I have to admit, after the first game I was looking forward to the first NBA Championship ring with the name "Festus" on it, but after last night's game I guess anything can happen.
So. What's gonna happen?
So. What's gonna happen?
Not a great closer, or not the greatest? Because if there are five dudes in the league you'd rather have with the ball in their hands when you absolutely Must Get A Bucket, I would be very surprised. My list is a bunch of well-maybe-ifs. Maybe Steph Curry if he isn't being straitjacketed, maybe Westbrook if there isn't a big man down low, maybe CP3 if he's got shooters outside, maybe Davis in three or four years. But LeBron can make damned near anything happen with the ball in an isolation position in a way that very, very few players have ever been able to do. I don't necessarily want LeBron shooting, but I trust that he will do the right thing the overwhelming majority of times and he can go to the rack like literally no one else. You have to have Tony Brothers on the floor to stop him.jmm57 said:Lebron is a good enough player to be effective in this ISO situations, but its really not what he's best suited to do. One of those situations where he is more Magic than Michael. He still really isn't a great closer.
jmm57 said:Does anyone have an explanation for the Mozgov being out of the game late? Just a function of GS going small? He gets to the rim pretty well on those lobs. Cleveland needs some easy buckets in a bad way once they start slowing Lebron's ISO.
Lebron is a good enough player to be effective in this ISO situations, but its really not what he's best suited to do. One of those situations where he is more Magic than Michael. He still really isn't a great closer.
I am talking on a Greatest of All Time kind of scale. The haven't closed either of these first two games in regulation when they were in great position. I also remember a game vs HOU a month or so ago where Lebron missed a handful of FT down the stretch.Blacken said:Yeah, I've got nothing on the Mozgov thing. He's showing things on this team he hasn't really shown (or maybe just hasn't had the opportunity) to show. One thing I noticed at points was that it looked like Mozgov was checking Iguodala; if they can get away with the Tony Allen on Andre, it may be more feasible to play Tristan Thompson and Mozgov at the same time. I don't know what the Warriors do then, because that ties up Green and Green's far and away their best LeBron stopper.
Not a great closer, or not the greatest? Because if there are five dudes in the league you'd rather have with the ball in their hands when you absolutely Must Get A Bucket, I would be very surprised. My list is a bunch of well-maybe-ifs. Maybe Steph Curry if he isn't being straitjacketed, maybe Westbrook if there isn't a big man down low, maybe CP3 if he's got shooters outside, maybe Davis in three or four years. But LeBron can make damned near anything happen with the ball in an isolation position in a way that very, very few players have ever been able to do. I don't necessarily want LeBron shooting, but I trust that he will do the right thing the overwhelming majority of times and he can go to the rack like literally no one else. You have to have Tony Brothers on the floor to stop him.
At some point you're going to actually have to give the Warriors credit for murderfucking teams all year from exactly that position. There is no safe lead. Faulting the one guy on the team who is both a relatively undamaged human being and a starting-quality NBA player is getting real weird.jmm57 said:I am talking on a Greatest of All Time kind of scale. The haven't closed either of these first two games in regulation when they were in great position. I also remember a game vs HOU a month or so ago where Lebron missed a handful of FT down the stretch.
Blacken said:At some point you're going to actually have to give the Warriors credit for murderfucking teams all year from exactly that position. There is no safe lead. Faulting the one guy on the team who is both a relatively undamaged human being and a starting-quality NBA player is getting real weird.
jmm57 said:I am a Lebron guy.I think he is still clearly the best player on the planet. I just thought there were a lot of bad possessions at the end of regulation the first two games. If that makes me crazy, than I am crazy.
There's a vast sea between saying Lebron isn't MJ and saying Lebron isn't good enough. Lebron (as much as I despise him) is a top ten all time player, probably higher than that, I haven't taken the time to rank. He's an amazing player and this postseason has probably kicked him up a slot or two. He has willed this team to being two games for a title and his perfomance so far has been amazing . That being said, he's had far more clunkers than MJ ever did when it mattered.johnmd20 said:I love how people point out, "You know, Lebron missed a FT in overtime and didn't score on the last possession," as if that proves Lebron just isn't good enough. My memory might be shaky, but I do think Jordon has missed a shot or two over his playoff career. Ok, ok, he missed one.
I can't stand him but I will think he's a top 5 player all time. For me he's in a group with MJ, Larry, and Magic, with Jordan at the top of the class. What makes this group so special is not only are their offensive games transcendant, they were all tremendous defenders. Bron's off the ball defense isn't quite as good as the others, he gets caught drifting on occassion. Or sleeping on a back screen. He's never stopped improving his game which is something I didn't think he would do when he came into the league, having everything handed to him since he was 10 years old or whatever. Although he doesn't seem to have it in this finals, his jump shooting, especially 3s have improved considerably over the years. Still should be a much better FT shooter though.Papelbon's Poutine said:There's a vast sea between saying Lebron isn't MJ and saying Lebron isn't good enough. Lebron (as much as I despise him) is a top ten all time player, probably higher than that, I haven't taken the time to rank. He's an amazing player and this postseason has probably kicked him up a slot or two. He has willed this team to being two games for a title and his perfomance so far has been amazing . That being said, he's had far more clunkers than MJ ever did when it mattered.
But saying he isn't MJ is like saying Mother Theresa wasn't Jesus. Plenty can sit at the table, just not necessarily at the head.