LeBron's Stinker Has New York All Confused

The New York Daily News, in particular Frank Isola, have recently launched a shameless campaign to woo LeBron James. To be fair, New York Magazine has something similar going, albeit with tongue planted firmly in cheek. The Daily News, though, seems to have made it the bedrock of its LeBron James coverage. That's the line they crossed when the moved from overwrought love letter to tendentious reporting.

After last night, what's a pro-Bron propaganda rag to do? Not that anyone asked me, but I found James's showing more confounding than anything else. It just didn't make sense. Maybe he's hurt, after all, again?

During the game, Kevin Pelton dared invoke Kobe Bryant's Game 7 against the Suns in 2006. But there's a difference there -- Bryant is mortal. LeBron isn't. Hyperbolic? Did you happen to watch what he did to Boston when Cleveland blew out the Celtics on their home floor? That kind of non-showing makes me wonder if gravity is still in working order.

But that paper has a proud tradition to continue, so after last night, we get this lyrical passage from the Daily News:

It was a shockingly bad performance in what might have been his final home game as a Cavalier, although James said, "I didn't even think about it." The superstar, designated to become the Knicks' savior for nearly two years now, was as uninspiring as Eddy Curry and apparently just as physically broken down.

Well, comparing James to Curry is certainly the kind of flattery that will rope him in. Also, that "designated to be the Knicks' savior" ... hasn't that become this paper's mission statement? I don't know if you can make yourself into a straw man, set yourself on fire, and then realize you needed that straw for breakfast. But if you ask me, that's what Isola's engaged in here.

Oh wait, the Daily News balanced things out. It also ran an entire piece on how Spike Lee is cheering for the Celtics in hopes that Cleveland losing will propel LeBron to New York. This is the kind of thing I expect from back issues of Pravda, not here in America.