It wasn't the moments after the Warriors season ending loss to the Jazz that I became legitimately sad and nostalgic. Quite the contrary. Immediately after the loss, while the lack of any anxiety over a coming game left me feeling decidedly strange and empty, I was washed over with a great deal of calm. The conclusion of what had been the most inspirational season of any sports team I had witnessed put me in a very philosophical mood.

Rather, it was the day after that got me. Specifically, as I was watching Cleveland and New Jersey trade jabs and whiff haymakers for 48 minutes. It was a low scoring game, to be sure, but not because of defense. It was humiliating to watch.  I was reminded of a post game show for one of the Warriors wins against the Mavs wherein Jim Barnett stated, with a great deal of dramatic bravado, "the Warriors are a damn good team."

I think similar emphasis could be placed on what lousy teams New Jersey and Cleveland are.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have built their team around LeBron James, or so they would like you to believe. As somebody who is a die hard fan of basketball and will basically watch any game that's on, I've seen a handful of Cleveland games over the past few years. I also remember vividly the years before James' arrival, when the Cavs were battling the Warriors for the futility championship. And you know what? If you take him off the team now, they're just as dismal as before. It's certainly a credit to his abilities that he's led his team to fifty wins, because honestly, without him, I don't think they'd crack 25. And that's 25 eastern wins, mind you.

New Jersey, while a team with more balance, plays an equally joyless and draining style of basketball that makes me gag. They feature a future hall of fame point guard trying to involve two swingmen who, for all their athletic ability, never fail to bore me. Richard Jefferson is, at his best, a smooth and reliable player, but Vince Carter is the real frustration. If ever a player had the physical tools to "be like Mike," this guy is it. I've often thought that Jason Richardon and Vince Carter are like one player split in half. Similar skills, similar reputations for dunking ability. If Richardson had Carter's better handle, and Carter had Richardson's fire and work ethic, you'd be looking at some pretty scary players.

Anyways, after a couple hours of watching the Cavs piss on their home court and the Nets rely on Mikki "I still play like I'm UNDER 30" Moore, I had a sudden, sickening realization.

Neither of these teams could beat the Warriors. It wouldn't even be close. The Nets simply aren't consistent enough over a long stretch of time, and Jason Kidd is too old to run with them. Neither team has a dominating rebounder who could bang inside. LeBron James is EXACTLY the kind of extremely well-marketed, clean cut superstar that Stephen Jackson would love to eat for lunch.

So, while ESPN analysts will be talking about LEBRON'S MARCH TO DESTINY (which going through the  Arenas-less Wizards and the flimsy Nets is really more of a saunter), I'll be thinking about one thing: Eric Snow trying to guard Baron Davis. I hope nobody will be too confused if they catch me laughing to myself.