DownSwinging.com

LeBron James was fined $25,000 by David Stern yesterday for not attending the press conference after James’ Cavaliers were ousted from the Eastern Conference Finals in six games by the Orlando Magic.  When I read this story my first reaction was, well, none at all.  But then I thought about what transpired over the past week, and it hit me.  David Stern is flat-out wrong.  LeBron James was “supposed” to go to the NBA Finals for the second time in his career.  LeBron was “supposed” to show-down with Kobe for the NBA Title.  That didn’t happen.  As a result of LeBron carrying his team as far as he could and then crapping out against the Magic, he was emotionally drained.  He was passionate and he had a gut reaction to not talk to anybody and leave without going to his press conference.  LeBron didn’t shake Dwight Howard’s hand after the game, and that was a poor showing.

This is not an article about whether or not there was poor sportsmanship displayed at the end of that game.  The question is, why is everyone so upset that LeBron showed harmless, raw passion?  He didn’t swear at anybody, he didn’t gesture towards any fans, he walked off the court and said nothing.  This is a man who clearly is not used to losing and can’t stand the feeling of a season-ending loss.  Would Stern have preferred it if LeBron had gone to the press conference and blown-up at reporters?  Would he have preferred it if LeBron had acted petulantly and embarrassed himself further after his premature exit from the floor?  These are the things that would have happened had LeBron gone to the press conference.

The main thing I look for in professional sports is passion.  Everybody exhibits passion in different ways; for him, he couldn’t bear the thought of congratulating another team on defeating him. LeBron said the next day, “It’s hard for me to congratulate somebody after you just lose to them. I mean, I’m a winner. That’s not being a poor sport or anything like that. Somebody beat you up, you’re not going to congratulate them on beating you up.”  Did this quote not satiate David Stern’s appetite for LeBron-media face-time?  This is clearly a man who was trying to recover from a very disappointing end of the season.  He didn’t want to go to the press conference, because he was so sorely disappointed.  Fining LeBron James $25,000 proves nothing to him, as he’s infinitely rich, and it proves nothing to the fans.  I guarantee that if he loses in a similar fashion next year, LeBron will react in the same way.  This is just another instance in which David Stern has to “lay down the law” with players earning 15 times his salary.  Is it just to maintain order? No, its just to maintain the illusion of order.  Hey Stern, remember…”The NBA, where caring happens”.