Durant straight killed it..love seeing LJ lose..
I used to agree with you guys...I've rooted against LeBron James harder than any athlete I've ever rooted against.
But in this play-offs, hell, this whole season, he's playing at a completely insane level. I'm the biggest Kobe fan alive, but I've gotta give LBJ his props for taking basketball excellence to a different level (save for the 4th quarter, that is).
But that's not why I feel for LBJ. I feel for him because his team just isn't very good..at all really. Wade must be banged up (knee). because he disappears for GAMES at a time, and Bosh is banged up as well. That leaves Lebrick with a spot-up 3 point shooter in Battier, a serviceable pg in Chalmers, and NOTHING else. Boston had a much more cohesive unit, and OKC? Forget about it - they are MUCH better than the Heat's collective unit.
Why it sucks to be LeBron is that he'll put up 30 and 12, and yahoos like Skip Bayless STILL put the loss on him. And yes, he's tanked in the 4th quarters (will he ever get over that hump), but this play-offs, I don't blame him - the dude's gotta be friggin' exhausted!!! Spoelstra has him guarding everyone from Rondo to KG, has him carry the team on his shoulders through 3 quarters offensively, and then never takes him out of the 2nd half! This entire playoffs LeBron has to be averaging 45 minutes a game (played 46 mins last night). There's no way a human being, after playing a condensed schedule in the most statistically dominating season ever played in modern basketball, can then be expected to carry his inferior team night after night after night without hardly any breaks, and be expected not to get tired. Just look at him in the 2nd halves of games - he physically looks worn the hell out. Well done Coach!
Now, LeBrick brought this hate on himself, no doubt. But for the first time in his career, I actually feel for the guy. He plays his arse off every night, and still gets the 'heat' if they lose despite Wade sucking for much of this playoffs.
Oh, and Durant = unbelievably clutch superstar. What a beast. He too played 46 minutes, but fortunately for him, throughout the playoffs and the throughout the year, he hasn't had to be superhuman every night for his team to win, so he looks much fresher. Hopefully he'll bring home his first title.
I used to agree with you guys...I've rooted against LeBron James harder than any athlete I've ever rooted against.
But in this play-offs, hell, this whole season, he's playing at a completely insane level. I'm the biggest Kobe fan alive, but I've gotta give LBJ his props for taking basketball excellence to a different level (save for the 4th quarter, that is).
But that's not why I feel for LBJ. I feel for him because his team just isn't very good..at all really. Wade must be banged up (knee). because he disappears for GAMES at a time, and Bosh is banged up as well. That leaves Lebrick with a spot-up 3 point shooter in Battier, a serviceable pg in Chalmers, and NOTHING else. Boston had a much more cohesive unit, and OKC? Forget about it - they are MUCH better than the Heat's collective unit.
Why it sucks to be LeBron is that he'll put up 30 and 12, and yahoos like Skip Bayless STILL put the loss on him. And yes, he's tanked in the 4th quarters (will he ever get over that hump), but this play-offs, I don't blame him - the dude's gotta be friggin' exhausted!!! Spoelstra has him guarding everyone from Rondo to KG, has him carry the team on his shoulders through 3 quarters offensively, and then never takes him out of the 2nd half! This entire playoffs LeBron has to be averaging 45 minutes a game (played 46 mins last night). There's no way a human being, after playing a condensed schedule in the most statistically dominating season ever played in modern basketball, can then be expected to carry his inferior team night after night after night without hardly any breaks, and be expected not to get tired. Just look at him in the 2nd halves of games - he physically looks worn the hell out. Well done Coach!
Now, LeBrick brought this hate on himself, no doubt. But for the first time in his career, I actually feel for the guy. He plays his arse off every night, and still gets the 'heat' if they lose despite Wade sucking for much of this playoffs.
Oh, and Durant = unbelievably clutch superstar. What a beast. He too played 46 minutes, but fortunately for him, throughout the playoffs and the throughout the year, he hasn't had to be superhuman every night for his team to win, so he looks much fresher. Hopefully he'll bring home his first title.
I see your points. I'm not going to ever deny that LeBron is an incredible basketball player. The things he does are simply incredible. But whether it's his or the media's fault (probably both), the expectations for LBJ are insane. Every game he plays is under the microscope.
Now, I understand that it's why some feel bad for him. But for me, once you've elevated your game to that level, and you are vying to be considered among the all time greats, you have to be able to perform under the pressure. Kobe does it. And for damn sure I watched Jordan do it constantly. Look no further than the 1998 finals, when MJ had bad knees, and the rest of his team was ineffective (Pippen being hurt and all). Yet MJ, on the biggest stage, put the team on his back and single-handedly took down a team with two hall of famers. Think MJ didn't face that pressure? He put it on himself to begin with. But he had that mental attitude, that competitive edge, whatever you want to call it, that wouldn't allow him to fail. That, even more than his talent, drove his success.
It's yet to be seen if LBJ has that. His minuscule numbers in his NBA Finals career suggest otherwise. Jordan has 6 NBA Finals MVPs, and he averaged over 40 PPG in the 93 finals alone. Think about that. Now, if Bron goes HAM the rest of the series, he'll put some doubters to rest. But if he continues to shrink from the moment in the 4th, the pressure is only going to continue to mount, and deservedly so in my opinion.
I cannot believe there wasn't a foul called at the end. LBJ clearly fouled KD. What a joke. It pisses me off.
I think Miami deserved to win, but nothing should ever be decided or ended like that. OKC had a furious comeback, and to not allow that to fully play out is disgraceful. But alas, that is the case in the NBA, where corruption with officials and incompetence with league leadership reigns supreme.
At least we have two good teams facing off. From a purely basketball standpoint, we're in for one hell of a series.
And Kd bulldozed Battier 3 minutes earlier and the refs waited until he missed the shot to call a block.
And Kd bulldozed Battier 3 minutes earlier and the refs waited until he missed the shot to call a block.
I will say this, I think the officiating in the NBA is atrocious. It's gotta go both ways, but like I said in the other thread Durant at home with a chance to tie in the last few seconds, deserves that call.
So because battier plays for the road team he doesn't deserve to draw the charge for Durant's 6th? It doesn't work that way, or at least it shouldn't.
Hate to be that guy. But NO WAY was that Battier attempt a charge. He was still slightly moving after KD left the ground. Good Call IMO. However, I have seen the same play called a charge more times than I can count. The charge/block foul might be the most controversial call in all of competitive sports along with defensive pass interference. Hate them both