The Aftermath
LeBron James, Dwyane Wade & Chris Bosh (photo. David Alvarez)
It’s funny how a championship berth changes things. Dirk Nowitzki’s name a season ago could often be filed under the “chronic choker” folder in the NBA’s lexicon of players. Now he’s heralded as perhaps best the closer in the game and one of the top power forwards ever. He had a good postseason and finally has the hardware. Let’s not get it twisted before we start: Nowitzki sits as one of the best players in the league as well as an elite player at his position … Dwyane Wade met unanimous adulation after winning the ’06 Finals and getting the Finals MVP. His feats also launched him into premature talks with the game’s greatest shooting guards. Now, despite maintaining his standing as one of the best 2’s today and arguably the premier player on his team, Wade’s not nearly held in such high regard. Four years of bumpy seasons capping in a Finals defeat has him back in the doghouse. It just goes to show how “legend” talk can die down as soon as you leave the mountain top … Dirk, much like Wade, used unique aspects of his game that make him unguardable one-on-one. Dirk’s high release and deadly shooting touch renders defenders helpless much like how Wade slashed and scored his way to a title in ’06. More importantly, their clutch performances throughout their playoff runs relegated them as pro basketball’s most dangerous players with the game on the line. Their shining moments beckon you to gauge their performances with memorable plays of years past. Thus it becomes too easy to get caught up in the present and put them on par with the NBA’s finest athletes … Stacking the game’s current cream of the crop against the all-time greats is a common practice after they get their first chip. The point is it’s best to reserve those talks for when things are said and done or when they rake in accolades as a core piece to a dynasty. NBA careers have an uncanny knack of unfolding in the wildest ways so some perspective is needed in light of recent accomplishments. Wade and Nowitzki are still the best at what they do. They’ll be great for years to come as long as they stay healthy and play at a high level. Nowitzki’s road to vindication has been lengthy and arduous. Therefore it’s natural and proper to see him get his due. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves despite his much deserved trophy and Finals MVP nod … This is unreal. Yesterday morning, Macy’s mistakenly ran an ad in the Miami Herald touting the “Heat 2011 NBA Finals Champions.” Next time, at least wait until they have three wins okay? … John Kasich, Ohio’s governor, issued a resolution proclaiming Texans as honorary Ohioans for a day. A lot of the hate coming from Cleveland this year was actually somewhat charming and understandable. This is just a little over the line. As a state’s governor, shouldn’t Gov. Kasich be more concerned with more pressing matters? … We’re out like LeBron’s approval rating.
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June 14th, 2011 at 8:18 am
Skeeter McGee says:
LeBron’s post-game comments were a sign that he is an immature, arrogant, piece of shit. He will try to say that his comments meant that he doesn’t care what haters think about him, when really, he meant that he still is a millionaire that can live his life extravagantly while we still are “average” people that hate on him.
If there’s one thing this season/post-season has shown, its that LeBron needs to shut the hell up and win. Jon Barry said it best when he said that everytime LeBron speaks, he puts his foot in his mouth. Time to hire real experts around you LeBron, because your so-called entourage of yes-men are causing you to become the NBA’s next big joke…
June 14th, 2011 at 8:24 am
heckler says:
hahaha at Macys.
and the Miami Herald for that matter.
newspapers and their advertisers are a joke.
why would Macys/Miami Herald run the ad yesterday knowing the Heat needed to win a game 7 (would have been tonight) on Tuesday anyway?
Timing just didnt make sense anyway; even if the Heat were champs.
everyone makes mistakes (human nature), but its the bone-headed mistakes that leave a trail…..
June 14th, 2011 at 8:33 am
Chi City says:
NBA screwed up too…
The NBA GameTime App had a banner that had the Heat’s logo and said “NBA champs” right after game 6 ended
June 14th, 2011 at 8:45 am
beiber newz says:
so if you type “no rings” in a google search it automatically assumes you are talking about lebron and puts his name FIRST as a suggestion. damn….just damn……
June 14th, 2011 at 8:46 am
dagwaller says:
Hm. Too bad I didn’t see anyone named “Smack Author” debating us in either yesterday’s Smack posts or the “Dirk: One of the Best PFs of All Time?” posts.
But like Chicagorilla said, let’s hope this isn’t a long lockout, or else it’s pretty much the flavor of the week when it comes to NBA debates.
Just like last year, you had to have the annual review of where you thought Kobe stood. And a couple years before that, weighing KG, PP, and Ray Allen.
And more specifically, when Paul Pierce said that he was the best player in the world. Somehow, the Smack author is assuming that people are claiming the same about Dirk?
Like I said, would’ve been nice to have this person debate us instead of just coming out and saying, “settle down,” like we’re children…
June 14th, 2011 at 9:05 am
dagwaller says:
Somehow, it’s ok to mention D Wade as being an all-time 2 guard.
Paul Pierce can be mentioned as being “maybe” the greatest Celtic scorer of all-time.
Kobe can be the greatest Laker of them all.
Shaq can be the MDE.
TD is the greatest 4 of all time.
The champions of the past decade all had their signature players, each of whom got a new claim to fame that was almost unquestioned.
Yet Dirk gets “best 7 foot shooter”, and comments like “The point is it’s best to reserve those talks for when things are said and done or when they rake in accolades as a core piece to a dynasty.” Ohhhh, I see now. You have to be on the 90s Bulls, the Lakers, or the Celtics to even have a shot at being a great player now?
I get it. I just don’t hear too many people now saying that Jerry West is better than D Wade. Or that Shaq is outside of the top 4 Centers. Or that Kareem is better than Kobe. Or that Bird is better than Pierce. Much less TWO DAYS after their titles.
June 14th, 2011 at 9:11 am
Professor J says:
@Skeeter
”At the end of the day, all the people that was rooting on me to fail, at the end of the day they have to wake up tomorrow and have the same life that they had before they woke up today. They have the same personal problems they had today…. I’m going to continue to live the way I want to live . . . They can get a few days or a few months on being happy about not only myself but the Miami Heat not accomplishing their goal, but they have to get back to the real world at some point.”
Maybe this is my Heat bias getting the best of me but what is truly wrong about that statement? He’s not saying he’s a rich guy, screw the poor fans who hate him now. In my opinion, he’s just saying that people can hate, with apparent reason now, but they’ll still have to deal with their personal lives and it doesn’t truly affect them (or himself). Honestly, what is wrong with that statement?
Of course he could’ve phrased it better but he’s an athlete who didn’t go to college. There’s no mention of his riches or poor “average” haters. Again, I think everyone has blown his comments out of proportion.
A story needs to be told and it would be a lot if Lebron James was shown to be the petulant, self-involved child that millions think he is. However, I don’t think these comments show that though. As for his other actions, like the Decision, it is certainly debatable. I don’t know him, never met him, so I hesitate to use personal attacks and crucify him.
June 14th, 2011 at 9:16 am
Skeeter McGee says:
We will never know what he truly meant but the way he said it saying “people will go back to the same personal problems they had yesterday” and then later saying “I’m going to continue to live my life the way I want” comes across arrogant. If you don’t care about the haters, why even say something like that?
June 14th, 2011 at 9:18 am
Skeeter McGee says:
Basically, I’m just saying LeBron needs to let his game do the talking because every time he opens his mouth, he will be ridiculed, so why open it at all unless you know what you’re going to say is going to be alright?
He should have said something like “this is going to motivate my teammates and I to work hard as ever this summer and come back hungrier than ever.” That would have been tolerable.
As Stu Scott said: “When you win, you ‘we’ but when you lose, use ‘I.’” That is what you say after a blowing the biggest series of your life.
June 14th, 2011 at 9:21 am
Eduardo says:
The question we have to keep asking is… Hey, King, where’s the ring?:D
June 14th, 2011 at 9:31 am
AZ says:
Must a been AB writing this, seem to try to down play what dirk did to heat. Also tryin to bring d wade down to lebrons finals play. I heard nothing about bron being compared to the greatest PREMATURELY at all.
June 14th, 2011 at 9:41 am
QQ says:
Just gonna repost:
And yeah, just remembered something.
When I was giving props to Bron for being a monster in the first 3 rounds and saying that even if I’m a hater, I can’t argue that he’s been beastin’, Austin Burton said this:
‘You’ve been calling Bron a loser, and then now that he’s closing in on a title, you’re changing your stance. Never seen THAT before’.
Hmmmm…… Poetic justice that Bron didn’t win the chip when his number one dick rider is almost claiming they had it won?
Enjoy you’re imaginary Lebron championship, AB.
PS: Also poetic justice for being a staunch douchebag who accuses someone giving real props to a player they hated of being just jumping in the bandwagon.
Again, enjoy that imaginary ring, Burton.
June 14th, 2011 at 9:42 am
Professor J says:
He was at a press conference…. he needed to speak…
What if he sat up there and said nothing at all? Sat next to Dwade and let him answer all the tough questions (while fielding questions like “Did you choke?”). What would the popular opinion be of him then? It would probably be about how he is aloof after a loss, how it doesn’t affect him and on and on.
Lebron did use the word “I” while talking about his bad play throughout this series. I distinctly remember him saying the team had play well, but he had let them down with his play. Maybe I’m hearing things.
With Lebron James, it is damned if he does, damned if he doesn’t. He will never please a large portion of NBA fans (especially classless Cleveland fans) and I don’t see how it behooves him to even try and answer his critics. To me, the hatred against Lebron James now is over the top. It’s even overshadowing the Mavericks incredible postseason run. It will eventually dissipate but we cannot keep taking his comments and miniscule actions and blowing them up into something greater.
June 14th, 2011 at 9:49 am
Nyeme says:
All he had to say was “as sports fans, it’s their job to boo us and its my/our job to make them miserable by crushing their teams…beware cause I’m coming for you”. THAT’S in the spirit of competition. In sports your either love a team or hate them, thats all it is.
He took it where it didn’t have to be, basically saying sports fans lives are miserable after the games are over.
June 14th, 2011 at 9:52 am
Trey bing bay says:
Lebron Forever!! Long live Lebron!! Haha.
Anyway, people put too much effort and attention into this guy. Just let him play and shut up, enjoy his super-human athletic gift and rejoice in the fact that he’s in the league giving us nightly highlights.
F*%& the lockout! Meh.
June 14th, 2011 at 10:03 am
OneZero says:
yes, the hatred to lebron may be over the top and overblown
but make no mistake, when you celebrate as if you just win a championship in the beginning of the season, piss on your own hometown, and in the end failed to win the title, especially the manner in which he played on the Finals
you know what’s coming.
he did this to himself.
June 14th, 2011 at 10:05 am
Snow_Blind says:
Well isn’t that true that die hard sports fans live a miserable life? Haha.
If you’re somebody getting paid big money, why even bother dissecting minute details about Lebron’s comments, stats everything. Because you don’t have anything better else to do that’s why! You pass on you’re insecurities and failures and magnify his mistakes to shadow your own shortcomings.
Get a life.
June 14th, 2011 at 10:07 am
Cha-Ching says:
“Dirk, much like Wade, used unique aspects of his game that make him unguardable one-on-one. Dirk’s high release and deadly shooting touch renders defenders helpless much like how Wade slashed and scored his way to a title in ’06.”
Dirk will always be able to shoot. Will Wade be always able to slash??? Mike and Kobe had to change their game up (post moves, fade aways, more muscle, etc.) Will Wade make that adjustment this summer?
June 14th, 2011 at 10:11 am
Brown says:
The best comparison I can find for Lebron is Dominique Wilkins. Great player, fun to watch, no rings. At least Nique embraced his talents and participated in the dunk contest. Deep down, I think Lebron is afraid of the spotlight. Global icon my ass.
June 14th, 2011 at 10:19 am
AZ says:
I think the hates on point… he gets millions n millions to do this. He asked for it. He left cavs for a chip. Makes stupid comments. Wants the spotlight.
June 14th, 2011 at 10:35 am
robzilla says:
Lebron’s problem is his ego and understanding of public opinion. Public image is something you have to constantly work on and be cognizant of.
For a good example, you have to look no further than Kobe Bryant. Remember all his problems with Shaq’s departure and his rape case? That ish was REAL. He hit a tremendous low point, but look at him now. The biggest knock on him is his on-court ego, but NO ONE faults him for that. The will to win trumps ALL.
The point is that even though his public image got trampled, he worked on it tirelessly. Only the true haters bring that stuff up anymore.
Sports fans are fickle. They can be won over as easily as they are put off. LBJ has to learn to stop putting his foot in his mouth. He may not be the biggest douche bag in the league, but it’s HIS OWN mouth and off-court actions that fuel that perception. Don’t give him a pass. Be real about it.
June 14th, 2011 at 10:49 am
beiber newz says:
if lebron could he would nut on barkley’s mom’s face. and take a twitpic
June 14th, 2011 at 11:18 am
yoda says:
like i’ve said it time after time, why people say dirk is a choker? he put up numbers for years, elevated his play in playoffs. its his teammates who choked and its refs who stole title from back in 2006. so if its anyone’s fault is that dirk is called soft, its because of writers like one who wrote today’s smack.
June 14th, 2011 at 11:25 am
JBaller says:
Lebron is just a spoiled kid who has been lead to believe that whatever he does is all good. But the nature of competition is the opposite.
June 14th, 2011 at 11:40 am
First & Foremost says:
Lebron should take a leave of absence from basketball. Go backpacking across Europe with Dirk. Get out of the spotlight. Send a hit out agaisnt Rashard Lewis via twitter and say someone hacked your account a la Melo.
Dude has been under the microscope for almost a decade. Go meditate with some monks. Unretire and come back a little more mature. Come back with some ancient asian post moves. Come back on a legit war path, no fun and games, a self imposed gag order from the media.
Just a suggestion…
June 14th, 2011 at 11:40 am
QQ says:
http://joeposnanski.si.com/2011/06/13/feeling-the-heat/?sct=hp_t12_a1&eref=sihp
Perfect story about Lebron.
And look Austin Burton! Coincidentally, I’m not the only hater to appreciate what Lebron has done in the first 3 rounds!
Does this make the writer of the story a bandwagon jumper, too?
June 14th, 2011 at 12:03 pm
That's What's Up says:
Poor Lebron. He doesn’t even realize how much of a pussy and asshole he either is, or is acting like.
That comment about ‘common folk’ and their problems was condescending as hell, even for a high school graduate to say.
Then, when the media asked him if he choked, he had an opportunity to grab his sack and stand up for himself… but he deferred the question to Dwyane Wade. Wade’s reaction was priceless. His demeanor and glance over to Lebron was more like “yo, they’re talking about you bruh. not me”
June 14th, 2011 at 12:15 pm
Shoot That S! says:
Miami should trade Bosh. They need someone who is a better rebounder and defender. They could use the money they would save from trading Bosh to get better role players.
June 14th, 2011 at 12:27 pm
JBaller says:
Trade James & Bosh for Dwight & some junk and both FL teams would improve.
June 14th, 2011 at 12:37 pm
Big Island says:
It’s impossible to compare players, especially across generations. And everyone jumps on what’s hot so there’s a ton of Dirk is a top 20 guy, Wade sucks now etc. If we had an all time fantasy draft, and I got Wilt, or Kareem, or Shaq, I would pick Dirk over Duncan for my PF, and not only because he’s better looking. Do I think my boyfriend is better than Duncan? No. Would he fit better on my all time team? Yep. The all time list is just dumb. It’s impossible to get around the homer biases. Laker fans will always say Worthy is the greatest PF ever.
Lebron LOVES the spotlight, are you kidding? You don’t have a special tv program to say you’re changing teams, and come out saying you’re going to win 100 championships in a clusterfuck of a presentation in your new arena if you want to lay low. When he says he’s doing the dunk contest DURING THE DUNK CONTEST, you really think he doesn’t like it? His problem is when something goes wrong it’s always been someone else’s fault. His buddy’s/handlers aren’t going to tell him no or put him on blast for screwing up. No team has done it. No coach has done it. He’s been catered to his whole adult life.
I’m going to go a little Austin here so skip this paragraph if you don’t want to read a stretch comparison. You know how they hand out trophies to every kid in little league, and they don’t keep score in PE because they don’t want the kids to feel like they lost? If you don’t lose at something until you are out of school, you are fucked. This is the first time in his life that Lebron has not been able to point at someone else and say “It’s your fault”. Cleveland was shitty, their fault. So he teams up with Wade and Bosh, in Miami, it’s gonna be cake, and they lose. And he didn’t even try. It was his fault no matter how you slice it.
Lebron has a skillset that we haven’t seen in the NBA. He is like Shaq in that sense. Karl Malone size, with handles, who can pass, is faster than anyone in the league, can jump out of the gym, and can shoot well. Not great, but well. And he didn’t do any of that in the Finals. I’ve had the shit kicked out of me a ton of times. I’ve beat people I really shouldn’t have. But at least I tried. If you’re going to go down, at least go down swinging. He didn’t, so fuck him.
I’ll go back to my regular life, with my regular problems, but my boyfriend not having a ring is crossed off of my list. Thanks Lebron!
June 14th, 2011 at 12:42 pm
S. Cadet says:
@dagwaller
“Yet Dirk gets “best 7 foot shooter”, and comments like “The point is it’s best to reserve those talks for when things are said and done or when they rake in accolades as a core piece to a dynasty.” Ohhhh, I see now. You have to be on the 90s Bulls, the Lakers, or the Celtics to even have a shot at being a great player now?”
That’s not even it. First off I wrote much of the Smack article today. I didn’t comment yesterday b/c I wanted to write it out instead. Dynasties, in my eyes, are exceptions to the rule in that, as a star or THE star player on the team, your work cemented your spot in all-time great talks. For instance, Tim Duncan is still playing, got 4 rings and isn’t as good as he used to be. His track record ought to speak for himself. Does he stop being one of the best forwards ever b/c the Spurs got bounced early this year?
It wasn’t my intention to call any of you children nor say Wade is an all-time great 2 yet. I mentioned Wade b/c I thought, back in ’06, mentioning him among the greats already was too early. Dirk is the best shooter in the league and the best 7 foot shooter I’ve seen in my time. And his individual achievements trump Wade’s right now. It was really the sudden top 15 all time talk that spurred this.
June 14th, 2011 at 12:43 pm
LakeShow84 says:
All he has to do………
Is win a chip………
Is it that hard?????????? oh yeah it is LMAO no shortcuts here pal..
Respect the talents like Tim Duncan, Kobe Bryant, Dirk, KG, Pierce, and even Steve Nash and Grant Hill.. these are some of the few winners who know HOW to win.. they play the game right because they respect it..
Not jackin Gilberts line but there SERIOUSLY is no shortcuts.. you need a COMPLETE squad and running off to play to with your friends (who happen to be top 5 talent) is not WORKING towards the goal..
June 14th, 2011 at 12:50 pm
LakeShow84 says:
I read an article that point out something interesting..
Lebron SERIOUSLY wasnt the same AFTER Wade yelled at him..
Food for thought lol
June 14th, 2011 at 12:53 pm
First & Foremost says:
@Lakeshow – Pressure busts pipes.
June 14th, 2011 at 12:59 pm
LakeShow84 says:
@ F&F
Pressure also makes Diamonds.
June 14th, 2011 at 1:10 pm
Austin Burton says:
As always, my problem is with the double standard. It’s with the fact (or at least my perception) that when it comes to LeBron James, people mostly lead with the negative — no rings, he’s a douche, he left Cleveland, etc. — over the positive.
When people talk about Steve Nash, they lead with the 2 MVP’s, the assist numbers, the shooting ability, the viral videos, and how funny/cool he seems. They don’t immediately focus on the fact that Nash has no rings, or that he’s been repeatedly owned by Tony Parker in the playoffs, or that he only became Hall of Fame caliber when he fell into a perfect system with Amar’e and Marion. The worst thing anybody says about Nash is that he’s not good defensively, but even that comes with a dash of “Well, at least he tries hard.”
When people talk about John Stockton, they lead with the assists record, the steals record, talking fondly about how he played dirty, joking about the short-shorts. Nobody focuses on how Stockton has no rings, how he “shrunk from the moment” with 9 points and 7 assists in Game 2 of the 1998 Finals, then followed it up with 2 points, 7 dimes and 5 turnovers in Game 3. In fact, read the comments to this column (http://dimemag.com/2009/09/john-stockton-is-the-best-point-guard-of-all-time/) and see how often people use Stockton’s ring count against him. Rarely.
When people talk about Charles Barkley, they lead with how tough he was being a 6-4 PF who still pulled down monster rebounds, how much of a beast he was in his prime, how he’s so funny at the announcer table, etc. Nobody focuses immediately on how Barkley has no rings, how he “shrunk from the moment” by shooting 9-for-25 and only getting to the line three times in Game 1 of the 1993 Finals, or how he failed to get his team close to the Finals so many other times. Nobody talks about how Barkley demanded a trade from Philly after they failed to make the playoffs — wouldn’t that be “taking the easy way out”? — or how he asked the 76ers to un-retire Billy Cunningham’s #32 so he could wear it for a season to honor Magic Johnson.
With LeBron, people always put the negative first. It’s all about how he has no rings, how he “took the easy way out” leaving Cleveland, nit-picking his Twitter posts and interview answers, reveling in how he “shrunk from the moment” in the Finals. Today you rarely hear about how LeBron won 2 MVP’s, the HOF-caliber stats, all the big moments where he HAS produced in crunch time.
If LeBron asked Miami to un-retire Alonzo Mourning’s #33 because he wanted to honor Kareem, people would vilify him for even having the gall to ask. If he’d been knocked out of the first and second round of the playoffs as often as Nash, Barkley or Stockton, he’d be called the choker of all chokers.
OneZero said in today’s Smack, “but make no mistake, when you celebrate as if you just win a championship in the beginning of the season, piss on your own hometown, and in the end failed to win the title, especially the manner in which he played on the Finals … you know what’s coming.”
Couldn’t you say all of that same stuff about D-Wade? He was right there on stage during the preseason party, he had a chance to sign with Chicago and turned his back on his hometown, and he also failed to win a title while making some crucial mistakes against Dallas. So why isn’t he getting anywhere near the criticism that LeBron gets?
June 14th, 2011 at 1:10 pm
Vlad says:
Lebron is becoming a real joke…..
June 14th, 2011 at 1:16 pm
Stunnaboy2K11 says:
@AB
I think its because in general people like Wade more than LeBron. I agree with you about how people react to LBJ though, but we gotta get used to it. Its gonna be coming all summer long.
June 14th, 2011 at 1:25 pm
LakeShow84 says:
Thanks AB
I been forgetting to say..
Fuck Wade after these Finals either.. i forgot why i didnt like him in the first place lol
Dude is as big a douche as Lebron almost.. I disliked him after the 2006 Finals for talking that shirt about Dirk and the coughing video HE STARTED brought back those memories..
He gets a bigger pass tho because his play backs him up..
LeWilt??? i dont think so lol
And quit whining about your double standard AB.. Dude brought it on himself.. MORE SO than ANY OTHER person on your list..
In reality there is no double standard.. Lebron boasts ALL THIS.. he threw his teammates in CLE under the bus RIGHT AFTER this years Boston series.. He shit on a whole city in A WAY NO ONE HAS EVER SEEN..
But the funniest thing is,
If he could just fuckin win everyone would pipe down.. This aftermath of hate for Lebron is basically after years of hearing the hype and it bearing no fruit.. People had FAITH in him to bring CLE a chip..
NOPE
Then he runs off and forms a SUPERTEAM, doing something UNHEARD OF mind you, and STILL comes up short.. and the coming up short??? Was ALL LEBRON.. Bosh showed up when he could.. Wade was there..
Lebron??? Wilted.. And people are fucking sick of it..
Me??? i love it lol i told everyone years ago after his Finals SWEEPING dude was FOOL’S GOLD.. everyone deemed me a “hater”.. WELL everyone who said that is hatin with me now lol
June 14th, 2011 at 1:35 pm
CLAW says:
@Big Island – I’m going to let it slide about the Dirk better than TD comment, it is still early in your bromance with Dirk, but seriously not close.
@AB: At first I thought you had taken the pseudoname of Prof J with all his Lebron love.
First off the Barkely example is horrible, you bring up 1 game his stats in the Finals were 27 pts 13 boards 6 assists, is that shrinking in the moment? By the way, a big boy triple double 32 pts, 12 rbs, 10 assists not a Rondo triple like LeDouche.
Stockton was never compared to Jordan and never that type of player, I also don’t remember him declaring how many rings he was going to get. In other words not a douche and didn’t claim to be something he wasn’t, same goes for Nash. Both respected the game.
Then the un-retire comment that never happened? Why even bring up?
Remind me, did Wade play for the Bulls and go to the Heat?
Just stop, he’s a douche, he froze in the biggest spotlight of his career, he had shrinkage. Happened to Dirk so he has time to come back and figure stuff out but if he continues to just say stupid crap and do juvenille things he will always be LeDouche and never transcend his game.
June 14th, 2011 at 1:37 pm
CLAW says:
Damn it Lakeshow, quit f*ing posting before me!
June 14th, 2011 at 1:45 pm
CLAW says:
I gotta say, if you haven’t read AB’s comments from yesterday’s SMACK please go back and look at it, near the end of the comments. I was dying reading that post AB, the apologist that doesn’t stop apologizing. I gotta admire you for your consistency though!
Heat are 2.5 to 1 favorites to win it next year, the Mavs? They only have the 4th best chance and double digits at 10 to 1. I might be a hundo on that, getting Butler back, and no way Cuban lets Chandler go. That’s a solid bet.
June 14th, 2011 at 1:51 pm
LakeShow84 says:
Charles Barkeley is the first person to point out he never won shit.. how can u hate on that?? hed join his own roast lol
And his excuse is the same as Stocktons.. he played against MICHAEL JORDAN..
And Stockton is still the greatest PG to ever play..
Can you call Lebron the greatest SF to ever play??? Hardly lol after watching these finals and his resolve Larry Bird would make Lebron James stomp off the court pouting..
Anyhoo…
Steve Nash.. Honestly Steve Nash just gets respect.. From going HAM against DAL in 06 and losing to Dirks Mavs.. From getting his nose busted and nailing CLUTCH FT’s with blood drippin.. From CONSTANTLY playing his heart out no matter what.. Dude has never let his team down when given the opportunity.. Oh and he aint winnin shit but still remains loyal.. just sayin lol
June 14th, 2011 at 1:54 pm
LakeShow84 says:
Larry Birds steal and pass to “UNDERNEATH TO DJ!!” is the kind of never give up attitude that Lebron James may never have..
Larry Bird wouldve helped on Dirk drive on Haslem too BTW..
Just saying.. Comparing him to MJ??? shit he aint even on Birds level..
June 14th, 2011 at 1:58 pm
Austin Burton says:
@LakeShow84 — Tell me again why Wade gets a pass. Because I saw Wade dribbling the ball off his foot, getting stripped, and bricking shots in the fourth quarter of Game 6 just like LeBron. I saw Wade “celebrating too early” along with LeBron in Game 2. I saw Wade miss a HUGE free throw as Miami lost Game 4. But still, everybody puts the series loss entirely on LeBron, as if Wade played perfectly.
Now go back to the Chicago series, the one Miami wouldn’t have won if not for LeBron coming through in crunch time. Wade had 9 turnovers in Game 6, and scored below 20 points in three of the five games. He shot 40% from the field and averaged twice as many turnovers as assists. But I didn’t hear anything about Wade supposedly disappearing or shrinking from the moment in that series. And this was against Wade’s hometown team, whom he “pissed on” during free agency. (Because apparently choosing not to play somewhere means you pissed on them.) If LeBron had played like that in the ECF, even if Miami had won the series, he would have been KILLED by his critics. And if he’d done it against Cleveland? Media murder.
So never mind that LeBron was the primary one who pushed Miami past Boston and Chicago … because they didn’t go all the way, now LeBron is cast as a mental midget who can’t come through in the clutch. Um, didn’t Dwight, D-Rose, Durant, Melo, Amar’e and Nash also come up short of a championship this year? Aren’t they all still on zero for their ring count? Why am I not seeing all these sweeping generalizations about them? (I won’t mention Kobe, Pierce and Duncan, who also fell short of a chip this year, but they do have rings from previous years.)
After OKC lost to Dallas, I didn’t see any “Durant proves he’ll never be Jordan” columns. After Orlando lost IN THE FIRST ROUND, I didn’t read any “This is why Dwight will never be an all-time great” columns. After the Knicks got SWEPT in the first round, I didn’t read any, “See, Phoenix was better off without Amar’e” columns. But LeBron gets to the Finals, loses, and suddenly he’s a fraud. Wade is just as guilty as trying to “take the easy way out” and had just as many bad games – if not more bad games – in the postseason as LeBron, but he gets a pass. You don’t see that imbalance there?
June 14th, 2011 at 2:08 pm
Chicagorilla says:
@Austin
Dude…really? are you serious?
as a Chicagoan, I was pissed that Wade didn’t come to his hometown Bulls. But he stuck to his original team so i can’t hate on him for that part. What Lebron did would be equal to Derrick Rose leaving the Bulls next year when his contract is up, to join the OKC Thunder. And Believe me, his guts will be hated in Chicago and around the country.
Besides that, you are buggin by even making an effort to defend this dude. I pride myself as a person who sits proudly outside the box. So I have no issue with you on that.
But Lebron just ain’t worth defending. The guy is just too much of an a$$hole. Those comments that he made just prove that he cracks under pressure. Thats some shyt you say in your lockeroom. There is no way to turn those words around. My man just sh!tted on the %10 of Americans that are unemployed, all the blue collar workers, and essientially the poor people in America.
June 14th, 2011 at 2:08 pm
Ian says:
dagwaller
agree i can only imagine how td would rank alltime had he done his thing with the knicks and not the spurs. parker said the same shit that people would consider them rockstars and legends had the won 3 in ny.
June 14th, 2011 at 2:10 pm
LakeShow84 says:
Bottomline???
None of those players are considered the BEST PLAYER IN THE WORLD..
We know who Amare and KD are.. they are one dimensional players.. i say Lebrons defense is SLIGHTLY above average but yet hes BRANDED one of the best defenders in the league all of a sudden?? see the frustration??
You want the moniker of the best??? you want to wear the crown “KING” James??? LIVE UP TO IT..
Dwight Howard will get his shit next year if he slips up again in the first rounf.. i think everyone just knows the coach and his teammates are all wrong.. he, UNLIKE Lebron, is actually on a shitty team..
And in even in Dwights case he went out swinging.. Did Lebron???
And while Wades pass shouldnt be there so much ANYONE will agree without Wade that series wouldve been a Dallas sweep or a 4-1 bank shot.. Lebrons scoring avg DROPPED 8 pts per game.. he disappeared in ALL THE MONEY PERIODS.. He played SHITTY DEFENSE towards the end.. i mean EVERYTHING came undone.. and since we all know if Lebron plays up to his standards the Heat are parading..
What is there really to discuss??
No excuses.. No “well look at so and so”.. No bruh.. we lookin right at dude..
In a sense AB your acting like Lebron himself.. Trying to point the finger in other directions.. When its all on him.. if he puts up they win, he didnt and they lost..
Should we really blame Wade who actually avg MORE than his regular season scoring output against the same team?? And those same FT’s he missed in game 2 are the same FT’s he ALREADY made to win his ring in 06.. Just pointing that out..
June 14th, 2011 at 2:12 pm
Austin Burton says:
@LakeShow84 — Your defense of Barkley, Stockton and Nash is exactly what I’m talking about. People focus on their positives, while with LeBron they focus on the negative.
Nash made some free throws with a bloody nose. That’s cool, but LeBron has made clutch free throws with an (allegedly) injured elbow, which affects your shooting more than your nose. You fondly bring up some shining moments from series that Nash LOST. Yet I’m thinking that if I used LeBron’s game-winner against Orlando as evidence that he’s clutch, you’d respond by reminding me that Cleveland lost that series.
And then Barkley and Stockton get a pass because they lost to Jordan. OK, LeBron lost to Duncan and lost to Dirk. And from what I’ve been reading the last two weeks, apparently Dirk is the greatest forward of all-time, so doesn’t that give LeBron a pass?
You said Stockton is the greatest PG to ever play (not Magic?) and didn’t even feel it needed supporting evidence. I could easily argue against you, bringing up that Stockton has zero rings and using those bad Finals games on his resume that I mentioned earlier. But then you’d say the no-rings thing isn’t that big of a deal, I presume.
Now if I said LeBron was the greatest SF of all-time, what’s the first thing you’d bring up? Probably the fact that he has no rings and has played some bad games in the Finals. Maybe I’m whining about a double standard, but it doesn’t mean one doesn’t exist.
(I know I just did a lot of assuming there, but I’m just going off what I read around here.)
June 14th, 2011 at 2:14 pm
LakeShow84 says:
And after these Finals and watching a true cerebral player in Dirk..
It shows thats there is more to being the best than stats and regular season heroics..
Brain and Heart make the complete package.. Lebron showed neither in the biggest games of his life..
June 14th, 2011 at 2:20 pm
Ian says:
yoda
yup
big island
dont worry in your fantasy draft if you pick one of the three dudes u mentioned duncan wont be available for your next pick.
austin
comon nashs the man and the prob with stockton was his sidekick (yeah malone was the sidekick). besides we like those dudes we dont like lebron. wades a bitch also.
people please youtube the vid of those 3 clowns in miami with the fireworks show and being raised up a stage like they are kiss or some shit like that.
lakeshow
that sweep in 07 was beautiful right??
June 14th, 2011 at 2:24 pm
Ian says:
lakeshow
but bird is on mjs level man all the top ten to 20 players ever can go at each other any night is not like the gap from 1-20 is like wilt vs longley. i do get your point i just like larry alot hehehe.
June 14th, 2011 at 2:24 pm
Chicagorilla says:
@Austin
Did you watch the Chicago Series?
Lebron didn’t really “Kill”. He didn’t put up absurd numbers or make incrediable plays.
Wade took the task of guarding DRose most of the game. Bron would try to switch over in the last 2min.
CHRIS BOSH was the MAIN PROBLEM for Chicago vs Miami. He was their best player in that series as he torched Boozer game in and game out. He was the one we needed to have a bad game for Chciago to win.
Also, It’s not like Miami was running off 100 pt games. They sucked balls on offense. Chicago just happened to play much worse on offense. Lebron didn’t “close out” anything, he literally was just a front runner. He didn’t bring Miami back when they were down, Wade, Bosh, and Miller did, then Lebron would get in the mix once his team got hyped up.
You are always going overboard to make you point.
Wade didn’t burn Chicago. The nigga never played for the Bulls!!!
Barkley, Stockton, Malone, Steve Nash were not getting knocked out in the first round repeatedly. Where the fluck did you get that from?
You failed to mention that they went up against Micheal f^king Jordan!!!! The guy many consider the greatest ever to play. Along with Scottie and Phil Jackson/Tex Winter. How the hell were they supposed to beat those Bulls teams?
You mention 1 or 2 games where Barkley and Stockton had a bad game.
But you didn’t mention Barkely’s incredible TRIPLE OVERTIME game that he led his team to a win vs Jordan in the finals.
You also didn’t Mention Stocktons Steal and full court assist to Malone to steal a game 4 or 5 win vs the Bulls in 97.
You also didn’t mention Barkely’s game winner over David Robinson vs the Spurs that got him to the finals or Stocktons game winner over Barkley in 98 vs Houston that got them to the finals.
It’s just disrespectful for you to bring up those guys names to make you point. And you being a knowledgable writer, you had to purposely leave out those other feats just to make your point.
June 14th, 2011 at 2:26 pm
LakeShow84 says:
LMAO
Still not seeing it.. i either think your the biggest Lebron dickrider EVER or your PURPOSELY acting ignorant lol
Its about playing your heart out SON.. Nash has ALWAYS left it out on the court.. ALWAYS.. Did Lebron even leave HALF of his game out there???? NO u defending him on that??
And dont gimme that Dirk bullshit.. U and I and any other smart hoop head know full fuckin well dude is not the best PF of all time.. u playing IGNORANT????
And dont turn this into a PG debate.. we aint talkin about that bruh..
i brought up moments for Nash in a sense of him leaving it on the court.. This isnt a clutch debate..
Thats the problem with you AB.. you get all squigly when we talk about dude.. This isnt a PG debate.. this isnt a who is better debate.. this is a Lebron James nutted up debate..
Now do you think he nutted up?? Answer that question in a straight line.. Dont gimme so and so did this or that.. Answer the question straight forward..
June 14th, 2011 at 2:27 pm
QQ says:
Anyone else here who’s just as SERIOUSLY tired of reading Austin Burton’s post?
As in, it’s like you just HAD ENOUGH?
One of the reasons I regularly posted here in Dime because of the discussions with AB.
But now….. Everything’s just so fucking ridiculous.
It’s like someone telling him the Earth is round, while he’s gonna say the earth is flat NO FUCKING MATTER WHAT.
It’s that stupid.
June 14th, 2011 at 2:30 pm
Ian says:
chicagorilla
i know we dont agree on a lot of stuff but comon i thought we were friends. theres no need for this shit here
“You also didn’t mention Barkely’s game winner over David Robinson vs the Spurs that got him to the finals”
June 14th, 2011 at 2:34 pm
QQ says:
‘It’s just disrespectful for you to bring up those guys names to make you point. And you being a knowledgable writer, you had to purposely leave out those other feats just to make your point.’
We had our barbs, Chigorilla, but this time, I have to fucking agree.
Dude’s a knowledgeable cat of course. He’s a fucking pro hoops writer.
But the things he does with that knowledge, DAAAAMN.
Dude’s gonna fucking stretch everything to defend one player.
You’re talking about double standard… Aren’t you having double standards yourself?
While you argue FOR Lebron, you’re arguing AGAINST other greats (saying they didn’t perform, didn’t really show up, etc.)
Isn’t that a fucking double standard?
*waits for AB being absolutely surprised that he’s being called a Lebron apologist’.
June 14th, 2011 at 2:42 pm
LakeShow84 says:
It aint like im a StoneCold hater..
Ive given dude chances to prove it to me..
The Finals against the Spurs ill never forget i was on the bus saying “man i love the Spurs but i want to see Lebron GO OFF.. Do something legendary” what happened SWEEP.. to the tune of 22PPG.. WOMP WOMP WOMP
And just recently after the ChiTown series.. i didnt think he honestly did much that series except prove his Jumper was DEADLY reliable.. and with Lebron if he can get his J to be DEADLY reliable in ALL SITUATIONS then yes he is the best player in the world..
What happens??? Hit the Finals loses all stroke and MENTALLY DOESNT ALLOW HIMSELF TO SHOOT.. deferring to players like Bibby and fuckin Mike Miller..
Shit Mike Bibby wasnt even deferring to CWebb during they heydays in SAC..
Dude is a walking let down to people to actually want someone to EARN their admiration.. fuck branded, i want to see someone walk through fire and come out bleeding but cheesin..
June 14th, 2011 at 2:45 pm
Stunnaboy2K11 says:
Damn looks like ya’ll going in on my man AB, still got your back bro.
I will say this though, Wade deserves a whole bunch of shit for his retarded play down the stretch, never seen a superstar play so bad in an elimination game as I saw Wade and Bron do yesterday. If you just started watching hoops you’d think BOSH was the man on that team.
In fact right now, I respect Bosh more than both those guys combined.
June 14th, 2011 at 2:55 pm
LakeShow84 says:
Aye seriously tho i give Bosh props..
He looked like he REALLY wanted it with the crying.. and even PLAYED like it in the elimination game..
And even in his postgame he acknowledged his own thinking was immature saying they needed to take a page from Dallas’s work ethic.. This is the same Bosh who said earlier in the year he didnt want to practice..
At least one of them sounded like they atoned..
June 14th, 2011 at 2:55 pm
Austin Burton says:
@Chicagorilla — Now you’re gonna admit Bosh was the main guy killing the Bulls? Because I remember a lot of “Chill out, Bosh is only scoring 30 because we’re letting him” talk during the series. As much as you claim I’m twisting the truth to defend LeBron, look at what you’re doing. You know LeBron was the straw stirring the drink in the Chicago series.
If your argument for Wade is that he was too tired from guarding Rose, OK. But you know if I said LeBron struggled in the Finals because he was tired from playing the most minutes of anybody in the playoffs, you’d say it was a weak excuse.
Despite what you think, I have no problem giving props where they are due and doling out criticism where it’s due. And for Games 4-6 of the FInals, I said LeBron played bad by his standards. This was not a good series for him. I just don’t agree with those who say he played TERRIBLE or that this series proves something about his overall character and abilities as a player. I don’t put the loss all on him, just like I don’t put Dallas’ win all on Dirk Nowitzki. If you’re gonna say Terry, Kidd, Marion and Barea deserve a piece of the credit for Dallas winning, you have to also say Wade, Bosh, Chalmers, etc., deserve a piece of the blame for Miami losing. It’s not 1-on-1.
As for the rest … your response proves my point even more, that with LeBron people focus on the negative but with other superstars (even ringless superstars) they focus on the positive. I brought up Barkley, and you thought about the San Antonio game-winner and the big games against Chicago; when I brought up that he had some bad games and lost in the first round five times (look it up), you say I’m hating. I’m not trying to ignore Barkley’s accomplishments, just point out that people like yourself rarely talk about his failures, whereas you talk about LeBron’s failures first and foremost.
Stockton and Malone lost in the first round like 8 or 9 times. Look it up. And sorry, those guys weren’t playing MJ/Scottie in the first round. Jordan beat the Jazz twice; how does that give Stockton and Malone a pass for the 10-plus other times they could have won a championship? Jordan beat Barkley once in the Finals and maybe a couple other times in the East. How does that give Barkley a pass for all the other years he didn’t win it all? Jordan never stood in Nash’s way, so what’s his excuse?
If your best “free pass” for those guys is that they went up against legends, why doesn’t LBJ get a pass for losing to Duncan and Dirk?
You say it’s disrespectful for me to bring up Barkley, Stockton or Nash without mentioning the good things they did. So isn’t it also disrespectful for you to bring up LeBron without bringing up his good moments?
June 14th, 2011 at 2:58 pm
CLAW says:
Dallas was a team, one alpha dog – Dirk, none of this crap about “sharing” that role everybody knew what they needed to do and played to their strengths. The Heat never did that, didn’t have to as they could win with plain athleticism. Lebron and Wade looked uncomfortable in the 4th, you had Wade YELLING at Lebron.
Lebron was done, mentally he isn’t strong, his balls shrunk and then he lashes out at the media/fans to say something disrespectable about having to deal with their personal problems the next day. After the Decision you would think he would get it BUT he doesn’t! He’s gotten everything and doesn’t know how to work for it!
He’s a douche, mentally weak, but is a great talent but if you don’t have confidence and heart you’re done. The TMac comparison might not be far off (another high schooler going straight to the NBA).
June 14th, 2011 at 3:06 pm
CLAW says:
If LeDouche did better than his regular season stats I wouldn’t be calling him a choker. He didn’t, nowhere near, if he played like he did against ChiTown I would have no argument. He choked in the Finals, plain and simple, never had one game that was better than his regular season average – NOT FLIPPIN ONE!
Wade was did around his averages as well as Bosh, the only one that was signifcantly less was Lebron, they needed him to be who we thought he was and he couldn’t he choked. Happened to others as well, you can’t call him the next MJ or 5,6,7 Championships and then play like Marion.
June 14th, 2011 at 3:08 pm
CLAW says:
Do you know why Lebron didn’t go to college?
He knew he would have trouble with the finals.
June 14th, 2011 at 3:13 pm
LakeShow84 says:
Lebron James is the most talented player in the game..
However,
Heart and will overpower talent at the most critical of junctures..
This Dallas team proved it..
Lebron has no heart plain and simple.. and as strong mentally as he is for takin his lumps in the media, hes weak mentally on a basketball court..
June 14th, 2011 at 3:15 pm
LakeShow84 says:
ChiTowns response to AB
Because your pointing out ONE BAD FUCKING GAME and trying to COMPARE THAT TO A SERIES OF BAD GAMES by someone who CLEARLY CHOKED..
Free pass my ass lol
Lebron didnt DO ONE THING HEROIC this Finals except that fadeaway 3 to end the 3rd quarter of game 1 lol THATS IT..
June 14th, 2011 at 3:26 pm
Mt. Pleasant says:
@AB – You’re right, Lebron is held to a higher standard. Here’s my theory – its because he’s better and is possibly the most gifted athelete ever in the NBA.
Nash and Stockton get a pass because anything they have acheived far exceeded expectations. Both are 6ftish white guys (one from Santa Clara University) who carved out good careers mostly through hard work and battle. Barkley was 6’4 powerforward who almost toppled MJ. Yeah maybe they came up short sometimes but you felt like they left it all out there and used all the ability they had.
I’m no hater but I watched that series and I can’t say Lebron left it all out there, he seemed tentative in all 4 fourth quarters. And I expect more from him because he should be better than Barkley, Stockton and Nash. He could be a Barkley Nash hybrid.
Lebron came in as the next one with all the god given talent in the world. Fans expect more from atheletes like this, there are different levels of expectation for everyone. It was the same before Jordan won his first one two.
For just the on court stuff, Lebron shouldn’t need to be defended for being held to a higher standard. Its like if you have a loser sibling. Are you mad that mom and dad are less impressed with your good grades and job than when your idiot brother makes it through probabtion without going back to jail? No you’re happy to have more going for you and higher expectations.
June 14th, 2011 at 3:26 pm
Austin Burton says:
Thing is, I get why LeBron is held to a different standard and why he receives so much more criticism than praise. It’s because our society (ESPECIALLY Internet culture) like to focus on negatives more than positives. Look at college football right now. We could be talking about 2011-12 Heisman candidates, or previewing the top teams in the country, or just telling stories of the thousands of great kids playing college ball right now. But what is EVERYBODY talking about all day? Terelle Pryor and Ohio State and other programs that are getting in trouble and guys who are getting arrested.
Negativity drives the bus these days. I get it.
But that still doesn’t make it right. When I look back on the career of Jason Kidd, I’d prefer to think about the triple-doubles, the amazing passes, the way he continuously worked on his shooting until it became a legit threat, and how he was able to cap his run with a championship. But other people will focus on Kidd losing two Finals series, that he got arrested for domestic violence, that he fell out of favor with multiple teams leading to trades, that for most of his career he was not a good shooter, etc. It’s all about whether you’re an optimist or a pessimist, I guess.
@LakeShow84 — “Now do you think (LeBron) nutted up?? Answer that question in a straight line.. Dont gimme so and so did this or that.. Answer the question straight forward.”
Yeah, LeBron nutted up. At a time when he needed a great series, he fell short. And I never denied that.
I was talking about this with my boy before Game 6, and I said I think that LBJ’s biggest problem is that on the biggest stages, he becomes so worried about making mistakes that he plays more passive. He plays it safe so he doesn’t turn the ball over or miss a lot of shots. Maybe it’s altruistic in that he doesn’t want to hurt the team, or maybe it’s selfish in that he knows everybody will blame him for the loss if he goes 3-for-18 with 8 turnovers. I’m not in LeBron’s head like that, so I don’t know.
Wade, on the other hand, is aggressive to a fault — continually missing shots and committing turnovers because he doesn’t mind making mistakes. You can say the same for Kobe while we’re at it.
Both mindsets, the overly passive and the overly aggressive, are just as likely to lead to a loss. (It’s no accident Wade went from 2007 to 2010 without getting past the 1st round.) But there’s one difference: Because our culture is so obsessed with shooting/scoring, guys like Wade and Kobe get more credit for “leaving it all out there” because it’s viewed as an example of effort that they’re still shooting, even if they are shooting their team out of the game. But really, is any one style better than the other?
That said, LeBron still averaged 17.8 points, 7.2 boards and 6.8 assists while shooting 47% from the field in the Finals. If Kobe put up those numbers in a losing series, I don’t think he’d get as much criticism. People would say he’s being efficient. If Ron Artest put up those numbers in a series, you’d elect him mayor of LA. So did LeBron nut up? Yeah. Did he play like absolute shit? No.
@QQ — If you’re so sick of my comments, why do 75% of your comments include my name?
June 14th, 2011 at 3:29 pm
First & Foremost says:
Douche, Hater, & Apologist are used way too much nowadays.
June 14th, 2011 at 3:32 pm
Mt. Pleasant says:
Also, Wade was my favorite player till this year when his off court stuff made me lose some respect for him. But for Smack to say:
Since 2006 “Wade’s not nearly held in such high regard. Four years of bumpy seasons capping in a Finals defeat has him back in the doghouse.”
Do people really think that Wade played worse from 2007-2011? If anything those teams he dragged to the playoffs and how he played in the playoffs with those teams prior to Lebron were as impressive to me as the year he won a chip. And I thought he played pretty well this year till he hurt his hip.
And nothing wrong with debating whose better historically, its part of the fun of sports. Dirks obviously 2nd best ever behind Jordan now.
June 14th, 2011 at 3:35 pm
Skeeter McGee says:
LeBron thought he was being politically correct by not saying something like “Yall can hate, I still make millions” but anyone with a high school degree can tell he was speaking with spite towards all the fans that rejoiced in seeing him fail.
Honestly, I would have been happy if he didn’t answer a single question in the post-game press conference. Didn’t Kobe skip a post-game press conference one year cause he was so pissed?
Don’t try to defend someone that doesn’t give a shit about yall, and that’s inferred from his comments haha
June 14th, 2011 at 3:36 pm
Mt. Pleasant says:
Last one – couple more years without a title and people will flip from against Lebron to for Lebron.
Most people like underdogs. Lebrons athleticism and hype made him the favorite before he won anything. A few more years of coming up short and people will be rooting for him. Just like Dirk and an even better example, Phil Mickelson.
June 14th, 2011 at 3:36 pm
LakeShow84 says:
@ AB
Trust me Kobe would be villified lol
Dude won 3 rings and everyone acted like he didnt win shit..
U think Lebron got it bad?? try being a Laker fan 2005-2009
Once again Kobe won 3 rings and EVERYONE acted as if those came with him taking PED’s.. putting asteriks on them and everythang lol
And yes your right.. Lebron thinks too much out there.. hes afraid to misstep.. and the one thing all these great clutch performers tell you is you cant be afraid to take the shot..
You can see it on his face in critical moments.. his eyes are racing everywhere, theres no FOCUS.. no BELIEF.. And if he aint got it by now i can see why he went somewhere where someone else could take that burden..
And thanks for finally answering the fuckin question man lol
June 14th, 2011 at 3:37 pm
QQ says:
Cause I’m actually waiting for the day when you’ll say ‘you know what, fuck that. You guys have a point. In one way or another, Lebron AIN’T all that’.
That’s why I’m calling you out EVERY SINGLE TIME.
But hey, just like your idol, you’re nutting up in that aspect of ADMITTING your mistakes.
June 14th, 2011 at 3:39 pm
QQ says:
‘Yeah, LeBron nutted up. At a time when he needed a great series, he fell short. And I never denied that.’
SOMEONE SCREENGRAB THIS SHIT! THIS IS MORE ‘ONCE IN A LIFETIME’ THAN ONE OF THE JERSEY SHORE DUDES GETTING A PHD!
June 14th, 2011 at 3:43 pm
Stunnaboy2K11 says:
QQ hey at least he’s admitting LBJ didn;t have that great of a series. And IMO he IS all that, he’s fucking LeBron James the best player in the world. Which is why him putting up 18/7/7 is disappointing, its because we expect the world out of him, and sometimes its disappointing when he doesn’t produce to our lofty expectations.
June 14th, 2011 at 3:45 pm
Skeeter McGee says:
LeBron’s Finals in a Nutshell:
- Showboating while winning
- Talking shit about the best player on the other team by basically calling him a pussy, even though Dirk clearly looked ill
- Getting outscored by a sick Dirk even though LeBron was healthy
- Not only getting outscored, but getting punk’d basically by finishing with 8 points that game
- Inferring that most haters don’t have lives and basically told you to go fuck yourself if you don’t root for him or the Heat
You can kind of see why I don’t give a shit that people say I have no life for dissecting this. Frankly, I’m bored at work and LeBron pisses me off enough to spend time getting paid writing about him.
@ Austin:
Please don’t compare LeBron to others right now, because I’m comparing him to his own standards. Apparently someone who calls themselves KING and walks around with a CHOSEN1 tattoo across their back now needs a writer on a blog to defend his every action, when we all know he is a prima donna that hasn’t actually done much other than put up insane regular season numbers and decent postseason numbers, aside from the Finals.
June 14th, 2011 at 3:47 pm
QQ says:
That comes with the territory bruh.
Are we really gotta repeat this again?
You don’t come into the L as the most dominant basketball specimen in basketball and that self – entitled strut and expect people to go easy on you.
You don’t expect people calling you possible the greatest ever and then perform BELOW your reg season averages and just looking lost in the 4th quarter and expect people to say ‘well that number’s good enough for Andre Iguodala, why not Lebron?’.
It fucking comes with the territory. Deal with it.
June 14th, 2011 at 3:51 pm
Skeeter McGee says:
And do people not remember how when Kobe would always pass and never shoot in some games due to the fact that people said he was a “ballhog” got him soooooo much shit? It’s easy to forget the rough times once a dude starts winning, so I’m sure LeBron’s phase will come to pass. But even in a Christmas Day match-up on ABC a while back between Cleveland and LA, LeBron said at that time that Kobe had a “killer instinct” that he (Bron) had yet to develop, which is what separated the two.
Basically: Bron’s got the game, but not the heart.
June 14th, 2011 at 3:59 pm
sh!tfaced says:
Even newspapers are choking in Miami…
June 14th, 2011 at 4:00 pm
Chicagorilla says:
@Austin
You keep asking why is Lebron held to a different standard. It’s because he’s talked about as the best NBA player in the NBA today. And just recently has been put in the convo as the all-time greatest player by Scottie Pippen….former teammate of arguably the G.O.A.T.
Barkley, Stock, Nash, Malone and those guys were never….not once….EVER discussed in the same sentence as Kareem, Wilt, Oscar, Magic, Bird, or Jordan.
Lebron has been placed into a category of elite legends by the media and his fans.
Kobe recieves the same amount of hate for the same reason. When Kobe choked, it was hung over his head for an entire season. When Kobe lost to PHX, that was our example of him not being in the convo with the greatest ever. When he lost to Bos in 07(?) by like 30pts in game 6. Yet another example of him not being as good as people thought at the time.
Kobe won two chips back to back as the man and that got him a ton of respect from people that used to hate his guts.
Lebron had his chance to get that respect in these finals. He had a chance to show why Scottie and David Stern said he could be the greatest ever. He had a chance to prove all his fans who love him right, that he belongs in the convo with the elite legends, the top 10 guys.
Lebron didn’t do what he was supposed to do. He bragged about being a closer on the “both sides of the ball” and Jason Terry gave him 12inches of cock the last 3 games. He never once stepped up to guard Dirk. He could not live up to the status GIVEN to him. He now has to earn it.
I will say this though…as a Bulls fan. Im actually kinda nervous. Miami was only together for one year, and that got within 2 games of a chip. This is the sorta thing that could send Lebron to the gym to actually put in work (ala Shaq in 99′). This may be the thing that makes him capitolize on his physical gifts. If Lebron is a true baller, he’ll come back next summer with a tighter handle, better jumper, better basketball IQ, more maturity, more humble, and the heart and killer instinct of the greats.
Combine that with Wade and Bosh continuing to improve their games instead of their commercial appeal, add new coach and you have Miami steam rolling the NBA next year.
It’ll be impossible for Chicago or any other team in the East to beat them if they are truely hungry.
June 14th, 2011 at 4:06 pm
Stunnaboy2K11 says:
@QQ
I’m agreeing with you, that’s why I said its disappointing. We EXPECT more from him, he’s fucking King James. I’ve seen him put up 38/8/8 and play his ass off against Orlando. I’ve seen him put Cleveland on his back and will them to wins before. I’ve seen him shit on teams in the first round for 4 years now. I’ve seem him put up a 50 point triple double (fuck the NBA for ruining that btw).
That’s why him putting up Iggy numbers is disappointing, because we KNOW he can do better. Same with his Game 5 against Boston. And until he tells Wade to sit down and claim ownership of the team, straps up and leads Miami to a chip he will still disappoint us.
LeBron is currently the best basketball player out there, he just needs to go out there and prove it in the Finals.
June 14th, 2011 at 4:06 pm
LakeShow84 says:
LMAO @ Shitfaced
June 14th, 2011 at 4:23 pm
K Dizzle says:
LOL! Lovin this. Y’all realize that if Burton didn’t defend Lebron, we’d have nothin to talk about lol…..At least, I hope that’s why he doin it. Nobody in their right mind would compare Barkley, Nash or Stockton to Lebron. Those dudes played balls out and never put themselves in front of the team. All 3 lost to Mike or Tim. Lebron lost to Tim once too, but that was a bad sweep where he didn’t even pretend to show up.
Something to think about: Did Lebron goin for 25 straight against Detroit in 07 make us thhink he was a killer? If so, could that be the worst thing that happened to him?
Think about it. If that never happened, he’d be who we think he is today. Really good player. Amazing player when his team is up big or if you down big and need a comeback. His issue is the tight game when you need him to takeover. Apart from Detroit back then, an old and injured Boston this season and a young inexperienced Bulls squad, when has Lebron actually shown domination in a playoff game???
Something to think about…
@ Stunna – You probably forgot cuz it’a been a week, but DWade got his side busted up by Cardinal and still came back to play. I knew he wouldn’t be 100% headin into game 6, but there he was: swattin centers and forwards like he was Nate Thurmond. Props for the effort.
I’d like to blame Lebron’s crappy answers on Michael Jordan. Mike was damn near all these guys’ hero and they never saw him lose in the Finals so we never had to hear Mike say, “Congratulations to those guys over there. They just wanted it more”
June 14th, 2011 at 4:34 pm
Stunnaboy2K11 says:
Woah, I remember Wade’s busted hip but Dirk had the flu and we still didn’t use it as an excuse. Shit Wade played fine pretty much so if I’m holding LBJ to high standards I’m holding Wade to them as well.
June 14th, 2011 at 4:53 pm
Big Island says:
CLAW – I specifically said Dirk is not as good as Duncan. Even with Dirk’s dick in my mouth he isn’t as good as Duncan. Duncan is a post guy, Dirk is perimeter. If I had a post guy named Shaq, Wilt or Kareem, I’d take Dirk. If I didn’t, or you gave me a choice to start a team, even I take Duncan.
Austin – All of the guys you named are likeable guys. Stockton and Nash are tiny white guys with awful hair and short shorts. Barkley was an undersized fat guy. Lebron is a physical freak. Nash is a low key cool dude, and honestly, his MVP’s are up to debate. Stockton isn’t the best point guard in anyone outside of Utah or Boston’s list. Barkley is fun to watch because he has no filter. In the years they were playing, the playoffs weren’t up for grabs. Celtics and Lakers, Bad Boys, Bulls, Rockets back to back, more Bulls, Spurs and Lakers with a Sneaky Pete Pistons. Lebron is good and all, but people don’t like him.
If we went to dinner, and I skipped on the tab, and went out with my buddies, and left them holding the bill, would you start off with how I look like Clooney and Brad Pitt ran into one another and I was what was left? Or how I have 2% bodyfat and my 14″ dick glows like a lightsaber? Or that I was turning coasters into $100 bills and cracking walnuts by throwing them into my abs? No, I’m the asshole who left you holding the tab.
June 14th, 2011 at 5:41 pm
Skeeter McGee says:
Big Island:
Lemme get some of what you are smoking, bruh…
June 14th, 2011 at 5:47 pm
jdizzle says:
@K Dizzle
Maybe it’s my fault.
Maybe I led you to believe it was easy, when it wasn’t.
Maybe I made you think my highlights started at the free throw line, and not in the gym.
Maybe I made you think that every shot I took was a game winner.
That my game was built on flash and not fire.
Maybe it’s my fault that you didn’t see that
failure gave me strength.
That my pain was my motivation.
Maybe I led you to believe that basketball was a god-given gift and not something I worked for–every single day of my life.
Maybe I destroyed the game.
Or, maybe you are just making excuses.
Sincerely, You Know Who…
June 14th, 2011 at 5:51 pm
Austin Burton says:
Good point, Big Island, and while I would talk about you being the a**hole who skipped on the bill, I would leave it at that. I wouldn’t keep it going for months, adding, “Oh, and he’ll never have a dick as big as John Holmes,” and “Yeah well, until he gets 1% body fat, don’t compare him to Terry Crews.” Sure, you came to the table with a huge amount of cockiness that we could all sense, but it’s not like you came to the table claiming out loud that you were the G.O.A.T. So I don’t hold you to G.O.A.T. standards.
That’s the thing with LeBron. People will gladly tell you he’s no Jordan or he’s no Magic, but when did LBJ say he was? Yeah, he embraced the “King” nickname. (Mostly because his last name is James. Trust me, if he was LeBron Smith, he wouldn’t have been nicknamed King.) Yeah, he had “Chosen 1″ tatted on his back. So what? I know random dudes named Rufus who have “God’s Gift” tattoos and call themselves kingpins. That’s just something young guys do, especially if they have talent.
But LeBron never said he was the next Jordan or the next Magic. In fact, as I recall, he’s always said his two main idols were Pippen and Penny, neither of whom was considered the No. 1 guy on their team in their prime. But we put those MJ labels on LeBron anyway, then we get mad whenever he doesn’t live up to it, or take pleasure in saying, “See! You’re not Mike! LOL!”
A couple years back I wrote an article asking something like, “If LeBron ends up having a career similar to Dominique Wilkins, will that be good enough?” Obviously now I see people won’t be satisfied unless LBJ approaches Jordan and/or Magic. But I would hope that people remember it wasn’t LeBron who set the bar that high, it was our own hype.
June 14th, 2011 at 5:54 pm
Dan Tanner says:
Big Island, I swear your nuts are calling to me…
June 14th, 2011 at 5:59 pm
LakeShow84 says:
Between all the man love references for Dirk i dont want what Big Island is smoking lol
Interesting tho i never knew Penny and Pippen were Lebrons favorites players..
Someone shouldve done the math right there lmao
June 14th, 2011 at 6:33 pm
LABaller says:
just a thought..if lebron came out and said something along the lines of..
“I appreciate all the support and comparisons to some of the greats that have come before me and I too hold myself to those standards. When it’s all set and done, I’d like to be mentioned as one of the best to ever set foot on a basketball court. But until I do what ultimately sets the greats apart from everyone else and win championships, it’s unfair to those before me for myself to be mentioned among them. Nonetheless, I WILL earn that right by the time my career is over”
…wouldnt MOST of the media hate and specifically blog hate die down a bit? I know I’d be a little less critical of him because I’d see he actually gets the bigger picture. Instead, he makes statements like the one he made after the Finals were over. I think most of the backlash comes from that. AB mentioned something saying he never asked for this hype and never has said it himself so why blame him for it? True, but he’s also NEVER shown himself to be humble AT ALL. Dude makes it a point to come off as arrogant even after he’s done NOTHING to prove all the hype is warranted. I think, for me at least, that’s where most of the criticism and “hate” comes from.
June 14th, 2011 at 6:42 pm
Big Island says:
Everyone – Drug free boys! I am stone cold sober right now. I actually say some outlandish things when I hit the bottle. Right now, I am all about the facts.
Austin – If I were on your tv all of the time, and everyone in your industry were talking about me, and you were having discussions every day about me and what I am or am not doing, you’d probably lead with me being a dick. I never knew Lebron’s favorites were Pippen and Penny. He has more talent than they do. He has more talent than anyone I have ever seen play ball. Very few people can play ball at a professional level. Even fewer are stars, even fewer superstars, and then you get him. For people who love basketball, talk sports, topped out at high school, or a juco, or rec leagues, whatever, to watch a guy who could be one of the greatest ever if he tried and stayed healthy sort of settle for less, it sucks. If he wants to be mediocre, fine, I don’t give two shits. But the kids who buy his shoes, shorts, shirts, jerseys, wear headbands because of him, copy his moves, wear 23 and then 6, and just regular fans who pay a ton of money to watch him put on a show, get cheated. If he doesn’t want it, fine. But calling yourself “King”, which has nothing to do with old royalty in his case, having “Chosen 1″ tattooed on your back, having a press conference to announce “taking your talents”, then promising multiple championships to your new team, that’s asking for attention, and if you don’t deliver, you’re going to get some hate. He doesn’t have to care about winning, or how people think about him, or whatever he does. But he wants to be a global icon, and he’s not doing a great job of it right now.
People have HATED Bird, Magic, Jordan, Kobe, KG, Dirk (I don’t know why, but they do) Rose, Durant, Wade, Pierce, whoever for a million different reasons. But even the guys who hate them can feel better about hating them because they did everything they could. You have to hate them because they aren’t on your team. You hate them because they try to beat your team. Hate them because they cry and go away in a wheelchair and come back. You love to hate them. Lebron just doesn’t try so we hate him for that. It’s not even hate, it’s just a lack of respect. He is fortunate enough to make a ton of money playing a game. He has the ability to do it better than anyone else. We pay to see it. When he doesn’t even give us as fans, or his teammates the respect of even trying his hardest? Fuck. Him.
June 14th, 2011 at 6:50 pm
Big Island says:
For the record Austin, I hate you like I hated Bird. It’s an earned respected hate.
For the record part II – Everyone knows Johnny Wad was only 13″, and Terry Crews is at least 8% bodyfat. No comparison to me. LOL!
June 14th, 2011 at 7:23 pm
jdizzle says:
I was just on espn.com and LeBron cleared up his comments from Sunday saying that he isnt better than anyone else and he would never think that he is. I kinda chuckled at what he said the other day because in a way he’s right. After hearing all the personal attacks against him and his family for the past year I was surprised at what he said because, lets be honest, he could have said MUCH worse. But as Professor J said he’s damned if he does and damned if he doesn’t so let’s see how people react.
June 14th, 2011 at 8:45 pm
First & Foremost says:
If your team has Lebron/Wade/Bosh… are you not supposed to promise championships. “Oh we just came down here for the nice sun and the beaches. In our spare time we will try to win some basketball games.”
What meaningful player opens their press conference with, “I’m happy to be here but winning isn’t my goal. I just needed a reason to sell my old house. Shoutout to U-haul.”
He can’t just shutup and let his play do the talking. Players of his caliber are required to sit with the media.
June 14th, 2011 at 9:10 pm
Claw says:
It is fun to rag on Austin, I aint gonna lie.
Lebron is a douche!
@AB#68 – I would get love for Kobe to put up 17/7/7 I would be killing him, after Lebron Kobe is my next player to hate on, though I definitely respect him much more.
June 14th, 2011 at 10:18 pm
Phileus says:
@ AB: “Obviously now I see people won’t be satisfied unless LBJ approaches Jordan and/or Magic. But I would hope that people remember it wasn’t LeBron who set the bar that high, it was our own hype.”
“Not 3, not 4, not 5, not 6, not 7…”
I don’t buy it, Austin. Maybe the media (yourself included) started the hype, but he embraced it. Chosen One? Witness? King James? Preseason championship parade? Ridiculous coverage on ESPN, including that insane Heat Index? Sure, maybe all young guns have that irrational bravado, but that doesn’t mean we don’t laugh at them all (or get laughed at ourselves) when the young guns fail to live up to the standards they create for themselves.
But you know what? Jordan was once just a high-flying scorer who didn’t have the grit to win a chip. Kobe was once just a punk-ass kid with a goofy hairstyle and a petulant smirk who would never win without Shaq. Dirk was once just a tall jump shooter who had balls of jello and a heart of Charmin.
The only difference between psychopaths and winners is that winners have rings. Hell, the only difference between losers and winner is that winners have rings. Jordan without the rings would have been a creepy abrasive jerk. Kobe’s line from the last game of last year could have made him the laughingstock of the basketball world, but instead he was Finals MVP. Same thing with Dirk’s line this year.
You can keep pitying James, and that’s fine, but if he wants to gain respect (yes, that is a big “if” – maybe he doesn’t want or need it), he needs to live up to the hype that he has embraced. One ring would vindicate him. The only difference between egomaniacs and winners is that winners have rings.
June 14th, 2011 at 10:36 pm
Da_Griff says:
Does that mean he gets a days worth of texan taxes?
June 14th, 2011 at 11:15 pm
EN FUEGO says:
Our hype????? It was LeBron all the way.
Why does he keep wearing his own stupid t-shirts. Witness. Chosen One. King James. LBJ MVP. Check My Stats.
If that isn’t hyping yourself then what is?
June 14th, 2011 at 11:35 pm
smoove chips says:
Not 3,not 4,not 5..I’d almost forgotten bout that shit.
People gon hate.Lebron needs to accept that.But put the work in and eventually hoop heads learn to respect.it’s a natural progression.You’re not leaving it all out there,playing hot potato with the ball and expect respect too man. Adore me like a megastar,but hold me to the minimum standards possible.That is a double standard.
My girl,and fam hate kobe…but the respect is there.can you imagine the damage dwade or kobe could inflict on your squad with Lebron’s talent ? This is what pisses people off BEFORE he even opens his mouth.And when he does decide to say shit.. As for AB,many a time you’ve brought up salient points but with Lebron and you..I quit.
June 14th, 2011 at 11:59 pm
QQ says:
‘You can keep pitying James, and that’s fine, but if he wants to gain respect (yes, that is a big “if” – maybe he doesn’t want or need it), he needs to live up to the hype that he has embraced.
Co-sign cat.
Lebron DOESN’T need dick riders to act scared when he’s being criticized.
Imagine Biggie blurting out a shitty tune. People were talking shit, and all. You know what he’ll probably do next? HE’LL RELEASE THE FUCKING BEST JOINT EVER TO EAT UP ALL HATERS.
Ain’t gonna call for backup. Aint gonna need the media to defend him.
That’s what made him one of the greats.
What you fucking nut riders are actually doing is validating the fact that Bron is NOWHERE near the greats because he needs people like you to back him up.
Great players don’t need a fucking backup. They’re gonna destroy you the first chance they get.
June 19th, 2011 at 3:49 am
Hipolito M. Wiseman says:
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