He'd be attempting a 5-peat with the Spurs by now if he's on the Western Conference. Dude's not dumb to pick a bottom-feeder in the West and would have just choose a straight up contender.
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2015 NBA Finals |OT| the deli is closed
- Thread starter UnObtainium17
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He'd be attempting a 5-peat with the Spurs by now if he's on the Western Conference. Dude's not dumb to pick a bottom-feeder in the West and would have just choose a straight up contender.
Elfforkusu
Member
Warriors in 5.
Cleveland's only hope is thuggery.
Cleveland's only hope is thuggery.
CherryWoodFuton
Member
I'd rather the Warriors get rewarded. Cavs have a shit organization/owner
Fixed.
Red Blaster
Member
kobe stans always seem to forget to mention shaq
That's like failing to mention Wade and Bosh for Lebron's 2 title rings - compared to say, Kobe's 3 w/ Shaq and 2 w/ Gasol.
TheSadRanger
Banned
FrenchMovieTheme
Member
State Farm also predicted the future as well.
Ouch
XiaNaphryz
LATIN, MATRIPEDICABUS, DO YOU SPEAK IT
With the way the Rockets were smacking around the Warriors, I'm surprised the Warriors got out of that series with no injuries. I gotta say, Rockets
LyleLanley
Banned
So when LeBron goes 2 for 6 in Finals appearances where will he be ranked all time?
Lmao Goddamn.State Farm also predicted the future as well.
Really no doubt that Wardell has surpassed Cliff Paul as the definitive point God. More MVP's, more conference finals, more finals, more memorable press conference baby. Wardell's life has just turned into one big winning streak.
He's a 6-time Leastern Conference NBA champion.
ryutaro's mama
Member
If not for Rafer Da Gawd, Dwight would have gotten swept in the Finals.
#kobeanddwightinthefinalstogether
uncredited male
Member
He's still the best player I've ever seen and I'll take him over anybody.
I don't understand why his losses in the Finals have to be held against him when basketball is a team game. Lebron's teams just weren't good enough. It's really simple. The teams that win titles tend to be stacked with good to great players and Lebron lost to better teams. The only one you can truly blame him for is the lost to the Mavs in 2011 because he had a great team doing its part and Lebron short circuited. But even then, shouldn't a team be able to overcome a bad performance by one of its stars? The Heat lost to a team that outmaneuvered them in the Mavs. No shame in losing to a team led by Dirk Nowitski.
To answer your question, I doubt people would put him top three. Maybe top five.
BadAss2961
Member
ESPN will ignore it come next year and still make Jordan comparisons.
ryutaro's mama
Member
"Jud Buchler and Bill Wennington were significantly better than Mozgov and Stacey King was a HOFer.
Jordan had big men that LeBron could only dream of, making what LeBron did that more incredible."
BadAss2961
Member
Not trying to hear that. This guy handpicked his roster for the last 5 years. Best player in the league and refuses to play with anything less than 2 other established stars.
lol
JinjoUnchained
Member
More ammunition for the armchair critics that have never actually played basketball, and thus, think it's an individual game. Put peak MJ on this year's 76ers and he'd struggle to average 20 ppg b/c teams would triple team him.
Regardless of this year's finals, LeBron is at least top 10 of all time. He's at least at the same level as Kobe and Duncan historically, this coming from a huge Kobe fan.
ryutaro's mama
Member
Except Tim And Kobe have hung 10 banners at the other's expense in the last 15 years.
LeBron was 1 Ray Allen shot from going 1 and 4 in the Finals.
For better or worse, you are judged by how many times you lift the Larry O'Brien trophy.
Lebron didn't handpick the Heat's roster. Otherwise he wouldn't have thrown the fit he did when Mike Miller was sent packing. His teams lost. They weren't good enough to win. He wasn't good enough in one of the Finals. That's okay. You're allowed to lose and still be the best at what you do.
I don't get what's so bad about wanting to play with other good people either. When you play ball, do you go out of your way to put the scrubs on your team? I don't. Give me people who know what they're doing and can carry their own weight. The notion that you have to do everything yourself as an NBA Superstar to be considered great is ridiculous.
JinjoUnchained
Member
And that's the problem. Rank should not equal "who has the most rings", yet somehow that's become the criteria. I'd say it's more fair to use rings as a tiebreaker between two players who are close in their overall career.
For example, who would you rate higher, Charles Barkley or Clyde Drexler? Both guys brought teams to the Finals, but Barkley was much better in his prime, won an MVP, probably should have won a second, and had a great series against a legendary Bulls squad that no one could beat. But Drexler has the ring from riding shotgun with Hakeem. So 1>0 = Clyde>Chuck?
C'mon
LyleLanley
Banned
I agree, LeBron is the best at losing in the Finals.
ryutaro's mama
Member
I said for better or worse, it's how players are judged. You gotta win. That's why as great as Karl Malone was, the tie breaker with him and Timmy is the fact that Timmy hung 5 banners.
You gotta win. You can't be in the same conversation with Michael when you have lost more championships than you won, cause the mystique about Michael was when he started going to Finals, he won. Every time, PLUS the other accolades throughout his career. LeBron has the accolades but not the hardware.
ryutaro's mama
Member
Yeah, the Buffalo Bills got to 4 straight Superbowls. They should be proud of that, people.
They didn't win any, though. He has won two already.
TheGreatMightyPoo
Banned
They didn't.
ryutaro's mama
Member
In 5 tries. You can't have Chosen One tattooed on your back, call yourself The King and invite comparisons to Michael when you have a losing record playing for all the marbles.
He's Peyton Manning with one more championship under his belt, IMO.
Kwame Brown
Lamar Odom
Chris Mihm
Smush Parker
Devean George
Sasha Vujacic
Luke Walton
Brian Cook
Here's a quiz gaf, what do all of those names have in common? Bonus points if you can get it, huge Kobe fan.
You never had your hand in the dirt!
Who's injured for the Finals?
ryutaro's mama
Member
Kwame Brown = got us Pau
Lamar Odom = never lived up to his potential, never recovered from getting Kardashian'd
Chris Mihm = stayed hurt
Smush Parker = self proclaimed better than Kobe
Devean George = 3 time NBA championship, first 3 years in the league
Sasha Vujacic = 2 time NBA champion who had Maria Sharapova off the court
Luke Walton = 2 time NBA champion going for his 3rd this year
Brian Cook = Mychal Thompson's illegitimate son
Here's a quiz gaf, what do all of those names have in common?
Do I win?
irfaanator
Banned
hopefully the cleveland curse doesnt set in. it'd be a damn shame
TheGreatMightyPoo
Banned
After they reported he was having concussion symptoms, I guess they are calling Klay Thompson's injury a contusion but he still has to be cleared by a neurologist.
I was going with Kobe's teammates that played the day he dropped 81 in reference to MJ struggling to average 20, but holy shit! You fucking win.
EDIT: I feel obligated to mention that time Kobe outscored the Mavericks through 3 quarters carrying that bunch, good times.
ryutaro's mama
Member
JinjoUnchained
Member
I don't think anyone is arguing that LeBron>MJ. Here is a good example of using rings to break ties. LeBron and MJ are pretty close in regular season and postseason stats. But MJ definitely gets the nod due to his hardware collection.
More like LeBron is in the conversation with Duncan and Kobe for best player after MJ. YMMV on which of those three to pick above the others. As a Kobe fan, I have my biases there. Don't forget that Kobe has owned Duncan in the playoffs, on similarly talented teams. But Duncan has contended for titles for almost 20 years straight. LeBron's stats are better than both Kobe/Duncan, but they've got more rings. Again, YMMV.
ryutaro's mama
Member
TheSadRanger
Banned
BadAss2961
Member
Que?
Scorers tend to score more on bad teams. MJ probably wouldn't win there, but he'd drop 40 a game on that team in today's soft ass league.
JinjoUnchained
Member
Well sure, teens that never saw MJ play. No reasonable person that saw these players in their primes would argue LeBron or Kobe over MJ.
As for the list wars post about Kobe's teammates for the 81 point game: sure go ahead and pick out one game against a horrific defense that refused to consistently double team, let alone triple team Kobe. See Bill and Jalen's discussion on how Toronto coach Sam Mitchell coached that game.
Not taking anything away from the 81 point game or that 35ppg season with a really shitty supporting cast, they were amazing accomplishments. But it does nothing to refute the fact that neither MJ nor Kobe nor anyone else won championships without great teammates. Again, it's a team sport, and MJ/Kobe needed support to actually win titles. LeBron was actually the best player on the court in last year's Finals, but the Spurs were a much deeper and more talented team overall. I'd say LeBrons performance last year actually helps his resume: like Barkley against the Bulls, a great showing against a far superior opponent.
Bam Bam Baklava
Member
Not sure where the fault in logic is you think you're pointing to. He deserved criticism when he couldn't get his team through weak eastern conferences and now the criticism is that once he gets there by beating weak teams, he loses more often than not against superior western teams. Everything is being said seems pretty rational.
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