Did you hear the groan emanating from the interior of the country Thursday night?

That was the collective hope of Cleveland Cavalier fans dissipating into a fog of unknown material after the next great heir to Michael Jordan's throne was sent packing by an older and wiser Boston Celtics club.

I have already heard analysts say LeBron James- the Cavaliers' Uber Guard- just didn't have it for whatever reason. How does a player as talented and heralded as James just not 'have it'?

It doesn't seem possible. That just couldn't be "The King" shooting 8 of 21 and committing 9 turnovers in a must-win situation, could it?

It was, and James wasn't alone in his putridity. The Cavs as a team shot 38.4% from the floor. You'd expect a team with expectations like the Cavs' to shoot that from three-point range.

This was an absolute set up from the get-go though. You just had to know that the league's supposed best player couldn't win a playoff series against a veteran championship club like the Celtics. The poor shooting by the Cavs is as much a product of Boston's defense as anything else.

Looking deeper into the box score one finds that this game really did come down to simply putting the ball in the hoop. Sounds simple, don't it? The Cavs shot the same percentage from long range, made more free throws, and outrebounded a Celtics team who in my opinion had the superior front court.

And yet there was the familiar sight any NBA fan has known all too well: the more talented player being jettisoned in the playoffs without sniffing the Larry O'Brien Trophy. Ask Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal, or Kobe Bryant about paying their playoff dues until they figured out how to properly play a 'team game' in the playoffs.

I have frequently opined that there are few things as meaningless as the NBA regular season. It ranks right up there with the phrase "...of course I'll call you." James and the Cavs are now the latest argument in favor of that hypothesis.

And now the question looming over everyone's head is what will become of King James. He is set to become a free agent and teams like the New York Knicks and Chicago Bulls may come calling. Cleveland fans haven't been all that supportive after the Game 5 debacle saw the Celtics deal a near fatal blow on their home court. Some accused James of giving up. Others incensed that the greatest player on the planet couldn't wave his royal scepter and deliver their team from peril.

Those things very well could drive James out the door. And who could blame him? If Cleveland wants him to stay, head coach Mike Brown has to go. There are talented pieces on that roster and Brown has failed to devise an offensive game plan that can succeed in the playoffs.

I've also heard that LeBron is loyal. He's a hometown kid that wants to play in said hometown. We'll see, but one thing's for certain: Cleveland sports needs LeBron James more than he needs them. And that doesn't bode well unless the organization acts quickly to show him they're serious about winning soon.

What we saw Thursday wasn't worthy of the term royalty. After seven years in the league the book is far from shut and James' best years are probably still to come.

It remains to be seen if "best" equals "champion".