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What’s the message?  I need help, I do it alone every game.  There is no other team, no less a powerhouse team like this in the NBA, and Lebron wants you to realize it.  Now Bron-bron does have a very good supporting cast, with Mo Williams, an aging Shaq and Antwan Jamison.  None of these guys really create their own offense. Jamison is a perfect fit with Lebron because he gets 18 points/8 rebounds without running him a single set.  Shaq has to hog possessions where he generally gets overly aggressive and commits a offensive foul or throws a low arcing brick at the back of the rim.  Mo Williams needs to get hot to get in his game, or get a wide open look from 3 from Lebron.

So what does any of this have to do with Lebron? He wants you to know how good he is, and how dependant the Cavs are on his game. Only once all season did he have 3 field goals like he did on Tuesday.  And only once did he have only 4 FG. And only 5 times all season did he have fewer than the 15 he had in game 5.  In every single one of those 5 games, he had 9 assists, and was very involved. Lebron took a huge back seat in this game. If you watched, you know how lackadaisical Lebron played, and when he was open and felt forced to shoot, he shot the ball to the short front of the rim and started walking back on defense.

Lebron either wanted to set everyone up for a fantastic game 6 and game 7 out of him, or to set everyone up to accept free agency. He proved there isn’t any help from his teammates.  Shaq had one of his best games of the season with 21 points (7-11 fg, 7-10 ft) and 4 blocks.  But he is the only guy who showed up, and hes one of the teams least talented players on the roster at his age. The fact is, Shaq is the only player capable of stepping up, but his talent/age doesn’t allow that on a nightly basis.  Mo Williams folded, 3-8: 9 pts.  Jamison folded, 4-10: 9 pts.  Mike Brown blew it not playing the only guys that consistently play hard on every possesion: Varejao: 17 minutes (28 avg), Delonte West: 9 minutes (25 avg), J.J. Hickson: 4 minutes (20 avg).

So should we really tarnish Lebron’s reputation because he decided to not show up in a game 5 of the eastern semifinals? No, its a game 5. In the Eastern Conference Semifinals…. And I’d say he proved his point pretty well. We shuold be giving him credit.  That’s how good he really is.  They lost because the role players couldn’t step up.  Lebron has to have a good game every night if the Cavs have a chance.

The Lakers are arguably better when Kobe isn’t playing, until he needs to take over in the 4th.  The Magic have won most of their playoff games with Dwight Howard in foul trouble on the bench. When Lebron doesn’t have a phenomenal game, and the role players can’t step up, they lose, almost every time.

Let’s just wait this one out and see what point he was proving in game 6 and game 7.