By Sam Amico / The Amico Report

HARD-LUCK CLEVELAND

The NBA will hold its draft lottery May 22, and I have no idea who will win.

But I can tell you who won't.

I can tell you that without a doubt, the Cleveland Cavaliers don't stand a chance.

This isn't intended to pick on the poor Cavaliers, who tied Denver with a league-worst 17-65 record. Both teams have a 22.5 percent chance at the top pick. At least, that's the theory. In reality, the Cavs' percentage is actually closer to zilch.

Understand that I'm a native of Akron, which is about a 40-minute drive south of Cleveland. Akron is also the hometown of high school phenom LeBron James -- arguably the most talked about player since the lottery was created in 1985. As you know, James will be the draft's top pick in June.

So it would only make sense if James were to end up in Cleveland.

But he won't.

Growing up in Akron also meant I rooted for Cleveland-area sports teams. And if you know anything about Cleveland sports teams, you know their most memorable moments all begin with the word "The."

The Browns were victimized by The Drive and The Fumble, the Cavs by Michael Jordan and The Shot, the Indians by The Inability to Hold a 2-1 Lead in the Bottom of the Ninth in the Seventh Game of the World Series.

I guess you could say at least the Indians made it to the World Series, but they never won. And now it looks like they're about to undergo another 40 years of rebuilding.

Perhaps nothing details the history of Cleveland sports better than two of the books written by good friend and Akron Beacon-Journal columnist Terry Pluto.

Pluto's chronicle of the Indians is titled, "The Curse of Rocky Colavito." That pretty much sums it up.

Pluto also wrote a book called, "When All the World was Browns Town."

Know when all the world was Brown's town? Try 1964, three years before the first Super Bowl -- and four years before I was even born!

In other words, no Cleveland team has won a championship in my lifetime. And I ain't exactly fresh out of college, kids.

It's hard to find a city that's continuously lost like Cleveland. Even Montreal has the Canadiens.

But since this is a newsletter about the NBA, I'll stick to the Cavaliers.

In 1989, they surprised the league by finishing 57-25 and tying for first place in the Central Division. No less than Magic Johnson called the Cavs "the team of the 1990s."

Some say the 1989 Cavs were the best team in franchise history. But guess what they have to show for it? A first-round loss to Jordan's Bulls in the series that gave us The Shot.

After that, the Cavs suffered through a few seasons of injuries and hard luck, before bouncing back to finish 57-25 again in 1992. They made it all the way to the Eastern Conference finals, but again, ran into the Bulls. Cleveland lost in six games, but every person who followed the NBA that year will tell you the Cavaliers were the league's second-best team.

This leads to my point about New York Knicks fans, who argue that when it comes to Jordan, they had it worse than anyone.

Gimme a break.

Granted, the Knicks did make it to the Finals in both seasons that immediately followed a Jordan retirement. But the good Cavs teams of the early 1990s had been dismantled by then -- and what did the Knicks ever do in the Finals anyway? Plus, Jordan's career scoring average against Cleveland is better than his average against anyone else.

(Interestingly, Pluto also co-authored a book by Lenny Wilkens titled, "Unguarded," which is how Jordan must have felt when Wilkens coached the Cavs).

As for the Cavaliers of the New Millennium? Well, they need a new coach -- again. They need to find some way to get fans in the seats -- again. They need a player who can create a winning environment and help his teammates forget that, yes, they're playing in Cleveland.

LeBron James would do all of that and more.

So while I've never subscribed to the theory about the lottery being rigged, I would fully support such alleged tinkering this year.

What I'm trying to say is ... PLEASE, COMMISSIONER STERN, RIG THE THING!

If not, the Cavs will probably end up with the fourth or fifth pick, and Cleveland will have another "The" to add to its long list of disappointments.

Might as well start referring to it as The Lottery right now.

BYE BYE, LAKERS

It's over.

That is what I have to say to Los Angeles fans -- and I'll say it again.

The Lakers' run is over. At least, it is for now.

As I write this, the Lakers trail their best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal against San Antonio, 3 games to 2. That means the Lakers must win two in a row, including a Game 7 on the Spurs' home court.

It's not going to happen.

The Spurs are just too deep, too determined, and plain and simple, are playing too well. Sure, they've blown some big leads, but so what. They're still playing the type of fundamentally-sound and heady basketball it takes to beat a three-time defending champion.

Mostly, though, Spurs forward and league MVP Tim Duncan is at the top of his game. Unlike the past few seasons, Duncan is getting some help -- and is starting to look like the best passing low-post player in the game.

I don't dislike the Lakers. In fact, I appreciate everything they brought to the NBA after Michael Jordan retired and it seemed like the league was on the brink of very bad times. But Phil Jackson taught Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant how to play with tons of heart, and those two formed one of the most exciting and effective combinations in league history.

The difference this season is the Lakers just expected to turn it on when they wanted to -- and the rest of the league is catching up. Throw in some key injuries and bad bounces (namely, Robert Horry's rimmed-out 3-pointer in Game 5), and L.A. is discovering why teams just don't win four straight titles anymore.

The old saying is it takes more than talent to be good. You gotta be lucky.

Well, the Lakers' luck has just run out.

BYE BYE, KINGS

Are you ready for an all-Texas Western final? If not, you should be.

Like the Lakers, Sacramento is finished. The Kings just aren't the Kings without Chris Webber. Instead, they look more like the franchise during the 1970s, when it appeared dazed and confused, shifting its home games between Kansas City and Omaha, Neb.

Mostly, the Kings could just use Webber's 20-plus points and big-game experience. I mean, I like Kings guard Doug Christie, but when he's your second scoring option (as he appeared to be in Game 5), guess where you're going? NOWHERE.

As for the Mavericks, well, they'd almost have to TRY to lose. I know, sometimes it looks like that's exactly what they are doing. But when Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash, Michael Finley, and especially, Nick Van Exel, get hot, the Mavs are the league's most explosive team.

Dallas will even have a shot to beat San Antonio in the Western finals. It's true that the Mavericks usually don't guard anybody -- but when they're on, they don't need to.

HELLO, NETS

My revised choice to win the Finals? The New Jersey Nets.

I repeat -- the Nets will win it all.

And this isn't just another silly prediction. I really believe deep in my heart that the Nets are the best team. At least, they're playing the best basketball of anyone in the playoffs, as Jason Kidd, Kenyon Martin and the rest swept past Boston in the blink of an eye.

As usual, the Nets are running the floor, sharing the ball, and leaving opposing defenses confused and unable to recover.

Plus, they've been there -- only this time, the Nets won't have to face the Lakers.

FINAL THOUGHTS

-- I admit, I felt rather childish for playing the NBA lottery game on ESPN.com a couple of weeks ago. Then Terry Pluto wrote in his newsletter that he played it 25 times -- and Pluto is even older than me! I played the game just 12 times, and the Cavs won it twice. Pluto said the Cavs won three out of 25 for him. He went on to write, "With the Cavs' luck (which is none), I'd call off the lottery if the NBA would guarantee the Cavs the second pick. I'd take Carmelo Anthony and be happy." I bet the Nuggets feel the same way.

-- You can subscribe to Terry's newsletter at www.ohio.com.

-- It almost hurts to read about the ugly divorce between Michael Jordan and the Washington Wizards. I'm not sure anyone was right -- or wrong -- in this situation. Still, both parties are pointing their finger at the other, and that's never good. One of Jordan's business associates went as far to tell the Washington Post that Wizards owner Abe Pollin decided NOT to allow Jordan to run the team at about the same time Jordan came out of retirement. I doubt that's true. Instead, the Wizards' brass saw that not even The Greatest Ever could lift them to the playoffs. So they just decided to go in another direction. Everyone should just leave it at that.

-- The Post also reports that the Wizards are interested in current St. John's coach Mike Jarvis. My reaction? Don't hire college guys! I can't remember a time it's ever worked, even as with someone as intelligent and upstanding as Jarvis seems to be.

-- The Wizards are also reportedly interested in hiring Wayne Embry as general manager. That's an idea I love, as Embry is a bright guy who did fine work during his time in Cleveland, Milwaukee, and Indiana.

-- Jeff Van Gundy already turned down New Orleans in the Hornets' bid to find a new coach, and it appears he's about to do the same to Toronto. Still, no word on what he'll tell the Cavaliers, although his decision isn't expected to be made until after the lottery.

-- Paul Silas is also being interviewed for the Cleveland job, as well as the Clippers'. Somebody is gonna hire this guy and be very thankful they did.

-- The current Lakers are my pick for the greatest ever when the idea is coming back from large deficits. You already know what happened in the regular season, when L.A. came back from 25 points in the fourth quarter to beat Dallas. They also should've beaten the Spurs in Game 5. But as the Lakers are finding out, getting in a big hole will eventually catch up with you.

-- I'm not sure why everyone is so surprised by the play of Detroit rookie forward Tayshaun Prince. I actually wrote that he'd be the surprise pick of the first round last summer, as Prince played in a lot of big games while in college at Kentucky. He's tall, wiry, athletic, and can shoot. Another find for the Pistons.

-- In case you haven't heard, NBA Hall of Famer Dave DeBusschere died of a heart attack May 14. DeBusschere was a pro basketball lifer and the guy who ran the Knicks before Scott Layden. And a lot of people forget this, but DeBusschere was the last commissioner of the old ABA. He was 62.

-- I read all of your e-mails from the last newsletter, and promise to get back to printing them again next week, including your thoughts on how to improve the NBA. One thing's for sure ... I'm very interested to see what you have to say about the lottery. Thanks for reading and e-mailing, and enjoy the playoffs.

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HAVE A GREAT DAY!


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