What Was That?

If this was Lebron James' last game in the Quicken Loans Arena as a Cleveland Cavalier, it certainly wasn't the sendoff he had imagined. In a game as big as any in his 7 year career, Lebron was awful from the field (3-14) and could get nothing going at a time when his team needed him most.

For the second straight year the Cavaliers won over 60 games, and for the second straight year that achievement will amount to nothing. The expectations for this team were championship or bust, and rightfully so. Mike Brown is a former coach of the year and Lebron James is a two time MVP. So far the Brown-James era has been nothing but heartbreak and letdowns for a city that has not won a championship since 1961.

In Lebron's fourth season he carried the Cavaliers to the NBA Finals. At the time it seemed it was just the first of many trips that he would be taking to the Championship doorstep. Since the 2007 defeat to the Spurs, Lebron has grown and matured and the Cavaliers have attempted to add talent around him, hoping to put the pieces in place for a title.

The 2010 championship pursuit, and the Lebron James pursuit of a championship in Cleveland, both appear to be on life support as the Cavs head to Boston for a do-or-die Game 6 on Thursday night. Going into Game 5 most would have thought that the Cavaliers would defend their home court. They seemed to catch a break when the Celtics collapsed in Game 1 and they were dominated at home in Game 2. In essence, the Celtics are one bad quarter of basketball away from being 3-0 in Cleveland.

If Cleveland fans thought last years loss to the Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals was painful, wait until Lebron is walking off the court for potentially the last time after the Celtics close the door on Thursday night. During the regular season the Cavs were the big kid on the block while the Celtics were the old slow grandpas past their prime. Those "over the hill" grandpas are about to knock off Lebron, Shaq, Jamison, and all the other failed puzzle pieces for the 2010 Cleveland Cavaliers.

Right now it appears that Lebron is ready for change. The drama of his upcoming free agent tour has been going on for months and will continue to grow as we approach July 1st. He is arguably the best player in the league but his recent postseason failures are hanging over him like a dark cloud. As good as he is, it appears the curse of Cleveland is too much for him to overcome. Thankfully he has the chance to start over this summer because his chances in Cleveland have appeared to run out.