NBA Playoffs 2012 Running thread

There's no doubt Lebron is the best player out there, and the Heat have a solid cast of complementary players to the Big Three. Two finals appearances and one title in two years speak for themselves. But a damn simple press conference those two or so years ago would have sufficed. I'm sure ESPN and his handlers had a big role, but he could have saved his legacy a lot of unnecessary trouble. Tone deafness is one malady that money just can't fix.

 

OKC hug line is awkward.

 

I think he could have survived "The Decision."

I think that the smoke machine extravaganza was the straw that broke the camel's back.

That and how he and D-Wade would act like utter d-bags at press conferences and such. Remember them mocking Dirk Nowitzki's flu?

 

Once they won that Game 4, there was no stopping them.
Congrats to LeBron and the Heat. (Miller was outstanding, well worth his 5 mil pact tonight)
Miami earned it fair and square.
And congrats to Spoelstra for weathering the storm.

 

Damn it, the Heat should have traded LeBron. I mean, it was obvious early on they weren't good enough to win an NBA title.

 

I was watching the game and not on my computer. I hardly ever get on during a game.

 

The Heat were obviously the better team in the series by far. The Thunder were at a different level in the Western Conference Finals, but either they lost a step against Miami or Miami was just that much better. Probably a little of both.

And I've hated on LeBron some in the past but bottom line is he's the best player in the NBA right now. He played his ass off, and he was classy doing it. When they showed him shushing Chalmers in the third quarter, that shows that regardless of all the crap he's done in the past, mistakes like the Decision, he's a classy guy. He doesn't deserve the hate thrown his way. Hopefully this alleviates some of that. We'll see.

Honestly, I hope this is the start of a new Lakers-Celtics. If the Heat and Thunder stay together, then it could be fun seeing them face off a few times in the Finals, esp. as Durant, Westbrook and Co. mature.

 

JRoyal, I am asking this because I am curious, how did you feel about the NBA before the Thunder moved to OKC?

I saw a posting on FB about how many people in OKC were probably the, "we hate the NBA, it's all thugs and criminals" types. Obviously the Hornets were there but it's not the same as having a full-time team.

 

Trivia question: Is Pat Riley now the first guy to win NBA titles as a player, coach and purely front office role?

And when does Riley's contract with Satan finally expire?

 

Or it shows that he's grown up and matured. I suspect the chalk throwing Lebron of a few years ago would've been joining Chalmers in the premature celebration.

 

Dear LeBron: 1 down, 6 to go. Best of luck.