LeBron James is the clear-cut favorite to win the 2009-2010 MVP award.  There’s even talks of a “unanimous” vote –

As much as I am pro-LeBron, I am not sold on Cleveland walking right into the 2010 NBA Finals.  That’s fool’s gold, and I’ve been down that road before, in fact, just last season.  Yes, the acquisition of Antawn Jamison definitely helps the cause, but we can’t just disregard Orlando as if they do not exist, and even Boston to a certain extent.

But, this post is not even about that.  Being that it’s Easter, I feel it is a time to be grateful for certain things.  Wait, or is that Thanksgiving?  Either way, LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers need to send the Toronto Raptors a “Thank You” card.  Why you ask?  Simple, Toronto had a mini-melt down in the latter stages of March and let a hobbled Chicago Bulls team back into the playoff hunt.  More so, Toronto slipped into the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference, and allowed the Charlotte Bobcats to move up to the seventh seed.  Why is that significant?  Does everyone remember what happened in the 2007 NBA Playoffs?  Only the greatest upset in NBA Playoff history, that’s what happened!

The Dallas Mavericks boasted the best record in the NBA in 2006-2007 (67-15) and the league’s MVP (Dirk), they were the odds on favorite to represent the West in the 2007 NBA Finals (along with San Antonio) but there was just one problem.  Those pesky Warriors.  Golden State owned the Mavericks that season, sweeping the season series 4-0, including a win on the Warriors 81st game of the season in which Dallas chose to rest their stars.  Big mistake.  We all know what ensued, no need to write about it, but here, a visual reminder:

Now here Cleveland sits, all indications point to an improved team from a season ago, with the best record in the NBA yet again, but – what is their record against the upstart Bobcats?  1-3 with their only win coming on Halloween last year, the first week of the season.  Being that I’m from San Francisco, I haven’t had an opportunity to actually watch any of those games, but the highlights on ESPN’s Sportscenter showed Cleveland’s inability to handle the match-up with Charlotte.  Sound familiar Dallas/Golden State fans.  Guess what?  Stephen Jackson is in the middle of all this again!

(Beware Charlotte fans, don’t invest in S-Jack.)

Anyway, as I said at the top of this post, it’s a time of the year to appreciate things, and the Cleveland Cavs needs to appreciate the fact that they currently won’t have to face the Charlotte Bobcats in the first round.  No monumental upset this time around.  Thank you Toronto.