Lebron is having the greatest statistical playoff performance in the history of the nba by a large margin. http://www.basketball-reference.com...&c3val=&c4stat=&c4comp=gt&c4val=&order_by=per
No one is saying that LeBron is already at that point. But it's clear he's a very special player -- a once a generation type player. That doesn't need to be proven; it's evident to anyone with eyes. And fans and sports media alike are excited about it. Turning the really special, great players into mythical heroes is what sports has always been about, so I don't understand why people get so bitter about it. Jordan was getting more endorsements and media slob knobbing than any other players long before he even reached the Finals. That's just how it is.
Too much hype and the media riding him is what causes hatred. You can say it's due to jealousy but when every commercial features him in it, it tends to get annoying. He is an incredible player though.
I don't hate the guy. I even bought one of his jerseys, but it is annoying how much love he and Kobe are getting. And they have that stupid puppet commercial and the recent SLAM cover together. I understand they are the best two players in the game but the NBA has many great players and teams, not just two marquee players.
This takes the cake. I actually love to watch him play the game, and think he is a great player. I would want him on my team any day. However, it is really annoying hearing him get stuff down our throats all the time by everyone and their mother. I mean Garnett used to do the powder thing for years, but only after Lebron does it do they make not 1 but 2 commericals about it. I also hate how they keep crowning him as the next MJ and greatest player ever. He has so far been to only 1 Finals and won only 1 MVP. I know Jordan had not done much by his 5th season either, but Jordan did so much more and he did consistently for nearly 13 years excluding the Wizard's return. I'll stop there, as there is already a thread for the MJ/Lebron debate. Basically I understand that he is currently the biggest NBA star right now, and the most personable, but I don't want to see him everywhere.
PER is great, but if your going to go by a single stat to show someone is truly playing great and truly carrying their team...which is what the playoffs are about, you go with Win Shares more than PER.
It's obviously the idea that the league is pushing him and helping him via free throws/whistles and that the powers the be behind the league (shoe companies, big corporations) are basically shoving him down people's throats. It's the principle of fairness. People who care about that kind of thing find it distasteful that a single player would get all those benefits and other players dont. If you dont really care about that kind of stuff then obviously the fact that Lebron gets a lot of calls doesn't bother you... really all you care about is that you get an exciting Lebron make-or-miss to cap the end of games... regardless of how he got there. The other factor is backlash from homers who tout Lebron as the second coming. The people who object to Lebron being forced down their throats are obviously going to be annoyed by people they considered brainwashed or homers and that farther solidifies the Lebron hate. Finally is the fact that Lebron hasn't won anything even with all the help from the league. In every game he's scored more than 40 points in the series and lived at the stripe, they've lost. Personally I find it strange that someone would have thought enough about Lebron to be puzzled/pissed at "haters" had not yet made the logical connection to those very 3 elementary and obvious reasons behind the backlash. Note that this is totally separate from Lebron's actual skill, hard work and performance. In other words him having an awesome series really isn't going to change the fact that Stern is basically using him as a wedge for NBA marketing and that he gets a ton of calls for commercial (not basketball) purposes. A lot of people will point to Lebron's numbers to refute haters but really that has nothing to do with anything. That Lebron is sublimely talented does not logically take or add from the fact that he's a marketing tool and is being shoved down ppl's throats. He is a great player. He is being overhyped. He benefits from help from the league. Those are all 3 true and all 3 separate. Personally I have no problem with Lebron. I accepted long ago that the league is one step above WWE and Lebron is fun to watch. Anyone who is still watching the league at this point needs to quit being a hypocrite, we're all enabling Stern and his moneymaking enterprise if you dont like the fact that the league gives Lebron calls and is doing everything it can to help him out, quit watching. That's the only way Stern gets the boot and things get cleaned up.
It's pretty simple. ESPN rides Lebron's jock. People get annoyed by it and take it out on Lebron. I hate LebronCenter. I hate how the idea of a Kobe-Lebron finals has been shoved down our throats since the all-star break. But is that Lebron's fault? Do people hate on Tiger Woods the same way when ESPN gives him the same treatment? I'm not going to hate on the guy because ESPN is trying to suck his wang. I'm going to hate ESPN for that.
Him getting calls his way is not his fault Would you take it if somebody favors you? or would you be like, hey ref dont do that that's not fair, i am not shooting this free-throw but anywayz i like king james...hes not as cocky as that douche kobe....all lebron really does is scream to get pumped up (for the crowd/teammates) never anything towards another player, no finger wagging, no (i cant stop making shots) faces
Not at this rate, check FT and you'll see it immediately. Only Wade in 2006 final got FT at this rate.
The difference is that Tiger has won at every level and is going to inevitably become the greatest golfer who ever played to this point. Big difference. LeBron is great, but not GOAT great.
That's not really an issue in the amount of coverage they receive because Tiger isn't competing directly with Nicklaus or Palmer for coverage and Lebron isn't competing directly with Jordan or Magic. What matters, as far as coverage goes, is if they're the best among their current peers. And the way the media works, if somebody is even close to being mentioned in the same breath as the all time greats then they're going to draw that comparison. Blame the hype machine but don't blame the player because they're at a level where that comparison can be drawn. If someone does come along who can rival Jordan and take his spot at the top of the basketball food chain, I guarantee you he'll be hyped to death too and people will hate on him for the same reason's they're hating on Lebron and Kobe.
We like young phenoms, we boost up youth. But then we turn on them once they get "too" big. Or we dont like it being shoved down our throat. But then we get bored and need these celeb status people again to get absorbed in. Younger players always get talked about in potential and projections. As out of control as the hype machine can get and overrate players, they can immediately conveniently forget they ever overhyped a player when they dont produce to that level. No one' in the media is comparing Carmelo to Lebron anymore. McGrady/Vince vs Kobe isnt talked about anymore.
IIRC, Tracy McGrady is in the top 5 playoffs performers of all time in terms of pure stats..he's never gotten out of the first round. Your thoughts, Mr. Langhi?
Sports media always tries to predict the next big thing. Most often, they fail. I think one reason Lebron is hyped so much is because he's one of the predictions that actually worked out. It's kind of the media's way of being smug and saying "Yeah, we called it."
