NBA Off-Season Discussion Thread

[Kairi]

dallas coming hard for the heat

 

[PHX]

Glad Dallas is up but pretty much expecting a game 7 like I did originally.

 

[Ben]

Think Dallas take the series next game, even with it being on the road, I think Dallas has got the formula to beat the Heat.

Could be wrong though, and if Lebron gets to the line more this series can change, he's only been to the line 6 times in the last 2 games, can make a big difference.

 

[PHX]

Makes no sense for someone like him who has the driving ability he has to have only got to the line that much. Pretty much has been leaning on Wade too much in terms of offense, and if they lose this series he better be ready for the Lebron is robin deal.

 

[SAIYANS]

He declared himself to be robin the day he ran to Miami to be Wade's lap dog, took off 23, and became a resident of Dade or should I say Wade county.

This failure just adds to the stack. The sweep by the Spurs where Bowen bitched him, and losing the previous 2 years with home court throughout and at least 3 other former all stars on both teams.

Before this year LeBron had never helped his team beat one good team in his career outside of Detroit in the psotseason, and he beat Flip's Pistons who never got out of th east not Larry's 2 finals teams.

Best player in the game my ass, because I got news for you Jordan said it best " you make your fame in the season, but you make your name in the playoffs" which is where LeBron equals LeFail.

Bright side is I get to see Kidd and Dirk get a ring. Dirk gets to have himself enter the top 20 finally. Kidd also gets to finally get his recognition of being the best PG the league has seen since Magic and by playing a big role unlike Payton, thus ending the Nash/Stokton debate.

Did I mention that the media will focus on the Heat's " not 1, 2, 3, ... 7" material and Skip Bayless will tear Prince James a new one?

 

[SAIYANS]

Adding to what I said before, the problem wi this generation is just that they are pussies tbh. They rather not be brash enough to admittedly chase the legends of the past, and when they make a slip of the tongue and spout off stuff like the Heat didnthis summer they can't own it.

I much rather see the generation of players like Kobe who says I'm going to compete for 10 rings as a 17 year old kid, who said he woupd be an all star by his second year, or who once he got Pau said they brought me help finally so I'm going to win with and if I don't blame me.

I rather see the Tracy McGrady, Allen Iverson, Shaquille O'Neal, Jermaine O'Neal, Kevin Garnett, and Tim Duncan types who ackoledge what the greats of the past have done, respect it,mbut say out loud I want to be the best, not the best of my class or the current league, but to be one of the best to ever lace em up.

I blame Wince Carters lack of work ethic, heart, and willingness to achieve anything but flashy meaningless dunks and points to get praise trickling down to them. Hopefully the Durante class changes that.

 

[Reid]

Thing I don't understand is he isn't making the plays to win the game, not necessarily scoring which he hasn't done either, but crucial defensive stops and passes. You don't really have to score to be effective, Jason Terry, while he did score, also made a couple huge passes to Dirk and Kid. Hell Kobe in game 7 last year didn't do a ton of scoring, but made the plays when they had to be made.

Lebron doesn't seem to have the killer instict that guys like MJ and Kobe do. those guys would go for the knockout blow. Lebron doesn't. His outside game wasn't flowing, so he should have drove, he could get to the rim at will pretty much.

 

[PHX]

I think that's the thing I think people need to accept. The guy isn't gonna be our Jordan or whatever. It's been said he is closer to Magic than he is Jordan and that is probably true since despite his selfish attention whore stuff he has going on sometimes he isn't a selfish player on the court. If anything his teammate Wade could be compared more to Jordan than Lebron since he does have it in him to want to close games and all that.

 

[SAIYANS]

Can you really compare him to Magic when he had a history of at least trying o dominate when it mattered?

Look at Kidd play on the other team. He has no where near the same speed he once had but he makes the plays on both ends. He was the guy you see getting steals, chasing down and contesting breaks, making hard fouls, fighting for rebounds, defending and all that. He has shown me more than LeBron this series and he is just a shell of the Kidd who led the Nets before microfracture, if he was that Kidd, Miami would be done by now and LeBron would be locked up even worse

Hey we all know Kobe shot like shit in game 7 but he grabbed 15 Rebs, and scored 10 points in the last 9 minutes of that game, as well as had the assist to Artest. Duncan went 10/27 in game 7 of the finals but he shut down the paint. Jordan shot horribly both years versus Urah in the closeout, but he kept shrugged every miss off and kept attacking to he had nothing left to give. I just don't see that in LeBron, admittedly I do in Wade AND DAMN SURE DO IN DIRK

 

[PHX]

Was speaking more of the fact of them both being big guys with great passing ability and the fact that between Jordan and Magic Lebron is more like Magic than he is like Jordan. Lebron at the end of the day is his own guys whether that be good or bad by the end of his career we will see.

 

[SAIYANS]

Oh. I'd say over grown Pippen fits more though. He is a point forward, streaky 3 ball, hit or miss mid, can jump out the gym, and has the body/speed/length to alter the way teams play defensively. Pippen was far less ball dominant though o in that way he and Magic are comparable, but Magic was a joke on defense versus 1-3's

 

[PHX]

Yeah that is accurate which is why I said Lebron is pretty much his own type of player, and years from now when a player comes into the league you'll have someone compared to Lebron once the media lets the MJ comparison go. If anyone who is playing is close to MJ it's obviously Kobe as they are the same mold but MJ is and to me will always be better.

 

[SAIYANS]

MJ is the GOAT and best SG ever; Kobe is the GLOAT and best streak scorer that we or at leas I have ever seen play before. Kobe is as close as it gets to him, but at the end of the day there are things that Michael had that Kobe could never gain with any amount of work (big hands, cat feet, insane hangtime, and bulky as opposed to lanky frame).

The only thing I ever find myself wondering about them is how Kobe would do in his prime when it was illegal to play zone, double, and the 3pt line was shorter. I think they would be closer than people like to imagine in all honesty, especially when Penny and Hill who both were less skilled and athletic were in some ways comparable

 

[PHX]

Illegal to play zone and double? How far back we talking here? lol.

 

[SAIYANS]

Zone wasn't legal when Jordan played as a Bull. You could not just double or cover an area as opposed to a man. The 3 point line was also shorter during the years Jordan went through a second 3 peat than it is now. It was made longer and zone legal after the 99 lockout as a players union concession to stop individual dominance so defenders could have more of a chance

Years later (2005) ironically enough the same owners would ask for hand checking to be banned, less stoppages, and different clear path rules to promote scoring and offense :