The NBA's Only Chance For Redemption

(This article comes from Rid, who now has his very own blog)

The NBA has only one chance for redemption of the 2007 playoffs.

His name is LeBron James, and he must lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to the NBA Finals.

That is the only way to save the once promising playoffs from the doldrums they currently sit in. The playoffs began with such promise. The Mavericks were upset by an exciting Warriors team. The Heat were swept in the first round guaranteeing that we would not have a repeat champion.

That seems so long ago. The NBA now sits on the brink of deja-vu all over again. With the Spurs up three games to one and heading home for game five of their series against the Jazz it looks like all but a guarantee that the Spurs will once again find themselves in the finals.

Don't get me wrong, the Spurs are a great team, but we've seen it all before. Especially if the Pistons represent the Eastern Conference in the finals, then it is all lost for any chance of the NBA grabbing casual fans' attention for the championship series.

That's where LeBron comes in. If we can see the coronation of King James, and he can lead his team to the finals, the NBA will not have anything to worry about ratings wise. The 22-year-old phenom who is expected by all to be The One will be vaulted up to the highest stage of his sport, with the whole world watching to see what he does. The NBA will be able to do nothing but smile.

After the Spurs-Suns series was ruined by a hard-headed, stupid rule (once again, correct ruling, but of a horrible rule) this is the NBA's only shot. LeBron doesn't even have to win the championship, the NBA will benefit by him being there. The sports world will be abuzz with talks about how he will perform in his first finals appearance. If you think that he is under the microscope now, watch what happens if he can somehow get his Cavs past the Pistons. All eyes will be cast toward the NBA finals, and all of them with mouths attached to critique and say what should be done.

Maybe this is just wishful thinking. Maybe the Pistons are too much, and LeBron's supporting cast just isn't good enough to help get the Cavs to the finals. Right now, they are down two to one, but both of their losses have been close. It will be interesting to see if they can make it past Detroit .

I hope they do. For the sake of the fans.