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2012 NBA Finals |OT| Good Job, Good Effort

His radio show is absolutely amazing- so funny. His tv show is okay, but that def benefits from a Cuban background

I thought so. I mean I watch it in the mornings over here in the UK on ESPN America, so mind isn't really awake. There's some decent questions on it, but its just so odd... then again its not as if SportsNation is the bastion of sanity.

U ever listen to his radio show/his podcast? It's amazing. I listen every day.

Will have to add the podcast to my list. Thanks for that.
 

scorcho

testicles on a cold fall morning
are you kidding me?
you do realize how much dick stroking the sports media will give lebron now?
they'll somehow find a way how to twist his stats to show how he's greater than kobe, duncan and mike, combined.
i.e., "lebron is the first player to score 20pts, 10asists, 5 rebounds, in the first 3 quarters" or some dumbshit stat like that.

some people, sure, but even ESPN has been more nuanced in that. SportsCenter will have 30 second clips where they make a surface level comparison like in that graphic, but go deeper and you'll still have even have milquetoast, but popular with someone, Mike & Mike in the Morning making the point today that Lebron will never match Jordan or Kobe's title numbers in part because they doubt his body can hold on as long. He may be close in age to MJ when he won his first, but his body has been put through tougher battles and he grinds it out more because he is asked to play so many positions. LBJ just 'feels' old for his age.

otherwise, based on his numbers and combination of talent and size, he deserves mention as one of the games greats already. that's not dick-sucking. i don't think that's disputable to anyone but Puddles and Vaughn.

---

oh, and i have an irrational love for Le Batard's ESPN2 show. the quick edits, clear-headed talk and the way his dad goes on crazy rants makes the ride home from work so much more enjoyable (i usually only catch the podcasts since i'm in the office). he's also a damn fine writer.
 
I hate when ESPN puts up shit like that. It's not about age. It's about how many seasons you've been in the league.

Why? I would think the maturation of the player is most important, age would capture that better than years in the league. I guess I can see it from the other side, but not the "what the fuck is wrong with espn!?!" degree you're taking on it.
 
We still have:

FIBA Qualifying
*snooze*

the Olympics
*chuckles*

the Draft
FUCK YOU STERN AND YOUR CRONIES, FUCK JEFFREY, AND FUCK HARRISON BARNES

The only thing I care about is the Olympics and that is in another 2 months or something so still a lot of dead time. Euro 2012 ends in 2 weeks so we are screwed. Maybe if I drank I could watch Baseball.
 

scorcho

testicles on a cold fall morning
Why? I would think the maturation of the player is most important, age would capture that better than years in the league. I guess I can see it from the other side, but not the "what the fuck is wrong with espn!?!" degree you're taking on it.

but there is a difference in the type of minutes MJ played in college versus those minutes that LBJ instead played in the NBA. even with the advances sports medicine has made with regard to training and recovery, who's to say how much longer LBJ's body can hold up to playing all these minutes and all the positions that Spo needs him to play.

maybe it's the HGH and the receeding hairline, but he feels old for his age. or maybe i'm just buying into a really bad narrative.
 

ToxicAdam

Member
The Heat winning tonight is going to be like Notre Dame Football stringing together all those sub-par seasons. It's going to ruin what has been an enjoyable bout of anti-fandom.
 
but there is a difference in the type of minutes MJ played in college versus those minutes that LBJ instead played in the NBA. even with the advances sports medicine has made with regard to training and recovery, who's to say how much longer LBJ's body can hold up to playing all these minutes and all the positions that Spo needs him to play.

Definitely true on the minutes and the stage, but I would think playing in college also gives you closer guidance in becoming a man before the cash and the fame. Gloria James blew up any of that from the get go, meanwhile, Jordan was playing under Dean Smith.

His issues haven't had anything to do with skill or ability, primarily its been mental toughness. I just think going straight to the NBA as a phenom is the weaker track for that than character building college experiences.
 

KingKong

Member
Considering he is a freak athlete and the minutes will go down when Miami gets better roleplayers, there is no reason to think that he wont perform at a very high level for the rest of the decade
 

DY_nasty

NeoGAF's official "was this shooting justified" consultant
Considering he is a freak athlete and the minutes will go down when Miami gets better roleplayers, there is no reason to think that he wont perform at a very high level for the rest of the decade
better role players like eddy curry and norris cole?
 

diehard

Fleer
Considering he is a freak athlete and the minutes will go down when Miami gets better roleplayers, there is no reason to think that he wont perform at a very high level for the rest of the decade

Yeah those players that depend on athleticism really have a good history of being great into their later years.
 
Considering he is a freak athlete and the minutes will go down when Miami gets better roleplayers, there is no reason to think that he wont perform at a very high level for the rest of the decade

That's far from a given especially with the new CBA.


edit: wait, you didn't mean Norris and Dexter will improve and become better than current Battier/Chalmers or Joel/Turiaf, right?
 

DY_nasty

NeoGAF's official "was this shooting justified" consultant
Wade is going down faster than anyone thought though.

I can't tell if his bitchassness has just went nuclear or if he's really gassing out - either way, he definitely isn't who he needs to be in order to get to 6 7 and 8
 

KingGondo

Banned
On Around the Horn, Tim Cowlishaw just pointed out that of the last 10 3-1 Finals series, this one is the closest (Miami has only outscored OKC by 5 total points).

The next closest was the 1993 Bulls-Suns series, in which the Suns won Game 5 on the road.

BELIEVE
 
After last year, every Miami fan (well.. save a few) probably still has that pit in their stomach due to the burden of thinking an epic collapse could happen. So, definitely don't expect meltdowns out of us if they lose tonight. I would more expect meltdowns if they win the series tonight.

You got crampgate, Crawford, Bosh likely crying after the win, and probably some immediate stage production that will happen as soon as the horn sounds. All things that are just ripe to cause extreme anger in the anti-heat fandom.

Thunder fans will shrug, hurt a little, and then realize that they'll be back.
 

KingKong

Member
That's far from a given especially with the new CBA.


edit: wait, you didn't mean Norris and Dexter will improve and become better than current Battier/Chalmers or Joel/Turiaf, right?

No I mean theyll be able to sign better players eventually and Spo/a real coach would limit LeBrons minutes during the regular season
 
will i be able to use this gif i made, tonight?
idAlEYQKLKpUe.gif
 
No I mean theyll be able to sign better players eventually and Spo/a real coach would limit LeBrons minutes during the regular season


Like I said, they'll have to settle for past their prime role players, they don't have the cap to sign good FAs outright. They'd have to trade Bosh/Wade for pieces.
 

KingKong

Member
no, every elite player depends on their skill first then their athleticism.

Lebron is backwards.

Thats just not true. Even ignoring big men, guards like Kobe and Jordan are incredibly gifted genetically which allowed them to do things like back people up and shoot fadeaways

Edit: I mean you saw what Kobe is like this year, he has to take more and more difficult shots because he cant get by players or to his spots easier and he cant play real defense evey posession
 

scorcho

testicles on a cold fall morning
Do people actually think LeBron uses/used HGH

Can't tell if its sarcasm or not

they don't test for it yet, and in the absence i expect a fair # of athletes in the NBA are taking a litany of substances to quicken healing, blunt pain or maintain/gain muscles. with how it's gone down in biking, the MLB and NFL, it's not a reach to think that athletes will have some interests in drugs that would give them a competitive advantage with the absence of regulation.

and the way Spo's run Lebron into the ground these playoffs, my friend joked that it probably took a year off his career. he's played a crazy number of minutes with zero complaints.
 
Assuming the Heat win tonight,
which is a big assumption I know, OKC fans, you can put the pitchforks and the torches down

lebronsbetterthanjordan.jpg


All discussion about who's better: Lebron or Jordan, will be silly.

Lebron's clearly the GOAT.

Heat are totally going to win tonight, but even if LeBron win 5 more titles I still wouldn't put him above Jordan.

It's not just championship or stats that makes me put Jordan over all other players. It's a combination of everything from his championship, awards, stats, style of play in crunch time, attitude, defense, fucking retiring for 2 years coming back and pulling off another three peat.

Add it all up and you kind of realize no one is even close to pulling the shit MJ did, and probably won't be for a very long ass time.
 
http://sportsradiointerviews.com/2012/06/21/charles-barkley-miami-heat-lebron-james-nba-finals/

Charles Barkley said:
On if winning his first title will help LeBron gain favor with fans:

“If you’re successful, a lot of people aren’t going to like you. That’s just the way it is. I always used to use this analogy: Everybody hates the homecoming queen because she’s pretty. All the ugly girls hate the homecoming queen. And all the dumb kids hate the smart kids. That’s just the way it is. LeBron James, first of all he has to take some responsibility [for] the way he did the stuff last year leaving Cleveland, the decision, coming on stage talking about not five, not six, seven championships. So he deserves some blame, but like I say, he’s a great kid, he’s a great, great player. … If you look at his résumé right now, the only thing he’s missing is a championship, and he’s gonna get that done [Thursday]. And no telling how many championships they’re going to win. … I wish he had stayed in Cleveland, because those fans in Cleveland, man, they’re fantastic. They don’t even have real fans here in Miami, they’re front-runners. “
laugh9xd11.gif
 
Thats just not true. Even ignoring big men, guards like Kobe and Jordan are incredibly gifted genetically which allowed them to do things like back people up and shoot fadeaways

Edit: I mean you saw what Kobe is like this year, he has to take more and more difficult shots because he cant get by players or to his spots easier and he cant play real defense evey posession

What makes you think the same won't happen to LBJ. And he'll have to develop a much more consistent jumper.
 

KingGondo

Banned
I truly have no idea what's going to happen tonight.

I just don't want this to be the last Thunder game. It's a long wait until October. :(
 

acenck

Neo Member
Cannot wait for tonight's game.

OKC big 3 need to deliver. Harden's been freezing up way to much. And for the love of all that's holy, Durant needs to get touches, especially in the 4th. So many situations where Durant should clearly be shooting the ball and he's no where to be found. Then, someone else throws a shot up there. Please... No threes for Westbrook.
 

scorcho

testicles on a cold fall morning
Cannot wait for tonight's game.

OKC big 3 need to deliver. Harden's been freezing up way to much. And for the love of all that's holy, Durant needs to get touches, especially in the 4th. So many situations where Durant should clearly be shooting the ball and he's no where to be found. Then, someone else throws a shot up there. Please... No threes for Westbrook.

but the Heat have played great team defense on Durant the last few games and they're collectively making sure he can't get the ball where he wants it. Westbrook gonna Westbrook.
 
I truly have no idea what's going to happen tonight.

I just don't want this to be the last Thunder game. It's a long wait until October. :(

I feel like it'll be like the last game of the Mavs series last year. They'll be trying as hard as they can, and while it'll be a close game, they'll find another way to lose.
 
Wade is gonna show up, I can't see why he won't play with a sense of urgency now that he is 1 game away from becoming a champion again.

If that's Wade's new approach to the NBA: I.E. Not give a fuck for the first six and a half months of the season and then show up for the last game, Lebron's gonna burn out from carrying the team on his back well before he gets eight rings.
 
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