First Cup: Thursday

First Cup: Thursday:

• Dan Duggan of the Boston Herald: "Kevin Garnett was with the Celtics [team stats] last postseason, but it was much different. Garnett was his typically manic self during games, talking trash to opponents and offering instructions to teammates. But Garnett’s words fell on deaf ears to some extent because a knee injury forced him to do all of his talking while wearing a finely tailored suit instead of his No. 5 jersey. 'Everybody was making a big deal about him being on the bench, but nobody listens to a player that’s not dressed,' Doc Rivers said. 'They just don’t. I don’t care how good they are, because you’re not out there with them and they know that. So obviously his impact is better because he’s in the uniform.' Garnett is back this postseason, and his presence has been felt. While defense will always be his focus, Garnett is averaging 18.2 points per game against the Cavaliers and he has been a valuable option in the post."
• Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com: "With all due respect to Cleveland, the Celtics have seen quite enough of The Forest City this season and would just assume not return -- for business or pleasure -- until next October at the earliest. And with Boston holding a 3-2 edge as its Eastern Conference semifinal series with the Cavaliers shifts back to the Hub, both players and coaches stressed it's in the Green's best interest to never see the cramped confines of the visitor's locker room inside Quicken Loans Arena again this season. 'If we lose [Game 6] at home, we've got to go back to Cleveland, and even though we know we can win there, at the same time, that's their house, that's their environment,' Celtics forward Glen Davis said at Wednesday's practice. 'It's just a tough situation. Sure, it's hard to win three games in a row, but at the same time, the Suns did it. They pulled it out. The Lakers did it. Orlando did it. We've got to win this game.' Echoed center Kendrick Perkins: 'It's Game 7 coming up. We don't want to go back to Cleveland. We've got to come out with the right focus, the right mindset. And play our game.' "
• Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon-Journal: "For all the talk surrounding LeBron James' lethargic play and his struggles shooting, Shaquille O'Neal insists the Cavaliers won't win without playing better defense. Six Boston Celtics reached double figures on Tuesday, including reserve Glen Davis, who scored 15 points in just 21 minutes. That really irritated O'Neal, and not just because Davis is the player who broke Shaq's thumb during the regular season. 'Our only problem right now is defense,' O'Neal said. 'Defense is something you have to want to play. They have three or four dangerous guys on the court. We were really focused on [Rajon] Rondo and they kind of baited us and everybody else got going.' Defense has been a staple for the Cavs during Mike Brown's five seasons, which makes it alarming that it's the one facet that has failed the most. The Celtics scored 100 points in the final three quarters Tuesday and have surpassed 100 points in two of the first five games."
• Brian Windhorst of The Plain Dealer: "The future of LeBron James is in doubt, which is well-known. In addition, the futures of Shaquille O'Neal, coach Mike Brown and even GM Danny Ferry might be in doubt as well. How Game 6 -- and potentially Game 7 -- play out could affect them all. When the Cavs' season ends, James' contract will be up and he will be an unrestricted free agent. While James has never implied he was considering leaving, unexpectedly getting knocked out in the second round and failing to return to the NBA Finals for the third consecutive year may influence his feelings about the long term. The national media is feasting on that specter. And it would only get worse if it appears the Cavs are headed for a shake-up, which might be the case if they prove unable to return to the Eastern Conference finals after an expensive overhaul to the roster."
• Mike Wise of The Washington Post: "Toying with the city of Cleveland's fragile psyche, calling the NBA's reigning MVP 'LeGone' James would just be piling on, rubbing in salt. Besides, that would be predicated on LeBron first being somewhere. For all the numbers, for all the surreal passes and forays above the rim, the most breathtaking young player in the game is still at base camp in the legacy game. LeBron is gazing longingly toward the top of the mountain, where Kobe Bryant is about to plant a flag. After consecutive MVP awards, let's look at the sum that matters: Rings? Zilch. NBA Finals wins? In his lone appearance three years ago, bupkis; four and out to the San Antonio Spurs. And to put a bow on what might soon become a seven-year career of unfulfilled championship promise, LeBron's Cavaliers, the best team in pro basketball this season, are one game from bowing out in the second round against essentially three old guys with knee braces who Rajon Rondo found at the Dorchester Y. At 25, LeBron is in danger of becoming the NBA's Alex Ovechkin -- heavenly regular season, hellish playoff finale. ... Unless LeBron has something left in his tank we didn't see in Game 5, it's time to face facts: He's not yet ready to be king. And whether he leaves Cleveland or not, he should not have fussed so much earlier this season about whether to ditch the No. 23 because he believes Michael's old number is too hallowed. Right now he should worry about not switching to the Nos. 8 or 24, because that would be very disrespectful to Kobe, almost as disrespectful as someone comparing the two players' legacies at this point in LeBron James's title-less career."
• Dan Le Batard of The Miami Herald: "Two decades ago, a very important basketball player had a terrible night against his rival in a playoff game. He missed the majority of his shots, just like LeBron James, and he scored only 15 points, just like James. His team was blown out by double digits. History does not remember him as a choker or afraid or not quite ready for the throne. No, history remembers him as Michael Jordan. Why did LeBron James miss 11 of his 14 shots in a Game 5 disaster against Boston on Tuesday night? I don't know. That's a terrible answer, of course. It has no depth or wisdom. Humans, in general, are curious and want explanations. And sports fans and media members, specifically, really stink at accepting 'I don't know.' The all-you-can-eat ESPN beast must be fed theories and analysis round-the-clock, and 'I don't know' is hardly ever on the menu. It is easier to condemn James by saying that this kind of game would have never happened to an assassin like Jordan while ignoring that this kind of game did happen to an assassin like Jordan. But there has to be a reason James stunk, right? Well, no, there doesn't."
• Frank Zicarelli of the Toronto Sun: "For all the physical talents that allow LeBron James to do virtually anything he wants to do on the court, it’s his mentality that requires a change. Steve Nash is so inferior athletically, but Nash is so much more mentally tough than James. Kobe Bryant can no longer play above the rim like James, but Bryant has that assassin’s mentality James can only dream of achieving. Not every shot, obviously, is going to drop and James’ struggles from the field were painfully obvious in a stunning blowout loss to Boston in Game 5. What Boston did wasn’t exactly revolutionary, opting to defend James by denying the middle, by taking away his dribble and forcing James to beat the Celtics from the perimeter. That’s the book on James, always has, always will be until he develops more of an attack-first mentality by getting into the lane and applying pressure on defences -- not just in spurts but every time he touches the ball."
• Vincent Goodwill of The Detroit News: "The harsh verdict of history is coming down on LeBron James. In the wake of his confusing Game 5 performance against Boston on Tuesday -- 3 for 14 for 15 points -- you have to wonder if that was James' last home game with the Cavaliers. The Celtics lead the Eastern Conference series, 3-2; Game 6 is Thursday at Boston. James, who will be a free agent July 1, stated he wanted to bring a championship to title-starved Cleveland. In his seventh season, it seemed the two-time MVP was up to the task. Now it appears James is folding under pressure."
• Stephen A. Smith of The Philadelphia Inquirer: "He is a superstar at age 25, a scoring champion and a two-time league MVP, perpetually carrying the expectations of something greater, something inevitable. This is the life that LeBron James has lived, and never cared to avert. The tattoos on his body -- The Chosen One, King James -- and his swagger have told us so. Then everything changed Tuesday night. Now we're wondering what's next. After one of the most pathetic performances of James' career, one rarely seen by a superstar of his magnitude, the Cleveland Cavaliers are on the brink of elimination. King James or Prince James? The Chosen One or the Overrated One? For the first time, the reigning MVP is facing scrutiny."
• K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune: "Sarcasm is the only way to stomach the LeBron-mania that swept through Chicago on Wednesday after ESPN's Chris Broussard made the media rounds, including a stop on WMVP-AM 1000's Afternoon Saloon, saying James has given thought to leaving the Cavaliers for the Bulls when he becomes a free agent on July 1. And I've given thought to succeeding Vinny Del Negro as Bulls coach. Doesn't mean it's going to happen. Sure, it could. (James coming to the Bulls, not me coaching them.) And, yes, the Bulls will investigate James' interest, particularly after he made complimentary comments of both the roster and the city during the regular season and the Cavaliers-Bulls first-round playoff matchup. But anybody speculating on what any of the prime free agents will do six weeks from now is doing exactly that."
• Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel: "Stay in Cleveland, LeBron James. If you are an Orlando Magic fan, that is what you should hope for. You should hope LeBron James is loyal to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Why? Because Magic fans, more than anyone, know what it’s like when the brightest, young superstar in the game leaves for the bright lights and the big city. Orlando experienced the depression and desolation 14 years ago when Shaquille O’Neal bolted for Los Angeles and took Orlando’s championship dreams with him. It’s only now, more than a decade later, that the Magic have recovered from the devastation and death spiral Shaq’s departure caused the franchise. Now there’s talk the LeBron may soon leave Cleveland for New York or Chicago or Miami. Especially in the booing aftermath of LeBron’s Game 5 meltdown Tuesday night against the Celtics. Especially if the Cavs are eliminated tonight in Game 6 against Boston. Especially with his new teammate, Shaq, probably advising him what a great move it was for his career back in 1996 to move to L.A. Personally, I think LeBron is LeGone. I think he’ll leave Cleveland for a bigger stage. I hope he doesn’t, but I believe he will."
• Geoffrey C. Arnold of The Oregonian: "LeBron James will be a free agent this summer and should the Cavaliers get bounced out of the playoffs before reaching the NBA Finals for the second consecutive season, James could be packing his bags. Shouldn't the Blazers at least extend a few feelers and gauge James' interest in coming to Portland? I mean, why not? The guy won the league's most valuable player award for the second consecutive season and is regarded as the best player in the league. This is the same Blazers' team that went ga-ga over Hedo Turkoglu last summer and it's safe to say that James is a better player."
• Ray Ratto of the San Francisco Chronicle: "Here's your big NBA playoffs news: If the Cleveland Cavaliers can't beat the Boston Celtics, maybe LeBron James goes to New York to play for the Knicks. That's it. The current playoffs have been so stultifyingly dreadful, so sparse and uninteresting, that people are already looking for 2011 to amuse themselves. I mean, ask yourself this: If the playoffs had any spark other than the quick and merciless eradication of the unworthy, do you think anyone in his or her right mind would give a forty-third of a damn what Spike Lee thinks about the Cavs-Celtics series? Let us answer that one for you: no. Not in a hundred years. But the games have been so empty and desiccated, and the series so devoid of drama or even uncertainty, that this is what's left. Well, this, and ownership news."