NBA Playoffs Thread

[cjericho]

I don't think what LeBron did, other than to Cleveland Cavaliers fans, was terrible or a crime. But to me a Miami championship would ring hollow. It is unimpressive. They were picked by many experts to win the title, so it is not so much a stretch if they actually do. They colluded to do exactly that.

To me, outside of staying in Cleveland, what would be much more impressive is for LeBron to have gone to the L.A. Clippers. Go right into Kobe's backyard and win a title right in front of him or go to a place like Utah or Memphis, a smaller out of the way market with fewer stars. Winning a title this year with those teams would have been much more impressive than winning a title with Wade and Bosh.

Yes, I know the Clippers have Blake Griffin but still it would have been more impressive than what is taking place now with the Heat.

Kevin Durant seems to have no desire to leave OKC, but we shall see I guess. Nothing is ever as it seems.

not all experts picked Miami. some experts on here were ready to trade LeBron, Wade or Bosh in Dec.

 

[kickoff-time]

I don't think what LeBron did, other than to Cleveland Cavaliers fans, was terrible or a crime. But to me a Miami championship would ring hollow. It is unimpressive. They were picked by many experts to win the title, so it is not so much a stretch if they actually do. They colluded to do exactly that.

To me, outside of staying in Cleveland, what would be much more impressive is for LeBron to have gone to the L.A. Clippers. Go right into Kobe's backyard and win a title right in front of him or go to a place like Utah or Memphis, a smaller out of the way market with fewer stars. Winning a title this year with those teams would have been much more impressive than winning a title with Wade and Bosh.

Yes, I know the Clippers have Blake Griffin but still it would have been more impressive than what is taking place now with the Heat.

Kevin Durant seems to have no desire to leave OKC, but we shall see I guess. Nothing is ever as it seems.

not all experts picked Miami. some experts on here were ready to trade LeBron, Wade or Bosh in Dec.

I'm talking about as a preseason prediction. Almost all "experts" and sports books had the Heat as the NBA favorite to win the title when the season started.

 

[cjericho]

I don't think what LeBron did, other than to Cleveland Cavaliers fans, was terrible or a crime. But to me a Miami championship would ring hollow. It is unimpressive. They were picked by many experts to win the title, so it is not so much a stretch if they actually do. They colluded to do exactly that.

To me, outside of staying in Cleveland, what would be much more impressive is for LeBron to have gone to the L.A. Clippers. Go right into Kobe's backyard and win a title right in front of him or go to a place like Utah or Memphis, a smaller out of the way market with fewer stars. Winning a title this year with those teams would have been much more impressive than winning a title with Wade and Bosh.

Yes, I know the Clippers have Blake Griffin but still it would have been more impressive than what is taking place now with the Heat.

Kevin Durant seems to have no desire to leave OKC, but we shall see I guess. Nothing is ever as it seems.

not all experts picked Miami. some experts on here were ready to trade LeBron, Wade or Bosh in Dec.

I'm talking about as a preseason prediction. Almost all "experts" and sports books had the Heat as the NBA favorite to win the title when the season started.

i hear ya. i was just remembering the way some people were reacting when the Hear were around .500 in mid December.

 

[kickoff-time]

Give them the title but it's not like they even lived up to the hype in October when people were syaing they might win 70 plus games. They didn;t even win 60. That said, they were the No. 2 seed in the East, so it's not so shocking that they are here now. They will be a good NBA champion nothing more nothing less. They are not even in the Top 50 of all-time teams just yet.

 

[cjericho]

Give them the title but it's not like they even lived up to the hype in October when people were syaing they might win 70 plus games. They didn;t even win 60. That said, they were the No. 2 seed in the East, so it's not so shocking that they are here now. They will be a good NBA champion nothing more nothing less. They are not even in the Top 50 of all-time teams just yet.

huh?? not in the top 50. this is 2011. so if they beat Dallas (a team that swept the defending champs) in say 5 or 6 games you'll say they're the worst NBA champs since when?

 

[cjericho]

Give them the title but it's not like they even lived up to the hype in October when people were syaing they might win 70 plus games. They didn;t even win 60. That said, they were the No. 2 seed in the East, so it's not so shocking that they are here now. They will be a good NBA champion nothing more nothing less. They are not even in the Top 50 of all-time teams just yet.

huh?? not in the top 50. this is 2011. so if they beat Dallas (a team that swept the defending champs) in say 5 or 6 games you'll say they're the worst NBA champs since when?

Why does it matter?

LeBron talked out of his ass when he said "not five, not six, not seven . . . " but that's called being caught up in the moment at a stupid rally.

None of Jordan's first three title teams should be regarded as among the all-time greats. Magic's first two shouldn't be. Neither of Hakeem's two titles are. Are any of Duncan's? I don't think so. Could any of this decade's Lakers titles be regarded in such a way?

Doesn't matter. Only the 1995 Atlanta Braves worry about such things immediately after they happen ("team of the '90s!" hahahahaha). Players just want to win the title. Let the place in history, if any, get sorted out later.

doesn't really matter. just that i thought it was a little over the top when people were saying, fire Spoelstra, break up the big 3, Miami sucks, etc. in Dec. now if they win people will say nowhere near one of the all-time great teams or shirt like that.

 

[BTExpress]

Third - Why is Lebron the enemy for wanting to go to play with Wade? And how it is any different than Dirk asking management to get more help for him and them bringing Chandler, Marion, Jason Kidd and Jason Terry (albeit over a few years) to town? Whats the difference?

Because only 50-year-old, rich GMs get to move players around like pawns and make genius picks like Sam Bowie, Shawn Bradley and Darko Milicic and signing an over-the-hill Gail Goodrich and then giving up the rights to Magic Johnson (as compensation) and acquiring Don Ford for the rights to James Worthy. Can't let the players act as their own GMs. Bad for the game, you know.

Give them the title but it's not like they even lived up to the hype in October when people were syaing they might win 70 plus games.

If someone makes an outlandish, unrealistic prediction that doesn't come close to coming true, criticism should fall on the person making the prediction ---- not the players who didn't "live up" to the stupid prediction.

It gets lonely here in Logic World sometimes.

 

[YGBFKM]

Ya, it's not like LeBron and the boys made any ridiculous predictions before the season.

 

[BTExpress]

Ya, it's not like LeBron and the boys made any ridiculous predictions before the season.

If they did, we do not know it yet. In June 2021, we should.***


*** That's assuming, of course, you are taking the statements made to Heat fans literally --- as a prediction --- and not in the spirit in which they were attended, which was something to get them excited. It was a bleeping Pep Rally, for crying out loud.

And at least they didn't "guarantee!" anything, which is more than can be said for many athletes.

 

[Captain_Kirk]

So I guess the Celtics titles with Bird, McHale and Parish are pretty hollow, too. Same with those won by Russell, Cousy, Sharman, Havlicek, etc. Or those with Worthy, Jabbar and Johnson. Or the Sixers win with Erving, Cheeks and adding Moses. Hollow, all I'm sure......

One clarification on the pre-season predictions--while the Heat was probably the favored choice to come out of the East, I think the Lakers got more love to take the championship than the Heat did.

 

[qtlaw]

I am okay with them joining up, because as Van Gundy said on the broadcast, they did exactly what we as individuals would want, the opportunity to work where we want. Its what the Yankees have been doing since George Steinbrenner first got the opportunity (Reggie, Catfish, Messersmith, Winfield, etc.)

 

[BTExpress]

What the Heat trio of dbags did undermines the credibility of the league, which is hard, since it has none.

They practice hard. They play hard. They work on offense. They work on defense. Anything short of a championship they will view as a failure. They provide entertainment for your entertainment dollar. Nothing they did prevents any other team from drafting or trading for or signing the best players they can to compete with them. Cleveland has picks 1 and 4 in the draft. Don't fork it up (but you will). Some team will sign Chris Paul, and that team likely will already have another star and should be a championship contender in 2012. And on it goes and has always gone.

If that undermines the credibility of the league, I really am on the wrong planet.