By TIM DAVID HARVEY
Jungleland. Somewhere between the mighty Miami and eternity, the lion sleeps tonight. 'Ah wimboweh', 'hakuna matata', 'nants ingonyama bagithi baba' and all that jazz. Here comes a lion father and although he's been sleeping on his throne for two years he's not about to give up his pride. Roaring into a rematch with the Spurs of the West, LeBron James is about to wake up to game on, game one of something where the outcome will change not only his life but the lives of his band of brothers and force of foes around and against him. As the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs meet in the Finals for the following year, somehow, someway the rest of the year doesn't matter. It doesn't matter how bad its got for the legend Kobe Bryant and the legacy of his storied Los Angeles Lakers. It doesn't matter how close but how far the Indiana Pacers got. It doesn't even matter how great the Most Valuable Player, Kevin Durant and his formidable Oklahoma City Thunder franchise is. They all got all so close but no Michael Jordan cigar. Now its between the greatest player in the league today and his talented team versus one of the greatest players of all time-who is the first active player since Mike to be in your all time starting five-and his seasoned but stellar squad.
Still this series is more than just LeBron James versus Tim Duncan. More than whoever is David to the other Goliath great. More than the baton and torch passed between these gold Olympians and World Champs both suiting up for the belt in this knockout bout. We have more than just Dwyane Wade's and Tony Parker's and Chris Bosh's and Manu Ginobili's for this battle of big threes that have enough Michael Beasley's and Boris Diaw's to go deep beyond just a regular sweep. Last year it all came down to seven games, a few seconds and a Ray Allen dagger to the drawn out Texan heart and this year means so much more. If the favorites Miami make good, James will finally recede those hairline critics for good and rewrite history in his name. Joining his greatest likes of Jordan and Kobe in being one of the only legends able to three-peat. If the king takes his throne once again then he'll not only sit on this but the poised potential to be one of the first to four-peat. That may be a couple of weeks and a year ago pending but how's that for greatness? The back-to-back, doubled up dominance of Duncan and his Spurs-who have been in contention since 1997 and champions since 1999-have never hit three in a row. Still if the longevity of this dynasty is able to add one more chip to the cabinet then not only will they devastatingly deny 'Bron and his boys three. They'll also show that whilst pushing 40, they can also push further down the classic career corridor of their Hall Of Fame team. Let alone the own enshrining of one of the greatest big-men this association has ever seen. Now can I get a witness? If LeBron is like Michael before him, then Duncan is a descendant of the mighty lord of the rings, Bill Russell himself. Still right now this feels like 'Bron's path. The finals is his place like home down his yellow brick road. Lions, tigers and bears oh my! This predator owns this forest. The lion, the clutch and the trophy cabinet.
LeBron is ready to scream "you shall not pass" to this older than Wizards team for this Harry Potter generation. James' quest sees him look to emulate Jordan in more ways than one. Like M.J.'s legendary Chicago Bulls team, L.J. wants to make his Miami Heat Voltron franchise as legendary as the storied Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics franchises. Like the San Antonio Spurs already are as much as those well known Philadelphia 76ers and News York Knicks. Its well within reach. Even the Tim Hardaway's and Alonzo Mourning's that have come before him can't match what he's brought to South Beach, bringing the Heat like when Will Smith welcomed former Cavs teammate Shaq to Miami before Cleveland. This is more than the career and franchise high of 61 points this year. Even the cavalier Wade and all he's won has been eclipsed in the heat of LeBron's time under the sun. The cooled off by injury Heat have used 20 different line ups this year but it all comes down to the Iron Man, one LeBron whose avenged and played through all this assembling. Only Pat Riley has done more for this team when it comes to the decision room. In this game of thrones the sword belongs to the king and if people don't like it heads will roll and explode. George R. R. Martin isn't there only one willing to kill off and write out everyone and anyone in the story of his career. You don't become the king without defending the walls of your castle by any means necessary. With everybody watching the throne even Kanye West and Jay-Z have to compete. There's no church in the wild. Time to go H.A.M., there's no meat for vegetarians and right now between Duncan's words of confidence and conflict there's more beef than a man versus food bar and grill.
Adam Richman may have slimmed down these days but its still 'Bron versus the world like Scott Pilgrim in this video game, digital day and age. Even this scroll across, throwaway, iPhone app generation can't deny this lion LeBron is a whole different animal all together. His beefed up Oscar Robertson, academy averages are still all steak and state in the stakes of the playoff push. This lion leaves everyone looking like lambs as he knows his game is a wrap like J. Cole. With the Carter administration by his side he rocks this nation. This young Simba doesn't have to wait to be the king. He just has to defend his throne and castle and the leader of the pack won't back down to any hunter. Any threat to his South Beach nation, foreign or domestic. Whether the Virgin Islands, Argentina or France. From Nebraska to Africa they all know this lion and king. Springsteen to the American dream, it belongs to James like the game. Even people in Lebanon know LeBron. Simply put the world is his...now who on earth is going to stop him? You don't dominate across the board from points to boards without stealing and blocking out the rest to be the best. The league standard to the tune of 27.1 points, 6.9 rebounds and 6.4 per on 56.7 shooting for your complete game. Showing he's more than pure, but a purists favorite who gives as much as the criticism he unfairly receives from all the court cynics, this guys assists and rebounds show he's making more than just a scoring leader point. Look for that ante to be upped over the next four to most likely seven games and you may just see why this guy could earn himself another finals MVP, win, lose or drawn out series. How? Why?! He's about to show you for your water cooler blog tell tales. You can just chalk it up to the fact that this mans about to leave everyone for the dust he throws up before games. They used to throw rocks at the throne and burn sacrifice jerseys as billboards came tumbling down but now there's so much love the hate is falling. Even Dan Gilbert wants this Ohio native back home, but someone should tell him they don't schedule parades in Cleveland this time of the year. Even San Antonio in 2007 know this. Sure the Spurs have been clicking and clacking as the West best for what seems like decades now but these latest years belong to a new beast in the east. The National Basketball Association of America is LeBron James' kingdom now. Now hear him ROAR!
"I'm blessed, man...that's all I can say."-LeBron James.
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