Sheldon Taylor's Souls of Black Notes

                                 Watching the bubble burst during Game 6 of the NBA Finals, a mental loop of LL Cool J's 1990 vintage album cut The Power of God was on endless repeat in my brain: Never before was a man so far behind/and came back to rule for a long time .  LL's lyrical offering to the Most High laid at the metaphoric altar took on a new meaning for me while pondering the infinite dominance of another (earthly) king---LeBron Raymone James. Fourteen playoff appearances and four championship rings in seventeen years still hasn't silenced criticism from naysayers continuing to rain down like manna from heaven.  For many critics, LBJ's hefty statistical bridge is constructed from a weak foundation---A less physical league diluted by kinship between opposing players. Team stacking. Franchise hopping. Truth be told, James isn't the first athlete viewed with skepticism for taking the road less traveled.  For seven straight seasons Eric Dickerson was the be