Kobe didn't seem to have "it" the first two times he tried to be the man in the Finals (2004 and 2008). He didn't play scared, but he did play like ****. He rebounded to ultimately win. But were you of the opinion that he couldn't handle pressure? The same goes for Dirk in 06 and 07 (when he did play scared vs the Warriors). He too rebounded. LeBron seems to have come back with an improved game and is putting up one of the best seasons I have ever witnessed. Let's see what he does in the playoffs. Either way, it's kind of hard to say a guy doesn't have "it" when he is 28 and most dudes don't lead their teams to titles until they are 30 or so. It's only like 6 dudes who have led their teams to titles at 28 (just going off memory....Kareem, Magic, Bird, Duncan, Russell, Wade). All I'm saying is let's hold this dude to the same standard that we hold other great players to. Enjoy the journey.
No one was calling Hakeem the best player in the league all those years, like they do Lebron. No MVPs, unlike Lebron. His team never had the best record in the league multiple times, like Lebron's did. Never had a stacked team, like Lebron last year and this year.
LeBron isn't the first player to lose with a stacked team. The 2004 Pistons had arguably the biggest Finals upset in the last 30 years when they beat LA, mainly because Kobe played like **** and shot them out of the series. The 2008 Lakers were stacked and were upset by the Celtics (yes, they were underdogs that series) mainly because Kobe got shut down. He rebounded to lead his team to 2 titles. Yes, guys were calling Kobe the best in the game in 2008. He worked on his game (and so did Gasol), got better, team got healthier and he led them to 2 titles. Players do rebound from nut-ups. It's not like we have t look hard for recent examples. If Kobe and Dirk can do it, maybe LeBron can as well. From what we have to go by so far he worked on a weakness this summer and is having arguably his best season and one of the best in league history. Enjoy the journey.
Both of those teams had already proven that they could win titles. I thought we were talking about Lebron.
I didn't realize Kobe proved he could lead a team to a title before 2009. Since he stated he wanted to accept the challenge and do just that, which he did twice, I'll assume he realized he hadn't done it either in 2000-2002. He failed twice before getting it done. Same for Dirk. We are talking about LeBron, and he can probably rebound from 2011 just like Kobe rebounded from failing to lead a team in 2004 and 2008 and just like Dirk rebounded from 2006 and 2007. And so far he's having his best season since the 2011 flameout.
LeBron needs to do the dunk contest, at least Kobe did that. back when he was with Brandy, should have hooked with with Monica <iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/_vNsNTdp9xk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
I agree. Lebron is one of the most amazing players to ever set foot on an NBA court. Even in the midst of heavy criticism from columnists, TV analysts, and even casual or fleeting fans, pointing at his notorious decision and 4th quarter failures are somewhat heightened. Though, show a misguided and slighted perception of such a player. For the most part, Lebron has actually been a very good 4th Quarter player in his career, especially in Cleveland. For several years, he had has been one of league leaders in points per 4th quarter with his higher percentages coming in the 4th. Moreover, his biggest 4th quarter failures have only been truly in two series: last year's Finals and the previous year's Semi Finals. His playoff performances only show for the most parts how inferior his teams were, outside of last year. When it comes to individual playoff performances, he's been better than most players, even alot of great ones. If anyone thinks Lebron James is titleless for his own playoff performances being the biggest reasons. I simply cannot agree with them, outside of maybe one or two playoff series. In the Magic series of 2009, he had a series average of 38 ppg, 10 rebs, and 8 assists. How many players can you find that had a series, like that, especially with the quality of team that he had at the time? In his career, he's been a fantastic scorer, yet very efficient and a deadly passer with sharp court vision, as he has shown this season. Given the attention to his offense, and how is feasting on most conversations (along with his 4th quarter failures. He's become an extraordinary defender, he's put the locks on point guards up to even power forwards who are also accomplished scorers themselves. He's also been a formidable matchup for centers by ripping away rebounds, blocking out, and even playing defense. He should be win the MVP, this season based on actual performance, but it is an award that does come with certain politics in the NBA. It's unreal how complete of player that he's become in the midst of his already great NBA career. I heard on a critic say that we should not be celebrating Lebron, as a great player who has failed to win a title (forgetting one of the rarest talents in sports). Yet, it is ok for people to celebrate flash-in-the-pan type players, like Tim Tebow, Jeremy Lin, or Victor Cruz. I really do not see logic, when it comes to sports, sometimes. On one hand, critics will rip Kobe, Westbrook, or Rose apart for taking too many shots or being overly aggressive as scorers, yet will criticize Lebron and others for not being aggressive enough scorers. Better analyst and critics (especially if they played in the NBA or are really into the game) tend to understand and appreciate how great of talent he is.
Pistons upset Lakers mainly due to Malone's injury. Lakers got past Spurs that year with a healthy Malone and a miracle shot. Without Malone, they didn't have a chance. You can't even get the fact straight.
While Kobe was the best player in 2004 Lakers for the most part, that team wasn't built around him. And in 2008, Bynum and Ariza's injury didn't make them the favorite, Gasol was there for only half a season. And Celtics had a way better record and were known as one of the best defensive team ever. This is not the case for LeBron in the last 3 years. Cavs were built around him. They had a solid roster for years. And they had the best record.
i agree with this post. That celtics team did have some of the best defense I've ever seen. I honestly thought the lakers had no shot of winning.
Saying the "roster is built for him" doesn't excuse the fact that the Cavs had one of the worst rosters in the league sans Lebron. Saying they had a solid roster flies in the fact that the Cavs had one of the worst records ever the year Lebron left. Compare how the Bulls built around Rose and the Cavs build around Lebron during the year they made the finals: Bulls Sidekick: Deng Cavs Sidekick: Mo Williams Bulls Big Men: Asik, Gibson, Boozer, Noah Cavs Big Men: Ilgauskaus, Varejao, Gooden Bulls roleplayers: Korver, Watson, Bogans, brewer Cavs Roleplayers: Eric Snow, Damon Jones, Sasha Pavlovic So "building around" a player does not excuse surrounding him with useless players. If you want to get shooters, these vary from guys like Ray Allen to Eddie House. If you want defensive bigs these go from Mutombo to Sean Williams. The fact is, the Cavs success was 95% due to Lebron. I think leaving that awful team was the best decision for him. If he had stayed haters like you would continue criticizing him for not winning. At least now y'all just look stupid.
35-10-6 in back to back games with no TO. Since they kept TO as a stat that has never been done in the history of the NBA.
