NBA Playoffs Thread

[KingNeo]

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Good god.

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This needed to be shown again, sorry. My favorite part is his explosion off the ground, it is just so powerful. He is also able to [censored] the ball back so far too.

Obviously we all know LBJ is a freak, and probably has the greatest body we have ever seen in the NBA. My favorite part are his ankles. They are so solid, like tree trunks. LBJ has yet to have a serious injury. Ankles are a very common injury and very debilatating for an NBA player but he will never have a problem with this. I remeber seeing Lebron totally roll an ankle in a game. He was hobbled for like 5 minutes and was fine. Another other player andthat is a serious sprain and out for weeks.

LBJ is a man.

[kidcolin]

hate to be the negative nancy again, but I was just watching the highlights. When he blew by Maxiell for the dunk pictured above, boy did he travel.

[Assani Fisher]

Maybe its just the fact that hes hated by a lot of people, but I'm shocked that nobody is mentioning Kobe's big game as a comparison. As a 22 year old, on the road, against a 55 win team, in a series clinching playoff game:

48 points, 16 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 block....without any overtime.

And yes, overall the Kings weren't a good defensive team, but IIRC Doug Christie was on Kobe during that series, and hes certainly no slouch.

[prohornblower]

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hate to be the negative nancy again, but I was just watching the highlights. When he blew by Maxiell for the dunk pictured above, boy did he travel.

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Don't act like the refs are suddenly supposed to call all travelling. Christ, Shaq would be forced to retire immediately.

I hate that refs let this crap slide, but it's not like LBJ is playing under a different set of rules than other superstars (I will grant that the superstars do play under different rules than the average shmucks)

[THEOSU]

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hate to be the negative nancy again, but I was just watching the highlights. When he blew by Maxiell for the dunk pictured above, boy did he travel.

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i rather get the feeling that the first part of this post isn't true.

[Artdogg]

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7. I think Detroit is going to win the series.

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Disagree completely. This series gives me a completely different vibe than the 2006 series. I don't see Cleveland not closing them out tonight.

[Clarkmeister]

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7. I think Detroit is going to win the series.

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Disagree completely. This series gives me a completely different vibe than the 2006 series. I don't see Cleveland not closing them out tonight.

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No way Detroit wins this series.

[anatta]

Looking forward to tonights game more than any game since Pistons v Lakers series. I guess it true the NBA is a star driven league.

[Mano]

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As for Kobe, I honestly only remember all of his criticism coming directly from his relationship with Shaq, and based upon Shaq's lack of work ethic, I find it hard to blame Kobe for that. I don't remember anything with Malone, so perhaps you could enlighten me there. Certainly I don't remember any criticism when they were winning, and thats what it all comes down to.

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Here is an article from the 2002-03 season where his coaches criticizes him for his selfish play. Here are some excerpts:

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Kobe's me-first attitude in training camp (this was also the case in preseason games) destroyed the value of too many intrasquad scrimmages. Instead of concentrating on reorienting themselves to the triangle's basic geometries, the players' attention was focused on man-to-man competition, bickering over real and imagined fouls, looking to short-cut their way to victory, and ignoring the increasingly caustic scolding of the coaches.

In one preseason game, Kobe missed 20 shots. In another, he committed nine turnovers. Forcing bad shots, hogging the ball, and generally running amok, Kobe unilaterally devolved the Lakers' multidimensional offense into a straight line.

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"Kobe looked to go one-on-one every time he touched the ball," was the post-mortem that Jackson delivered to the media. "His rare pass surprised his teammates. I can only promise that, even before Shaq returns, things will get better."

Longtime assistant coach Tex Winter, the gadfly of the coaching staff, was a lot more direct when he confronted Kobe in the locker room after the game. "You played stupidly," he said, bluntly.


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So I think we can agree he was accused of being selfish before they got rid of Shaq. I am sure there are many more articles like this one if you want to go searching for them. I remember it being a common opinion, and even recall a parody Craig Kilborn did on his show where he acted like he was Kobe and would not pass the ball ("Pass the ball Kobe" "I can't" "Please,just pass the ball" "No!" or something to that effect).

I am surprised you don't remember the crap between Kobe and Malone over Karl supposedly flirting with Kobe's wife. I'm tired right now, but I am sure you can find references to it if you care to look it up.

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I'm drunk right now, so I might not argue as well as I'd like, but....

my entire contention this whole time has been that the selfishness or unselfishness of Kobe or MJ is a myth, and its simply due to them appearing selfish when they have poor surrounding casts but then looking better when they have good teamates. I said that before Pippen, MJ was perceived as selfish, and with Pippen he was perceived as a great teamate, but there wasn't any real change in MJ- it was just Pippen. Similarly, I claimed that Kobe simply appears selfish now that he doesn't have another great player(Shaq) with him, but if you give him another star then all of a sudden he'll appear to be a great teamate again.

You disagreed with me, saying that Kobe was selfish even with Shaq. Well I clicked on your link, and THE VERY FIRST SENTENCE said:

"This is Part 1 of Charley Rosen's two-part look at the Lakers opening the 2002-03 season without Shaquille O'Neal "

Doesn't that make your entire point void??

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Read more than the first sentence. For instance:

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The one problem that most disturbs the Lakers coaches is a chronic condition that has flared up in each of the last three seasons before going into remission in time for L.A. to claim back-to-back-to-back titles. This time, however, there is real fear among them that the same-old-same-old problem has reappeared with a renewed virulence that threatens to lay waste to their chance to defend their championship.

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This certainly implies that they were having the same problems with Kobe even during championship runs. I am saying that he had the reputation with many people even back then, and I think this article shows that clearly he did.

[anatta]

Phil's book was so funny, he said with Shaq he would tell him to do something, and Shaq would complain and whine like a little kid, but then he would go ahead and do it. With Kobe, he would tell him to do something, and Kobe would say "Sure, Phil. No Problem." Then he would do whatever the hell he wanted.