Originally published in SLAM 95
Eddie figures he’s got this one. Eddie’s been blocking a lot of shots this year, making the most of limited minutes off the Minnesota bench. Seven times in the first month of the season, in fact, Eddie has finished games with more blocks than field goals. Opponents who might have previously felt comfortable bringing their, um, “stuff” in here have since learned that Eddie would prefer they take their stuff somewhere else. And Eddie tells them as much.
Eddie tells LeBron, but LeBron doesn’t listen. Eddie tells him more than once, and tells him rather emphatically. Eddie tells LeBron that LeBron should get his stuff out of here, but LeBron can be stubborn. Once again, he’s trying to bring his stuff. Eddie sees this, and he figures he’s got this one. Eddie’s already got him three times tonight, so you can’t really blame him.
Eddie might feel like he has something to prove here. Eddie was the consensus No. 1 high school player in the country a few years ago, before LeBron was a much louder version of the exact same thing. Eddie appeared headed for stardom. He’s not there yet, but we can’t be mad, because Eddie’s doing his thing. He’s doing it tonight, in fact. That’s why Eddie jumps. He figures he’s got this one. And he’s right.
Eddie, you got this one bad.
