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Why shouldn't the best basketball player in the world (and possibly in history) get praised? And he is remarkably consistent, year in year out you almost never see bad box scores from Lebron. I'd say he's a darn fine human being too. Family man, good husband, good father, and very generous in the community.
I don't want to diminish Leonard in upping Lebron but please, Kawhi will need years to pass Lebron in accomplishments. And Lebron is better than Kawhi in passing, ball-handling, rebounding, defensive playmaking, leadership (Kawhi is only recently becoming a leader), and go-to scoring. Statistically Leonard has had only one season as good as Lebron's 14.
Dead weight, please...
You've gone a bit overboard in that praise. I''m going by what I've seen from the guy as the Spurs play them. I have nothing against Lebron but failure to fairly compare Leonard to him in every respect is a huge mistake. I will always let you know too. In fact I like Lebron and agree with your fine human assessment of him. I want Leonard to get the respect he deserves. Spurs get it, but mostly underhandedly. I do not think that the Cavs have much of a chance to win against the Warriors or Spurs. If all teams are healthy and playing up to par. Otherwise all bets are off.
Kawhi Leonard was magnificent again in Game 2 of this first-round series. He put up 37 points on 14 shots and went 19-for-19 from the free throw line. That 19-for-19 line is good enough for third-best ever in the playoffs, only behind Dirk Nowitzki and Paul Pierce.
Why shouldn't the best basketball player in the world (and possibly in history) get praised? And he is remarkably consistent, year in year out you almost never see bad box scores from Lebron. I'd say he's a darn fine human being too. Family man, good husband, good father, and very generous in the community.
I don't want to diminish Leonard in upping Lebron but please, Kawhi will need years to pass Lebron in accomplishments. And Lebron is better than Kawhi in passing, ball-handling, rebounding, defensive playmaking, leadership (Kawhi is only recently becoming a leader), and go-to scoring. Statistically Leonard has had only one season as good as Lebron's 14.
Dead weight, please...
When it comes to lifetime achievement, there's no question. When it comes to this year: Kawhi has really expanded his game. He is unquestionably a better defender and defensive playmaker than Lebron. Lebron is unquestionably a more complete and dominant offensive force than Leonard. Leonard did more with less, leading a post-Duncan Spurs team to 61 wins and a WCF appearance. LMA is a good player, but I think he would be 4th fiddle on the Cavs. Parker & Ginobli can still deliver--in limited minutes and with rest days. Patty Mills and Danny Green are good players and remarkably consistent. Pau, D. Lee, and Dedmon are viable rotation players, but not world beaters at this stage of their respective careers.
I think Leonard has a stronger case for MVP this year than Lebron. And I think Lebron is a better player now than he ever has been (and maybe ever will be). I could see Harden as a stronger case than both, but I'm not firm on that one.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SATX56
You've gone a bit overboard in that praise. I''m going by what I've seen from the guy as the Spurs play them. I have nothing against Lebron but failure to fairly compare Leonard to him in every respect is a huge mistake. I will always let you know too. In fact I like Lebron and agree with your fine human assessment of him. I want Leonard to get the respect he deserves. Spurs get it, but mostly underhandedly. I do not think that the Cavs have much of a chance to win against the Warriors or Spurs. If all teams are healthy and playing up to par. Otherwise all bets are off.
I hope that Leonard is able to go, but I can't imagine him being anywhere near full strength the remainder of this postseason. The original sprain was bad enough that he missed Game 6, and he aggravated it twice in his first game back.
Regardless of what happens in these playoffs, he's just 25 and the NBA is clearly in good, giant hands for the next decade. One day I hope we see Kawhi/Giannis battles in June.
Kawhi has really expanded his game. He is unquestionably a better defender and defensive playmaker than Lebron.
At the same time we know LeBron is unmatched in certain defensive situations. Last year's block on Iggy being a perfect example. LeBron maybe doesn't put in the effort consistently on defense for 48 minutes but when he wants to make a great play there's no doubting his ability to do so.
At the same time we know LeBron is unmatched in certain defensive situations. Last year's block on Iggy being a perfect example. LeBron maybe doesn't put in the effort consistently on defense for 48 minutes but when he wants to make a great play there's no doubting his ability to do so.
Unmatched is . . . a bit much. He's a good defender when he tries. He's made big defensive plays. But if you need a stop, Lebron's pretty far down the list of players you're going to choose to get it.
When it comes to lifetime achievement, there's no question. When it comes to this year: Kawhi has really expanded his game. He is unquestionably a better defender and defensive playmaker than Lebron. Lebron is unquestionably a more complete and dominant offensive force than Leonard. Leonard did more with less, leading a post-Duncan Spurs team to 61 wins and a WCF appearance. LMA is a good player, but I think he would be 4th fiddle on the Cavs. Parker & Ginobli can still deliver--in limited minutes and with rest days. Patty Mills and Danny Green are good players and remarkably consistent. Pau, D. Lee, and Dedmon are viable rotation players, but not world beaters at this stage of their respective careers.
I think Leonard has a stronger case for MVP this year than Lebron. And I think Lebron is a better player now than he ever has been (and maybe ever will be). I could see Harden as a stronger case than both, but I'm not firm on that one.
I hope that Leonard is able to go, but I can't imagine him being anywhere near full strength the remainder of this postseason. The original sprain was bad enough that he missed Game 6, and he aggravated it twice in his first game back.
Regardless of what happens in these playoffs, he's just 25 and the NBA is clearly in good, giant hands for the next decade. One day I hope we see Kawhi/Giannis battles in June.
I can live with this assessment of Leonard and Lebron. I agree Kawhi is still sometimes a little hesitant in going to the basket. He plays on a team that spreads it around a lot. Harder to get those individual stats. He's still like 8 years less in the league than James. He showed his ability to disrupt the highest offensive output team this year in game one before his unfortunate injury.
I still think they have no chance against the west winner. That's my opinion and those that see it otherwise are entitled to their opinion but leave mine alone.
Unmatched is . . . a bit much. He's a good defender when he tries. He's made big defensive plays. But if you need a stop, Lebron's pretty far down the list of players you're going to choose to get it.
I speaking specifically about the chase down block. Who in the history of the game is on the same level as LeBron with that defensive move? I think he is unmatched in that area.
I speaking specifically about the chase down block. Who in the history of the game is on the same level as LeBron with that defensive move? I think he is unmatched in that area.
That's . . . not exactly the most common defensive situation. He is probably the best chase down blocker we've seen, yeah--for what it's worth.
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