Lebron James

And now he's on drugs.

It keeps getting better.

 

Semantics, Stoney, Semantics,

Point being, I don't think LeBron deserves much of the criticism that's coming his way. If that makes me a fanboi then what the fuck ever.

Your response just proves that there are people out there who would go to any length to tear somebody down, and that's the sad part. Bottom line, the Celtics should get credit for winning the series. They had four of the best five players, and Rondo-Williams - Jamison/Garnett were two matchups that the Cavs just weren't going to overcome.

James didn't have his best series, that's a given. But to insinuate that he's concerned with his own brand instead of winning is idiotic. And for you, Stoney, to come to Den's defense on your white horse is laughable as well.

But a wise man told me not to argue with fools...

 

LeBron today = Jordan in 1990

He needs the right team and the right coach and the titles will start coming quickly.

 

I genuinely wonder how many of the people denigrating James now were the same ones who opined that Jordan didn't have what it took to win a title.

 

Exactly. Jordan won his first title in his 7th season at age 27, once Phil got there and convinced him he had to trust someone other than himself to help win games.
LeBron just finished his 7th season at age 25 with a weaker supporting cast and a total useless coach.
Yes, LeBron was awful in Game 5. One bad game does not mean he quit on his team or doesn't have the drive to win. It was one freaking awful game against a damn good team.

 

This is all valid. However, there is a distinction: even in those early years before he began winning titles Jordan never lost anything that he was supposed to win. Yeah, Jordan got knocked out by favored Detroit and Boston teams that were the best teams in the league, but he NEVER lost a playoff series where he was favored or the higher seed. Whereas this makes two straight years ithat Lebron has crashed and burned with teams that had the best record in the league. And, as I recall, Jordan himself always played very well in those early years series, they lost them because of Dave Corzine, Brad Sellers and Gene Banks. I don't believe Jordan ever had a playoff game like Lebron's game 5.

That said, I agree that eventually Lebron will get over the mountain top and start winning championships. He's too damn good, maybe the most talented baller ever, it's just a matter of time. But I also think there's something to the theory that he's not wired with quite the same killer instinct as some other greats. I'm sorry, but there's no way that Game 5 performance would've happened to Jordan, Bird or Magic. Not with the series tied 2-2 and coming back home in the most important game of the year. Those guys always raised their level in the biggest games, the idea of them no-showing for a game of that magnitude is almost inconcievable.

 

Seems as if Jim Garrison would have made a good NBA analyst

 

If I wanted to waste some time I'm sure I could find a big game in the playoffs where Jordan, Bird and Magic did not play well.
The idea that LeBron quit on the team becuase he had a bad game is preposterous.
And nobody in sports ever had the killer instinct of Jordan in his prime -- not even Magic and Bird -- so there is no comparision there.

 

When spnited and I agree like this, I'm never sure if I should be happy because we could find common ground or frightened because it might be a sign of a coming Apocolypse.

 

If you're going to discredit LeBron for losing a series as a favorite, shouldn't you give as much credit for defeating Detroit as an underdog?

 

That's what's so confusing to me. How is this the same guy who single-handedly destroyed Detroit in '07 and led his team to the Finals? So we know he has the "beast mode" instinct in him. Where was it against Boston? Especially with, as you noted, a much better slate of supporting players than that 2007 team?

What really irks me is not so much his play, which was subpar, against Boston, but his attitude (the denials, the "everything will be alright" attitude, the slapping hands with fans after an elimination loss) and mannerisms. Where was the urgency? Where was the fire? With the series tied 2-2 and anyone's for the taking, he put up two huge clunker of performances - and didn't even seem to remotely care afterward! That's what really bothers me.

I'm not saying he's not a great talent. I do think he quit on the team. My opinion. We have seen the man take it up a notch when the circumstances were dire. We did not see anything close to that this round, and I think many people would agree he's a much better player then than now. So we know we have it in him, but where was it? And his attitude and actions before and after games suggest that he really didn't care. He'd thrown in the towel, only God knows why.

 

Both!