LeBron welcomes baby boy

LeBron James will have at least one good memory from the Finals.
James' longtime girlfriend, Savannah Brinson, gave birth to the couple's second son just before 1 a.m. Thursday at Cuyahoga Falls General Hospital. Bryce Maximus James weighed in at 8 pounds, 6 ounces and was 21 inches long when he came into the world at 12:51 a.m. Brinson chose the first name and James picked the middle name in honor of Russell Crowe's character in the movie Gladiator, James' favorite movie.
It was a long night for both parents: Brinson was in labor for nearly nine hours, and James was unable to sleep, getting no rest until after the Cavs' shootaround at 11 a.m.
``It puts everything in perspective,'' James said. ``I think this is definitely special for me, being a part of this, being a part of the NBA, being a part of the NBA Finals. Having my family is an exciting time also -- it's great. Win, lose or draw, this is special to my family. To have another James come into the family, it doesn't get any better than that.''
James was happy he could be present for the birth. He had said he would miss the birth if it conflicted with a Finals game. He and Brinson have been together for more than four years. James, who is a year older, took Brinson to her senior prom at Buchtel High in 2004. The couple had their first child, LeBron James Jr., in October 2004.
Dad is hoping his two sons can follow in his footsteps.
``Right now, they look like two small, small forwards,'' James said. ``Kind of like Tayshaun Prince.''

Bruce Bowen defense?! :-/

Bruce Bowen went into Game 1 of the NBA Finals taking sole responsibility for limiting Cleveland Cavaliers' star LeBron James.
James didn't get his first basket of the game until 7:15 remained in the third period. He missed 12 of his 16 shots and had only four assists.
Bowen, though, took minimal personal satisfaction.
"I'm happy with the victory," he said. "He didn't have a 48-point game, and I'm happy with that."
It was up to Bowen's teammates to give Bowen the credit he deserved.
"We do a pretty good job containing people," Tim Duncan said. "It helps a little bit to have somebody like Bruce. That's definitely not something you look past. He's guarded every position throughout these playoffs, and he's done a great job with it. So a lot of credit to him."
During this playoff run, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has used Bowen on Allen Iverson, Carmelo Anthony, Deron Williams and now, James. He knows Bowen gives his team concept the best opportunity to succeed.
"He takes great pride in guarding the other team's best player," Popovich said. "He doesn't always stop him. Our team defense is what we count on, but team defense begins with individuals taking responsibility, and I think Bruce does that very well."
With four full days to prepare for the Cavs, the Spurs' coaches put together a defensive scheme to contain James that included strong hedging from the big men on pick-and-roll situations. That had the dual effect of double-teaming James while taking away his passing lanes.
Nevertheless, Bowen's approach was typically single-minded: Stay in front of James and prevent him from getting past to attack the rim and the Spurs' big men.
Duncan may be the NBA's best defender at the rim, but Bowen believes any defender that counts on him to clean up mistakes is defeated before he starts.
"If I rely on Tim, he gets past me, just like that," Bowen said, snapping his fingers. "Now it's LeBron with a head of steam against Tim Duncan. That's just a bad situation for Tim. Any time a big man is dealing with a guy coming at him with a full head of steam, it's difficult.
"So if I can do my job, in the process he can come over and help."
Midway through the first quarter, Bowen's defensive work on James forced the Cavs' star to give up his dribble, just as Duncan came over to help. A frustrated James ended up forcing up a shot that Duncan swatted right back at him.
Afterward, Bowen chuckled at the notion that Duncan might put a photo of the block in his locker. James has a photo of his dunk over Duncan in the Cavaliers' Nov.3 regular-season victory over the Spurs displayed in his locker in Cleveland.
"That's what our big fellow does for us," Bowen said, smiling. "Everybody here is trying to cover for one another. This is what happens at times."
Bowen knows what happened Thursday at AT&T Center is no guarantee the Spurs will have similar success against James in Sunday's Game 2.
"It's not something you can be too happy with at this point," Bowen said, "because at this point in the year it's about how you react after victories. I want to make sure I stay hungry and understand I can improve in some areas, as well."

LeBron James magic

Auburn Hills, Mich. -- LeBron James put on one of the most memorable playoff performances in NBA history on Thursday night.
James had dunks, fadeaway jumpers and he scored the winning basket in a thrilling 109-107 double-overtime victory over the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference finals.
James finished with 48 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in 51 minutes. He also scored 29 of the Cavs' last 30 points, including 25 straight. Cavs coach Mike Brown is glad he was a witness. "This was the single best game I've ever seen on this level and in this atmosphere hands down," Brown said. "He was absolutely phenomenal."
Despite his playoff-best performance, James was more satisfied with the victory.
"If I did everything I did tonight and we lost, it means nothing," James said. "The win is the most important thing for us, and we need one more win to reach our goal."
The Cavs are in the same position they were in last season in the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Pistons. This time, however, the Cavs hope for different results. The Cavs can close out the series and the Pistons' season on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. in Game 6 at The Q.
"Willing my team to victory is definitely pleasing to me," James said. "This is one of the biggest wins in Cavaliers' history.
"But we have a goal. We can't dwell on this when we have another game on Saturday. We'll do our best to try to win that ball game and get where we want to be all year."
Just like last year, the Cavs trailed, 0-2, in the conference semifinals against the Pistons but roared back to win three straight. The Cavs forced a Game 7, but lost the series. Now, they're one game away from advancing to the NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs.
The Cavs led by two points late in the first overtime, but Eric Snow fouled Chauncey Billups with 3.1 seconds left. Billups nailed the free throws to tie the score. Snow attempted a desperation shot at the buzzer to send the game into double overtime.
Late in the second overtime, James nailed a fall-away 3-pointer to tie the score. Moments later he scored inside on a layup for a two-point lead with 2.2 seconds left. Billups missed the final shot to end the game and James' spectacular moment.
"I feel terrible," said James, when asked how he felt physically. "I'm everything. I'm banged up, I'm winded, I'm fatigued, and I have all day tomorrow. "But it'll be tough to get some rest when you have a crazy 2-year old [his son James Jr.] running around the house. Hopefully, I can take him to one of his grandmother's house."
The Cavs struggled in the third quarter throughout the postseason. They have been outscored 10 of 14 times in the third entering Thursday's game. James also has struggled in the third (averaging 5.1 points in the postseason), but the Cavs turned things around Thursday. They outscored the Pistons, 19-18, in the third, although James still did not have a breakout third (2-of-6 for six points). However, he did enough.
The Cavs trailed by eight but a 12-4 run, capped by Anderson Varejao's layup, tied the score at 65.
Tayshaun Prince fired up the Pistons and the crowd with a reverse dunk for a five-point lead, but a James' turnaround jumper followed by a James drive and kick to Daniel Gibson for a 3-pointer tied the score at 70.
In the second quarter, the Pistons extended their lead to eight, but the Cavs went to an inside game and cut the deficit to two after Zydrunas Ilgauskas' tip-in. Varejao's dunk with 2:43 left gave the Cavs' their first lead of the quarter. James' tip-in extended the Cavs' lead to three. The Pistons tied the score at 50. The Cavs trailed at the half after two Jason Maxiell free throws.
James had 13 points at the half. Billups had 13 to lead the Pistons. Drew Gooden and Larry Hughes had three fouls each at the half.
Larry Hughes started his second straight game thanks to another shot of pain killer in his injured left foot. Hughes played well early. He nailed consecutive 3-pointers. He finished with eight points in the first quarter, but added only one point in the second half.
The Pistons, however, led, 21-15, with 4:13 left in the first. It was their largest lead of the series. The crucial moment in the quarter happened late. James made a no-look pass to Varejao, who was open in the lane. Antonio McDyess came over and clothes-lined Varejao on the layup attempt. Varejao hit the floor. James ran over but players from each side held everyone back.
McDyess received a flagrant two foul, and he was ejected. James received a technical but remained in the game.