Cleveland star LeBron James (left) celebrates with teammates Darnell Jackson (second from left) J.J. Hickson and Tarence Kinsey (right) in their Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Atlanta Hawks
CLEVELAND -- Is LeBron James jinx proof? His coach believes so.
Cleveland's superstar is making his ninth appearance on Sports Illustrated's cover this week. He's pictured doing his trademark pregame routine of blowing hand powder in the air over the headline "Cleveland Rocks (No Joke)," a feature about how the Akron native -- and league MVP -- could finally end the city's 45-year championship drought.
Cavs coach Mike Brown was unaware of James' latest appearance or the notorious S.I. cover jinx, a notion that bad luck soon comes to individuals or teams that appear on the cover.
"Did something bad happen to him the other eight times?" Brown wondered with a hint of sarcasm after shootaround yesterday. "I'm OK with it."
James' career has been on a steady ascent since he first appeared on S.I.'s cover as a 17-year-old high school phenom. After winning an Olympic gold medal last summer, the 24-year-old led Cleveland to a franchise record 66 wins during the regular season and the team is a perfect 8-0 in the playoffs entering last night's Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Orlando Magic.
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