Losing the Anti-Hype Battle Again to Lebron

As I've said before, I'm not one for hype. That's why I never thought I'd be pulling for someone like Lebron James. He had enough going for him that I didn't need to put any of my energy behind him. But I officially became a Lebron fan a few years back when he almost single-handedly carried the Cavs into the NBA Finals, and what he's done since hasn't changed my mind. (And I'm not just talking about the State Farm commercial in which Lebron does the Kid N' Play dance.)

Watching the end of Game 2 Friday night was one of the many occasions when my wife's understanding of my sports fandom proved to be lacking. She wondered why I cared so much to be watching the game when I had no allegiance to either team. Let's just say it's a good thing I didn't lose the argument. With Hedo Turkoglu poised to be the Rashard Lewis of Game 2 by scoring five points in the last minute, I was stunned that the Magic found themselves a tick away from a 2-0 lead heading home.

We all know what happened next. I jumped off the freaking couch when Lebron's rainbow three rattled in and, as usual, I couldn't help but wonder what it would have been like to have been in that arena. Unreal.

But I'm a bit troubled by the last two days worth of comparisons between Friday night's shot and Michael Jordan's classic game-winner 20 years ago over Craig Ehlo. The thing is, Jordan's wasn't just a game-winner; it was a series-winner. If it didn't go in, the Bulls were going home -- not for the next game, but for the entire offseason. Sure, if Lebron's shot didn't go in then you could almost seal the Cavs' fate, having dropped the first two games of the series on their home floor. But they would have still been alive to fight on.

I don't care that Jordan's was a first-round series ... and that it was only basically a free-throw line jumper ... or that there were three seconds on the clock when he got the ball rather than just one. His shot sent his opponents packing.

Now if the Cavs rally to win this series and go on to the NBA title, then you can say that the shot probably saved the season. And that's when you can say it wasn't just "the shot," it was "The Shot." Either way, Lebron still has some work to do.