The Celtics deserve all the credit they get for last night's victory and their 3-2 series lead. But you have to admit, LeBron also deserves all the blame he's getting too.
Bonus Link: The Commercials Are Over, And LeBron James Is Flunking The Main Event - SB Nation
What happened to LeBron James? - TrueHoop Blog - ESPN
Game 5 in a knotted series is always pivotal, and that's particularly true for a team whose aspirations were as lofty as Cleveland's. The expectations of the Cavs and their fans are inextricably linked with LeBron James' future in Cleveland. Success would supposedly deter James from leaving Ohio, but if the Cavs were to do the improbable and lose to the fourth-seeded Celtics in the series, all bets were off. A Game 5 loss would've been especially devastating because it could've signaled James' last game in Cleveland as a member of the Cavaliers.
LeBron’s moment of truth awaits - NBA - Yahoo! Sports
James lorded over one of the most agonizing, humiliating losses a championship contender ever endured. So much comes with this collapse, bookended with decades of a city’s championship sports futility set against the free agency for the son it spawned in neighboring Akron. This collapse will cost people jobs. This will change the course of the franchise. Where’s James going? And as job security goes, the CEO of British Petroleum has more going for him than Mike Brown right now. Forty feet away Tuesday night, Kentucky’s John Calipari was sitting under the basket with Leon Rose, the agent Cal shares with his buddy, LeBron. James invites these storylines into the gymnasium, this drama, and leaves everyone else to live with the consequences. Owner Dan Gilbert has fostered a culture of permissiveness with James that hasn’t served him or the franchise.
Sorry Cleveland fans, but I love it.
Behind the Box Score, where LeBron James did not care - Ball Don't Lie - NBA Blog - Yahoo! Sports
In every conceivable facet, this man failed. He failed to defend his home turf. He failed to lead his team to a win it needed. He failed to give his team what it needed when the clarion call came for points, points, points. He failed to give his team what it needed when it came time to rack up his teammates' points and confidence. He failed to defend as the game went on, absolutely mailing it in. He failed to do anything to quash those of whom that seem more obsessed with his permanence and impermanence in Cleveland than they do the game of basketball. Above all, he failed himself. And when the best player in the game fails himself, that's a long, long fall.