What the HELL is wrong with D. Pistons. They looked sooooo good first two rounds and this entire series they look slow and old. Cleveland is not a good team at all. It seems Cleveland has a greater desire to win?????? Dude just called in and whent off on D. Pistons coach Flip Sanders for not double teaming Lebron in both OTs. I have to admit those jump shots looked terrible: the ball rattled around the rim about 4 or 5 times before dropping. Can Cleveland hang on and win this series?
Better Than Kobe LeBron's the best perimeter playerby: Chris Broussard posted: Friday, June 1, 2007 | Feedback | Print Entry I've been saying it for two years now: LeBron James is the best perimeter player in the world. Now, maybe someone will believe me. Maybe. With all due respect to Kobe and D-Wade, who are the only two players on his level, he is the King. If you made a checklist of individual offensive skills, Kobe would be better. For instance, he shoots 3s and mid-range Js better than LeBron. He's also a better defender. But LeBron has more of a positive impact on his team. Though LeBron will never score 81 points in a game, he is essentially just as good of a scorer as Kobe is. He's much more efficient because he shoots a higher field-goal percentage and scores in the flow of the offense. And he doesn't dominate the ball as much as Kobe and D-Wade. Let's be honest, do you really believe LeBron couldn't go out and average as many points a game as Kobe if that was his focus? Plus, he has far better court vision and his superior passing and approach to his teammates not only makes the players around him better, but it makes him a joy to play with. While most players in the league believe Kobe's the game's best -- at least before last night -- I'll bet almost every one of them would rather play with LeBron. I'm convinced that some folks think Kobe's a better player because his game is more graceful and artistic than LeBron's. Kobe's game looks like Michael's and is more pleasing to the eye than LeBron's power and force. Since MJ, people have acted like a beautiful, elegant game is a prerequisite for being the best. But actually, the best players have typically not been the most graceful and athletic. Neither Oscar, Magic or Bird was a ballerina in the air. Magic's set shot -- he really didn't even have a jumper -- was far from a thing of beauty. Magic's game was pretty and eye-catching because of his awe-inspiring no-look passes, but like LeBron, he could be more like a locomotive than a jet. So don't be fooled by a pretty face, err, move. I told one of LeBron's boys during the Cavs' second-round series against the Nets that the one thing I thought LeBron needed to develop was the ability or willingness to recognize that on certain nights he has to take over with his scoring. That in some games, he has to realize, "I've got to go out and get 40, 45 points tonight.'' Well, he certainly realized that in Game 5. And now that that's taken care of, sky's the limit. The scary thing is that he still has plenty of room to grow. If he ever masters his post game and develops a more reliable mid-range jumper, it won't be fair. He's gone a long way in solving his free-throw problems, but he still can improve there. Defensively, I've seen an added commitment during these playoffs. He's been strong on that end, in my opinion. He's basically shut down Tayshaun Prince, and who would've thought he'd be capable of guarding Chauncey Billups? And don't forget that rebounding is basically a defensive statistic, and LeBron's superior ability on the boards (compared to Kobe and D-Wade's) must also be factored into the equation. Also, D-Wade is not as durable, and his fearless forays into the lane may only make him less and less durable over the years. He played just 61 games as a rookie and only 51 last year. He's never played more than 77. LeBron, meanwhile, has never played fewer than 78. Before his Game 5 heroics, many would have said Kobe and D-Wade are better in the clutch, that LeBron folds in the big moments. I never bought that, in large part because LeBron has overcome every challenge ever thrown his way on a basketball court. He entered the NBA with more pressure and hype than any player in history, and not only did he meet those expectations, but he exceeded them by averaging an unheard of 20.9 points as an 18/19-year-old rookie. That being the case, I could not imagine him wilting under the pressure of a game-winning situation in the final moments. Last summer, when LeBron signed his contract extension with the Cavs, I said on TV that he'd win at least two titles by the end of his deal. At the time, I thought he had signed on for five years rather than three (with an option for a fourth). I got calls from all over the land. People said I was crazy and offered dinner bets. Well, I'm feeling pretty good about that prediction right now. I'm feeling pretty good about my declaration that LeBron's the league's best perimeter player, too. For the record, I like to separate bigs from wings and guards when judging who's a better player. It's almost like comparing apples and oranges. As far as bigs go, obviously Tim Duncan's numero uno.
Flip Saunders: Loooohooohooohoo...loser.... Chris Webber...loooohoooohooo...loser... Ben Wallace...Sorely missed. Larry Brown...Winner! LeBron...King. Kobe...eating his heart out! Spurs in 5 or 6.
Kobe should be eating his heart out..LaBron makes those around him BETTER...he takes responsibility for losses and tries to raise their confidence level...Like when he passed to the wide open man in Game 1..... Saunders is pathetic....Its like Timberwolves part II....Great regular season and then fade away......just wondering at what point in time in game 5 was he going to call a time out and say..." don't care who beats us as long as his name isn't Labron"? Sheed? he will never grow up....
Spurs vs Cavs in NBA final. DYK: Cavs did win both games against Spurs this season. Can Cavs stunt the world and win title?
TM ...pat riley wants compensation...hahahahah...man orlando cant get it right can they.....thats absurd if you ask me...Stan has one year left on his contract as a consultant to the heat; he stepped down 2 seasons ago but as we all know it wasn't voluntarily ( it said that at the time, but who they kidding)...now the heat want compensation in the form of future draft picks and money...Orlando is now kept holding the bag .. I would understand had stan really left voluntarily but considering he was pushed aside how in the world can PAT riley demand compensation..this is absurd... "no honor among thieves"
Preserve the illusion that van g wasn't pushed out, and stick it to the magic. Good for riles and heat, bad for van g, but then being good to van g wasn't a top priority then or now. (not that I could give a rat's behind about van g, never liked him anyway)
im with you homey...and considering they are in the east even moreso a great move by pat ( not really right , but who cares )...i wonder what they will give up...stay tuned...
Not a good team, are you kidding me? Right now we are at the very least the SECOND BEST TEAM IN THE ENTIRE LEAGUE. That's worse case scenario. That's right, the Pistons, Suns, Mavs, etc. are all DONE and little Cleveland is still playing when no one has given us a shot. We were not supposed to beat detroit and now we are not supposed to beat the Spurs. Talk about motivation... GO CAVS!
the ratings are going to be off the chain with lebron going into the finals...David Stern has got to be loving it...I predict cavs taking it in game 7...peace and good luck