Expectations and the pressure to rise above
It is his time
The Eastern Conference Finals resume tonight, a series that has been built up to be the team play of the Pistons vs. the brilliance of LeBron. Jake has the assignment. When the series shifts to Cleveland, we will have someone in the building to cover the games.
Expectations are high for Lebron, and the first game did not go well. I say this because expectations are tough to live up to. When your hype is at such a level, only an earth shatteringly transcendent experience is enough to please people. Yeah, LeBron nearly had a triple double and would have infact had that triple double if Donyell hit a wide-open three. But when your hype is at such a heightened level, the ante is upped. People don’t want LeBron to just be good enough. They want him to be GREAT.
Last night’s LOST season finale had all of that hype going into it. How did the creators of the show deal with the pressure to deliver us a piece of brilliance? I would say that if last night’s season finale were a basketball game, it would be Jordan’s last Finals game with the Bulls. It just felt bigger than a game or TV show. I was pacing around all nervous like I haven’t done since game 7 of the Mets-Cardinals NLCS. For one more sports analogy, it felt like the Aaron F Boone game again.
I am still in wide-eyed awe. I won’t spoil it for anyone, but if you want to comment on the show, please let’s all treat this as a spoiler amnesty zone. If you haven’t seen the finale yet, stay away.
Can LeBron rise above and beyond the occasion like the creators and writers of LOST did? We’ll find out tonight.
There, tied in LOST to the NBA once again. I don’t mean to. It controls me.
99 Responses to “Expectations and the pressure to rise above”
May.24 at 8:16 am
Ryan Jones says:
Hi Sam.
May.24 at 8:26 am
Tariq says:
Hi Ryan
May.24 at 8:32 am
Tariq says:
First off, let me just say that while I don’t watch Lost, slamonline has spoiled way too many shows for me. For us living outside the US, we don’t get a chance to see these shows until months later, and then you smug bastards come in here talking about how Ross broke up with Rachel and whatnot. So, prithee, give us ample heads-up like Sam just did now when he declared this a Lost-spoiler amnesty zone so that you don’t ruin anything for us outside, in Boozer’s words, the lower 48.
May.24 at 8:39 am
h-wag says:
Wow, did you see last nights game !
Oh wait, I forgot we´re in the middle of the play-offs and we get all of one games in three days. Nevermind…
May.24 at 8:39 am
Tariq says:
Now, as for basketball, allow me to stray off-topic. I was just reading about how USA Basketball made a great decision in adding Prince to Team USA. So that got me thinking…what’s the best competitive squad the US can assemble? Here are my picks:
Kidd, Deron (or CP3), Gil, Kobe, Prince, Bowen, Ray Allen, Garnett, Duncan, Redd, Camby, LeBron + Oden and Durant
May.24 at 8:43 am
Cheryl says:
I am completely convinced that the island is at the center of the time/space continuum and that there are multiple worlds that these folks traipse back and forth in. This knowledge drove Jack to drugs and drink. He keeps trying to get back because he may have had to leave the other survivors there, or something happened and everyone but he and Kate survived. Wow, I’ll be working out this sh*t for quite some time. What an ending.
May.24 at 8:46 am
Andy says:
I can’t be the only one who thought Jack’s beard might just be the worst piece of television make-up ever, right? That thing deserves a show all of its own. Saw it and it reminded me of when Ron Burgundy has lost his job and is walking the streets, drinking milk. I pictured Jack saying “Oceanic 815 was a bad choice”.
May.24 at 8:58 am
white hot eboy says:
Who is the “he” Kate needs to get back to and who was in the casket?
May.24 at 8:59 am
Ron says:
Not spoil anything for anyone, but at the end of season 2 Ben let Michael and Walt off the island, so why won’t he let anyone else leave? Why the hell won’t they just kill Ben and get it over with? I am glad that we can now see the end coming, even though it will be a three process to get off the island. I just hope they can keep my interest until the very end.
May.24 at 8:59 am
Rod Strickland says:
I think the site should be changed to Samonline.com. Because he, you know, does 5 times more columns than anyone else.
May.24 at 9:12 am
Rod Strickland says:
There has to be some sort of tear in space time continuum. Jack was speaking as if his father were alive in his future scenes when we all know his dad mirked himself in Sydney. So either Jack has lost it or time is screwed up.
May.24 at 9:35 am
Cheryl says:
There’s a few ways to view Jack’s talking as if his dad is alive: 1) time is screwed, there are multiple realities and Jack’s losing it because he can’t figure out which reality he’s occupying; or 2)everything we thought about time in the show, i.e. that the flashbacks were about the characters’ live prior to the crash, were actually flash FOWARDS, about their lives after they returned from the island. I know this last one is kinda crazy and I haven’t wrapped my mind around the inconsistencies, but what a great trick to play on an audience. We were led to believe we were getting to know the characters’ past lives and were amazed at how they all seemed to be connected to each other in some way, when in actuality we were seeing their lives after the crash and they were truly connected because they were all passengers on Oceanic flight 815. Trippy, huh?
May.24 at 9:42 am
Bigi says:
WAU!WHAT A FINALE!!!!!I’m so screwed up right now thinkin’ nothing but LOST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
May.24 at 9:51 am
Sam Rubenstein says:
I don’t know about that Cheryl. There were flashbacks where they showed everyone rushing to get on flight 815. Hugo learned the numbers he used in the lottery when he was in an insane asylum. That money is how he got on the plane.
Rod, it is my full-time job. The writing and posting is the fun/easy part. Having a playoff game every night for people to write about and discuss is even better.
Walt looked like Li’l Romeo when he was on the show and last night he looked like Master P.
Did Kate have Sawyer’s baby and if so what kind of criminal mastermind is that kid going to be?
May.24 at 9:52 am
Ron says:
What if the island is the flashback, and everything else is modern day. Think about it, all the flashbacks (or what we thought were flashbacks) featured modern day scenes. What if the island is so space between life and death, and when you die on the island you go back to the real world.
May.24 at 9:57 am
Sam Rubenstein says:
Ooooh… that is interesting Ron. So you mean the island is like a paradise dream world, like a vacation. And when you die there, you go back to your boring life in a messed up world.
May.24 at 9:59 am
Cheryl says:
That’s what’s trippy, Sam. Do we REALLY know they were all rushing to get on flight 815? Remember Jack said near the end that he’s been using the Oceanic “flight passes we got” for being on a crashed plane, so everyone seen getting on planes doesn’t necessarily mean they’re getting on this one flight. Also, Hurley being in the insane asylum could have been because of the crash. he could have gotten the lottery numbers from the island, played them when he got back, won, and then all around him started dying. Still could have happened AFTER being rescued. i know there’s inconsistencies to my theory, but play with it for a bit. This damn show is wild!
May.24 at 10:01 am
Nadav Mor says:
Kate is obviously with Sawyer. The boy that Jack saved from the wreck is a grown up Aaron (whaaaat).
The code for the signal jamming thing needed to be Hurley’s numbers, but that would have been too easy.
May.24 at 10:07 am
Ryan Jones says:
You guys are nerds.
May.24 at 10:11 am
Cheryl says:
I’m going to go back and watch season 2 and 3 over the next several months and watch the “flashbacks” with a different perspective and see if my theory could work. But, that’s after the playoffs. It’ll give me something to do instead of jonesing for a new bball season.
May.24 at 10:11 am
Cheryl says:
I’ve been called worse!
May.24 at 10:14 am
Ron says:
Weren’t Hurley’s winning numbers the numbers from the hatch? Last night when Ben said to Jack, what are you going back for? Your wife left you and dad is dead. Well in the flash forward Jack tell the cheif of surgery to call his dad down, and he pulls out a presciption signed by dad(Supossedly), and the girl says that she would have to call his dad’s office. So where does all of this fit in? I have too many questions and I can’t get crap done at work think about this damn show. I love loast so much I’m beginning to get obsessed.
May.24 at 10:15 am
K22C says:
Lost is over. Sam’s annoying analogys are done! HORRAYYY!
May.24 at 10:17 am
Nadav Mor says:
http://www.tv-links.co.uk/link.do/1/53/4028/26855/41549 the finale on the internet.
May.24 at 10:32 am
Max Airington says:
For some reason, I dont think Sawyer left that island…Or Desmond. And obviously Locke. And Ben. And Where the hell did Naomi come from?
May.24 at 10:35 am
Nadav Mor says:
Nathan needs to fly there and save everyone.
May.24 at 10:39 am
white hot eboy says:
Cheryl, I think your theory isn’t that bad, but I think that it may apply only to certain cast members. Think Sawyer telling Jack on the island that he spoke to his father last season. But I’ve been trying to turn each characters flashbacks into flashforwards and it just seems that it is WAY to hard to justify. But with this show, who knows.
May.24 at 10:47 am
Richie says:
I’m a bit disappointed Charlie died. I hated him for most of last season when they he had the drugs issues but they turned his character around and made him less terrible. What does this mean for Desmond’s ability to see the future? All his premonitions were about charlie dying.
May.24 at 10:48 am
Sam Rubenstein says:
my mind has been blown many times by your ideas. If that 8 year old in the car crash is Aaron…
Also, I think they had the whole thing about Sawyer killing the real Sawyer just so he be used to killing so he could take care of Tom. Sawyer is becoming like a hitman.
What a show.
May.24 at 10:49 am
Richie says:
Brotha…..(forgot to add that)
May.24 at 10:50 am
K22C says:
Does anyone think that Oden or Durant will not go in the Top 2?
May.24 at 10:52 am
Cheryl says:
white hot, you’re probably right. In fact, you may have hit the nail on the head. Remember Desmond says that changing something in the present has a ripple effect both backward and forward. I do think that the writers of this show are playing with the time/space/multiple universe theme with this show. It’s an interesting theme and can take the show’s arc all over the place.
May.24 at 10:58 am
Cheryl says:
K22C, I know, this is a basketball sight after all. Just think that Sam’s idea to link LOST and the NBA together was a brilliant way to give us an avenue to talk about both. As for #1 and #2, certainly Oden and Durrant will be in these two spots, but we may be surprised to see which one goes first. Oden makes Aldridge superfluous, whereas Durrant could mean getting rid of Z’Bo. I think Portland would much rather get rid of Bo than to lose the youngster Aldridge. But, who knows? They sure don’t want to make the Bowie/Jordan mistake again.
May.24 at 11:11 am
white hot eboy says:
K22C, you’re right about this being a (THE)basketball sight, but right now, Heroes and Lost were providing WAY more entertainment than the current playoff matchups. So for the Linkstigators who don’t like to read what us “nerds” are talking about, keep scrolling down.
May.24 at 11:13 am
Ryan Jones says:
Nerds.
May.24 at 11:15 am
Nadav Mor says:
I bet LeBron watched Lost, a55.
May.24 at 11:16 am
Max Airington says:
Hi Ryan.
May.24 at 11:37 am
Ryan Jones says:
The way we’re going, as soon as the season’s over, this site is going to be nothing but politics, soccer and TV talk. Basketball’s dumb anyway.
May.24 at 11:37 am
white hot eboy says:
Ryan, embrace your inner nerd, you know you are one, otherwise you still wouldn’t be reading our nerdy comments.
May.24 at 11:43 am
Sam Rubenstein says:
Or it could just be Ryan insulting people and baiting them into arguing with him all day long.
May.24 at 11:46 am
Max Airington says:
Thats the only reason I come here.
May.24 at 12:00 pm
Ben Couch says:
That LOST finale man … phew. I’m with Sam - it just felt like something bigger. If the quality holds, it’s quite possible the Lost finale could be THE defining pop culture moment of our generation. Craziness. Some of the flashes are definitely past history (for instance, Libby was in the mental hospital with Hurley - totally unexplored connection, btw) but thinking about some of them being “futures” adds all kinds of new levels. This show makes my brain hurt … and I think I like it.
May.24 at 12:09 pm
Bigi says:
Nessa,Mike…How many others there will be from Las Vegas-cast…Danny?Ed?
May.24 at 12:12 pm
Don't hate me cause I don't watch Lost!! says:
I’ve never seen an episode of Lost, but from what I can piece together, is this like some new version of Gilligan’s Island or something
May.24 at 12:18 pm
Ron says:
Bigi, I hope Sam from Las Vegas doesn’t end up on Lost. All the hotties on the show get killed off except for Kate. Shannon, Ana Lucia, Naomi, Paolo’s girl I forgot her name, but you get my point. The hot girls get axed and I hate it.
May.24 at 12:24 pm
Ron says:
The producers already said that the connection between Hurley and Libby will be developed in Season 4, just like they said this d=season was going to go deeper into the Others. On ABC.com the producers do a podcast that gives someinsight into their thoughts. They explain why Charlie had to go and said that no cast member is safe from death. So as I said in the past, the way charaters are killed of the final season cought be like watching castaway, or as DON’T HATE said Gilligan’s Island.
May.24 at 12:30 pm
Richie says:
http://tv.yahoo.com/news/article/urn:newsml:eonlinekristen.com:20070524:tv-8a97c72f092a0d202b9476fdecc08dfa__ER:1;_ylt=AkIsf0BM7lxrPgVtj41jeQqAo9EF Here’s an interview with Damon Lindelof, a writer, he explains why they killed off charlie
May.24 at 12:31 pm
white hot eboy says:
You would think 40 years later, these buffons on the island could make a coconut phone.
May.24 at 12:46 pm
Crown Me says:
Am I the only one who noticed that Tariq (in the 3rd post) just aired his beef about SLAM ruining “Friends” for him. Talk about a space/time continuum issue…
May.24 at 12:52 pm
Ron says:
Crown me, I noticed the Friends tie in, but since that was 3 years ago why delve into it now. P.S. Smelly Cat is still a hot song.
May.24 at 1:07 pm
Nadav Mor says:
So Kate let the writers kill off her boyfriend? yeah right, not buying it.
May.24 at 1:08 pm
Ryan Jones says:
You guys all suck. Argue with me.
May.24 at 1:09 pm
white hot eboy says:
Ryan, we LOVE you!!
May.24 at 1:15 pm
peso says:
it was irresponsible of ABC to air something like that during the work week. last night i could not sleep and now all i can think about are my island friends.
May.24 at 1:15 pm
peso says:
it was irresponsible of ABC to air something like that during the work week. last night i could not sleep and now all i can think about are my island friends.
May.24 at 1:25 pm
k.o. says:
‘basketball’s dumb anyways’ LOL
May.24 at 1:28 pm
H to the izzo says:
Ryan I disagree with everything you stand for
May.24 at 1:33 pm
white hot eboy says:
Izzo, was I on point with the Lost spoilers?
May.24 at 1:38 pm
H to the izzo says:
I have to give you props,even though I din’t actually see it from the looks of the comments it looked like you were on point
May.24 at 1:39 pm
Cheryl says:
Ryan, if you call me a “guy” one more time, I’ma…
May.24 at 1:51 pm
Boing Dynasty says:
Lebron loves levatation.
May.24 at 1:55 pm
Sam Rubenstein says:
eboy, you showed restraint and you were right.
Oh here’s an interesting basketball thing:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=GGnnN5BMXwE
May.24 at 2:00 pm
Bryant Reeves says:
I agree with Ryan
May.24 at 2:04 pm
white hot eboy says:
Sam, Lebron Bryant?
May.24 at 2:08 pm
Ryan Jones says:
Cheryl, that’s only because for slamonline purposes, I consider you “one of the guys” in a gender-neutral sense, and that’s intended as a compliment. If you don’t take it as such, you must be from Kentucky.
May.24 at 2:10 pm
Ryan Jones says:
Sam, somebody posted that link on my LeBron rant from the other day, saying if the League is so worried about consistency, he should be suspended. And my man has a point.
May.24 at 2:17 pm
white hot eboy says:
Ryan & Sam, Was C-Webb flopping?
May.24 at 2:26 pm
Sam Rubenstein says:
Of course he was flopping. He’s trying to win that championship.
Maybe LeBron was elbowing the haters, or maybe it’s because he’s only 22?
(I don’t think he should be suspended, just because it’s not in the best interest of competitiveness. Is that fair? No. That’s the NBA)
May.24 at 2:27 pm
Ryan Jones says:
I only saw the blurry YouTube version, so it’s tough for me to say, but it certainly looked like LeBron did that arm swing you’re not supposed to do. D*ck rider that I am, I’m giving Bron the benefit of the doubt because he didn’t get a call all night.
May.24 at 2:30 pm
dez says:
Bill Simmon’s article on the Lottery made me sadistically happy. Boston sucks
May.24 at 2:31 pm
Reggie Evans says:
LeBron should develop a low post game, his size would be a big advantage down there, as much or even more than on his drives.
May.24 at 3:05 pm
Boing Dynasty says:
Lebron should also develop a consistant jump shot, and maybe, um, “FREE” throws. I havent seen anything like that since Sanford and Son.
May.24 at 3:26 pm
Cheryl says:
@Ryan, just trying to pick a fight. You didn’t bite, though. You must be from Kentucky…
May.24 at 3:40 pm
Ryan Jones says:
Oh, they bite in Kentucky, Cheryl. They bite HARD.
May.24 at 4:05 pm
Boing Dynasty says:
Hey Jones, did Joe Pa make the football team clean out your office yet?
May.24 at 4:10 pm
Cheryl says:
ooooh, goose bumps…
May.24 at 4:11 pm
Cheryl says:
are you having a Marv moment?
May.24 at 4:42 pm
ALX8725 says:
lebronze
May.24 at 4:53 pm
Milan says:
It took a lot of strenght to avoid all spoilers before watching it and I’m glad I did, that was simply amazing, mind blowing, words don’t really describe it. Actually I showed so much strenght I could’ve even been good to get on Jacob’s list on the island. Nah, probably not. And maybe I’ve taken the Lost thing too far there, maybe Ryan is right, we’re nerds. At least we enjoy the ride.
May.24 at 5:02 pm
Sam Rubenstein says:
Yeah, looking back I was being a Heroes apologist. That finale sucked. The LOST finale was off the charts. Last night I was observing brilliance and tonight I’ll be installing a ceiling fan while watching Detroit and Cleveland try to crack the 80 point mark. Last night was better.
May.24 at 5:11 pm
Ryan Jones says:
Boing: He did not, but that’s a very fair question. I’m torn, because I take pride in the fact that we annually have among the highest graduation rates of any D1 football program in the nation, so I know the concept of “student-athletes” is taken somewhat seriously here. I also know there’s no way in hell they would’ve started tossing felony charges for some drunken apartment fight if those kids weren’t football players. And then I also know those kids are all really, really stupid for getting involved in that sh*t in the first place. Not that you cared about my thoughts on any of that, but there you go.
And no, Cheryl. That was metaphorical.
May.24 at 5:46 pm
Milan says:
For someone who said he showed strength, I’m not even able to spell it right.
May.24 at 5:54 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
So, about that LeBron James guy…
May.24 at 6:04 pm
jbn74sb says:
Love the new kb24 advertisements. And I know Ryan does too.
May.24 at 6:25 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
Some columnist I’ve never heard of on SI.com is asking whether LeBron is the new KG. Part of me wants to send him a really nasty e-mail and part of me wants to just punch myself in the face over and over again until I knock myself out.
May.24 at 9:23 pm
Boing Dynasty says:
I can’t say im not slightly disappointed by that Ryan. Jason Maxiell is beasting. Lebron’s dunk was nicer, but Jason’s was much more disrespectful.
May.24 at 9:47 pm
Ryan Jones says:
Maxiell’s having a hell of a game, but then, nobody’s game-planning their entire defense around him.
Bodie, I replied to you on whichever other column you posted
May.24 at 9:48 pm
Ryan Jones says:
BTW, Bodie, I might be in L.A. in a few weeks. You’ll have to buy me a beer.
May.24 at 9:53 pm
Ryan Jones says:
Oh, and Russ: I just read that guy’s column, and honestly, he makes some great points. You have to admit that all those comparisons he makes between KG and Bron are spot-on, and he doesn’t even get into the fact that both of them are also a) black, b) tall and c) wear shorts to work. Coincidence? I don’t think so, dude. My man is on to something.
May.24 at 10:59 pm
Max Airington says:
Nobody fouled him.
May.24 at 11:00 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
Why the hell didn’t LeBron kick it to Donyell Marshall in the corner? He’s so selfish.
May.24 at 11:40 pm
Tom says:
LOL, too funny Russ! Did you see how many F-bombs came out of Sheeds mouth after he hit that shot. Why do they always do the slo-mo close up after a big shot, don’t they know! Too funny
May.25 at 12:12 am
Boing Dynasty says:
censorship at its finest.
May.25 at 12:48 am
Russ Bengtson says:
Wait—Ross broke up with Rachel?!!?
May.25 at 1:24 am
Ryan Jones says:
Richard Hamilton actually fouled me on that play, just to make sure I wouldn’t write about this tomorrow. So I won’t.
I do love Rasheed, of all people, getting away with that kung fu sh*t on Sideshow. Who says God and David Stern don’t have a sense of humor?
May.25 at 1:34 am
Russ Bengtson says:
Rasheed has the wallet with BAD MOTHER F**KER on it.
May.25 at 2:21 am
soyboy says:
*steinbrenner on seinfeld voice* I was “bloooooown away” by the Lost finale. It packed such i bigger punch for me becuase it only occured to me at the end that jack’s experience was post-island. throughout the episode i kept assuming that what jack was going through happened somewhere in the years before the island. Only when i saw kate at the end was when it hit me! I felt sorry for Tom though. Sawyer: “That was for takin’ the kid on the boat.”…Damn. If any of you Lostaphiles need a season finale discussion fix, head over to the 4815162342.com forums…but you probably already knew about that.
May.25 at 5:49 am
Russ Bengtson says:
Apparently it’s not his time yet.
May.27 at 2:21 pm
arof says:
Wow - that finale was nuts. My 2 cents:
penny 1: John Locke was in the casket. When the funeral director asked Jack if he was family or friend, he said “neither”. Also, John’s funeral is the only one I can see none of the Losties going to. penny 2: Kate having to go back to “him” is Sawyer. There is no space/time continuum thing going on here - the producers have said so multiple times now. I think that everyone is off the island in the flash forwards. Best. TV. Episode. EVER.