The King of Cleveland

A SPORTING VIEW

By Mark Vasto

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You don’t get the opportunity very often, witnessing pure unadulterated excellence, so when the moment comes you don’t ever forget what took place. For LeBron James, that moment was Game Seven of the NBA Finals, and the place was Oakland. 

The business world likes to use sports analogies. Easy deals are referred to as “slam dunks,” ambitiousness is measured by “goals,” wins are “home runs” and losses are “knockouts.” Rare are the times that sports teams use business analogies. Nobody calls a player a “pencil pusher” or a “bean counter,” there are no “working stiffs” or “executive vice presidents.” In basketball, you are assigned nicknames like “Air,” “Magic” and “King.” They’re in the business of delivering championships.

As far as business decisions go, LeBron’s decision to skip college paid off. His decision to leave Cleveland for Miami paid off in the form of dual championships. The decision to broadcast his decision live on ESPN, a narcissistic misstep that humiliated his hometown, severely damaged his “brand.” I wouldn’t say I was a hater, but “The Decision” tipped the scale for me … LeBron was a bad guy in terms of the storyline.

No more. After almost singlehandedly beating the Warriors in one of the greatest finals through sheer force of will, he is the hero at the end of the book. 

James’ performance, particularly in Game Seven, where he totally took control of the final minutes of play, was astounding. Numbers don’t tell the whole story, can’t tell the whole story. What reads on the stat sheet as a block was actually a story about a guy who kept on running back, catching up in time to take to the air and smash a sure bucket into the backboard to preserve the tie. What the stat sheet lists as one free throw was actually the story of a giant of a man, rolling in utter pain on the hardwood for several minutes before rising for the last minute of the game.

There are some great postscripts, too. Rihanna trolling Stephen Curry on Twitter was an interesting novelty. The series also gave us a few stunning renditions of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” most notably Carlos Santana’s version and the Cleveland sing-a-long. It also showcased Oakland in a very favorable light, something that has been way overdue. Oakland and Berkeley are two overlooked cities, struggling from broad generalizations for generations.

For Cleveland, which suffered through a bunch of “The” moments — “The Drive,” “The Shot,” “The Fumble” and “The Dennis Kucinich” — LeBron James has given the city a few other moments to remember, namely “The Comeback” and “The Block.” Most importantly, he gave Cleveland the championship, and that’s your fairy-tale ending. 

Mark Vasto is a veteran sportswriter who lives in New Jersey.

(c) 2016 King Features Synd., Inc.