That's true. The only difference is that Orlando and Cleveland have been head and shoulders above the rest of the Eastern Conference (with Cleveland being the best team in the league for certain) yet they have zero titles between them (I'm going to assume Orlando's season is over). We're not talking about two bum teams getting beat by better teams. We're talking about the two best and most talented teams that beat on everyone in the regular season being outworked and "out-focused" in the playoffs. I'm not saying it's the dancing, I'm saying the dancing is a sympton of a larger problem. Stopping the dancing would be a sign that these guys are at least maybe focusing more on the games. Would Kobe, Tim, MJ etc. ever even consider dancing or doing skits in pregame much less waste the time/energy in preparing/practicing for them? It seems obvious to me what the all time great winners do to prepare and what Dwight and Lebron do.
You can stay as focused as you want...not matching up with a particular opponent won't keep you from getting your head smashed in.
Lebron and Dwight H. want to market themselves more. Its as if there more worried about "putting on a show" then GETTING IT DONE IN CRUNCH TIME.
To be honest. Both Dwight and Lebron have a habit of goofing around a lot. You could easily tell from their personality and the way they act on court. Kobe and MJ never did any of this. All the NBA greats never did any of this. You come in the game and you come in focused. You don't dance around when you are behind nor when you are in front, even when it's a blowout. If I was a coach I would not want any of my players relaxed. I want them nervous and hungry. Though I blame the coach more than anything else. Coaches like RA, Pat Riley, P J and Popovich would murder their players if they goofed around even a little bit. Guess what? They all have a ring (besides Adelman who deserved a ring in 2003).
I'm not sure whether or not the goofing off actually makes you hustle less, but I think it gives the other team the impression that they can out hustle these goofballs. Look at it this way...if Boston losses, they go fishing, and not happily. If the king or superman losses, they go to some clubs, do some commercials, and celebrate for no reason whatsoever next year. And it's not like you can't have fun. Tim Duncan is actually known to be somewhat of a goofball, but he celebrate when he's accomplished nothing, nor does he ever showboat. The whole spurs team really just takes a different attitude about it, but it's not all work no play.
The Celtics are just as talented (if not more so) than the Cavs and Orlando. They've had major injury problems the last 2 years, but are finally healthy - and the last time they were healthy, they won an NBA Title. No other team in the NBA has 4 legitimate first-option type players on their team - and that goes along with arguably the best defense in the league. We *are* talking about two teams getting beat by a potentially better team. What happens to your argument if the Celtics beat the Lakers?
Obviously we can't conclude that goofing off leads to losing. Celtics worked hard for those wins. By it is evident that the Cavaliers and the Magics weren't giving their 100% against the Celtics. How are you supposed to win against such a talented team like the Celtics without giving it all you got? Whose the fourth first-option type player on the Celtics? Rondo? I don't consider someone that can't hit a open mid-range shot consistently first-option. The Cavs and the Magics are very talented as well when they play with heart. You can't blame the losses on the Celtics having a better team.
1. What makes you think the Magic weren't giving it all they've got? Because DH likes goofing off? He's been the best player this entire series, and yet by your logic he still goofs off? Like I said scowling and snarling is not an indicator of focus or drive. 2. Of course you can blame the losses on having been beaten by a better team. That's usually the major reason why you lose a 7 game series-to a better team! Although the magic are stacked their first 5 don't compare to the Celt's first 5. Dh playing like the best center in the league is the only reason they haven't been swept.
So what are you saying now that the Magic have won two games? Has Dwight started crying himself to sleep every night just so he can be "serious"? As another poster already said, Shaq is the greatest goofball around. How many rings does he have again?
How do you know that LBJ and DH don't take losing hard? Didn't LBJ act like a kid and refused to shake the opponent's hand when he lost? I doubt he would have done that if he treated each loss as a "meh". And LOL at going to commercials. Kobe Bryant has a lot of commercials too, does that mean he doesn't take losing seriously?
1. Because I watched every single game. And NO, they didn't hustle or put in any effort in Game 3. I don't call that giving it all they got. I don't understand the second part of your question. Dwight Howard goofing off is a fact, whether he is the best player in the series or not. 2. Blaming the losses on the opponent having a better team is what BAD teams do. It only shows weak mentality. A GOOD team would man up to the mistakes they've made in the games and try to adjust and improve the next game.
1. Aside from DH, none of the other magic players go around pranking people and "goofing" around as you say. In fact their coach is the most "ungoofy" person there is, I think he almost has a heart attack whenever they lose a game. Yet the entire team seemed unfocused and lacked hustle in game 3. How do you explain that? 2. The celtics certainly seemed unfocused and lacked hustle in game 4. How do you explain that? Did KG spend all night making prank phone calls to random strangers? 3. You say bad teams are the ones which make excuses. However, the only ones who are making excuses for them are fans like me who are grounded in reality. The magic aren't making any excuses, however you in your delusion seem to think that the magic go around telling people how awesome the Celtics are. The celtics are indeed the better team in this series, only a moron can't see that fact. I guess if LBJ, Wade, Gasol, DH and CP3 went against Dragic, Vujacic, Mbenga, Robert Swift and Peja Stojakovic the only reason Dragic's team loses is because they had a weak mentality and didn't make the proper adjustments? LOL show me what you're smoking bro, so I can turn you over to the police for illegal possession of drugs.
LOL, it's not funny when you explain the joke. Nice try though. 1. By goofing off, I don't mean going around and pranking people. What I meant is, instead of preparing themselves mentally before the game, they were doing little skits. And IMO, without the habit of preparing themselves mentally before the game during the regular season, the Magics and the Cavs failed to develop a focus for the game. Hence the terrible performance by the Magics in game 3. 2. Again, this is just my opinion, but one explanation for the Celtics lack of focus is that they are old. They played very well after that 7 days break, but fatigue finally caught up to them after 3 games. Another plausible reason is that they were up 3-0 and they thought it was going to be a walk away win. 3. Uhh.... what are you trying to say? Obviously the Celtics are a better team. Since when did I say that the only reason the Magics lost is due to weak mentality? All I said was, you can't have a chance at winning against a good team like the Celtics if you don't give all you got. Hell, you even highlighted that part of my post yourself a few posts back. I guess some people just live in their own little world.
So you admit that the Celts are the better team but there's no chance the Magic lost because of that? Lost me there, Bro
