1. He’s on a proven winner - This is one of the facts people seem to gloss over. Why would LeBron, who constantly says that winning is his biggest priority, want to go to another team when he’s had so much success in Cleveland? Any team that would have the cap room to sign him would be rebuilding, and would he really want to spend his prime hoping to match the success he had in Cleveland? Unlikely. In Cleveland, he’s been to two conference finals, one NBA finals, led his team to 66 wins, and won MVP. Moreover, this team has been built around him and his talents and they’ve shown countless times that they are dedicated to winning. If he were to leave for New York or another big market team, he would be hoping that they would be able to build a winner around him, but that isn’t guaranteed and would be a huge gamble. Furthermore, the salary cap is expected to be so low next season, the teams with the most money would only be able to afford to bring in one maximum contract, which makes building a winner around LeBron even harder.

2. No other NBA can offer him a larger contract - The Cavs can offer him more money and add an extra year to a contract. To take another offer would greatly decrease his basketball earnings.

3. The belief that he can earn more in a larger market is a myth - This could be the biggest bit of information that “supports” the belief that LeBron is leaving. But it’s simply not true. Let’s look at this realistically: LeBron is arguably the most recognizable basketball player in the world and is already one of the most marketable athletes today. How much more can he make? What major company would pass on him as a Cavalier but jump on his bandwagon if he was in a Knicks jersey? Absolutely no one. He can’t get much more famous and he would still be one of the biggest names in sports even if he played for the Utah Jazz. Moving to a market like New York would benefit a player knocking on the door of superstardom, like Chris Bosh, but not for a player that’s already established himself as a superstar. And the purported clause in his Nike contract about receiving more if he plays in New York has already been proven to be false.

4. It would be better for his legacy - It would be great to suit up for a team with a great history, like the Knicks or Lakers, but you would be remembered with all the other greats of that team. No matter how great the careers of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal have been, they will always be compared to Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jerry West (who’s the player on the NBA emblem) and others. But look at Michael Jordan and his legacy: he will by synonymous with the Chicago Bulls for a very long time. They even have a statue of him. And it’s safe to say that Kobe won’t get a statue in L.A. LeBron has already resurrected a dying franchise and broken many of the major individual records there. If he wins a championship there, his legacy will grow exponentially and will only improve his star power. Kobe may end up being the greatest player of his generation, but he probably won’t even be considered the greatest player to play for the Lakers.

5. He loves Ohio - Loyalty is something LeBron values. That’s why he’s constantly bragging about his hometown of Akron and why he’s surrounded himself with people he trusts who have known him since childhood. He may love New York and may love playing there, but “home” and “family” are two words that mean a great deal to him. And Cleveland is home. He grew up in the area - Akron is only about 39 miles away - and he’s already a legend. So many athletes dream of helping their hometown teams, and LeBron is currently living that dream.

At the end of the day, the only person that knows whether or not Lebron James will stay or go is LeBron James. And whatever decision he makes, I’m sure that he thought it through completely. But when looking at all of the evidence at hand, it’s hard to believe that he would take such a risk and leave a team that’s on the verge of winning a championship now.

At least, I really hope so.

http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=270614005

http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=270612005

http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=270610024

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POINT GUARD: Tony Parker is an amazing player as he’s just so darn fast that he causes matchup problems. His signature shot is a mid range jumper which is very hard to defend. He’s not your typical point guard as he likes to shoot first rather than pass the ball. Still, Parker has averaged 19.8 points, 2.9 rebounds, 6.4 assists and 1.2 steals per game this postseason. He also has shot well as he’s hit 45.7% of his shots from the floor and 71.3% from the free throw line. Larry Hughes has been banged up with a bad foot but he will try to give it a go. Hughes is also a shoot first type of point guard. He has averaged 12.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.5 steals per game in the playoffs so far. His shooting has been a little off as he’s only hit 36% from the floor, 36.5% from 3-point range and 74.6% from the free throw line. EDGE: SPURS

SHOOTING GUARD: The Cavaliers inserted Sasha Pavlovic into their starting lineup and they started winning more often. He might not be the best player around but he’s a tough guy that plays hard all the time. He hasn’t shot well so far in the playoffs as he’s only hit 38.6% from the floor and 56.7% from the free throw line. He has averaged 9.0 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.1 steals per game so far in the playoffs. Michael Finley is an old warrior that knows all of the tricks. He has been shooting well in the post season and that’s a big reason why the Spurs are where they are right now. He has hit 43.2% from the floor, 46.2% from the 3-point line and 91.7% from the free throw line. He has averaged 13.1 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game in the playoffs. EDGE: SLIGHT FOR THE SPURS

SMALL FORWARD: This will be the most interesting matchup on the court to watch. LeBron James vs. Bruce Bowen. Offense vs. Defense. LeBron James is the new face of the NBA as he is one of their brightest stars. If he can will his team to beat the Spurs he will be on track to be considered the best player in NBA history. LeBron James is averaging 25.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, 8.3 assists and 1.8 steals per game in the playoffs so far. He has shot 43.4% from the floor, 30.9% from 3-point range and 76.6% from the free throw line. Bruce Bowen is the best defensive player in the league as many opponents say he is a dirty player. He will have his hands full defending LeBron James who’s way more athletic than Bowen is. He will have to dig deep into his bag of tricks to deal with James. He has averaged 6.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.6 steals per game so far in the playoffs. He has shot well from three point range as he’s hit 46.4% of his attempts in the playoffs. EDGE: GIGANTIC FOR THE CAVALIERS

POWER FORWARD: Tim Duncan is one of the best basketball players in the history of the NBA and he’s been awesome in the playoffs so far this season. He will cause the Cavs some problems but the Cavs will also cause him problems as Drew Gooden, Anderson Varejao and Zydrunas Ilgauskas will try to take away his inside game. That is easier said than done. Duncan has averaged 23.2 points, 11.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 3.3 blocks per game. Duncan has made 53.9% of his shots from the floor but he’s had problems at the free throw line as he’s only made 64.8% of them. Drew Gooden is an underrated player for the Cavs that always hustles on the court. He has a nice shot from 15 feet in and he’s a good rebounder. He has averaged 11.1 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game so far in the playoffs. He also has shot a solid 49% from the floor and 74.2% from the free throw line. EDGE: SPURS

CENTER: Zydrunas Ilgauskas is the most underrated player on the Cleveland Cavaliers. The 7′3″ center should have no problem getting his points and rebounds in this series. Big Z has a nice jump shot that has extended out to 18 feet now and that causes opposing teams all kinds of problems. But it’s his work inside that separates him from other centers. He has averaged 13.8 points, 9.5 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game so far in the post season. He has hit 52.5% of his shots from the floor and 83.9% of his free throws in the playoffs. Fabricio Oberto started out the playoffs coming off of the bench but he played so well that he bumped Francisco Elson to the bench. Oberto has shot an amazing 66.7% from the floor but only 61.1% from the free throw line so far in the playoffs. He has averaged 5.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game. EDGE: CAVS

BENCH: The Spurs have a veteran bench and they could have a huge say as to who wins this series. Manu Ginobili is one of the best 6th men in the NBA. He brings a little bit of everything to the table as he’s a good offensive player and a notorious flopper on defense. He has averaged 16.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.75 steals per game so far in this post season. He hasn’t shot well from the floor (40.9%) but he’s been solid from three point range (36.8%) and the free throw line (83.7%). Robert Horry is one of the NBA’s best clutch shooters of all time as the playoffs is when he usually takes his game to a new level. He has only averaged 4.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.4 blocks per game during the playoffs. But he still has shot decent as he’s hit 43.1% from the floor, 34.5% from three point range and 84.6% from the free throw line. Francisco Elson will get some minutes at center. When the playoffs started Elson was the starting center but Fabricio Oberto beat him out for the job. He’s a strong rebounder and defender as he’s averaged 3.1 points and 3.3 rebounds in limited minutes. Brent Barry is also a three point bomber but that’s really the only skill he has left as he’s only averaged 3.1 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game in the playoffs. Jacque Vaughn will likely give Tony Parker a couple of minutes off per game. He averaged 2.2 points, 0.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. Matt Bonner (0.8 avg) and Beno Udrih (0.3 avg) likely won’t see the floor unless the Spurs suffer some injuries.

The Cavaliers have not been playing their bench as much as the Spurs have, but they have a couple of good, young impact players on their bench. Point guard Daniel Gibson was the Cavs silent assassin against the Pistons and he will have an impact in this series. When he’s on the court the Spurs must know where he’s at or they will pay. He has averaged 7.6 points, 1.6 rebounds and 0.7 assists. He also is shooting well as he’s hit 42.7% from the floor, 44.7% from three point range and 88.1% from the free throw line. Anderson Varejao will have the important role of hassling Tim Duncan when he’s on the floor. He is a notorious flopper so the Spurs better be careful when they drive to the basket. Varejao brings a bundle of energy to the court as he dives for loose balls and loves to rebound. He has averaged 5.6 points, 6.1 rebounds, 0.5 assists and 1.0 steals per game. He has made 48% of his shots from the floor but only 53.1% from the free throw line. Donyell Marshall has had a rough time in the post season as he’s only averaging 3.5 points and 2.1 rebounds per game so far in the playoffs. Eric Snow hasn’t got much playing time in the playoffs and he’s only averaging 1.8 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. Damon Jones has only played in 7 games this post season and he has only averaged 1.1 points, 0.6 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game. EDGE: SPURS

PREDICTION: The Spurs are battle tested and have home court advantage…..but the Cavaliers have the best player on the planet. I think the Spurs will win this series in 7 games, but, I wouldn’t be surprised in the Cavs won it all.

http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=270602005

http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=270531008

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