North: LeBron's NBA legacy takes a hit

The Golden State Warriors, who own a 2-0 lead in the NBA finals, have exposed the Cleveland Cavaliers and the second best player on the planet.

I said before the finals even started that the Oklahoma Thunder would match up better against the Warriors than the Cavs, and it looks like I was right.

While LeBron James can opt out of his contract at the end of the year, I really don't think he's going to leave his hometown just yet. If he doesn't win in Cleveland, his legacy will take a hit, and his departure would only make it worse.

Much of the media continues to fawn over him, but another year without a ring has to leave some egg on a few faces.

I haven't heard much about former coach David Blatt, now coaching in Turkey, but didn't he do better with a team missing Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love last year?

No matter that LeBron says it didn't happen, I believe he pulled a palace coup asking general manager David Griffin to replace Blatt with Tyronn Lue. In my view, LeBron has his fingerprints all over this debacle.

Will people in the media wake up next year? Nope, it will be the same old story: LeBron is the greatest … blah, blah, blah.

Let me just say the Cavs would be fifth-place finishers in the West, behind the Thunder, the Los Angeles Clippers, the San Antonio Spurs and, of course, the Warriors. LeBron is just lucky he's in the Eastern Conference, and will probably win there for three or four more years.

But my comment is: "So what!"

Save the coronation just yet:

I was on Atlanta radio recently with my buddy "Steak" Shapiro, and he was shocked I didn't say it was a given the Chicago Cubs were going to win the World Series this season.

I explained that even though they are above .700, that it means nothing yet.

After a century of futility, most around the country are ready to host a coronation for the Cubs, and they might be right. The Seattle Mariners of 2001 might have won 116 games, but they lost the American League Championship to the New York Yankees in a five-game series.

Yes, it's very impressive how well the Cubs are performing, but they are also carrying a burden similar to LeBron, who is carrying one for the city of Cleveland, which hasn't won a professional sports championship since 1964. The Cubs, of course, are trying to break the longest losing drought in professional sports: 1908.

Can anything bring these Cubs down? Maybe the heat of September or injuries?

No, it looks like they are unstoppable in the regular season, especially with this incredible pitching staff. I'm really liking this squad and it's as good as it gets, but nothing is ever a given in sports.

Program notes:

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