You know in your heart that Magic is right.

Read all about it.

You may have heard. The NBA Owners have locked out the players. The 2011-2012 season is in real jeopardy.

Players have acknowledged this very real labor battle by seeking employment in other professional leagues in other countries. Even All-Star players, like Deron Williams. Kobe Bryant has indicated he is interested in playing in Turkey.

But not our man King James. No, no. Likely from the part of his brain that OK’d The Decision, and the part of his brain that predicted he would win seven world championships with the Miami Heat, LeBron James is preparing for a status quo NBA season. He is perhaps the only human on the planet doing this.

The King and reality have always had a complex relationship.

This is the kind of thing that LeBron doesn’t get. Although his answer is honest and not terribly incendiary, it is HARDLY the response a public relations professional would have prepped LeBron to give. Until LeBron decides he wants professional people handling his media presence, he will continue to sound like the villiage idiot every time he speaks in front of a microphone.

It doesn’t have to be like this, LeBron.

Ethan Skolnick is writing about the NBA Finals for the Palm Beach Post. He joined Robert in Hour 1 to talk about LeBron, the Heat, and the mood in Miami. Podcast after the jump. 

This is a turning point in basketball history. Magic, Bird, Jordan, Kobe…and now maybe not LeBron. If he wins, if Miami ultimately outlasts a wildly fierce and resilient Dallas team, these questions disappear. At least until next year.

But if LeBron comes this close and fails to secure the ring, he is no longer what we have all been promised he is.

Ian Thomsen covers the NBA for Sports Illustrated. Ian joined Robert in Hour 1 to break down Game 3 of the NBA Finals. Podcast after the jump. 

Strange to type the above headline. Stranger still to see the Miami Heat respond with championship-caliber steadiness on the road. Miami stared down another late charge from the Dallas Mavericks to win Game 3 of the NBA Finals and take a 2-1 series lead.

Chris Bosh hit the game winning shot with under 40 seconds to go. 

Dirk Nowitzky believes in nothing, Lebowski. Nothing. Not even pain. Certainly not Chris Bosh’s ability to defend.

Oh boy. Miami fans, there is no real good way to put this. Hold your noses. The Heat blew a 15-point, 4th quarter lead at home, and the Mavericks win Game Two of the NBA Finals.

The series is even at one game a piece.

Let’s make a list of the most important things to remember in a wildly memorable NBA Finals game: