahead of Russell is blasphemy. Russell’s large edge in titles (11-to-5) is a clear difference maker. Both players were unstoppable in their facet of the game: Russell dominated the glass, while Magic manned the floor with an incredible vision and passing expertise. But the biggest difference is Johnson played in the shadow of Kareem.

            Going forward with the consistent theme that players shouldn’t be evaluated until their career is coming to a close or completely finished, LeBron James simply cannot be ranked ahead of Russell at this juncture. Russell should be ranked no worse than No. 3 as only Kareem and Jordan can compare to his greatness.

Larry Legend Deserves to Top Magic and Wilt in All-Time Rank

            Larry vs. Magic is the most celebrated player rivalry in the history of the league. The two guided the two most decorated franchises for a decade-plus, restoring popularity in the NBA. Magic got the best of Larry in the postseason, winning two of the three NBA Finals showdowns. That alone, though, does not make Magic the better player.

            While Magic was able to play literally every position on the floor, Bird was the more dynamic force. Bird was the far better scorer and featured an elite outside shooting range, something Magic did not possess. A four-time league assist leader, Magic was a whiz when it came to collecting steals. He led the league in steals in consecutive seasons (1980-1981, 1981-1982) and ranks 20^th all-time in steals. But it was Bird who was the superior defender, making three All-Defensive Second Teams. Magic never made an All-Defensive Team.

Larry Bird versus Magic Johnson remains the most illustrious player rivalry in NBA history. (Andrew Bernstein/Getty Images)

            Magic and Larry each won three NBA MVPs. Magic has the edge in titles (5-to-3) and Finals MVPs (3-to-2). But Bird had something that Magic lacked: the ability to take over any game in a moment’s notice. Johnson was an above average scorer and an elite passer but Bird’s combination of scoring and distributing was far more tantalizing. And with the game on the line, no player was more reliable than Bird with his unmatched clutch intangibles.

            Bird should be ranked no worse than No. 5 (he could be placed fourth and ahead of LeBron for the time being). Wilt’s postseason failures against his respective rival, Russell, should place him a notch below Bird, who thrived in the postseason.

Dolphins' Loss Clinches AFC East Title for Patriots

The New England Patriots (11-2) won their seventh consecutive AFC East title, thanks to the Miami Dolphins' 31-24 loss to the New York Giants on Monday night. 

Since Tom Brady became the starter in 2001 under head coach Bill Belichick, the Patriots have captured 13 division titles in a 15-year span. The two exceptions came in 2002—when the defending champions went 9-7 and missed the playoffs—and 2008—the season Brady suffered a season-ending ACL tear. The Patriots finished 11-5 behind backup Matt Cassel, but failed to qualify for the postseason.

The dark days of the franchise are long over for the Patriots, who won just five division championships in the team's first 51 seasons (1960-2000). 

The NFL's most prolific franchise of the 21st century, the Patriots have dominated division opponents—posting a 71-19 record in the regular-season against AFC East teams since the start of the 2001 season.

Brady was proud to learn that his team had been crowned the AFC East champions yet again.

"I didn't know until this morning," Brady said. "That's pretty cool. It is a great achievement for our team. I didn't know that was possible last night or else I probably would have stayed up and watched a little bit longer. Obviously there was some tie-breaker that we came up with or something. That's great. That's what you start with, winning your division. We talk about that every year. We've done a good job in our division thus far, being 4-0. We'll have a chance the last two weeks of the year to finish strong, after this Titan game."

Tom Brady Accepts Blame for Patriots' Loss: 'About as bad as you can do for a QB'

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady did not mince words when asked about his performance in his team's shocking 35-28 loss to the visiting Philadelphia Eagles. The future Hall of Famer threw two interceptions in the defeat, one of which was returned 99 yards for a touchdown by the Eagles' Malcolm Jenkins.

“The first interception was bad quarterbacking,” Brady said. “The team trusts you to put the ball in your hands and make good decisions with it, and that was a terrible decision. So it’s unfortunate because those cost you the game, and I’ve got to do a better job.” 

It was a rough afternoon for Tom Brady, who threw two picks in New England's second straight loss. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

With the score knotted at 14 and 7:42 remaining in the third quarter, Brady tried to force a pass to receiver Danny Amendola at the goal line on third-and-5 that Jenkins returned to the house.

“It was just a dumb play,” Brady said of his pick-six pass. “There was really not much chance of a completion, so I should’ve just probably thrown it out of the back of the end zone or found someone else to throw it to. We would’ve kicked three points...That's about as bad as you can do for a quarterback."

Brady threw another interception later in the quarter. He completed just 29-of-56 passes with a season-low 71.4 passer rating.

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick claimed the Patriots did not executive properly in any phases of the game, including defense and special teams.

“Just overall, we obviously didn’t do anything well enough (Sunday),” Belichick said. “Didn’t do enough on offense, turned the ball over, gave up two third-down touchdowns on defense, didn’t play well in the kicking game. Just really didn’t do anything well enough to really win.”

The second consecutive loss for the Patriots (10-2) dropped them to the No. 3 seed in the AFC playoff picture as the Denver Broncos (10-2) moved into the No. 2 seed. The Cincinnati Bengals (10-2) vaulted to the conference's top seed. 

NFL 2015 Season Predictions

AFC East	Record	NFC East	Record
New England Patriots	12-4	Dallas Cowboys	11-5
Buffalo Bills	10-6*	Philadelphia Eagles	9-7
Miami Dolphins	9-7	New York Giants	8-8
New York Jets	6-10	Washington Redskins	3-13
AFC North	Record	NFC North	Record
Baltimore Ravens	12-4	Green Bay Packers	13-3
Pittsburgh Steelers	9-7	Minnesota Vikings	9-7*
Cincinnati Bengals	9-7	Detroit Lions	8-8
Cleveland Browns	5-11	Chicago Bears	4-12
AFC South	Record	NFC South	Record
Indianapolis Colts	11-5	Carolina Panthers	9-7
Houston Texans	10-6*	New Orleans Saints	8-8
Jacksonville Jaguars	5-11	Tampa Bay Bucs	7-9
Tennessee Titans	3-13	Atlanta Falcons	7-9
AFC West	Record	NFC West	Record
Denver Broncos	10-6	Arizona Cardinals	12-4
San Diego Chargers	9-7	Seattle Seahawks	11-5*
Kansas City Chiefs	7-9	St. Louis Rams	8-8
Oakland Raiders	5-11	San Francisco 49ers	4-12

*Indicates Wild-Card Team

AFC Playoff Picture

1.       Ravens

2.       Patriots

3.       Colts

4.       Broncos

5.       Texans

6.       Bills

AFC Playoffs

Wild-Card Round

(3) Colts defeat (6) Bills

(5) Texans defeat (4) Broncos

Divisional Round

(2) Patriots defeat (3) Colts

(1) Ravens defeat (5) Texans

Conference Championship

(1) Ravens defeat (2) Patriots

NFC Playoffs

1.       Packers

2.       Cardinals

3.       Cowboys

4.       Panthers

5.       Seahawks

6.       Vikings

Playoffs

Wild-Card Round

(3) Cowboys defeat (6) Vikings

(5) Seahawks defeat (4) Panthers

Divisional Round

(2) Cardinals defeat (3) Cowboys

(5) Seahawks defeat (1) Packers

Conference Championship

(2) Cardinals defeat (5) Seahawks

(2) Cardinals defeat (1) Ravens