It’s understandable Cleveland Cavaliers’ star LeBron James felt a lot of frustration.
After all, he put the Cavaliers on his back and carried them toward theNBA championship he so desperately covets. That dream, of course, was derailed by the Orlando Magic. Thus, the dream matchup of LeBron James and Kobe Bryant in the NBA Finals will not take place this season. But, in the wake of the loss of James and the Cavaliers to the Magic was an incident that has left a large number of people disappointed. James hustled off the court and blew off the media following the loss to Orlando that ended Cleveland’s season.
LeBron is a great player, and his best years are very much ahead of him. I know he was tired. After all, he carried that team on his back, and carried the team deeper into the playoffs than perhaps it should have been. Still, James made a mistake in not being more gracious in defeat. All the great players hurt after a loss. But, for the most part, they do the right thing – they face the media and they congratulate their opponents. There is no shame in paying respect to an opponent. In hockey, one of the greatest traditions in all of sports is the handshake line at the end of a series.
It was even more disappointing to see LeBron not admit his mistake and disrespect (although probably not intended that way) of the Orlando Magic. At some point, I am sure LeBron and the Magic players will talk it over and bury the moment. In all honesty, it would not have hurt James to congratulate the Magic players and coaches on a phenomenal series and advancing to the NBA Finals. He should have been there with his teammates and coaches to face the Magic, the disappointment and the media.
Obviously, it was painful for LeBron James to lose so far short of his goal (an NBA championship). Now, he has to hope that this will not leave a stain (whether large or small) on his legacy.
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