When Kobe Bryant was last seen in the playoffs, he was hopeless and helpless as his Los Angeles Lakers were being run over in Boston in Game 6 of the NBA finals.
LeBron James never got to a sixth game in his first time on the big stage, as Cleveland was quickly swept by San Antonio.
Now, with one big injury in the Eastern Conference and too many flawed teams in the West, one of the superstars has a good chance of getting the ending he wants this time.
“If I’m not competing for the NBA championship, then I’m wasting my time and I’m wasting my teammates’ time,” James said. “To be in a position to be in the playoffs and to be in a position to fight for the NBA championship, I’m looking forward to it.”
The playoffs begin this weekend, with James and the Cavaliers hosting Detroit on Saturday in their opener. Also Saturday, Boston – without the injured Kevin Garnett – faces Chicago, Dallas visits San Antonio in a rematch of a recent postseason thriller, and Portland welcomes Houston for its first playoff game since 2003.
Bryant and the Lakers get started Sunday against the Utah Jazz. Then, Orlando hosts Philadelphia, NBA scoring leader Dwyane Wade leads Miami into Atlanta, and the New Orleans Hornets visit Denver.
Cleveland finished with a league-best 66-16 record and has home-court advantage throughout the postseason. That means someone is going to have to beat the Cavaliers in their arena, where they were 39-2 this season – and that second loss came in the regular-season finale when James didn’t play.
The arena advantage gives the Cavaliers a solid chance to reach the finals, where they were swept by the Spurs two years ago after mustering the worst offensive performance in the history of the championship round. This version is much better on that end, thanks in large part to Mo Williams, who delivered an All-Star season in his first year in Cleveland.
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THIS WEEKEND’S NBA
SATURDAY
Chicago at Boston 9:30 a.m., ESPN
Detroit at Cleveland noon, ABC
Dallas at San Antonio 5 p.m., ESPN
Houston at Portland 7:30 p.m., ESPN
SUNDAY
Utah at L.A. Lakers noon, ABC
Philadelphia at Orlando 2:30 p.m., TNT
Miami at Atlanta 5 p.m., TNT
New Orleans at Denver 7:30 p.m., TNT