OPINION: LeBron VS the Timberwolves

The Timberwolves made the playoffs…kinda. They made the play-in tournament for the second year in a row. This year, they’re faced with playing LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers. Now, this one is a hard choice for me. 

As a kid from Minnesota, I love all MN sports. I can never abandon them. The thing is, it gets hard when you watch every Minnesota sports team waste away talent due to the lack of winning. As a kid, you keep your loyalty to your failing teams but you gain a love for other teams and players. 

Ever since I can remember, my favorite player was always LeBron. I watched all of his playoff appearances since I can remember, I always used him in NBA 2K and I grew to love the beauty of his play style. You can say this is a complete bandwagon move, but I think if you’re a Minnesota sports fan, you can understand switching sides. 

Liking LeBron and cheering for him was a perfect move by me. He always played in the East whether it was for the Cavs or the Heat or the Cavs for the second time. This meant he had no impact on what happened to the Wolves especially since we all know they weren’t making it to the Finals where they could finally play him in the postseason. But for some reason, late in his career, he abandoned the Cavs once again for the most historic team in NBA history… the Lakers. 

Now he is on the opposite side and is in the west with the Wolves. They play each other more now and for the first time, they affect each other’s playoff chances. It’s such a hard choice picking between my childhood idol and my hometown team. I’m either choosing to cheer for the most historic team ever or the underdog, pitiful Timberwolves who might be one of the worst franchises in all of sports. 

Seeing King James be cemented as the greatest of all time is something I want to see in my lifetime. The last thing I want is to hear all the Bron haters talk about how terrible his teams played in the end of his career and how he’s a crybaby and all the other nonsense that pours out of their mouths. 

I think I’ll watch Tuesday’s game with an open mind and let it roll out. It’ll be a big range of emotions. To see the potential GOAT get knocked out or my team beat a powerhouse. It’s a win-win I guess. Or is it a lose-lose?

Write to Luke Jackson at Luke.Jackson.2@mnsu.edu

Header Photo: Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James smiles after scoring during the second half of an NBA basketball game. (Mark J. Terrill)