Part I …
—I've been hearing a lot about "Le Shot" today, Sunday, May 24. That's all well and good, except "Le Shot" took place two nights ago.
LeBron James' game-winner was spectacular and memorable and had-to-see-it-to-believe-it worthy, but there's another game to be played in this series. A few more games. Glen Davis made one of those shots for Boston in the series against Orlando, but nobody is talking about it now. Ben Gordon made a shot or two for the Bulls against Chicago, and nobody is discussing them — except Gordon as it relates to his contract.
Of course James' shot will live for a long time, in part because of when it happened and because it was James. But if the Cavs don't follow up on the shot it will hurt a lot more to lose the series than it felt good to make that shot.
I'm betting that James isn't spending today thinking about his shot. He knows what's ahead, and, as he usually does, he'll focus on the right things.
"Le Shot" was wonderful, exciting, energizing and invigorating. It fed hungry and homeless and helped that kid from Slumdog. But there's another game to be played. And that game is a little more important than one shot right now.
—Heard some folks call James' shot the greatest buzzer-beater in NBA history.
With all respect … one must interject here, fold one's arms, tap one's toe and say … please.
Great shot. Probably top five of all-time. But the shot won Game 2, and there have been buzzer beaters that either won series, like the one by that guy from Chicago we have seen about 87,120 times. And there have been last-second shots that won Championships, like that same guy in that game against Utah.
Too, we all forget that Jerry West once made a 60-foot shot for the Lakers to send a playoff game against the Knicks to overtime. Sixty feet.
The other night Mo Williams was celebrated for his end-of-the-half three from past midcourt, and rightly so. But can you imagine the hysteria and attention if West had made that shot in this day and age, with TV and replays and YouTube and match.com and the three-point line that would have made it a game-winner instead of a game-tieer? West barely talks about that shot, because it's not his style. But what a shot — a 60-footer with the clock winding down to send the game into overtime.
James' shot ranks with them, but to me the ones that ended a series or won a championship were bigger, as was the one from 60 feet.
—Had the pleasure of eating some of those Pepperidge Farm Milano cookies en route. And on the wrapping was an advertisement that touted the cookie's flavor, along with its "exquisite texture." Precisely what I was thinking.