Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Dirk didn't have a gem of a series either....but he get's a pass because his supporting cast shot the lights out in a couple games.
Are we having this conversation if Barea, Terry etc. don't have some monster games thrown in the mix?
I'm just saying that in a number of these analysis the loser goes under a microscope and the winner gets a free pass.
It would be fun to sit down with you and re-watch the whole series over some brews, I enjoy your comments and it would be enlightening to point out where the defenses are focusing and what they are doing to stop Dirk or Lebron etc. and how it all goes down.
No, Dirk didn't have a stellar series either, though I should point out that there was a glaring discrepancy between the two when it came to 4th quarter performance. If memory serves, Lebron scored in the teens in the 4th quarter in TOTAL over 6 games. Dirk, by contrast, scored some 50+ points total in the 4th quarters.
Which brings me to this point: while as I admit earlier, Dirk didn't have a great series, the reality is Dirk isn't held to the same standard. At best, he's a top 25-30 player all-time. Lebron, on the other hand, is drawing comparisons to Jordan, Magic, Bird, Oscar....the level of expectation is greater, hence the level of scrutiny greater when those expectations fall short. We are also talking about a guy who promised 8 championships, and said it would be easy.
So, while I admit that some of the talk and 'hate' on Lebron is excessive, the reality is Lebron created some of the expectation with his own words and actions, and failed to deliver when it really counted. Jordan let his game do the talking. So does Dirk.....and win or lose that's why I can respect both. Lebron James cannot, if he's honest with himself, look back at that series and say he laid it all on the line. Until he does that, he's not in the conversation with Jordan, or Bird, or Magic, or anyone in that upper tier of NBA greats.
No, Dirk didn't have a stellar series either, though I should point out that there was a glaring discrepancy between the two when it came to 4th quarter performance. If memory serves, Lebron scored in the teens in the 4th quarter in TOTAL over 6 games. Dirk, by contrast, scored some 50+ points total in the 4th quarters.
Which brings me to this point: while as I admit earlier, Dirk didn't have a great series, the reality is Dirk isn't held to the same standard. At best, he's a top 25-30 player all-time. Lebron, on the other hand, is drawing comparisons to Jordan, Magic, Bird, Oscar....the level of expectation is greater, hence the level of scrutiny greater when those expectations fall short. We are also talking about a guy who promised 8 championships, and said it would be easy.
So, while I admit that some of the talk and 'hate' on Lebron is excessive, the reality is Lebron created some of the expectation with his own words and actions, and failed to deliver when it really counted. Jordan let his game do the talking. So does Dirk.....and win or lose that's why I can respect both. Lebron James cannot, if he's honest with himself, look back at that series and say he laid it all on the line. Until he does that, he's not in the conversation with Jordan, or Bird, or Magic, or anyone in that upper tier of NBA greats.
All good points. We shall see how he does this year, another year to mesh with Wade etc. will be interesting to see how it translates to the playoffs. I'm very interested to see how the Bulls respond seeing how they didn't have a lot of playoff experience previously so looking for growth there.
I'd put Durant at 2, he isn't up to Lebrons defense yet, I really like Howard but the talk of Bynum for Howard straight up means Howard needs to drop or Bynum needs to come way up, although I think Howard is way better.
Wade was an all NBA 3rd team while I believe Kobe was a 1st team, so for me Kobe should be at least 5, or at least above Wade.
I don't think Lebron is a definitive number 1 like he was 3 years ago. During his back to back 2009 and 2010 MVP seasons he was playing at an incredibly high level. I think Wade has tampered off a bit this year( at least he doesn't seem to bring it as consistently as before) so I'd have to drop him a little. Kobe, in terms of effectiveness, is out of top 5( I don't care what his scoring average is, 43% is borderline Allen Iverson level). Durant is nipping at Lebron's heel, while he doesn't have his all-around game he appears to have more of that alpha gene to put a team on his back in the clutch, demonstrated quite a few times this playoffs. I'm hoping OKC and Miami met in the finals, I'd love to see those two go at it.
what a joke. dwight howard aka i cant shoot free throws aka if they foul me in a close game in the 4th my team will lose number 2?
i hate kobe more than jews and palestinians hate each other but he's top 3 in the league im not hearing anything else
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
