Again LeBron making three appearances, but despite his personal stats, they’re not enough to get by the Celtics, losing 4-2 in the conference semi finals. His own fault? Teammates? The big question and focus gears towards free agency and where he’ll be going. For now, we’ll settle for reviewing him and two other players and their remarkable performances in the semi final series’.

For our look on the first round series‘

Number 5 – LeBron James, May 13

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LeBron James had the quietest triple double ever, a friend said to me the morning after the Celtics sent Cleveland home, with the whole fan base hoping he stays and seemingly an entire franchise lingering on James’ decision. James had 27 points, 19 rebounds and 10 assists, but also 9(!!) turnovers out of the Cavs whopping 22 total. He didn’t get enough help, with only Mo Williams coming out to play, scoring 22. The rest, including Antawn Jamison, the trade that was supposed to be the addition to take the Cavs all the way, didn’t show up, didn’t deliver. Another early summer start for Cleveland.

Number 4 – LeBron James, May 1

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And to think it all started out nicely… Cleveland rallied back from minus eleven as Mo Williams’ first dunk as a Cavalier sparked a ferocious comeback, resulting in a 101-93 win. Only two weeks ago, the statistics said the when the Cavs win the opener, they’re 10-0 in a playoff series. Things change, I guess. LeBron scored 35 points, grabbed seven rebounds and dished out 7 assists, countering and bettering Rondo’s fantastic night with 27 points and 12 assists. Eventually, Rondo got the better of him.

Number 3 – Pau Gasol, May 10

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Taking a step outside the Boston-Cleveland series, which seemed to be the only real series in the semi finals (only one not ending in a sweep) and move out west, where the Lakers dispatched of the Jazz, again. Utah just couldn’t handle the Lakers’ size. Pau Gasol had a fantastic series against Fesenko and Boozer and whatever the Jazz had to throw at him, averaging 23.5 points and 14.5 rebounds. In the closing match, completing the sweep, the Lakers beat Utah 111-96 in Salt Lake City, with Gasol going for 33 points and 14 rebounds with Kobe Bryant “helping” with 32 points.

Number 2 – Rajon Rondo, May 9

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After getting blown away by LeBron and the Cavs in game 3, Boston played perfect D and Rajon Rondo played perfectly, getting a triple double (29 points, 18 rebounds, 13 assists) in what was probably his finest performance ever. Eventually, he finished the series averaging 20.7 points and 11.8 assists, well worthy of the MVP chants beginning after this game. The Celtics killed the Cavs in the fourth quarter, limiting them to only 15 points, setting the tone for the finale of the series as they won the last three games to knock off the Cavaliers.

Number 1 – LeBron James, May 7

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When this game was over, well actually when the first quarter was over, it looked like the Celtics were done. I thought, I think everyone seemed to think – this is how James will look like through the rest of the series, and if the Cavs put in enough focus and effort, the C’s have no chance. I was wrong, many people were. But for that particular night, Cleveland’s last win in the 2010 postseason, James shined brighter than anyone else. An incredible first quarter ending in a 36-17 lead for Cleveland set the tone for the rest of the night. James finished with 38 (21 in the first quarter!) points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists, handing the Celtics their worst home loss in playoff history, 124-95.