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The Dallas Mavericks were supposed to have a tougher time beating the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals than they did. While the Mavs celebrate, the Heat try to pick up the pieces and figure out what the hell went wrong. A team with Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh and Lebron James isn't supposed to go belly up in a best-of-seven series, four games to two. Now the team has to diagnose whatever problems caused them to lose.

With the loss came a long line of Heat critics. The latest one being former NBA player Rick Barry. He spoke with The Rise Guys on KHTK in Sacramento recently and said the Heat should have swept the Mavs and that all of Lebron's coaches should be ashamed for not teaching him proper fundamentals. During the interview Barry also pointed out several holes he sees in Lebron's game.

"His shot, first and foremost, because I think that's where it all comes down to. If you don't have confidence in your shot, it destroys the rest of your game. First of all the opponents can play you in a certain way, then back you out and take the drive away and say 'there' beat them with outside shooting. That's his achilles' heel. Then, little nuances, facing up, learning how to be the guy learning to use your first dribble to go by instead of everything off the dribble...learning how to use screens probably, then of course the coach running more plays for him where he can run off double and triple staggered screens, learning to curl it properly, learning how to do the little things in the game which, unfortunately, have not been taught to him, which I don't blame him for. I blame the people who have coached him over the years. To have a talent like this and to not maximize the full potential of this talent is inexcusable and reprehensible to me and the coaches who have had him should be ashamed of themselves."


Check out the full interview and poll below.

 

 

Information from USA Today was used in this report.

 

 

 



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The Miami Heat pulled off a dramatic come from behind win in Chicago last night setting up a showdown against the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals.

The series will feature Miami's big three Chris Bosh, Lebron James and Dwayne Wade vs the Mavericks's Dirk Nowitski and a solid supporting cast that includes Jason Kidd, Shawn Marion and Jason Kidd.

Dallas would seem to have the edge in overall team depth, but as we saw during their playoff matchups against the Indiana Pacers, Boston Celtics and Chicago Bulls, the Heat don't need much more than their trio of all stars.

Game 1 of the best of 7 series will be in Miami on Tuesday, May 31 at 9:00 p.m. ET on ABC.

So who do you like to win the championship?

 



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Video After The Jump


AKRON, Ohio -- LeBron James finally thanked the fans in Cleveland on Saturday, when he made his first public appearance since he left the Cavaliers for the Miami Heat.

At his annual "King for Kids" charity bike-a-thon in downtown Akron, James addressed a friendly crowd of several hundred people who cheered as he took the podium.

"To the city of Cleveland, my fans in Cleveland, my fans in northeast Ohio," said James, "I want to say thank you for the last seven years and the years that continue to go in the future."

Then he repeated the thank you to Cleveland a second time, as if for extra emphasis.

"So I want to thank the city of Cleveland, also northeast Ohio, for all the great years that I've had," he said.

Last week, James came under fire for taking out a full-page newspaper ad in the Akron Beacon Journal in which he thanked the city of Akron for its support. The ad contained no mention of Cleveland, where James got his start in the NBA.

Emotions are still running high among Cleveland fans who felt betrayed by James, who was revered in that city for years.

After James left for Miami to join Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, Cavs owner Dan Gilbert sent off a scathing letter to Cleveland fans vowing to win a title before James does.

But in Akron, at least, James is still very much loved by the people who watched him grow up. After giving his brief speech -- and without answering any questions from the media -- James hopped on a bicycle and joined about 400 children who received free bicycles along the one-mile course.

Wearing a red shirt with the word "Akron" printed on it, James also thanked that city and its mayor for extending open arms to the player and his family. He said this is the most precious day of the year for him.

"Because I'm able to give back to the city that I grew up in, the city that I love," James said to cheers. "And the city that I will always give back to."

Most fans were pleased to see him, and didn't understand the vitriol that has been directed at James from the rest of northeast Ohio since he left.

"This is his home. He's been very supportive of us in the past," said Tony Morganti, a Cavs fan from Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. "He said he's going to continue to be so, and I think this just proves it."

Source: ESPN

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There are some wounds that time will never heal.

The state of Ohio is still heated at NBA superstar, Lebron James' decision to spurn their Cleveland Cavaliers basketball team to go play with Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade for the Miami Heat.

A billboard just went up in James' hometown of Akron, Ohio that reads, "Welcome Home Lebron" with a big red X over "home". The second line asks "How Does It Feel To Be A Sidekick?". No doubt referring to the fact that the Heat is D-Wade's team and King James might have to play second fiddle to him.


NewsNet5 is reporting the idea is the brainchild of the brainchild of The Omada Group, a marketing company in Akron, that paid $3,000 for the billboard, which is on Route 18 eastbound between I-71 and I-77, about two miles from James' estate in Bath. The billboard will be up for about a month.

Matthew Palumbo, one of the principals at the Omada Group, said he hopes the billboard sparks a grassroots campaign to let James know exactly where he stands in his home state since his decision to leave.

James is scheduled to return to Akron for his annual bike-a-thon charity event next weekend and is likely to pass the sign on his drive in from Cleveland-Hopkins International Airport.

The move may end up being one James' regrets. Already former players like Charles Barkley, Larry Bird and Michael Jordon have criticized the decision. Their point being he should be trying to beat Wade instead of playing with him.to create a "super team".

Time will tell though, but if I was Lebron I wouldn't be expecting any warm welcomes in Akron for a very long time.


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Is newly minted Miami Heat star LeBron James getting some heat from his old friend Jay-Z?

The Internet is popping with a report that the hip-hop magnate, who's also a minority owner of the New Jersey Nets, is upset that James kept him out of the loop on his decision to join the Miami team.

The website Mediatakeout.com quotes an "EXTREMELY CREDIBLE insider" - the capital letters are meant to underscore the source's supposed reliability - saying "Jay-Z felt disrespected that King James did not consult with him during the free agency process."

And Gatecrasher got a similar take from a source in Jay-Z's camp. "Jay never expected LeBron to sign with the Nets. He knew that no 25-year-old kid with James' profile was going to spend years in Newark," the source tells Gatecrasher. "But he's pissed, or at least disappointed, that LeBron didn't consult with him."

Still, our source says, "I don't think it's going to affect their friendship."

According to Mediatakeout's insider, James' silent treatment made Jay-Z look bad with Nets' management. While LeBron was making his decision, "he didn't even take [Jay-Z's] calls. It made [Jay-Z] look like he couldn't deliver to the Nets management," the website's source says. If Jay-Z could have landed a star player, "he could have been seen as a legitimate asset to the team," the source said. "Now they see him as just dead weight."

Perhaps, but our source points out that given Jay-Z's minuscule $1 million investment in the Nets, the responsibility to put together a killer team doesn't really lie with him.

"It's not Jay's team," says the source. That dubious honor goes to Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov, who paid $200 million for an 80% stake in the Nets.

Another NBA insider says Jay-Z's real source of dissatisfaction should be Prokhorov. "The Nets have no basketball team," the source says, saying that Prokhorov "overpromoted and overmarketed" the team, but wasn't able to deliver a player with genuine box-office appeal.

Jay-Z's spokeswoman did not respond to our request for comment by deadline, and a spokesman for James declined to comment.

Source: NY Daily News

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I think it's safe to say that the love affair Lebron James once had with the city of Cleveland is 100% over.

James bolted from the Cleveland Cavaliers in July to join the Miami Heat in the biggest free agent move the NBA has ever seen.

Since then, the fans in Cleveland, who once cheered his every move have turned on him with a vengeance. From burning his jerseys to making videos on youtube ripping his decision, the Cavalier faithful let it be known, they now despise King James.

Now, James has struck back with a not so subtle jab of his own.

According to Cleveland.com, Lebron took out an ad in his hometown newspaper, the Akron Beacon Journal, thanking the city for all of its support.

He talks about his love for the city of Akron, but doesn't once mention Cleveland, the city he spent spent seven years playing pro ball in.....OUCH!

Here is the full text from the ad:

"To My Family, Friends and Fans in Akron:

"For all my life, I have lived in Akron -- and for that, I am truly a lucky man.

"It was here where I first learned how to play basketball, and where I met the people who would become my lifelong friends and mentors. Their guidance, encouragement and support will always be with me.

"Akron is my home, and the central focus of my life. It's where I started, and it's where I will always come back to. You can be sure that I will continue to do everything I can for this city, which is so important to my family and me. Thank you for your love and support. You mean everything to me
."

At least one former Cavalier, turned Heat did show the city of Cleveland some respect. Two days ago, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who like James had played seven years for the Cavaliers, took out an ad in the Cleveland Plain Dealer thanking the fans for their support during his time there.



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MIAMI -- Penny Hardaway insists that he's interesting in coming back to the NBA in general, and the Miami Heat in particular.

When trio of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh joined forces to play on the Heat, Hardaway -- who hasn't played in the NBA since 2007 with the Heat -- said he got the itch to return.

"I'm just throwing my name in the hat," Hardaway said on ESPN's Outside The Lines. "I'm just one to put my name out there and say, hey, I would love to be one of the guys to be on that team."

Hardaway last played in 2007 with the Heat. He played in 16 games that season, averaging 20 minutes and 3.8 points.

"I just really hope that they give me a great opportunity to come back down and show that I can do the things that I did a couple years ago," he said on Outside the Lines.

Thursday, on an online radio program he co-hosts, he said after the signings of James and Bosh, and Wade's return, "I felt like I could really be good in that system."

Balky knees helped force Hardaway into retirement, but he says he's feeling better, working out and playing five days a week. And he stressed to OTL that he's not talking about major minutes. Hardaway turns 39 this weekend.

"I felt like with a minimal role of what they're trying to fill, a very small piece in a big puzzle, it doesn't really matter your age," he said. "If you can have a good influence on the team, whether it be in the locker room or on the floor, I feel like I can do that, that's why I really want to go back because I really feel like I can help that team."

Hardaway played in the NBA Finals in 1995, when he teamed with Shaquille O'Neal on the Orlando Magic. He missed the entire 1997-98 season with a knee injury, but came back and was a four-time All-Star in the late 1990s.

Hardaway said he's texted Heat coach Erik Spoelstra and former teammate Alonzo Mourning, but admitted he hasn't talked to Heat president Pat Riley. But he did say he's serious about another comeback.

"I'm not trying to relive anything," he said. "... I keep myself in shape, I love the game of basketball and I really feel like it doesn't matter about your age."



Source: ESPN

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More Pics After The Jump

Various news outlets are reporting that this $50 million dollar home in Coral Gables, FL, is now off the market, thanks to the Heat’s recent acquisition of Lebron James. At one time, the home was owned by Heat coach Pat Riley.

In case you’re curious, mortgage payments on a property like this would likely run just under half a million dollars a month. Must be nice! More pictures after the jump.

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CHICAGO -- Jesse Jackson criticized Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert on Sunday, saying Gilbert sees LeBron James as a "runaway slave" and that the owner's comments after the free-agent forward decided to join the Miami Heat put the player in danger.

Shortly after James announced his decision last week, Gilbert fired off an incendiary letter to Cleveland's fans, ripping the 25-year-old and promising to deliver a title before James wins one. He called James' decision "cowardly" and later told The Associated Press he believes James quit during a handful of Cavaliers playoff games.

"He has gotten a free pass," Gilbert told the AP in a phone interview late Thursday night. "People have covered up for [James] for way too long. Tonight we saw who he really is."

Jackson said Gilbert's comments were "mean, arrogant and presumptuous."

"He speaks as an owner of LeBron and not the owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers," the reverend said in a release from his Chicago-based civil rights group, the Rainbow PUSH Coalition. "His feelings of betrayal personify a slave master mentality. He sees LeBron as a runaway slave. This is an owner employee relationship -- between business partners -- and LeBron honored his contract."

Messages were left Sunday night seeking comment from Gilbert, the Cavaliers and James.

Jackson also called Gilbert's comments an attack on all NBA players and said the owner should face a "challenge" from the league and the players' association.

NBA spokesman Tim Frank declined comment.

Source: ESPN

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Video After The Jump

Who knew Mel Gibson was a Cleveland Cavaliers fan?

Haha, man this dude won't be catching a break anytime soon. And from a lot of people, neither will Lebron James.

In this vid we get to hear Mel's reaction to Lebron announcing he would be leaving Cleveland to play for the Miami Heat next season.

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Ice Cube took to his blog to update fans on the status of his new album, 'I Am The West' and take a shot at the Miami Heat.

Also a song that caused quite a stir when it first leaked because it sounds like Cube is going in a damn near everyone will be getting a video.

"Mark it on your calender. Sept. 28th is the new release date for I AM THE WEST. But I'm still droppin' song after song so look for "Drink the Kool-Aid" later this month. I want to give you the song wit visuals," Cube wrote.

And being a big sports fan and L.A. Laker supporter you knew Cube was going to throw a jab at the Miami Heat with their new additions of Chris Bosh and Lebron James to go along with Dwayne Wade.

After getting off stage at a Seattle, Washington concert that also featured Snoop Dogg, Cube had a chance to chop it up with The Doggfather.

"Kurupt is one of my favorite MC's. He's got complicated metaphors that's still gangsta.
15 minutes after he left the room in came Snoop. We talked about the Lakers kickin' the Celtics ass in the Finals. We laughed about LeBron joining The Heat. It won't work, Lakers are still the team to beat
."

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Videos After The Jump

Last night (July 8), Lebron James brought tears of joy to the city of Miami. While at the same time crushing the hopes of fans in New York and Cleveland.

New York's number one goal coming into the off season was to sign Lebron at all costs. He was offered free lap dances for life from a Gentleman's Club and the chance to play in the biggest media market on the planet. No doubt his endorsements would have gone through the roof.

At least the Knicks have a great starting piece though, having signed Amare Stoudemire away from the Pheonix Suns and lots of cap room left to go after more players.

In Cleveland, the loss of James was a much more bitter pill to swallow. Owner Dan Gilbert labeled the star player a quitter. Claiming James tanked in this years playoff series against the Boston Celtics.

"He quit," Gilbert said. "Not just in Game 5, but in Games 2, 4 and 6. Watch the tape. The Boston series was unlike anything in the history of sports for a superstar. Go back and look at the tape, how many shots did he take?"

While fans in Cleveland took the streets and burned James' # 23 Jersey. Hoping Lebron would somehow feel the sting of betrayal the city and it's fans feel.

"We've supported him for seven years out," said one angry Cleveland fan. "And for him to go in there and drag us through the mud for seven years and stab us in the heart..he deserves everything he gets. I hope he never wins anything in Miami!"

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Fans In Miami, Cleveland and New York To Lebron's Decision


Cleveland Fans Burn Lebron's Jerseys
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Cleveland Cavaliers Owner rips Lebron James in an open letter to Cavaliers fans.

Dear Cleveland, All Of Northeast Ohio and Cleveland Cavaliers Supporters Wherever You May Be Tonight;

As you now know, our former hero, who grew up in the very region that he deserted this evening, is no longer a Cleveland Cavalier.

This was announced with a several day, narcissistic, self-promotional build-up culminating with a national TV special of his "decision" unlike anything ever "witnessed" in the history of sports and probably the history of entertainment.

Clearly, this is bitterly disappointing to all of us.

The good news is that the ownership team and the rest of the hard-working, loyal, and driven staff over here at your hometown Cavaliers have not betrayed you nor NEVER will betray you.

There is so much more to tell you about the events of the recent past and our more than exciting future. Over the next several days and weeks, we will be communicating much of that to you.

You simply don't deserve this kind of cowardly betrayal.

You have given so much and deserve so much more.

In the meantime, I want to make one statement to you tonight:

"I PERSONALLY GUARANTEE THAT THE CLEVELAND CAVALIERS WILL WIN AN NBA CHAMPIONSHIP BEFORE THE SELF-TITLED FORMER ‘KING’ WINS ONE"

You can take it to the bank.

If you thought we were motivated before tonight to bring the hardware to Cleveland, I can tell you that this shameful display of selfishness and betrayal by one of our very own has shifted our "motivation" to previously unknown and previously never experienced levels.

Some people think they should go to heaven but NOT have to die to get there.

Sorry, but that's simply not how it works.

This shocking act of disloyalty from our home grown "chosen one" sends the exact opposite lesson of what we would want our children to learn. And "who" we would want them to grow-up to become.

But the good news is that this heartless and callous action can only serve as the antidote to the so-called "curse" on Cleveland, Ohio.

The self-declared former "King" will be taking the "curse" with him down south. And until he does "right" by Cleveland and Ohio, James (and the town where he plays) will unfortunately own this dreaded spell and bad karma.

Just watch.

Sleep well, Cleveland.

Tomorrow is a new and much brighter day....

I PROMISE you that our energy, focus, capital, knowledge and experience will be directed at one thing and one thing only:

DELIVERING YOU the championship you have long deserved and is long overdue....
Dan Gilbert
Majority Owner
Cleveland Cavaliers
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