the official 10-11 NBA thread ver. LIKE A BOSH

[axl blaze]

I've said it before in the previous threads, Wade is the greatest shot blocking guard OF ALL TIME. Yes, even a bit better than MJ.

Wade reminds me of young Jordan.

it's always a tough honor to be compared to Jordan, but I think I am buying what you are selling on Wade being just as good as a shot blocker as Jordan. I don't know about better, but just the fact that I even hold him into Jordan-esque contention means a lot for Wade's case

it has truly been a treat to watch him play in the Finals; even though I hate the Heat as much as I do

 

[Serious]

Hahahha.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OunWJ1fDByE




-----


After spending a sleepless night reading columns about his struggles in Game 4, LeBron James is fully aware of the gravity of Thursday night's Game 5 of the NBA Finals. It's the biggest game of his life to this point.
"I understand what is at stake," James said Thursday morning. "This is a big game, probably the biggest game of my life. I'm approaching it that way. Not probably, it is."
James scored a career playoff-low eight points in the Miami Heat's Game 4 loss to the Dallas Mavericks, setting up a pivotal Game 5 with the series tied 2-2.
Instead of avoiding reactions from his letdown game, James chose to watch TV and look up what columnists had said about it on the Internet.
"I'm my own critic," James said. "You've got to go out and do it yourself."

it's always a tough honor to be compared to Jordan, but I think I am buying what you are selling on Wade being just as good as a shot blocker as Jordan. I don't know about better, but just the fact that I even hold him into Jordan-esque contention means a lot for Wade's case

it has truly been a treat to watch him play in the Finals; even though I hate the Heat as much as I do

The reason I'm giving a slight edge to Wade in the shot blocking category is because of the far less athletic and shorter players at the SG spot in the 80's (seriously, go down each roster). Wade would up his block averages a ton in the same environment too.

Jordan is still a far far better defender though.

 

[axl blaze]

well I just started on the game and I do believe, in my peripheral vision I saw LBJ whiff a massive air-ball... hopefully this will be a very fun game to watch

 

[Care]

Wow wade just went down, looked like he was in pain. hopefully its nothing a cortisone shot cant fix. Would be a shame to see him out of this game.

 

[Care]

Wade playing through hip contusion, what a beast.

 

[aanallein]

wade's back.. this is about to get serious

 

[aanallein]

Dallas looks better every game of the playoffs and finals.. they are unstoppable.

 

[Codones]

What a great game to watch. Wade looks more and more like a god every game. If this wasn't the finals he would have been out for the game, maybe more. He comes back in and is the only thing Miami had for the 4th quarter. He played like nothing was wrong. This would have been Jordan like if he could have willed his team to a win.

But... Dallas is absolutely unstoppable when they have their shot going. No team could ever stop them when they are shooting like this. Reminds me of game 4 against LA. But they played terrible defense until the 4th and rebounded like shit. Unless they can hit 60% again.. And in freaking Miami, they can't beat the Heat at home.

JJ and JET. And Brian Cardinal. Really? Huge flopper, but some nice defense against Lebron and played some great minutes. JJ made money with this game. And probably quite a bit. JET had liquid nitrogen going through his veins. Dishing out perfect dimes and knocking down crazy threes. Dallas in 6.

 

[psychopath]

Dirk is the fuckin man.

 

[Codones]

Guys... Where does the performance of Dirk throughout this entire playoffs go on the all time list? It has to be a top 5. Maybe a top three. What do y'all think?


And completely off topic, I'm watching the Chris Bosh press conference and wonder why he isn't with Wade and James. Seems weird. Those two always do all pressers together. Why are they shunning Bosh?

 

[psychopath]

Guys... Where does the performance of Dirk throughout this entire playoffs go on the all time list? It has to be a top 5. Maybe a top three. What do y'all think?

Probably Top 10. He has been dominating the entire playoffs. I am not positive, but he has not missed a free throw in the finals has he?

And completely off topic, I'm watching the Chris Bosh press conference and wonder why he isn't with Wade and James. Seems weird. Those two always do all pressers together. Why are they shunning Bosh?

I don't know man. I have noticed that Lebron and DWade seem to be much closer than either are to Bosh. The press conference after Game 4, Lebron did not even mention Bosh but spoke some about DWade.

Probably because Lebron and DWade are way more important and skilled than Bosh lol.

 

[CoffeeDrinker]

Oh ok cool. Yeah that guy totally drank mad hateraid and is relying way too much on the fact that most people are younger than him to gain credibility.
btw
GO MAVS!!!
...ahem...anyway

So it's kinda like how there was the "Dead Ball Era" in baseball which was ended by the rise of Babe Ruth as the baddest mother fucker around, thus bringing in certain rule changes to progress the game.
I suppose the steroid era is just another thing like that, nothing worth getting mad about (other than the fact, in that particular case, that steroids can seriously harm young ambitious and misguided athletes), just simply that it needs to be changed so the game can progress in a way that everyone agrees upon.
In this case when Wilt says that he was "before his time" and he was "too big for the game," that's not really arrogance, it's simply true. He was literally too big for the game at that time.
So there was the pre-Wilt era, and the post-Wilt era. Would you say the widening of the lane was the official "post-wilt era," in a more or less formal sense?
But still, why did he only win 2 championships, that being the undeniable case? Those playbooks that the Celtics had should be studied as basketball gospel if they allowed for good enough team basketball to defeat this man.

It's really not fair to simply call MJ the best. He's simply the best since the Post-Wilt era.

In this day and age people talk about the MJ-era informally, especially in the media, and talking about Kobe, Wade, and LBJ, but the MJ-era didn't lead to any significant rule changes did it? If anything officiating's been easier on the offense side since then it seems like.

EDIT: damn I though I was the next post right after Grimble...none of you other guys care about the wonderful historical discussion about Wilt Chamberlain?

Let's just all point and laugh at Lebron for calling himself King James and picking number 23, realize that he's never going to be as good, and stop talking about him as if he's the only player on the court, appreciate the irony that The Heat retired 23 before Lebron ever thought about joining that team and MJ never played on The Heat, and just move ON with our LIVES.
He had a triple double, very respectable. I actually tied a bet against my mom with that:
I bet a full tank of gas for my car ($50) that he wouldn't score 20 points, but I'd pay for half of it if he scores less than 20 but gets a triple double.
So we tied. I thought that was pretty funny.

If Codones says Dallas in 6, I'd like to disagree, simply out of principle(mainly the unforgivable opinion that Kobe's better in this mythical MJvs.Kobe debate. the dude has predicting skills, but is far too generationally-biased for his own good. the fact the Durant is the current best scorer in the league tells us all we need to know about the quality of competition, and how Jordan would do against it, at the moment), but Dallas has a coach with the eye of the tiger, and that's permeating through every single player on the team in such a noticeable way, that it's hard for me to see them getting beat next game.
The only thing I could see is if Wade plays with bloody murder revenge, and Bosh has another mid-20's point game. You can pretty much count on Lebron not getting much more than the high teens....

As for Lebron, HE NEEDS TO BE MAGIC JOHNSON. He's more physically gifted, and he's frequently praised for his unselfishness as a superstar. All the signs are pointing to this being the way to go, like an intelligent college kid who can do well in every subject, but fails come finals time because he doesn't know what he really wants to pt his heart and soul in. This seems to be his calling. Why not just stick with what works, rather than what's the sexiest? By Magic Johnson I mean a Point-Forward. A 1, who can play every spot but 5.
I think this is the transition that NEEDS to happen if the Heat have any chance of maximizing their potential chemistry.

 

[psychopath]

If Codones says Dallas in 6, I'd like to disagree, simply out of principle(mainly the unforgivable opinion that Kobe's better in this mythical MJvs.Kobe debate. the dude has predicting skills, but is far too generationally-biased for his own good. the fact the Durant is the current best scorer in the league tells us all we need to know about the quality of competition, and how Jordan would do against it, at the moment).

Kobe is an epic douche and I can't stand his constant smug smirk and the belief that he is fouled every single time he touches the ball.

, but Dallas has a coach with the eye of the tiger, and that's permeating through every single player on the team in such a noticeable way, that it's hard for me to see them getting beat next game.
The only thing I could see is if Wade plays with bloody murder revenge, and Bosh has another mid-20's point game. You can pretty much count on Lebron not getting much more than the high teens....

As for Lebron, HE NEEDS TO BE MAGIC JOHNSON. He's more physically gifted, and he's frequently praised for his unselfishness as a superstar. All the signs are pointing to this being the way to go, like an intelligent college kid who can do well in every subject, but fails come finals time because he doesn't know what he really wants to pt his heart and soul in. This seems to be his calling. Why not just stick with what works, rather than what's the sexiest? By Magic Johnson I mean a Point-Forward. A 1, who can play every spot but 5.
I think this is the transition that NEEDS to happen if the Heat have any chance of maximizing their potential chemistry.

I think the Heat will probably play better at their home court. I agree that Mavs will close it out Sunday night. They are possessed and the Heat have the inverse of the eye of the tiger whatever that is. They start choking hard at the end of the game and Lebron seems to choke the hardest. It does not matter if DWade drops 40, I think the Mavs are on a mission. Dirk WILL get his ring and its time Mark Cuban gets one too.

 

[Serious]

What an epic Finals this has been... how much more epic would it be if the Dirk and the Jet get their revenge and the Mavs close them out in 6?!

As for Lebron, HE NEEDS TO BE MAGIC JOHNSON. He's more physically gifted, and he's frequently praised for his unselfishness as a superstar. All the signs are pointing to this being the way to go, like an intelligent college kid who can do well in every subject, but fails come finals time because he doesn't know what he really wants to pt his heart and soul in. This seems to be his calling. Why not just stick with what works, rather than what's the sexiest? By Magic Johnson I mean a Point-Forward. A 1, who can play every spot but 5.
I think this is the transition that NEEDS to happen if the Heat have any chance of maximizing their potential chemistry.

He may be more gifted physically, but LeBron's passing ability is overrated when comparing him to Magic. Just throwing that out there.

You can't even compare them in the skill department, Johnson had the total package. LeBron is an amazing player. But at the end of the day, he is still a player who solely relies upon speed, athleticism and power to do what he wants. On both ends of the floor. He is a freak of nature defined by his physical abilities. Once these start to diminish, unless he's already developed a substantial game based on actual technique and skill, he's gonna struggle big time once he hits 30+. Magic was able to dominate and would have still dominated later in his career if he wouldn't have fucked around and got the HIV. His post game was deadly. LeBron doesn't even have one. Back in 06/07, he promised Cavs fans he would develop one, yet he doesn't have a single move and can't even take advantage of Stevenson/Kidd. Pretty sad for a guy who is 6'8 and 280+ pounds. Wade has a better post game, lol.

Oh and what about his off the ball game, or lack thereof. Just pathetic how he stands there in the corner or at the top of the key when he doesn't have the ball. I guess it's rocket science for him to make some cuts through screens and get some easy shots. MJ started playing off the ball pretty much the whole time once Pippen emerged as a star player and became the main ball handler. I don't get why Bron can't do the same thing. Melo came into the league the same year and they're the same age, yet he's elite off ball player.

LeBron's athleticism has already taken a slight dip this year. I know I'm not the only one here who notices how much quicker that first step used to be back in his Cleveland days. He didn't have to rely on screens to get by his man nearly as much as he does now.

 

[Wyld 4 X]

Probably Top 10. He has been dominating the entire playoffs. I am not positive, but he has not missed a free throw in the finals has he?

I think he has missed 1 so far.

 

[Wyld 4 X]

Dallas looks better every game of the playoffs and finals.. they are unstoppable.

They are reminding me of Boston's run in 2008 (except Dallas didnt need to win three 7 games series to get to the Finals). The Mavs have been quite unflappable since that huge comeback loss to Portland. I think that was the game that woke them up.

 

[Cane2theLeft]

I am not positive, but he has not missed a free throw in the finals has he?

I think he has missed 1 so far.

Right, he has missed 1 so far against Miami out of *44* for 97.7%.

He has made 173-184 or 94% this post season - of players who have shot that many free throws in a post season campaign, he has made the highest percentage. Pretty fucking impressive!

 

[Codones]

CoffeeDrinker, the reason I say that is because that no time in NBA history has two players on different teams been responsible for 9 rings in an 11 year span.(Boston in the sixties and the 76ers. Ok. Boston won 10 of those. Not a real match.) Kobe was going against someone every bit as good as he was, and still bested him. I got to watch Jordan in his prime and he was an absurd scorer and even better leader. Not a knock on Jordan, I would just take Kobe personally.

 

[aanallein]

I think people are giving a TON of hate to LeBron and they are doing it out of spite mostly. Sure, he had a bad 4th.. but he played 47 minutes. He has to play too much to compensate for his team's weaknesses, has to contribute to every score either by fast break, assist, or driving to the basket. That's gotta be ridiculously exhausting. Kobe was swept this year and he had a better supporting cast. Did people say the same things about him? Nope. They gave Mavs credit because lets face it - the Mavs are better coached, more skilled, and have a deeper roster. They are flat out the best team in the league this year. I will be very surprised if they don't take home a championship. The fact that there is still a chance for the Heat at all goes to show you how hard LeBron and DWade are playing to carry this group this far against a lot of damn good competition. The Bulls and Celtics were formidable opponents.

I know it's fun and all to hate on LeBron and all but you have to be able to separate reality from spite. He played his heart out throughout the middle of the game last night. He has weaknesses and those are becoming more and more obvious and the Mavs are taking advantage of them. LeBron can't play post and doesn't play without the ball. All players have weaknesses though - it's just that some coaches and teams are able to work around them and some can't. So LeBron has a choice - he can either fix those himself or they can find a way to work around it either through better teamwork, coaching, or getting some players that will work well with it. But asking for that to happen in a week's time is kind of absurd when you're playing against the Mavs.


As an aside.. I'm not a LeBron fan I'm just trying to give the guy a bit of slack. I know he brought most of it down upon himself but the game should speak for itself.


And as for comparing players.. why must this go on and on and on.. each player exists within a specific basketball era which means they face different competition, have different support, and in many cases, played with different rules.. not to mention their skill sets, body type, and team role are often totally different.. so why bother with the constant comparisons and just appreciate them for what they've given to the sport?

 

[psychopath]

I think people are giving a TON of hate to LeBron and they are doing it out of spite mostly. Sure, he had a bad 4th.. but he played 47 minutes. He has to play too much to compensate for his team's weaknesses, has to contribute to every score either by fast break, assist, or driving to the basket. That's gotta be ridiculously exhausting.

Scottie Pippen, 5/27/11:
""Michael Jordan is probably the greatest scorer to play the game," Pippen said Friday on "Mike & Mike In The Morning" on ESPN Radio. "But I may go as far as to say LeBron James may be the greatest player to ever play the game because he is so potent offensively that not only can he score at will but he keeps everybody involved... No guy on the basketball court is a threat to score with LeBron James out there. Not only will LeBron dominate from the offensive end as well, but he's also doing it on the defensive end, which really makes him the complete package. He's able to get in those passing lanes, shoot those gaps and create transition opportunities where he is pretty much unstoppable."

First, ^Lol.

Secondly, MJ's average minutes in only the years he won the Finals MVP
1991-44 minutes
92-42.3
93-45.7
96-42
97-42.7
98-41.7

So, gimme a break. The greats are supposed to rise up in crunch time and deliver.

Kobe was swept this year and he had a better supporting cast. Did people say the same things about him? Nope.

I would like to reiterate my initial thoughts on Kobe: THAT WHINY RAPEY DOUCHE CAN GET FUCKED. I literally would spit on him if I saw him.

They gave Mavs credit because lets face it - the Mavs are better coached, more skilled, and have a deeper roster.

Better coached- Mr. 11-Ring Phil Jackson we are talking about right?

The fact that there is still a chance for the Heat at all goes to show you how hard LeBron and DWade are playing to carry this group this far against a lot of damn good competition.

Carry this group? You say it like the rest of the team are bums. So much hype about the Big 3, and (re)signing Haslem, Miller, Illgauskas, Anthony, Arroyo, House. This was supposed to be an epic team.

I know it's fun and all to hate on LeBron and all but you have to be able to separate reality from spite.

Agreed, also must separate reality from imagination.

He played his heart out throughout the middle of the game last night. He has weaknesses and those are becoming more and more obvious and the Mavs are taking advantage of them. LeBron can't play post and doesn't play without the ball.

"Only player in NBA history to post at least 2000 points, 500 rebounds, 500 assists and 100 steals in four straight seasons."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_career_achievements_by_LeBron_James

3 straight years of being All-Defensive First Team.

Most of the written blowjobs Lebron gets are complementary about how complete he is as a player.

He has got to be doing something without the ball...

And as for comparing players.. why must this go on and on and on.. each player exists within a specific basketball era which means they face different competition, have different support, and in many cases, played with different rules.. not to mention their skill sets, body type, and team role are often totally different.. so why bother with the constant comparisons and just appreciate them for what they've given to the sport?

How long have you been a sports fan? In EVERY sport, the greats of today are compared to the greats of yesterday along with their achievements being compared.


MJ and Lebron are compared all the time. Similar skill sets, body types, and team role.