General ManagerCleveland Cavaliers
Decision 1 of 6Decision 1 / 6
Live operations · June 4, 2009
NBA Finals
Kobe finally gets LeBron. The commercials were right about everything except the roster.
Decision windowGame 1, 9:00 PM ET
Starting five
Step 1 · Understand the moment
Orlando is beaten and the matchup the league has advertised since October is real. Now look at your depth chart and find the second player on it who can create a shot in a half-court playoff game. Los Angeles has Gasol, Bynum, Odom, and the best closer alive. You have a 24-year-old and a plan.
1 of 3
What your advisors see
What happened in our history
In our timeline the Magic closed this series out in six, and LeBron walked off the floor in Orlando without shaking a hand or speaking to the press. The Lakers beat Orlando in five instead, Kobe took his first Finals MVP, and the Nike puppets that had spent the spring selling this exact matchup were quietly retired.