NBA Finals

Keeping up with the final scores on Sports Center, but not watching at all. Couldn't stand if the Mavs won and I had to watch Mark Cuban brag about his team. But, even worse, thinking about Lebron, D-Wade and Bosh counting not one, not 2, not 3... even before the season began...

Haven't really watched the NBA since Dr J retired.

 

Not this year. No desire "witnessing" LeBum getting his first ring.

 

I have been watching each game with much interest. I live in Houston so this is a big deal for basketball fans around this part. The thing is ... I have taken a vow to never cheer for a Dallas sports team. I don't have a problem with the whole Lebron saga. The issues are being blown out of balance by the media which seeks to make up stories based up small amounts of information. If Lebron takes too many shots then he is viewed as selfish ... if he passes to Wade in the final minutes then he is viewed as weak. If Dallas actually wins the championship the media will not write stories about how well they played. They will write/talk on how Lebron, Bosh and Wade blew it.

Lebron is a once in a generation talent and I am glad to watch him and DWade pick apart the Mavs. :godisgood:

 

As someone who watched LeBron each game for the past 7 years, I disagree. The media actually has it right about him...and while a talent, I think the "once in a generation" tag is a bit much. Even the greats like Jordan questioned his heart. Great player for sure, but that's taking it too far. If it were true he wouldn't want to go and be someone's sidekick.

 

Bump - moved to appropriate forum.

 

He is a once in a generation talent. No one player in the game can guard him. It takes a multiple player effort to even hope to stop him. notice I used the word talent. The great ones had decent talent but even greater heart. I understand it takes heart so don't get me wrong. he has shown that he lacks a little heart but so what. Just because wade has more heart does not mean lebron is the second Fidel. If Lebron is just a good player then why did the Cavs go from the top 2 or 3 teams to the complete worst?

On him switching teams. Cleveland can't score free agents in any sport. They had him for 7 years and the best player they could put next to him was A.Jamison. Why would he want to stay? "the decision" supposedly raised 2.5 million for the boys and girls club yet that is barely ever mentioned. The media wants america to hate him because that keeps everyone watching. I don't get the whole hatred by fans over the decision. He was a free agent and made a business decision. He made the right decision in the scope of how the structure of the NBA is shaping up. What cracks me up about his choice to join the Heat was the Cavs thought, still think, Lebron owed the city of Cleveland. The owner acted like a child in his response.

Go Heat

 

LeBron's not even the best player on his team. Enough said.

He's the 2011 version of Scottie Pippen.

You are probably the only person besides the Executive Director of the BAGCOA to agree with the decision and think it was put together for noble purposes. Of course he didnt owe Cleveland his career, he owed them respect and some class in leaving for putting up with his many antics (much more than was portrayed in the national media).

The 2010 Cavs were what was left over from building around him in 09...which EVERY player being brought here in the previous 7 years getting the ok from him and his yes men....and injuries and a make shift roster since we had no warning or preparation for his leaving.

 

Lets go mavs!

 

I don't know about noble but 2.5 million is decent. Lol Scotty Pippen, that was a bad comparison. Come on you can do better than that. Pippen was the side kick without a doubt. Lebron carried the Cavs to the finals until they met the Spurs who would stick 3-4 defenders on him when he would get the ball. It's not rocket science to figure out you need more than Lebron and 11 ball boys to beat the best defensive team that decade. I don't see the "yes" men comment holding any value unless you have inside information. it seems you do have inside information based upon your comments.

I have no ties in the matter but I enjoy watching him play basketball. I agree with his decision to leave and go join up with the Heat. "the decision" was a bit over the top but keep in mind this was a pretty big moment so it went prime time. The media had been drooling over this for months, the only way to close this was with a big event.

 

At least it's the Mavs in the finals rather than the lakers. :thumbsup:

 

I see all is even now, two and two.

 

Maybe it was...it may have insulted Pippen based on last night's game If there is any question whether he is the second best player on the Heat, last night (and these Finals) have answered it. Let's not even discuss the 2010 Eastern Conference Finals when news broke about his mother and Delote West, and his deliberate throwing of that series. Afterall, if you make it to the Finals and win a championship you cannot leave then, which would have foiled the "three kings'" plan that was building for the past couple years. It was all so crooked and deliberate it was sickening.

Agreed completely. We had no financial flexibility due to bad contracts in order to add players through trades, and as you stated earlier Cleveland is not the destination for top tier free agents.

Our local media reports much more on Cavaliers matters than the national media
The Decision was nothing but an ego padding self delusional moment. Nobody in America thought he would use such a stage to sucker punch his city in the stomach...and yet he did just that.
Where was The Decision made for Wade and Bosh? Oh yeah, they broke in on ESPN's PTL.

I hope the Mavs pull this off. With the apparent work stoppage next year and harder salary cap we may only "witness" one year of the "three kings". It would be great to see LeBron get no rings "not one...not two...not three, four, five..."

 

Where did he say he deliberately "threw" the series last year?

 

He didn't say it, but watch game 5 against Boston, its quite clear. At times he was even standing out of bounds when the clock was running down with his hands on his hips.

 

I will agree with webdog on this one for sure. In that series versus Boston it appeared he at some point gave up. The big four from Boston wore down the Cavs and lebron's desire to try. :tonofbricks:

 

That's a pretty nefarious accusation for someone who scored 27 pts, had 19 Rebs and 10 Assists in that game. If a triple double is throwing it, goodness gracious! His averages are less with Miami and he scored single digits last game. Is he throwing it now?

However, you could see frustration and a white flag in game 6 last year with the Celtics. His heart wasn't in it. That you could see. But the numbers don't lie.

 

Wrong game...I said game 5. His first field goal didn't come until 6 minutes left in the third quarter (15 for the game). Go back and watch that game, and particularly his effort on defense compared to this year.

Is he throwing it now? Based on his character and wiring, I would say he is probably letting Wade take over the series so in his mind if they lose, it wasn't his fault...just like every time they lose. He has YET to take responsibility for a loss in a game. His excuse after game 5 last year was "You don't see that out of me a lot so when it happens, it's a big surprise."

The difference between Wade and Lebron: Wade will take the big shots and live with losing aggressively as he knows he will also win many games. LeBron sees not taking the big shots as a way out of being blamed.

Telling stat. Nowitzki has 44 points in the fourth quarter of the Finals. LeBron...8.

 

It's still dubious. His average for the series doesn't show someone throwing a series. You can't say someone had a bad game 5, came back and had a triple double, and was throwing the series. I don't care if he put up goose eggs in game 5. There's always an excuse, and I don't expect to sway you. I would just say that it would be helpful to step back and look at it.

As for comparing Dirk and LeBron, it's apples and oranges. The Mavs are Dirk. LeBron isn't the best player on his team. Is LeBron playing up to his ability? No. To say he's throwing in the towel is a bit much.

Don't misunderstand me. I'm not defending James. I think he could've been a hero to a town that needs one desperately. While I hail from the other end of the state, I'd rather see the Cavs succeed all being equal. I am glad that even he saw he went over the top (I still say ESPN had a bigger hand in this than we think).

Back to Dirk. I personally believe Dirk may be one of the best big men we've ever seen. You read that right. One of the best ever. Ever seen a big man with range like that? Unbelievable.

 

Agreed on pretty much everything you said. All I know is I watched game 5 a few times after the series focusing solely on LBJ. You can think what you want, but he gave up in that game. Ha was standing around, looking up to the scoreboard during timeout huddles, lazily passing the ball, watching guys run by him, standing out of bounds during play, etc. With his talent he can score a triple double with his eyes closed. You dont think the whole world would have expected something had he not given at least an effort in back to back games? The three kings clearly had this lined up for some time and he never would have lived down leaving his hometown team after winning a championship. He had a built in excuse to leave by not winning. The cavs even had a sign and trade deal worked out with Bosh the day of the decision. James and Bosh would have made more and had as much chance of winning as they do now.

Looking forward to seeing Irving and Williams together!