Followup: Lebron

Given Lebron's 48 points in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals, which lead Cleveland to a 3-2 lead, with one more win to take them to the Finals, Detroit's plan was simple. Stop Lebron. Double-team him. Triple-team him. Usually, if there's no other good player on the team, you can stop one team's best player.

Normally, a guy like Larry Hughes would be the number two choice. Or maybe Ilgauskas? The names don't roll off the tongue. These aren't the Celtics of the 80s, nor the Lakers of the 80s. It's not the bad boys of Detroit from the late 80s. Even the Spurs, now the odds-on favorites to win, have at least three weapons in Duncan, Ginobli, and Parker.

But the guy who came though in Game 4, when Hughes was hurt, one Daniel Gibson, nicknamed Boobie, who had a 21 point outburst, topped himself, when Detroit made it their mission to shut down King James.

Gibson poured in 31 points, on a night when James was held to 20 points. And it wasn't a Iverson-like 31 points where he misses more shots than he made. Boobie was in the zone, eerily efficient in his scoring. 12 of 15 free throws. 5 of 5 on three point shots. 7 of 9 field goals made. When making 50% of your shots is a pretty efficient night, Gibson was stratospheric, making 70% of his shots.

Lebron knew that Detroit would try to shut him down, and looked to Gibson to bail him out. He told him to have no fear, to take the shots when he had them. Lebron had been mentoring Gibson this season, and his faith paid off in Lebron's first trip to the finals. The NBA, fearing the blah Pistons and against the blah Spurs, were understandably relieved when Cleveland made it through. Flip Saunders now has to fear for his job, a guy who has his team play great in the regular season, but unable to take the step that Larry Brown did, that is, giving the Pistons the title.

Instead, King James and, as importantly, Boobie Gibson, have put the Cavaliers in the finals. No one expects the Cavaliers to put up much of a fight to the Spurs. The Spurs have so many weapons and play suffocating defense. The Cavaliers, one might say, is just Lebron James. But maybe no longer.

Stockton and Malone. Jordan and Pippen. Shaq and Kobe. Is it time for Lebron and Gibson? Will we look back years from now and say it wasn't Lebron that was the real steal, but Gibson?