Once the deck cleared from all the wheeling and dealing before Thursday afternoon’s NBA trade deadline, certain teams cashed in while others held on to their cards hoping to hit the jackpot this summer.

NBA.com writer Shaun Powell said it best – it’s all about the cheddar. It’s really all about the money, teams that are trying to save money and teams who are just laughing at the luxury tax and building for right now trying to win a championship.

So, pending all these players pass their physicals, here are the winners, losers and teams that broke even during the NBA’s liquidation sale, better known as the trading deadline.

Winners: Cavaliers, Bobcats, Rockets

The Cavaliers got their highly coveted All-Star forward to serve as LeBron James’ wingman. No, it’s not Amare Stoudemire. But in the eyes of many observers, the acquisition of Antawn Jamison on Wednesday as part of a three-team deal that involved the Cavaliers, Wizards and Clippers was probably the better move in the long run.

“It’s clearly a win-win for Cleveland. They get an All-Star piece and they didn’t have to give up [J.J.] Hickson,” said Covers Handicapping Expert Ted Sevransky.

Jeff Sherman, oddsmaker at the Las Vegas Hilton, noted that the Cavaliers were already a hot pick to win the NBA title and the Jamison deal definitely increased their chances of advancing past the Eastern Conference.

“It would have more of an effect in them getting out of the East,” said Sherman, who added that the Cavaliers were 3-2 favorites to win the title prior to the Jamison deal. The Las Vegas Hilton had the Cavs at 3-1 to start the season.

“There are only a handful of teams that can make The Finals,” Sherman said. “Boston is aging andrapidly regressing. KG is not 100% and [Paul] Pierce is breaking down. The gap is widening in the East with Cleveland as the favorite.”

Kevin McHale, who now works for NBA TV, also likes the Jamison trade, particularly if the Cavaliers face the Magic at some point in the playoffs.

“I think this trade was destined to happen ever since they lost to Orlando in the playoffs where they couldn’t match up with Rashard Lewis,” McHale said on Thursday. “They needed somebody to attack Rashard Lewis, and Antawn is going to make Lewis defend him.”

Two teams that also helped themselves, according Sevransky, are the Charlotte Bobcats and the Houston Rockets.

According to league sources, the Bobcats acquired Thomas from the Bulls for Flip Murray, Acie Law and a draft pick. Thomas, who will be a restricted free agent after this season, is an athletic forward who fits perfectly in head coach Larry Brown’s scheme.

“Tyrus Thomas is a huge upgrade for Charlotte. Larry Brown will make him into a star,” said Sevransky, who also likes what Houston did to its roster by getting rid of Tracy McGrady’s fat contract and bringing in Kevin Martin from Sacramento.

“It’s a huge trade for Houston. They needed a perimeter scorer and Kevin Martin is an All-Star. Love the move,” Sevransky said of the reported three-team deal that moved Martin, Jordan Hill and Jared Jeffries to Houston while the Kings got Carl Landry, Joey Dorsey and Larry Hughes, and the Knicks received McGrady and his expiring $23 million contract along with Sergio Rodriguez.

Also, keep in mind that the Rockets obtained the Knicks’ first-round pick in 2010, which could potentially be a lottery pick. Rockets GM Daryl Morey really earned his paycheck this week and should be nominated for executive of the year.

For the Knicks, the silver lining is that they are no longer tied to Jeffries’ contract, freeing them up to sign not one but two maximum contracts this summer.

Losers: Wizards, Celtics, Knicks, Bulls, Heat

Even though they cleared a boatload of cap space for the big free-agent class of 2010, the Knicks didn’t exactly improve themselves this season and are hoping – or more like praying – that they can lure LeBron or Dwyane Wade, or both, this summer.

McGrady is a rent-a-player for the next three months with a 50-50 chance that he’ll re-sign next season. But his current condition – two bad knees, a bum shoulder and an aching back – is not going to change the Knicks’ pitiful position.

“The Knicks were bad before and now they are worse. I want no part of the Knicks,” says Sevransky. “[McGrady] will put up points but he’s not the impact player he once was. The reality is, his best days are long, long gone.”

New York has four players under contract for next season – Danillo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, Eddy Curry and Toney Douglas – and if GM Donnie Walsh can’t convince any of the megastars to come to the Big Apple, the Knicks could potentially field a D-League team next season.

All week long the Heat and Cavs were in hot pursuit of Stoudemire, but the Cavs got impatient and struck a deal with the Wizards while the Heat was stuck waiting on Suns GM Steve Kerr, who got cold feet.

Miami tried to salvage the day by going after Utah’s Carlos Boozer, but the deal fell apart. The Heat can still sign Stoudemire this summer when he could opt out of his contract, but Pat Riley and Heat owner Mickey Arison must now sweat out the next few months because Wade is not happy he didn’t get his super sidekick, and when a superstar is not happy that can’t be good for business.

The Bulls got rid of Thomas and John Salmons in exchange for some expiring contracts, a clear indication that the Bulls will sacrifice a playoff run this season and join in on the LeBron, D-Wade and Chris Bosh sweepstakes.

Chicago (27-26 SU) is currently in sixth place in the East, two games behind Toronto (29-24 SU). But giving up on a young talent like Thomas and putting all their eggs in this summer’s free agent basket appears to be a desperate move for a team that made a fantastic playoff run just a year ago.

The Celtics made one reported move before the deadline, acquiring three-time slam dunk champion Nate Robinson from the Knicks for Eddie House, J.R. Giddens and Bill Walker. Though Robinson (13.2 PPG) has better offensive numbers than House (7.2), Robinson may not be the right fit for the C’s.

“I wouldn’t trade Nate Robinson for Eddie House. House is their best perimeter shooter. Sorry, Ray Allen. I just don’t see this helping Boston,” Sevransky said.

While the Cavaliers continue to stock pile talent for the stretch run in the regular season and the playoffs, the Wizards have basically put their entire roster in one big garage sale.

The first buyers were the Mavericks, who closed the first major deal during All-Star Weekend when they acquired Caron Butler, DeShawn Stevenson and Brendan Haywood from…you guessed it…the Wizards in exchanged for Josh Howard, Drew Gooden, Quinton Ross and James Singleton.

Teams That Broke Even: Mavericks, Suns, Blazers, Clippers

You can’t fault the Mavericks for trying to get better. Was it enough to punch their ticket to the Western Conference finals? The jury is still out.

Sherman is not infatuated with this deal, but Sevransky believes Dallas scored major points with the move, making this seven-player deal a push.

“That was a marginal deal,” Sherman said. “I don’t see a great difference between Butler and Howard; maybe a slight advantage for Dallas.”

The Lakers, who opened as 5-2 favorites to win it all, are now at 7-5, according to the Las Vegas Hilton’s latest odds. Boston and Orlando are at 8-1, and Denver is at 12-1.

“We just don’t see anyone besides L.A. and Denver in the West,” Sherman said.

Howard and Butler are very similar in terms of scoring, but Butler brings more of a defensive attitude to a Mavs team that desperately needs to get tougher. Butler was reportedly unhappy with the way he was being used by Flip Saunders and having Jason Kidd as a set-up man has him very excited.

“The Mavericks helped themselves tremendously,” Sevransky said. “They bring in a scorer like Butler and a defender like Haywood, and I would make them the No. 2 team in the West behind the Lakers and ahead of Denver.”

Another marginal deal is the transaction between the Blazers and Clippers that sent Clippers forward/center Marcus Camby to the Blazers. Sherman said the line jumped by just 1/2 a point from 6 1/2 to 7 from Tuesday’s Clippers-Blazers game.

“Brandon Roy is still the driving force on that team,” said Sherman, who called the deal a push. “I don’t think it did much. All they’re going to ask [Camby] to do is defense and rebound. He’s not going to add more scoring.”

The biggest name that kept surfacing leading up to the trade deadline was Stoudemire. But at the end of the day, Stoudemire is STILL with the Suns.

“Without getting into specifics, if we’re going to move a guy who is an All-Star player, a real productive player, we have to do really well,” Kerr said on NBA TV. “The only reason why we were talking to teams was because Amare could opt out at the end of the year and obviously we are at risk of losing him and not getting anything in return.

“So, the whole idea here is let’s find out what’s out there, we’ll evaluate it. If it’s good enough and it helps us get better in the future, then we’ll do it. If not, we move forward. And what any team offered was just not good enough.”

This article also appears on Covers.com.

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LeBron James won Round 2 of his showdown with Kobe Bryant, and I have a funny feeling it won’t be the last time we’ll see those two dueling on the basketball court this season.

LeBron James scored 12 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter as the game turned into a playoff-style, possession-by-possession struggle. Bryant tried to match James shot for shot, but his impatience and single-minded approach ultimately led to the Lakers’ downfall. The Cavs won, 93-87, despite not having point guard Mo Williams (who is out a month with an injured shoulder) in part because Bryant tried to beat James instead of beating the Cavs.

Bryant led the Lakers with 31 points but it took 31 shots for him to reach that total. He made just 12 field goals for the game and was 1-for-6 in the fourth quarter for four points.

LeBron James not only won his individual battle with Kobe Bryant (James scored 37 points, Bryant had 31), but he also led his Cavaliers to second victory over the defending world champs. (NBAE/GETTY IMAGES)

Cleveland’s physical defense forced the Lakers out of their comfort zone and the Cavs big men scored a surprising draw with the more talented Lakers frontline.

Shaquille O’Neal outscored his younger counterpart Andrew Bynum 13 to 7, J.J. Hickson (11 points, 14 rebounds) had a stalemate with Pau Gasol (13 points, 8 rebounds), and Anderson Varejao (11 points, 8 rebounds) nearly matched Lamar Odom’s output (10 points, 10 rebounds).

“Their big [players] were very active, very physical and wore us down,” said Bryant told the Los Angeles Times. “I think last year we were probably a little hungrier and played a little harder,” he said. “This year, when we played them two times, they were the hungrier team. They sense that they want to win a championship, they want to go after it, so they’re playing with a sense of urgency that we played with last year.”

Bryant was quick to blame his bigs for a poor effort, but what he should be doing is blaming himself for not trusting his supporting cast. The Lakers are a good team when Bryant takes over, but they are a championship team when Bryant gets his teammates involved.

Sure, Gasol needs to be tougher, Bynum needs to be more active and Odom needs to be more aggressive. But Bryant holds the key to the Lakers’ success. He can’t get into one-on-one battles like in previous years. He is now surrounded with great talent.

The Lakers got off to a great start but then stalled in the second quarter and the rest of the game was played at Cleveland’s pace. The Lakers came into the game thinking they can exact revenge for what the Cavs did to them on Christmas Day, but now it seems the task of taking down the Cavs will be a lot tougher than expected.

“[The Cavs] are physical, tough-minded and hard-nosed-type team,” Bryant told reporters after the game.  “We have to step up and match that — that’s not part of our DNA.”

Can’t wait for Round 3 of Lakers vs. Cavs.

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Prior to Thursday night’s TNT game between the Utah Jazz and the Cleveland Cavaliers, the basketball world knew very little about Sundiata Gaines.

After Gaines sank the game-winning shot at the buzzer to lift the Jazz to a 97-96 victory over the Cavaliers in Utah, Jazz fans were signing his name. His teammates, guys he’s known only 10 days, all rushed to the court to embrace him.  Half of them probably don’t know his name!

But the fans at EnergySolutions Arena could care less that the former Georgia Bulldog guard was a late roster addition. He was the hero of the moment and a shot that would last a lifetime. A true feel-good story.

Last month, Gaines was struggling to get noticed while playing for the Idado Stampede in the D-League. This week, he is on every sports highlight and just signed another 10-day contract to be with the Jazz. Life is good for Sundiata. And can’t believe the Jazz didn’t sign him for the entire season after what he did against the Cavs.

Check out his game-winning, buzzer-beater:

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Dear Santa:

Last June, I was deprived of a Kobe Bryant-LeBron James matchup in the NBA Finals when LeBron and the Cleveland Cavaliers were unceremoniously dumped by the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference finals. I know I’ve already asked a ton of gifts this Christmas but I would like one more present. I would like to watch Kobe and LeBron play on Christmas Day.

Sincerely, OneManFastBreak

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Dear OneManFastBreak:

You’ve got your wish.

The main course on the Christmas Day menu that has everyone salivating is the matchup between the Lakers and the Cavaliers at Staples Center (5 p.m. ET, ABC), featuring arguably the two best players in the Association in reigning NBA Finals MVP Kobe Bryant and reigning regular-season MVP LeBron James.

LeBron James will try to uncrown the real king, Kobe Bryant, on Christmas Day.

And, oh by the way, Shaquille O’Neal returns to the city he helped produce three NBA championships – as well as two very bad movies: “Kazaam” and “Steel.”

Ho!…Ho!….Ho!….

L.A. enters the marquee event with a league-best 23-4 record while the Cavaliers carry a 22-8 mark. The Cavs are on the tail end of a four-game trip while the Lakers have barely left the West Coast for two months.

The Lakers – playing in their 36th Dec. 25 game which is second only to the Knicks, who have been scheduled on Christmas 45 times – are 12-6 at home on Christmas and 20-15 overall. The Cavaliers are relative newcomers to the NBA’s long-standing tradition, making only their third appearance on Christmas in the LeBron James era and ninth overall. Cleveland is 5-0 when they play at home and 0-4 on the road.

As much as the general public and the suits at ABC would like this game to be competitive, the reality of it is the Lakers are far more superior than the Cavaliers, and the only thing Cleveland can hang its hat on is the fact that James could have a huge day and single-handedly influence the action.

However, one ace can’t trump a full house.

Ho!…Ho!….Ho!….

With the exception of guard Derek Fisher, who is barely 6 feet tall with shoes on, the Lakers boasts five studs 6-6 or taller: Bryant (6-6), Artest (6-7), Odom (6-10), Gasol (7-0) and Bynum (7-0).

The Lakers’ talent and length have been overwhelming the opposition since stealing Gasol from Memphis in February of 2008, winning a remarkable 109 of 121 regular-season games.

Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak is probably not going to get any Christmas cards any time soon from Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley. In fact, Heisley just told me to send over a bunch of coal to put in Kupchak’s stockings.

Needless to say, the Lakers have benefited greatly from the presence of the 7-foot Spaniard, whose high basketball IQ and low-maintenance personality has been the perfect complement to the hard-driven, super-confident Bryant.

In two meetings against the Cavaliers last season, Gasol averaged 20 points and 12.5 rebounds. He made 11 of 13 shots from the field in the Jan. 19 game at Staples, and three weeks later Gasol and Odom combined for 46 points and 29 rebounds in a 101-91 Laker win on Feb. 8.

The Lakers’ frontline thoroughly dominated the Cavs, 104-52, in points in the paint in the two games. Add Artest in the mix and the Lakers will have an even bigger advantage.

Cleveland tried to fix its frontcourt issues this offseason by trading for O’Neal. The problem is, O’Neal’s best days are behind him and his level of play is more in line with DJ Mbenga than Bynum.

Ho!…Ho!….Ho!….

With Shaq no longer Shaq, the Cavs have been leaning Mo Williams to help LeBron on offense. Unfortunately, Williams is more like a starting pitcher than a starting point guard, finding his groove on every fifth day.

So, unless Williams and O’Neal have an out-of-body experience and play out of their minds, expect two things to happen on Christmas Day: the Lakers should dominate the Cavs…again…and Nike will blitz the audience with an endless stream of Kobe and LeBron puppet commercials.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Ho!…Ho!….Ho!….

Sincerely, Santa

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A message for Shaquille O’Neal:

It’s been an incredible 18-year ride, Big Diesel. Thanks for the ferocious dunks. Thanks for the MVPs and the championships. And thanks for the great one-liners. You’ve been a huge force in the NBA for nearly two decades, a true dominant center the league may never see again. But, unfortunately, the end is nearing and it’ s time to hang up the sneakers for good. Your skills have diminished and, at times, you’ve been embarrassingly bad. It happens to all of us. One day you’ve got the world on your fingertips and the next you’re sitting at home in your lazy chair watching CNN World News Tonight. Based on your career low in points (11.2), rebounds (6.6) and field goal percentage (52.6), you just don’t have it any more.

Shaquille O'Neals 18th season in the NBA could very well be his last. The Diesel is averaging career lows in points, rebounds and field goal percentage.

Brian Windhorst of the Cleveland Plain Dealer recently wrote:

If anyone just watched this one Cavs game, and plenty of people in Houston did including some that know a lot about basketball, you could come to the conclusion that Shaquille O’Neal’s time is over. In truth, he looked terrible in this loss. It was the first time this season he looked this way. This on a day when he was playing against a 6-6 center in Chuck Hayes, a game where most thought he put the Cavs over the top.

After shooting the ball pretty well in the preseason, Shaq has not been as effective as in the regular season. A prime issue is that he just doesn’t get much lift on his shots. This is not a new problem, but Shaq has not compensated for it by adding loft to his hooks. He continues to shoot them they way he did five years ago, like a line drive. Like his free throws. But when your arm is more than 11 feet in the air, like it used to be, you have a better chance than when it is just over 10 feet in the air. The angle doesn’t work as well. But beyond that, he’s missing easy layups and he has been for several weeks now.

When you ask Shaq about this he gives a standard answer, which is he is no longer a focus of the offense and he isn’t looking to take 20 shots a night. That he wants to come in an be a complementary piece. That is what he’s been saying since day one and it is also true. But that doesn’t explain why his shooting percentage is down nearly 10 percent this season.

Shaq has been very effective for the Cavs in certain ways. He has directly helped the Cavs defend the paint, score more points in the paint, free shooters and keep opponents honest. He has shown against some big centers what his value is. It is not fair to look at this game, the second night of a back-to-back, and make a proclamation. I am sure that is what some will do. But it is fair to point out where he’s struggling right now and this game showed it.

And it’s not just the writers who think Shaq’s done. His own teammates think he’s done.

LeBron James said: “While [O'Neal] was out, things flowed because we were playing loose and we had a certain lineup going. We haven’t had enough games with him in the lineup and coach is figuring out the best lineups to play. So, it still is an adjustment period.”

Translation, according to the Cavs’ franchise player, Cleveland doesn’t need the 37-year-old future Hall-of-Famer. At least not this old, broken-down version of The Big Aristotle. The expiration date on this old, spoiled athlete says: must use by 3-30-09. The Cavs are now realizing that Shaq’s usefulness is done and it’s time to dispose their big offseason pick-up and eat his big, fat contract for a year.

“I felt pretty good, I missed a couple chippies,” said O’Neal after a loss to the Charlotte Bobcats.

“We made a lot of silly mistakes and we had multiple chances to win,” Shaq added.

Those quotes are Shaq’s favorite over the years. Anytime his teams lose a game, he goes to the “I missed a couple of chippies” and “we made a lot of silly mistakes” cards. He said it when he was Orlando, he said it when he was a Laker, he said it when he was in Miami, and he said it when he was in Phoenix.

It’s the same song and dance with O’Neal and his act is growing old.

Time to leave the stage and take your final bow, Shaq.

Sincerely,

OneManFastBreak Editor

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Shaquille O’Neal loves to give nicknames and enjoys tossing around slogans.

The latest gem from the Big Quotatious was the comment he made about him and fellow Cavaliers center Zydrunas Ilgauskas.

When 7-foot-1 O’Neal was asked about his relationship with 7-foot-3 Ilgauskas, the Cavs’ longtime center until this season, Shaq said, “Myself and [Ilgauskas], we are the best center in the game.”

O’Neal has started every game for the Cavaliers this season and Ilgaukas has spelled him time, but the Diesel doesn’t think he has to do the job all by himself. At 37, Shaq realizes that he can’t dominate a game for 40 minutes and has to pick his spots.

This is where he believes having Big Z as the backup helps the Cavaliers.

“I realize we’re gonna share minutes, so it’s vital we go out there and give it all we got,” O’Neal said. “It’s good to have an excellent big man like him as the backup.”

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Don’t blame Shaquille O’Neal for the Cavaliers’ slow start.

Kevin McHale talked about Cleveland’s early-season woes during TNT’s postgame show on Thursday and hopefully Cavaliers coach Mike Brown was listening. McHale said the Cavaliers’ biggest problem on offense is spacing.

McHale pointed out that power forward Anderson Varejao does not have the shooting range to stretch a defense, and because of this the Cavaliers are having a hard time stretching the defense and their first two opponents – Boston and Toronto – basically packed the paint. Both teams were daring Varejao to beat them from the outside and Varejao did not make enough shots to force the Celtics and Raptors to adjust their defense.

Cavaliers forward Anderson Varejao has not meshed well with center Shaquille O'Neal after two games.

McHale explained that Varejao is not a pick-and-pop player. He’s more a pick-and-roll guy, and when he dives to the basket he ends up clogging the lane with Shaq.

Throughout his career, O’Neal has played with forwards who can make an 18-footer: Horace Grant, Robert Horry and Udonis Haslem. When O’Neal was in Phoenix, he ran into the same issues with Amare Stoudemire. Stoudemire prefers to roll the basket instead of popping out to the top of the circle, creating a logjam in the 3-second area.

In their two losses, the Cavaliers shot just 37% and have yet to score more than 92 points. For O’Neal to be effective in their offense, the Cavs need a 4-man who can consistently make jump shots.

The quick solution would be to have LeBron James play power forward, have Anthony Parker and Mo Williams in the backcourt and insert Jamario Moon at small forward. Or, when Delonte West returns, coach Mike Brown can play West and Williams in the backcourt, move Parker to small forward and have LeBron at power forward.

The bottom line is, Varejao and Shaq can’t be on the court at the same time.

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Mo Williams did not score in the fourth quarter and in overtime in Cleveland's 116-114 loss in Game 4. (NBAE/GETTY IMAGES)

The Cleveland Cavaliers just put Mo Williams’ face on the box of a milk cartoon because they can’t seem to locate their starting point guard.

According to the Game 4 box score, Williams had 18 points on 5-of-15 shooting, had five rebounds and had two assists and two steals. That’s odd because when the LeBron James needed help when things got hot and heavy in the fourth quarter and in the overtime period in Orlando, Williams was nowhere to be found.

With Williams missing in action, James had to do too much on offense and could not save the Cavaliers from going down 116-114 to the Orlando Magic in Game 4 and could not save the Cavaliers from going down 3-1 in the Eastern Conference finals. Only eight teams have overcome a 3-1 deficit in a seven-game series.

“I’m a leader on this team. Whatever I can do to spark this team and give us confidence, I’ll do,” Williams said. “If I have to take the heat, so be it.”

Did you guys hear something? I swear I just heard Mo Williams say “I’m a leader on this team.” Is Williams living in the same planet? Has he been paying attention to this series? Obviously not based on his comments. A leader? I know Williams has a sense of humor, but that last one was just hilarious. And this is coming from a guy who just guaranteed that the Cavs will win this series.

Before Williams is allowed to make any predictions, he needs to get in the game first – and when I say “get in the game” he needs to have a bigger impact in the game other than inbound the ball to LeBron, who is averaging 42 points in the conference finals but yet finds his team on the brink of elimination.

To say that Williams is having a hard time in this series is the understatement of the year. Williams is 23 for 71 from the field in the series and has been hardly as efficient as he was in the regular season, when he averaged a career-high 17.8 points.

For someone who was tabbed as the LeBron’s wing man and made the NBA All-Star Game this season, Williams is playing like a guy who is afraid to make a play. The fact that he made the guarantee shows that he’s lacking confidence and he needed to pump himself up with some verbal bravado.

He had 18 points through three quarters on Tuesday, but took just two shots (missed them both) in the fourth quarter and overtime. He is getting outplayed by Rafer Alston and is still reeling from the elbow he took to the face from Anthony Johnson.

Johnson is getting the last laugh in his matchup with Williams as the veteran guard was seen smiling from ear to ear in the Orlando locker room and was poking fun at Williams’ botched guarantee. “The guy’s out there chirping and talking and all that kind of stuff,” Johnson said. “They were, all of them, doing a little more talking than usual. But as long as none of them put their hands on me, I’m cool.”

If the Cavaliers are going to extend this series, Mo Williams needs to man up and let his presence be known.

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LeBron James' game-winning shot in Game 2 tied the Eastern Conference finals at 1-1. (GETTY IMAGES)

Cleveland Cavaliers Coach Mike Brown said it best. It was an amazing shot by an amazing player.

The legend of LeBron James grew exponentially with his game-winning, buzzer-beating 3-pointer in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Orlando Magic in Cleveland that more than likely saved the Cavaliers’ season. The 96-95 victory tied the series at 1 with the next two games in Orlando.

James’ shot over Hedo Turkoglu will now be replayed in the minds of long-suffering Cleveland fans, who until May 22, 2009, has never been able to erase the painful memory of Michael Jordan’s shot over Craig Ehlo 20 years ago. On May 7, 1989, a day that has lived in infamy to many Cavalier fans, Jordan broke free from Larry Nance, dribbled to the top of the free throw line, rose up, hung in the air as Ehlo flew by and rattled home the game-winning shot that eliminated Cleveland in the first round.

The shot over Ehlo … GOOD! The Bulls win! The Bulls win!

It was one of Jordan’s defining moments in the NBA playoffs and the league has milked it to the point where many Jordan-haters, and most of them live in Ohio, are heading for the restroom with one finger in their mouths and losing their lunch in a porcelain bowl.

Enter LeBron James. The Akron, Ohio, native who has witnessed and endured some of Cleveland’s heartaches, changed the course of history with one dramatic shot – a shot that foiled Orlando’s 23-point comeback and a shot taken by No. 23 from 23 feet.

The shot over Hedo … GOOD! Cavs win! Cavs win!

“The other 23 is on the good side now. The other 23 is gone, so we don’t have to worry about that no more,” James said. “To hit a shot like that at the buzzer, at home … wow!”

Before The Shot that rocked Cleveland, Turkoglu put the Magic head 95-93 when he swished a jumper from the top of the free throw line. Images of John Elway driving the Denver Broncos 98 yards against the Cleveland Browns, Earnest Byner fumbling the ball near the goal line and Indians closer Jose Mesa blowing a lead in the ninth inning of the World Series began to resurface. Then, with one flick of the wrist, James exorcised Cleveland’s demons.

“I was punch-drunk. I couldn’t move,” said Cavaliers guard Mo Williams, who was credited for delivering a pin-point inbounds pass that allowed an easy catch-and-shoot for James with 1.0 showing on the clock.

Williams admitted he had his eyes on LeBron, and only LeBron, on the last play. “Option A was LeBron. Option B was LeBron. Option C was LeBron. Option D was Big Game James,” he said.

James said the initial play for was Williams to throw him the lob pass, but Turkoglu played it well. So, James broke free to the top of the 3-point line, caught the ball, rose up over Turkoglu, released the ball before the red line went on and rattled home the shot that could become the signature snap shot of his career.

“I was going to come get the ball no matter what happened. I knocked down the shot. Biggest shot I’ve made in my career.” James said. “A second is a long time for me, for other it is very short. As a kid you practice those moments … five, four, three, two, one, eeehh! Currr! You don’t have to be in the NBA to know what I’m talking about.”

The magnitude of the shot was not lost on Brown. He knew the Cavs had one shot at either going down 0-2 or tying the series 1-1. “Just to have the wherewithal to have that type of confidence in yourself, to know there’s one second on the clock and you’re ending this thing right now, and if it doesn’t end right now, I have big enough shoulders to take care of what the outcome is,” Brown said. “Not many people could do it.”

Thanks to LeBron James, the city of Cleveland can finally sleep on sweet dreams and not be awakened by the nightmare of Jordan’s Shot, Elway’s Drive and Byner’s Fumble.

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The Boston Celtics are not optimistic about Kevin Garnett's injured knee.

When Paul Pierce was asked which team was the toughest to eliminate in the Celtics’ road to winning their 17th championship, he said, without any hesitation, “Cleveland.”

The Cavaliers pushed the Celtics to seven grueling games in last season’s Eastern Conference semifinals, and when the series was over, the Celtics and pretty much every team in the East said that if Cavaliers management provides LeBron James another all-star player to play with, look out!

When Mo Williams joined Cleveland this season, the Cavs soared to the best record in franchise history and claimed home-court advantage throughout the NBA playoffs.

News of Kevin Garnett to likely to miss the entire playoffs was so devasting that Boston GM Danny Ainge suffered a mild heart attack.  Garnett was tabbed very, very questionable by Coach Doc Rivers after watching KG struggle in practice. Though Boston will not be the same without its quarterback on defense, the Celtics are still the champs and they still have two studs in Pierce and Ray Allen.

Orlando did not finish well and is still vastly untested in the playoffs. As good as Dwight Howard has been during the regular season, there are still doubts about his ability to consistently carry the Magic on his broad shoulders when it matters most. He still lacks a killer instinct. He’s just too nice. And if Orlando gets in any type of trouble, it will be interesting to watch whether Coach Stan Van Gundy pushes the panic button.

OneManFastbreak.net analyzes and predicts the winners of the Eastern Conference playoffs:

FIRST ROUND

(1) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (8) Detroit Pistons – In a rematch of the 2007 conference finals, this should be a one-sided affair. Cleveland will not overlook Detroit. CAVALIERS IN 4.

(2) Boston Celtics vs. (7) Chicago Bulls – The Bulls will make it close but the Celtics have enough pride to avoid getting bounced in the first round. CELTICS IN 5.

(3) Orlando Magic vs. (6) Philadelphia 76ers – Orlando swept the Sixers during the regular season and there is no reason why the Magic can’t do the same in the playoffs. MAGIC IN 4.

(4) Atlanta Hawks vs. (5) Miami Heat – NBA scoring champ Dwyane Wade is good enough to extend this series to the max. But in the end, home-court advantage will be the difference. HAWKS IN 7.

CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS

(1) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (4) Atlanta Hawks – Size will matter in this series. Can the undersized Hawks keep up with the bigger Cavs? The answer: too much Ilgauskas, Varejao and LeBron. CAVALIERS IN 6.

(2) Boston Celtics vs. (3) Orlando Magic – With or without KG, the Celtics are still better than the Magic. Boston won 62 games and most of it was done without Garnett. CELTICS IN 6.

CONFERENCE FINALS

(1) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (2) Boston Celtics – When Boston was completely healthy last season and LeBron was basically by himself, it still took the Celts seven games to knock off the Cavs. This season, Cleveland clinches the series in Boston. CAVALIERS IN 6.

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