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2015 NBA Finals |OT| the deli is closed

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"Thanks @KingJames for the shout out today, your taste in movies is as amazing as your basketball!"

I'm not sure if that's a genuine statement or one of the greatest burns of all time.
 
Lebron James said he enjoyed Pitch Perfect 2.



Having watched the movie myself, I definitely say it is worth a watch if you watched the first one of course.

Rebel Wilson tweeted about the shout out by the King. Lol.

Lebron sitting in front of you in a movie theater
troll.png
 

zychi

Banned
Lebron James said he enjoyed Pitch Perfect 2.



Having watched the movie myself, I definitely say it is worth a watch if you watched the first one of course.

Rebel Wilson tweeted about the shout out by the King. Lol.
The movie was terrible. The best part was the credits. And I really liked the first one.
 
If this is your idea of fun I'd hate to see your serious side.

Does it hurts anybody? I think is a healthy way of enjoying the game off the court.

Lol you can't have it both ways. You can't claim Lebron is supposed to lose but at the same time he's gonna punk the warriors lol. Giving him the pass on this L before game 1 sees a single dribble.

Its no pass, if he loses he's taking the L, but I personally wouldn't be phased by the "inevitable" happening. I would be excited if the improbable materializes though.

Well that's pretty lame, you're talking all this shit, but if you do loose, it was supposed to happen anyway?
Yes.

It should be noted that Curry has also shot 320% more 3's and yet is only behind Kyrie by 5% in percentage.
True, but I posted that as a response off the assumption off not guarding KI and why it wouldn't be a good thing on paper. KI has a great 3 shot.

Yeah, that's an incredibly deceiving stat (which thehypocrite probably knows). Though I don't think you can just let Kyrie sit back and shoot all day. He can hit the 3.

But this made me look up Curry's stats. I knew he was killing it from 3, but I didn't realize he was shooting 44% on 11 attempts per game. That's fucking incredible. Dude is changing the game.

And against Houston, Curry shot 49% from 3 on 11 attempts per game. Sort of at a loss for words on that one.

Curry is a beast. His numbers are incredible and I don't get why houston didn't said fuck it and man marked him all game.
 
Curry is a beast. His numbers are incredible and I don't get why houston didn't said fuck it and man marked him all game.

I don't get why people keep saying this or the other one I hear is "teams need to physically beat body up Curry and knock him down"

1- This ain't the 90's. You can't do that shit without officials calling flagrants. Even then, teams do get very physical with Curry. There's a lot of hugging, holding and jersey pulling when he's running through picks.
2- Teams do mark Curry all day and every day. He's shadowed with multiple people on ball and off ball as well. On pick and rolls, teams often just completely ignore the cutter and commit hard over the screen. Kerr does a great job scheming to get Curry open.
 

Sunny K

Banned
LeBron went back to Cleveland for several reasons, but the main one was his love for that city and to bring them a title. He shouldn't be criticized for going back to Cavs because of the whole Dan Gilbert thing, his city means more than some stupid owners comments, which is why he was willing to be the bigger man and go back.
 

effzee

Member
Speaking of 2001, LeBron basically needs to play like Iverson of '01 Finals Game 1 but with better shooting % in every game for Cavs to win this.

If he falls back into extended periods of defer mode for those cheap assists, they're done.

Honestly, the only time I think LeBron has gone into pure attack mode like this was '07 against the Pistons, almost a decade ago.

Man that game 1 might be the most fun I've ever had watching basketball.

I knew well enough Sixers had zero shot. I expected a sweep. But the show AI put on in that game and into OT was amazing. I think I woke up everyone in the apartment complex we were living in at the time.

"Cheap assists"? This is the like 2nd time I've seen people put down assists like it some negative. People do realize assists means points? I'd rather have a star player shoot efficient, score 20+, and average 10+ assists (potentially another 20 some points) then chuck up 30+ shots to score 30.
 

BadAss2961

Member
LeBron went back to Cleveland for several reasons, but the main one was his love for that city and to bring them a title. He shouldn't be criticized for going back to Cavs because of the whole Dan Gilbert thing, his city means more than some stupid owners comments, which is why he was willing to be the bigger man and go back.
Only marks believe this.

LeBron went back because they had the pieces to set up a better team than the aging group he had in Miami. Winning in Cleveland is just a legacy bonus. He would've never went back there without them winning all those lotteries.
 

effzee

Member
Or he could shoot 30 times and score 50-60 points?

Not everyone is Melo

What's with the obsession with the total points scored? He isn't a great shooter and never was or will be as prolific a scorer as guys like Jordan, AI, and Kobe were.

If he scores say 30 with efficient fg% and gets 10 assists thats another 20-25 points he is directly responsible for. There that's your 50 point game.
 

effzee

Member
Only marks believe this.

LeBron went back because they had the pieces to set up a better team than the aging group he had in Miami. Winning in Cleveland is just a legacy bonus. He would've never went back there without them winning all those lotteries.

Of course he went back because they had some and a lot more than he ever had when he was there originally pieces.

But if he was simply looking for him highest chance at winning, he had other teams he could have gone back to.
 

BadAss2961

Member
Of course he went back because they had some and a lot more than he ever had when he was there originally pieces.

But if he was simply looking for him highest chance at winning, he had other teams he could have gone back to.
Like where? He wasn't about to go west, and Cleveland was the only place he could bail to with not only zero backlash, but applause.
 

Sunny K

Banned
Only marks believe this.

LeBron went back because they had the pieces to set up a better team than the aging group he had in Miami. Winning in Cleveland is just a legacy bonus. He would've never went back there without them winning all those lotteries.

I said that was the main reason, not the only one.
 
Curry is a beast. His numbers are incredible and I don't get why houston didn't said fuck it and man marked him all game.
They don't have the coaching or team culture to pull something like that off. I know people say McHale is a "player's coach" as a compliment, but what that really means is that he has not trained his players to be able to focus on a specific type of strategy. They just don't have that kind if discipline.
 

random25

Member
Only marks believe this.

LeBron went back because they had the pieces to set up a better team than the aging group he had in Miami. Winning in Cleveland is just a legacy bonus. He would've never went back there without them winning all those lotteries.

If that's what he truly believes, he could've gone to a better team than Cleveland. Cleveland before he came there was a trainwreck. No superstar will even bother coming there seeing how bad the management of the team is. Even their lottery picks are messed up, with only Kyrie and Thompson panning out (Wiggins would've been another, but he never played for Cleveland) out of all those top picks they won out of tanking.

There were already rumors of some dissatisfaction between LeBron and the Heat management before he opt to leave Miami, so his departure has never been a surprise. And his return to Cleveland has also been a no surprise because he's been mentioning his love for his hometown lots of times.
 

offtopic

He measures in centimeters
What is with the narrative of "THE WORLD'S BEST PLAYER AGAINST THE BEST TEAM!"? I've watched every postseason game and Curry has been the best player in the playoffs and it really isn't close. If his usage rate was the same as LeBron's his stats would be just comical. He was also the best in the regular season. By what measure are people saying LeBron is some clear and away the best player this year?

Stupid analysts. Stupid and wrong narrative.
 
"Cheap assists"? This is the like 2nd time I've seen people put down assists like it some negative. People do realize assists means points? I'd rather have a star player shoot efficient, score 20+, and average 10+ assists (potentially another 20 some points) then chuck up 30+ shots to score 30.

Assists can be very misleading. They don't always correlate directly to offensive efficiency.

Case in point: Rajon Rondo, an insanely mediocre PG who everyone thought was great because of his high assist totals, when in reality the Cs were a below-average offense every year he was averaging 10+ apg, and were vastly superior offensively when Rondo was off the court.
 

BadAss2961

Member
If that's what he truly believes, he could've gone to a better team than Cleveland. Cleveland before he came there was a trainwreck. No superstar will even bother coming there seeing how bad the management of the team is. Even their lottery picks are messed up, with only Kyrie and Thompson panning out (Wiggins would've been another, but he never played for Cleveland) out of all those top picks they won out of tanking.

There were already rumors of some dissatisfaction between LeBron and the Heat management before he opt to leave Miami, so his departure has never been a surprise. And his return to Cleveland has also been a no surprise because he's been mentioning his love for his hometown lots of times.
Cleveland was a place to set up a "big 3," which is what LeBron is all about now. They had Kyrie, already a legit star player. Then after winning the lottery again and drafting Wiggins, they had the pieces to get another star in a trade. LeBron was talking to Love (and others like Ray Allen) before he even officially made the move back to CLE, Love basically admitted this himself.
 

random25

Member
Cleveland was a place to set up a "big 3," which is what LeBron is all about now. They had Kyrie, already a legit star player. Then after winning the lottery again and drafting Wiggins, they had the pieces to get another star in a trade. LeBron was talking to Love (and others like Ray Allen) before he even officially made the move back to CLE, Love basically admitted this himself.

He could've done that with other teams too. He's basically not limited to Cleveland.
 

Omega

Banned
What's with the obsession with the total points scored? He isn't a great shooter and never was or will be as prolific a scorer as guys like Jordan, AI, and Kobe were.

If he scores say 30 with efficient fg% and gets 10 assists thats another 20-25 points he is directly responsible for. There that's your 50 point game.

He can also score 50 with efficiency while getting 10 assists. Or maybe he scores 50 and only gets 7-8 assists. He has stretches where he can easily score but will just pass to chase a triple double because it makes him look more like a complete player or some shit.

Dude is about to be 2-4 in NBA finals for a reason. but hey go protect your FG% and be efficient while averaging near a triple double. Winning is overrated anyway
 

otapnam

Member
He could've done that with other teams too. He's basically not limited to Cleveland.

I think he wants to right the wrongs of him leaving. He's going to retire a cavalier no matter what and work on supporting the area and becoming a businessman there
 

BadAss2961

Member
He could've done that with other teams too. He's basically not limited to Cleveland.
Again, like where? I already explained why Cleveland was the perfect situation both basketball-wise and for PR. Plus they had young trade pieces on rookie contracts so they could perform the salary cap gymnastics needed to set up a big 3.
 

offtopic

He measures in centimeters
He could've done that with other teams too. He's basically not limited to Cleveland.

For example? He needs a superstar young point guard, a vaccuum at 2/3 and room under the cap for an all-star big. Also, needs to stay in the Eastern conference to make sure he has a high percent chance of making the Finals.

Not a lot of choices there.
 

qcf x2

Member
What is with the narrative of "THE WORLD'S BEST PLAYER AGAINST THE BEST TEAM!"? I've watched every postseason game and Curry has been the best player in the playoffs and it really isn't close. If his usage rate was the same as LeBron's his stats would be just comical. He was also the best in the regular season. By what measure are people saying LeBron is some clear and away the best player this year?

Stupid analysts. Stupid and wrong narrative.

So much anger in this thread for a series that hasn't even started yet. Lebron is pretty clearly the world's best basketball player. You can use metrics, or you can look at his effect on multiple rosters. Steph Curry is awesome, but he's not at that level.
 
Can't be really mad at Lebron for going back to an organization that gives him more power. His modus operandi right now is to changes the landscape of the league so that the players get the power to have a say in their careers. Pat Riley is old school maybe to a fault. The Heat organization is a good one but it was maybe too draconian for Lebron
 

random25

Member
Again, like where? I already explained why Cleveland was the perfect situation both basketball-wise and for PR. Plus they had young trade pieces on rookie contracts so they could perform the salary cap gymnastics needed to set up a big 3.

Teams will be willing to move assets if they really want LeBron, or any superstar for that matter. It's a no biggie in the NBA. If it needs to move future first round picks and trade budding superstars to free up cap space for a certified and still in prime superstar, front offices would be willing to do that.

If you want some scenarios, here are some:

Miami Heat - they already have the big 3. They just can be cheap sometimes. Ask Dwyane Wade.

Chicago Bulls - Rose still had it as we've seen this season. They showed interest in getting Carmelo and has pieces to free up cap space, so why not LeBron?

Knicks - they have Carmelo over there. His current teammates in Cleveland came there. James Dolan gives away cash like crazy. It's easy to form another "big 3" there. And there's also Phil Jackson.

Houston Rockets - Darel Morey would be willing to shake up the roster if a scenario of Harden, LeBron and Howard playing together can be realized. Or they can simply let go of Howard and just get a promising talent from the draft.

And there could be more potential scenarios that could've happened last summer. Again, we're talking about superstar free agents here, not just any other players that teams can wonder if they can use their MLEs or could just skip out for the next offseason. Anything is possible.

For example? He needs a superstar young point guard, a vaccuum at 2/3 and room under the cap for an all-star big. Also, needs to stay in the Eastern conference to make sure he has a high percent chance of making the Finals.

Not a lot of choices there.

When did he need a superstar point guard when he plays point guard himself? Unless you consider Mario Chalmers a "superstar point guard."
 
Teams will be willing to move assets if they really want LeBron, or any superstar for that matter. It's a no biggie in the NBA. If it needs to move future first round picks and trade budding superstars to free up cap space for a certified and still in prime superstar, front offices would be willing to do that.

If you want some scenarios, here are some:

Miami Heat - they already have the big 3. They just can be cheap sometimes. Ask Dwyane Wade.

Chicago Bulls - Rose still had it as we've seen this season. They showed interest in getting Carmelo and has pieces to free up cap space, so why not LeBron?

Knicks - they have Carmelo over there. His current teammates in Cleveland came there. James Dolan gives away cash like crazy. It's easy to form another "big 3" there. And there's also Phil Jackson.

Houston Rockets - Darel Morey would be willing to shake up the roster if a scenario of Harden, LeBron and Howard playing together can be realized. Or they can simply let go of Howard and just get a promising talent from the draft.

And there could be more potential scenarios that could've happened last summer. Again, we're talking about superstar free agents here, not just any other players that teams can wonder if they can use their MLEs or could just skip out for the next offseason. Anything is possible.

Can't speak for other teams, but if I recall correctly, the Bulls would have had to trade Gibson and Butler, and even still they couldn't quite offer the max to Carmelo, although they were close. Lebron wanted the max. Also, there were huge questions surrounding Rose considering he missed 3 straight postseasons. I don't see how the Bulls situation would have been very attractive to Lebron. You're reaching with that one.
 

offtopic

He measures in centimeters
So much anger in this thread for a series that hasn't even started yet. Lebron is pretty clearly the world's best basketball player. You can use metrics, or you can look at his effect on multiple rosters. Steph Curry is awesome, but he's not at that level.

Multiple rosters in the Eastern conference. Yes, that the key point. Also, why look at the past 5 years to make that conclusion? When talking about the best player how about looking at this year. So you are saying that if Curry had averaged 80 points a game on 70% shooting he wouldn't be the best in the world? Moving goalposts (hoops) and all that.

Curry is the best player this year. Will he be the best in the Finals? I don't know (stuff happens). But he has been the best in the regular and post season.
 

BadAss2961

Member
Can't speak for other teams, but if I recall correctly, the Bulls would have had to trade Gibson and Butler, and even still they couldn't quite offer the max to Carmelo, although they were close. Lebron wanted the max. Also, there were huge questions surrounding Rose considering he missed 3 straight postseasons. I don't see how the Bulls situation would have been very attractive to Lebron. You're reaching with that one.
Plus he's not going out west, so Houston's out.

Miami already had a big 3? Yeah, but that ship was sinking, which was the point of moving in the first place. LeBron was looking to trade up for a younger big 3, got what he wanted, and got his ass kissed for it too cuz he went "back home."

So that leaves the Knicks as the only possible scenario to set something up... lol, Knicks.
 

offtopic

He measures in centimeters
The salt when LeBron exposes these frauds will be so great, I can't wait.

Even if the Cavs win (which I'd give them about a 5% chance of doing) it doesn't expose anything. It'll just mean the Warriors didn't play well (and the Cavs hit that 5%).

The bigger risk of exposure here is if the Warriors sweep then the Eastern Conference is completely exposed as trash (which everyone knows but this would just nail/coffin) and anyone that went to the finals from that conference the past 5 years or so is given a mental asterisk...
 

random25

Member
Can't speak for other teams, but if I recall correctly, the Bulls would have had to trade Gibson and Butler, and even still they couldn't quite offer the max to Carmelo, although they were close. Lebron wanted the max. Also, there were huge questions surrounding Rose considering he missed 3 straight postseasons. I don't see how the Bulls situation would have been very attractive to Lebron. You're reaching with that one.

It's a reach for sure, but again if LeBron is willing to go there their FO would be willing to do drastic measures to fit him in there. And while Melo is an all-star for sure, his market value dropped after a dismal Knicks season. And the Bulls remained a competitive team despite Rose missing seasons, so it's not like the team is bad to be unattractive. LeBron didn't need the superhuman version of Wade (the dude missed a ton of games and is inconsistent himself), so Rose being a shell of himself is not something that of a deal breaker. Heck, they would even be willing to move Rose and his hefty contract if it means a player drastically better than him is willing to come over.

Again, we're talking about superstar free agents here with a high market value. Teams won't be active if these players do not want to come to them. But if they do, their GMs won't hesitate to shake things up to make way for them.
 

Iadien

Guarantee I'm going to screw up this post? Yeah.
For example? He needs a superstar young point guard, a vaccuum at 2/3 and room under the cap for an all-star big. Also, needs to stay in the Eastern conference to make sure he has a high percent chance of making the Finals.

Not a lot of choices there.

I think you mean the young superstar needed Lebron. Kyrie couldn't do shit in the "weak east" before Lebron got there.

Even if the Cavs win (which I'd give them about a 5% chance of doing) it doesn't expose anything. It'll just mean the Warriors didn't play well (and the Cavs hit that 5%).

This I agree with, there is no way the Cavs should win this series, unless the Warriors just flat out don't show up.
 

Godslay

Banned
What time is the parade in Oakland?

Will Mark Jackson be invited?

Why even play the games, LeBron is already dead.
 

offtopic

He measures in centimeters
I think you mean the young superstar needed Lebron. Kyrie couldn't do shit in the "weak east" before Lebron got there.

Yeah you can look at it that way as well but I don't think Irving had any say in the matter. Also, one could say that LeBron couldn't do much until they made that mid-season trade. Without Mozgov they aren't where they are. That guy is good.
 
Even if the Cavs win (which I'd give them about a 5% chance of doing) it doesn't expose anything. It'll just mean the Warriors didn't play well (and the Cavs hit that 5%).

The bigger risk of exposure here is if the Warriors sweep then the Eastern Conference is completely exposed as trash (which everyone knows but this would just nail/coffin) and anyone that went to the finals from that conference the past 5 years or so is given a mental asterisk...

Really? Are you saying the 2011/2012 Celtic teams were trash? What about the 2011 Bulls or 2013 Pacers? So the 2012/2013 Miami championships should have an asterisk? That doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me, considering they beat the Western Conference champion...

The East has been hot garbage this year, but a lot of it is because of injuries.
 
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