The Phantom of Gund Arena

Did anybody see the NBA highlights from last night? I saw a glimpse of LeBron with his new headgear soaring through the lane to throw down a one-handed dunk. As Joe Tait would say, "Wham, with the right hand!"

For those of you that don't know, LeBron's cheekbone was broken in a collision last week in a game against Houston. It was one of Dikembe Mutumbo's infamous elbows that did the damage. In defense of Mutumbo, the collision was accidental, as both were going for the ball. Fortunately for us Cavs fans, Lebron "only" suffered a broken cheekbone, and therefore only missed half of one game. Had he broken his orbital plate (the eye socket, for the anatomically challenged), he could have been out for a few weeks.

Anyway, anytime I see an NBA player wearing that protective "mask," I can't help but think of the Phantom of the Opera, or at least one of the ghosts from an episode of Scooby Doo. LeBron certainly plays like he has supernatural abilities… Hmm…