Why I am a fan of Cleveland Sports?

[NDgradstudent]

Who could take that list seriously. The Bulls aren't on it. Also, why is Cleveland on the top of the list? They have played teams with the same win % as the Baltimore Bullets and B comes before C.

The Cavs shouldn't be on the top of the list.

Kyrie isn't as good as he's billed. That's the Cavs problem

I forgot about the Bulls! Sorry about that- I edited the chart accordingly. As you can see, however, it makes no difference at all.

I also un-rounded the numbers, so you can see that Cleveland is first.

 

[Irish2155]

BUMP... Lebron F--cking James

 

[GATTACA!]

Lebron gets fouled every time he goes to the basket and they never call it. Iggy just hit him across both arms.

 

[Irish2155]

Just ordered a pizza. These dudes....;.GSW.

 

[NDgradstudent]

I don't honestly care very much about whether LeBron is the "best ever," etc. In 100 years everyone who ever saw these guys plays will be dead and in 1,000 years nobody will know what the NBA was or care who was the best player in it.

I care about winning titles for Cleveland, and not so much for me -I'm pretty young- but for someone like my uncle, who is 50 and has lived in Cleveland his whole life and has never seen a Cleveland team win a title. There are no such 50 year olds in any other city with three major pro teams.

Anyway, we may need to make another coaching change. Blatt was at least able to win a couple games.

Oh yeah, and one other thing: the Tribe is in first in the Central!

 

[calvegas04]

lol

 

[ulukinatme]

Fucking OKC...you had one job! I don't know what it is about Golden State, but I hate 'em. It's not even like they've been a powerhouse for years. I think you can respect some opponents, I could respect the Spurs when they were winning. Fuck the Warriors.

 

[NDgradstudent]

Fucking OKC...you had one job! I don't know what it is about Golden State, but I hate 'em. It's not even like they've been a powerhouse for years. I think you can respect some opponents, I could respect the Spurs when they were winning. Fuck the Warriors.

Given the way we've played in these games, do you think we could have beaten OKC? Because I don't.

 

[Veritate Duce Progredi]

Given the way we've played in these games, do you think we could have beaten OKC? Because I don't.

I believe OKC and the Cavs would've been more competitive. There is still a chance for the Cavs to bounce back at home but I never thought the Cavs could match up with the Warriors style. I actually think the Cavs would've taken it if they met OKC in Cleveland to start the series.

 

[ulukinatme]

Given the way we've played in these games, do you think we could have beaten OKC? Because I don't.

I think so. I mean, the Cavs handled them just fine in the regular season. For one, OKC is driven in large part by Westbrook and Durant. They still would have scored, but I liked our chances bottling them up a bit. Golden State is a more complete team...mostly defensively, but I would say as a whole too. Look at Games 1 and 2, the "Splash" brothers were relatively quiet compared to their other games, but the rest of the team had no trouble keeping the points rolling. They got a lot of scoring from their bench.

 

[GATTACA!]

Someone please kill me

I've never felt this dejected as a sports fan. What an absolute shit show that game was. Lebron and RJ where the only two that showed any type of heart. This thing needs to be blown up.

Love has to go. He doesn't mesh with this team at all, and he has been a shell of the player we where promised. Bosh had to take a diminished role in the big 3 in Miami, but love just doesn’t have the skill set to make himself worth a max contact. Even when Bosh was a third wheel offensively he was able to play lock down defense on 4s and 5s. Love is too small to play inside so he's a glorified 3 point specialist.

I'm at my wits end with Kyrie. Dude just doesn't get it. He could be the best PG on the planet. His handles are insane, I've never seen someone finish at the rim the way he does, he won the 3 point contest, and he certainly has the athletic ability to be a great defender. He just doesn't have the will. Not only is he an embarrassment on d, he also wants to only play hero ball on the other end. Instead of driving and kicking hes determined to play 1v5.

Lue is done. Gilbert needs to throw however much it takes to get one of the three Izzo, Coach K, or Calipari. This team needs a coach with enough clout and experience to be able to tell them they suck.

I guess you try and move Love and try and pick up either a solid starting center somehow, or you get LBJ on the phone and get KD here. Neither of these scenarios seem realistic. I'm sick to my stomach because I was so sure when LeBron announced he was coming home it meant we would win it all. I didn't know when but certainly the drought would end. Now I can see that we will squander the rest of LBJs career.

 

[Who'saWildManNow]

Or you just let LBJ come to NY 😜

Someone please kill me

I've never felt this dejected as a sports fan. What an absolute shit show that game was. Lebron and RJ where the only two that showed any type of heart. This thing needs to be blown up.

Love has to go. He doesn't mesh with this team at all, and he has been a shell of the player we where promised. Bosh had to take a diminished role in the big 3 in Miami, but love just doesn’t have the skill set to make himself worth a max contact. Even when Bosh was a third wheel offensively he was able to play lock down defense on 4s and 5s. Love is too small to play inside so he's a glorified 3 point specialist.

I'm at my wits end with Kyrie. Dude just doesn't get it. He could be the best PG on the planet. His handles are insane, I've never seen someone finish at the rim the way he does, he won the 3 point contest, and he certainly has the athletic ability to be a great defender. He just doesn't have the will. Not only is he an embarrassment on d, he also wants to only play hero ball on the other end. Instead of driving and kicking hes determined to play 1v5.

Lue is done. Gilbert needs to throw however much it takes to get one of the three Izzo, Coach K, or Calipari. This team needs a coach with enough clout and experience to be able to tell them they suck.

I guess you try and move Love and try and pick up either a solid starting center somehow, or you get LBJ on the phone and get KD here. Neither of these scenarios seem realistic. I'm sick to my stomach because I was so sure when LeBron announced he was coming home it meant we would win it all. I didn't know when but certainly the drought would end. Now I can see that we will squander the rest of LBJs career.

 

[Irish#1]

I'm at my wits end with Kyrie.

I'm sick to my stomach because I was so sure when LeBron announced he was coming home it meant we would win it all. I didn't know when but certainly the drought would end. Now I can see that we will squander the rest of LBJs career.

Kyrie would have benefited from another year or two under Coach K.

Here's the difference between Jordan and James. Jordan could get teammates to understand their roles, push themselves, accept it and demand they play as a team.

 

[IrishSteelhead]

Why I am a fan of Cleveland Sports?

TBH, Lebron looks pretty fed up with his teammates. He knows it will take a group effort to beat GS, but at what point does he tell them to get out of the way? I think now would be a good time for that. He hasn't set the world on fire either this series, but anything less than 30 shots a game is unacceptable IMO for him.

 

[NorthDakota]

TBH, Lebron looks pretty fed up with his teammates. He knows it will take a group effort to beat GS, but at what point does he tell them to get out of the way? I think now would be a good time for that. He hasn't set the world on fire either this series, but anything less than 30 shots a game is unacceptable IMO for him.

I feel awful for Bron. I think you are right. He might need to basically do it all himself because these guys are not going to cut it. It's sad when the team last year without KI and KL was more of a threat.

 

[IrishSteelhead]

Why I am a fan of Cleveland Sports?

I feel awful for Bron. I think you are right. He might need to basically do it all himself because these guys are not going to cut it. It's sad when the team last year without KI and KL was more of a threat.

Because Lebron wasted no effort last year getting others involved. The guy is NOT Magic, no matter what the talking heads tell us. He's a volume scorer at heart, and needs to embrace that. Fuck the assists, get your boards, steals, blocks, and points. Most importantly the POINTS.

 

[A Pac]

The Warriors are just better. It's as simple as that. Oh, and I blame OKC for all of this.

 

[NDgradstudent]

Lue is done. Gilbert needs to throw however much it takes to get one of the three Izzo, Coach K, or Calipari. This team needs a coach with enough clout and experience to be able to tell them they suck.

Maybe a coach with NBA experience?

I'm sick to my stomach because I was so sure when LeBron announced he was coming home it meant we would win it all. I didn't know when but certainly the drought would end. Now I can see that we will squander the rest of LBJs career.

This is such a classic Cleveland sports moment. Of course the GSW emerge as this dominant team at exactly the time when we have our best team in years, rather than, say, when the Celtics were good in 2008, or when Lebron was in Miami, etc. It has to happen now. Because Cleveland.

Here's the difference between Jordan and James. Jordan could get teammates to understand their roles, push themselves, accept it and demand they play as a team.

The principal difference between the players around Jordan and those around LBJ is that those around Jordan were better.

 

[NorthDakota]

Because Lebron wasted no effort last year getting others involved. The guy is NOT Magic, no matter what the talking heads tell us. He's a volume scorer at heart, and needs to embrace that. Fuck the assists, get your boards, steals, blocks, and points. Most importantly the POINTS.

If he embraces that and Cleveland ends up winning, will people finally stop whining about him?

 

[IrishSteelhead]

Why I am a fan of Cleveland Sports?

If he embraces that and Cleveland ends up winning, will people finally stop whining about him?

That's a rhetorical question, of course not. I personally can't stand him, and it all stems from his desperate need to be approved by everyone.

Lebron is a far more palatable human than Kobe, but Kobe had that gunslinger, screw everyone, I don't care, villain persona that was romantic in a sense. If Lebron ever stopped caring about what people thought, and started snapping necks, I would find him much more likable.

 

[IrishSteelhead]

Why I am a fan of Cleveland Sports?

The principal difference between the players around Jordan and those around LBJ is that those around Jordan were better.

Were they innately better, or better because of MJ and Phil though? I can see both arguments, and this kind of attitude is exactly why Cleveland has failed. No excuses. Lebron is the best player on the planet, and has the pieces needed to win. Figure it out and do it already. He faces a once in a generation type team in GS, and this is the tests of tests. Best them, and Lebron's legend grows astronomically. He should relish this opportunity instead of wallowing. Hope he goes off in game 3.

 

[greyhammer90]

It must be the most frustrating thing on earth to be the best player of your generation in the Finals, go down the court with the ball in your hands, storm the paint, have the entire opposing team get sucked in to try and defend you, kick it out to your "superstar" PG and watch your perfectly on target pass go right through his hands.

 

[NDgradstudent]

Were they innately better, or better because of MJ and Phil though? I can see both arguments, and this kind of attitude is exactly why Cleveland has failed. No excuses. Lebron is the best player on the planet, and has the pieces needed to win. Figure it out and do it already. He faces a once in a generation type team in GS, and this is the tests of tests. Best them, and Lebron's legend grows astronomically. He should relish this opportunity instead of wallowing. Hope he goes off in game 3.

They were probably better for both reasons. I'm only 25 and didn't see the great Bulls teams from the 90s, so I can't comment in detail. Obviously Jackson proved he was an elite coach; Lue doesn't look like he knows what he is doing. MJ is clearly better than Lebron, but as you say Lebron is still good enough, in theory, to win a title here. On the other hand, there is nobody like Pippen on this team.

The other difference is that this GS team is historically good. Not as good as the 96 Bulls, perhaps (and if you measure total winning %, including the playoffs, GS will be behind the 96 Bulls even with a sweep of the Cavs), but in the conversation. The Cavs have to play that team; the Bulls were that team.

Of course, part of this just has to do with the tortured relationship with Lebron. After Lebron left, the Cavs started rebuilding; obviously, when he came back, we needed to make some moves and improve the team quickly. Several of those moves are now being exposed as mistakes.

 

[Irish#1]

The principal difference between the players around Jordan and those around LBJ is that those around Jordan were better.

Disagree.......I remember the Bulls quite well and except for Pippen, MJ's supporting cast was not that good. Love is touted as a superstar, so James has his Pippen. Jordan knew how to extract more out of those guys and was willing to take over when he needed to do so.

 

[pumpdog20]

LOL, what? Love is nothing comparably close to Pippen. I don't care what superstar label you give him.

 

[ACamp1900]

Someone please kill me

I've never felt this dejected as a sports fan.

Seriously?? Not just caught up in the moment??

 

[IrishSteelhead]

Why I am a fan of Cleveland Sports?

Disagree.......I remember the Bulls quite well and except for Pippen, MJ's supporting cast was not that good. Love is touted as a superstar, so James has his Pippen. Jordan knew how to extract more out of those guys and was willing to take over when he needed to do so.

Head to head starters:

Irving >Paxson
Jordan >Smith
Lebron > Pippen
Love > Grant
Thompson = Cartwright

I have the Cavs at 3-1-1 matching up the starters

The second incarnation of the Bulls nets a similar outcome. Cavs are still handily better at PG, SF, PF, and this time C. (I would take Rodman over Love in a playoff series 100% of the time, but "on paper" Love is a better player)

No excuses. Cavs need to win this series or the season is a cataclysmic failure for them.

 

[zelezo vlk]

I wouldn't say losing to a generational team in the Finals is a cataclysmic failure, but if they aren't even competitive, then the season is a failure.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

 

[NDgradstudent]

Head to head starters:

Irving >Paxson
Jordan >Smith
Lebron > Pippen
Love > Grant
Thompson = Cartwright

I have the Cavs at 3-1-1 matching up the starters

The second incarnation of the Bulls nets a similar outcome. Cavs are still handily better at PG, SF, PF, and this time C. (I would take Rodman over Love in a playoff series 100% of the time, but "on paper" Love is a better player)

No excuses. Cavs need to win this series or the season is a cataclysmic failure for them.

If this is true, then I assume you think that this GS team is better than the 96 Bulls team? Because the Warriors were 2-1 favorites going into the series, meaning that people who were willing to risk their money on their opinion thought GS was much better than the Cavs "on paper." If you really think this Cavs team is better than the Bulls were, where does GS rank?

I agree that the Cavs have not played to their potential- but that only explains the margin of defeat, not the fact of defeat. The fact of defeat is explained by the fact that this GS team is excellent compared not only to other teams this year but also compared to other teams throughout the history of the league.

I wouldn't say losing to a generational team in the Finals is a cataclysmic failure, but if they aren't even competitive, then the season is a failure.

Bingo.

 

[IrishSteelhead]

Why I am a fan of Cleveland Sports?

I don't look at lineups on paper when choosing winners. Just pointing out this Cavs team is grossly underachieving if they don't hoist a banner before Lebron retires/leaves.