Post: #176

He uses that headband to hide his fucked up hairline.

Post: #177

Lebron is well on his way to that first championship. Once that guy gets going to the rim, he is almost unstoppable. And his passing is ridiculously good.

Durant is just not demanding the ball enough, though Westbrook played lights out tonight.

Post: #178

Yeah. I'm just pissed that Harden kept trying to shoot 3s and failed almost all of them.

And am I the only one that thinks of OK Cupid everytime I see their initials on TV?

Post: #179

harden fucked that up

Post: #180

(06-20-2012 09:34 AM)the chef Wrote:  harden fucked that up

Yeah, he played horribly. I couldn't believe he laid up that steal/fast-break knowing that the best shot blocking guard in the game was in hot pursuit. He needed to stuff that basket and not take any chances.

Post: #181

harden is gassed from having to defend lebron. no excuses for missing breakaway layups and open 3's though.

Post: #182

Lebron James - Favorite player in the NBA.

When everyone hates you, you know you've made the right long-term decision.

Post: #183

We all expected James Harden to play better. There is no pressure like the pressure of the Finals. Nothing can compare to this experience. Lebron has been thru this many times. Dwade has been thru this before. This is the first time for the Thunder. There is no substitute for Finals experience.

Durant only had 2 rebounds last night. That is not enough. He needs to do more defensively and on the boards. He is a better closer then Lebron but Lebron is a better defender and rebounder. Westbrook played great last night but he needs to make better decisions and probably shoot a little less. Harden just hasn't got into a rhythm, I think they need to run more stuff for him to get him going.

Lebron has finally started to play with force and power. I've never seen him post up like that. It looks like he has grown alot from last year. I'm sure all the criticism hurts him and I'm glad to see him respond and step his game up. He is 27. MJ won his first title at 27.

I think Chris Bosh has been huge. He is not putting up big numbers but his energy and effort in the paint are making a big difference. He is a great 3rd option and you can tell he wants it bad. They couldn't do this without him. (Moma was right!)

Shane Battier is still a winner and he is proving it.

Been a great series so far. Not over yet. We'll see what happens Thursday.

Post: #184

(06-20-2012 12:43 PM)Giovonny Wrote:  He is a better closer then Lebron but Lebron is a better defender and rebounder.

And a much better passer (even Rondo had to be applauding for some of those passes LBJ dished out last night). And statistically, he is a better shooter, just not as good in the clutch. Until now (maybe). He has really become the beast everyone thought he could be when he entered the league. Agree with you on his post-up game. Wow.

Post: #185

Post: #186

Too bad I'm not in Miami...

#TeamBJNBA

Post: #187

(06-22-2012 12:49 AM)kosko Wrote:  

Good for Chris. See what can happens when one gets out of Toronto? If he were here, he would be two years older and not even sniffed getting out of the first round of playoffs. Two years out, two years in the NBA finals. One ring. As much as I would have liked Durant to get it, Lebron worked hard so he deserved it and so did Chris. And the other Heat members of course.
Bravo.
*Grudging concession*

Post: #188

i love how lebron said something to the effect of doing it by himself even though he joined forces with wade and bosh to win.

Post: #189

but at the end of the day, delonte west is still banging his mom

Post: #190

Post: #191

Yea I ain't even mad at Bron. I was a Bron hater and still am smug on his ass sorta but now I am sorta relived he won because it will get all the nut riders off him for a bit. My issue with Bron was the media and press whored him out to much before he did shit. Now he has done something and people can kind of just chill out for a moment and enjoy his career.

Mike Miller was indeed underrated people forget his back was completely fucked up, more so then Brons cramps.

Only person still getting hate tho is Juawn Howard. He put his grubby 0 min playing time hands on the trophy first lol. But you could argue he got the Heat jacked up. When the Heat when dirty on Hansborough Indiana sort of got shooked and lost there mojo. Heat would of lost the series without Howard being a shit disturber and going Alpha-dog on the Pacers.

OKC lost the finals in Game 2 when Durrant tried to force that foul instead of taking a clean shot to tie it. He was forcing shit to try and get the win instead of playing smart. They we're banging down MIA late and would of had them in OT. Next up the shot clock play and Westbrook's goof up showed that OKC was still foggy in the head. The teams we're equal, OKC just wasn't in the right frame of mind. Miami did not make goofy mistakes and did the little thing like hit their free throws. OKC was throwing bricks up in two of the games. Next year it should be a cakewalk for them though, unlike the Heat they can keep their core intact.

Somebody on Miami has to bounce though. The new cap makes it almost impossible for the Heat to keep all three and build a team. People will point to Bosh getting the boot but Wade and Bron do nearly the same shit. I would not be surprised if Wade bounces and ends up in Chicago. Bron and Bosh can still get rings with some fill in pieces.

And yea I am happy for Bosh also Moma. I have heard he's a cool dude and still has alot of friends up in Toronto. He was a real kat and the Raptors never did shit for him to build a legit team.

(06-22-2012 07:44 AM)at350zguyy Wrote:  i love how lebron said something to the effect of doing it by himself even though he joined forces with wade and bosh to win.

Lebron is a arrogant asshole that will never change. He just needs to learn how to be more slick about it like Kobe. Kobe plays no games and just says bluntly he is the shit by calling out others. Lebron taking that definitive leader/Alpha role in public would squash a lot of his arrogance issues. On the court hes a control freak and its not even a diss its just you can tell he likes to micro manage the game to his needs and his team mates listen. You even see him bark around Wade. Bron just needs to be open about in public nobody will fault him for it, especially now that he's got that ring.

Post: #192

How is Lebron an arrogant asshole ?????????????

on what basis ???????

Post: #193

(06-22-2012 08:07 PM)kdolo Wrote:  How is Lebron an arrogant asshole ?????????????

on what basis ???????

I am from Ohio and routinely used to watch Lebron play in HS and AAU games. During one AAU game he didn't touch the ball on the offensive end about 5 possessions in a row. He got a defensive rebound, dribbled to half court, and threw up a shot from half court to show his teammates and coach his frustration.....on THAT basis.

Post: #194

(06-23-2012 02:10 PM)hoops330 Wrote:  

(06-22-2012 08:07 PM)kdolo Wrote:  How is Lebron an arrogant asshole ?????????????

on what basis ???????

I am from Ohio and routinely used to watch Lebron play in HS and AAU games. During one AAU game he didn't touch the ball on the offensive end about 5 possessions in a row. He got a defensive rebound, dribbled to half court, and threw up a shot from half court to show his teammates and coach his frustration.....on THAT basis.

I've had the privilege of knowing quite a few athletes, many of which have gone pro. Quite a few I counted as teammates. I believe this story because it fits with the extremely cocky arrogance I've found to be common among them.

The players I'm thinking of were at the top of their games at their respective levels in football, and I noticed that all had the same type of swagger: supremely confident, very arrogant, and quite critical of those around them at times when they didn't play to a high enough level (a level they themselves took for granted).

In one case, I confronted my high school teammate (local superstar QB/RB, always had been, and still is now that he goes to college nearby and is building some NFL attention) after he had displayed this arrogance during a game. The coach had called in the play, and I was supposed to get the ball. He protested from the field, claiming that this was a bad call and, presumably, preferring a play that called his own number.

Anyway, I got the ball as intended and actually did quite well with it (6-8 yards or so, first down, etc). After the game I asked my teammate why he had protested. My reasoning was that, as the fullback, I only got 3-5 carries a game anyway-why be mad? I was clearly secondary to them, especially being a year younger. Surely they could throw me a bone here and there.
His response:

"Listen, man. This team is about me and [insert his best friend's name here]. That's it. Y'all can come along for the ride."

He said it pretty nonchalantly, but I realized then that this was how he (our QB and leading rusher) actually conceived of himself and his best childhood friend (our Tailback at that time, second leading rusher). They're both still teammates now, and I doubt the attitude has changed.

We actually had at least half a dozen all-conference players on that team that season, including myself. In the minds of the elite athlete, however, they are all that really exists-the superstar is all there is. Other guys are merely to be faded into the background, literally and figuratively. This view of the world makes them look, to others, like "arrogant assholes".

Not a one of these players (I met a couple more in college) stood at the level of dominance LeBron has been at since high school, and yet their egos reached astronomical proportions. This is why I am not shocked to hear that Lebron or [insert any pro-athlete here, really] is an arrogant guy, and none of you should be either. Such attitudes are not exceptional among elite athletes-they are the norm.

Don't hold it against them-I didn't, even then. To this day, I still like those two guys. Men of this breed truly can't help but be the way they are, and given the sheer amount of praise heaped upon them for most of their lives, it isn't hard to understand why.

Post: #195

(06-23-2012 05:29 PM)Athlone McGinnis Wrote:  Don't hold it against them-I didn't, even then. To this day, I still like those two guys. Men of this breed truly can't help but be the way they are, and given the sheer amount of praise heaped upon them for most of their lives, it isn't hard to understand why.

Agreed.

How can one expect high school Lebron, who would go on to become the best basketball player in the world, to remain humble playing with ordinary high school level athletes? Even grown men would have a tough time, so how can we expect this of a teenager?

Post: #196

Athlone and co - Is this arrogance an American thing? I am not sure if it also carries over to other countries athletes. I bounced up on a few stars in the UK (Linford Christie, John Barnes) but British have a way of limiting how gassed an individual's head is.
America seems to lionize a celebrity's head almost to a level of insanity..so I wonder if it is a cultural thing.

Post: #197

(06-23-2012 06:07 PM)Moma Wrote:  Athlone and co - Is this arrogance an American thing? I am not sure if it also carries over to other countries athletes. I bounced up on a few stars in the UK (Linford Christie, John Barnes) but British have a way of limiting how gassed an individual's head is.
America seems to lionize a celebrity's head almost to a level of insanity..so I wonder if it is a cultural thing.

I honestly wouldn't be surprised if it really is. In fact, I'd suspect that this is indeed the case.
As we've all talked about before on the forum, America has quite a few cultural ticks unique to itself. Some are more positive than others.
In this case, America's unusually high level of celebrity worship probably plays a role in enhancing this arrogance.

In fact, one could argue (and I'm sure it has been done) that the American persona on the whole is and has long been a somewhat arrogant/cocky one relative to others.

Post: #198

And that's the thing and my main knock at Bron. Its normal for these athletes to be cocky and full-headed. You have to be borderline nutty to put in the amount of hours of practice and training to become an elite athlete. What my beef with Bron is is that he is PC with it and plays it down to appease the media. Kobe does not, nether did MJ they would shit and lash out at people in public and on the court. Nobody accused them of being controlling or freaks just competitors and leaders.

Post: #199

(06-23-2012 08:21 PM)kosko Wrote:  And that's the thing and my main knock at Bron. Its normal for these athletes to be cocky and full-headed. You have to be borderline nutty to put in the amount of hours of practice and training to become an elite athlete. What my beef with Bron is is that he is PC with it and plays it down to appease the media. Kobe does not, nether did MJ they would shit and lash out at people in public and on the court. Nobody accused them of being controlling or freaks just competitors and leaders.

When did Jordan lash out at people in public? Also, Kobe only started being less PC after he lost all his sponsors after going up in the ass of that lizard in Colorado.