LeBron James begins championship quest Saturday against the Chicago Bulls.

(1) Cleveland Cavaliers (61-21) vs. (8) Chicago Bulls (41-41)

Series schedule: Game 1 – Today at Cleveland 3 p.m. ET (ABC); Game 2 – Monday at Cleveland 8 p.m. ET (TNT);  Game 3 -Thursday 4/22 at Chicago 7 p.m. ET (TNT); Game 4 – Sunday 4/25 at Chicago 3:30 p.m. ET (ABC); Game 5 – Tuesday 4/27 * at Cleveland TBD; Game 6 – Thursday 4/29 * at Chicago TBD; Game 7 – Saturday 5/1 * at Cleveland TBD.  * – If necessary.

Series keys:  For Cleveland: 1. Establish inside game (Bulls are small on the inside). 2. Get the rust of LeBron (James hasn’t played in the last four games). Slow down Derrick Rose. For Chicago: 1. Play with an attitude (Eight seeds must have chip on shoulder). 2. Attack with penetration (Must get Cleveland bigs – Shaquille O’Neal and Zydrunas Ilgauskas – in trouble). 3. Run and gun (Play uptempo game to wear down Cleveland’s bigs).

Series outcome: Cavaliers will win the series in five games, but if the Bulls can extend the series to six games, it will go seven.

Series stories:

1. LeBron James and Kobe Bryant are on a collision course to meet in the NBA finals – Washington Post
2. Noah has no hard feelings for LeBron – ESPNChicago.com
3. Even with James, Cavs fans fear the worst – Chicago Tribune

Mike Gansey averaged 18.4 poinst and 8.2 boards in 27 games with Erie this season.

4:45 a.m. Wednesday.

That’s what time Erie BayHawks guard Mike Gansey’s first of two plane fights exits the runway en route to China as he will play with fellow D-League players and former NBA stars Robert Horry and Chris Mullin, a member of the 1992 Dream Team that won gold in the 1992 Summer Olympics, in two charity basketball games.

Before he headed out,  Gansey did a lengthy phone interview with me about China, the BayHawks and if his hometown team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, were going to win an NBA title this season.

From nearby Olmsted Falls, Ohio, Gansey, as expected, picked the Cavaliers to win it all. Here’s what else he had to say Tuesday afternoon.

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“I’ve said all along we all know how the vote is going to go. LeBron will win the MVP every year until he retires.” – Stan Van Gundy.

Stan Van Gundy has been a strong advocate for Magic center Dwight Howard winning the league MVP honor this season.

He speaks his mind. Don’t we love that?

Nod your head. You do. I know I do.

Even if Stan Van Gundy’s voice can sound a tad bit on the whiny side, you’re going to get an honest answer out of the guy.

 So when talking to the media before today’s game at Cleveland against the Cavaliers, the Orlando head coach had a few words to say about Magic center Dwight Howard’s deservement of the NBA MVP award and LeBron James being a clear cut favorite to win it for a second straight season.

On being an advocate of Dwight Howard being the NBA MVP and if he’d disappointed if LeBron James won the award unanimously: “I would never diasappointed on anything that happens on a vote type of thing. As I’ve said, look, I’ve also made very clear you can’t argue (with James getting the MVP). It’s not I’m saying somebody else doesn’t deserve it. I haven’t come out and tried to say that LeBron doesn’t deserve it. I think you can make a case for him. I think you can make a hell of a case for Dwight. I think you can make a hell of a case for Kevin Durant and what he’s done for that team. I think there are six or seven guys you can make very good cases for, but no, I wouldn’t be disappointed with anyone in the vote. I know good Dwight has been and I know how important he is to us. We know his value like Cleveland knows LeBron’s value.”  

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LeBron James has Cleveland atop the NBA regular-season hill for a second straight season.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have done this before.

And it wasn’t too long ago.

Last season, the Cavs won a league-best 66 games to earn home-court advantage in the playoffs, but wound up losing in the Eastern Conference Finals against Orlando in six games.

Earlier this week, they clinched home-court advantage again for the playoffs after the Los Angeles Lakers lost to the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday, but I’m still not sold the Cavs have the best team in the NBA, though.

Got some issues. Here’s a few.

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With center Shaquille O'Neal being out an estimated eight weeks to recover from thumb surgery, reigning MVP LeBron James will really have to carry the Cleveland Cavaliers through the rest of the regular season and the first round of the playoffs.

Wow.

The good news for Cleveland is the surgery on Shaquille O’Neal’s right thumb was successful.

The bad news for Cleveland is he’s expected to be out eight weeks. So he’s going to be out the remainder of the regular season, which for the Cavaliers ends April 14, and possibly the first round of the playoffs.

Yeah. Wow.

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The Diesel scheduled to have surgery today.

Shaquille O’Neal is going under the knife today.

The Cleveland Cavaliers center is scheduled to have surgery on his injured right thumb. From there, the team will figure out how long O’Neal will be out.

What does that mean for the Erie BayHawks?

Well, they won’t see Cleveland second-year power forward Darnell Jackson anytime soon.

When O’Neal got hurt Thursday at Boston, Jackson was en route to scoring 34 points and grabbing 12 rebounds for the BayHawks. The Cavaliers had sent Jackson down for two games against Dakota.

O’Neal’s injury cut that trip short as the Cavaliers recalled Jackson for Friday’s game at Toronto. So with O’Neal out for who knows how long and Cleveland stiill waiting to get a chance to resign Zydrunas Ilguaskas later this month, the Cavaliers need big men.

So don’t look for Jackson to make a return to Erie anytime soon.

LeBron James scored 37 points in leading the Cavaliers past the Lakers on Thursday night.

After scoring 12 consecutive points in the fourth quarter of Cleveland’s 93-87 win against the Los Angeles Lakers, James sat in his locker with his feet in ice and his knee wrapped in nice.

Still trying to figure out what he’s doing with his hair these days, but when you score 37 points, dish out  nine assists and grab five rebounds against the defending NBA champions, you can wear your hair anyway you like.

Here’s what James had to say after the game.

You talk about (closing games) all the time. You really commanded it in that last couple of minutes?
“Uh, that’s what it’s about. I know you guys are like what we waiting on and why we wait until the fourth quarter so much, but we know that’s money time. That’s when most of the games are won 85 percent of the time games are won in the fourth quarter. In our case, probably 95 percent of the time so it was a big game for us. We played well and we’ve just go to keep the momentum going.”

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Here helping Shaquille O'Neal defend Kobe Bryant, Cleveland Cavaliers small forward Jamario Moon will miss three weeks with an abdominal strain on his left side.

When rookie Danny Green had to fly back to Cleveland after supposedly traveling to Boise, Idaho to play two games with the Erie BayHawks in the D-League Showcase, puzzled reactions ensued.

Why was he called back? Does it involve a trade? Did he not want to go?

Try an injury.

Now the Cavaliers are likely working on possible trades to improve their chances to win a title before LeBron James bolts for who knows where, but one reason Cleveland called Green back was because Jamario Moon has an abdominal injury and is schedule to be out three weeks.

So the Cavs needed to keep a perimeter player. Green is a small forward out of North Carolina.

Having Green would have given the BayHawks a boost, but when it comes to the D-League, its NBA affiliates have to look out for themselves.

In keeping Green, the Cavs are doing that, but don’t count them out in regards to making a deal before the trade deadline next month.

Shaquille O’Neal left Friday night’s win against Portland with an eye injury after Blazers’ center Joel Przybilla racked him over the face. O’Neal was taken to Cleveland Clinic Courts.

The Cavaliers are calling it a left eye contusion, but he along with Daniel Gibson are traveling with the Cavaliers for Sunday night’s game at Oklahoma City. Gibson has a little right finger sprain.

A 17-year veteran, O’Neal is averaging 11.1 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.3 blocks this season.

Did Usher hit the switches to get Shaq to Cleveland?

In his latest single, In My Bag featuring rapper T.I., Usher sings a few lines in the second verse that suggests he played a part in Cleveland getting Shaquille O’Neal.

I’m the coolest. The Fonz.
Courtside hollering out plays to LeBron.
Ask Shaq what he need man.
Made the call now we got him up in Cleveland.

Usher is a part owner of the Cavaliers. The Cavaliers traded for O’Neal, who was with the Phoenix Suns last season.

Now the song is pretty braggadocios so Usher might have been exaggerating a bit, but I wonder if the Grammy winner made the call.