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LeBron James

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One thing that fascinates me about James is his intelligence/recall.

He was asked about that block at the presser, and you could almost see him visualizing the exact play all over again. Like someone just hit the "rewind" button. And when he answered, it was like he was describing what he was actually seeing at that moment rather than simply remembering the play. He specifically described Delly defending the play very well, keeping his body between Rose and the basket, which enabled LBJ to get the right angle.

I'm too young to have seen Russell, but I can't recall another superstar who radiated that level of sheer brainpower.
 
At least here in Brazil I think MJs name is easily more recognized than LBJs.

Bulls games were shown on free TV back in the days, something that would never happen today because there is no demand.

Yeah, maybe that's true, no denying how big and gigantic Jordan was/is.

LB is still by far the biggest attraction in the game today. The finals rating I imagine will plummet if he's not playing (hopefully that's not the case, in that he's not playing in it).

I think a lot of it is that NBA as a whole isn't as popular. I certainly don't enjoy it nearly as much as I did in the 90s.

It was better basketball, guys were more skilled. The game wasn't watered down as much, and players were allowed to just play.

Today we have too many James Hardens' that make it almost unwatchable at times.
 
It was better basketball, guys were more skilled. The game wasn't watered down as much, and players were allowed to just play.

Today we have too many James Hardens' that make it almost unwatchable at times.

I agree with most of what you said but I'm not sure that basketball was better in the 90s. In the 80s yes, but the 90s no. Certainly not from a skill standpoint. People remember the 1990s fondly mostly because Jordan was so great and there were some fantastic Hall of Famers playing. But the league was diluted due to brand new expansion teams, rookies getting paid too soon before the rookie scale, and a general lack of skill. Pat Riley brought this hard nosed, roughhouse basketball to the NBA in the Knicks and the Heat. Defense was too good and isolation basketball ruled. Those 1990s teams were physical but many of those 1990s teams weren't that skilled. Look at the Knicks: how good would a team be today with John Starks as their second best player? But that team was a legitimate contender for most of the decade. the skill was so bad in the 1990s that they actually moved the three point line in for a season. Teams literally employed goons like Dale Davis, Anthony Mason, etc....those guys wouldn't even have a job in the current NBA. Basketball went to a dark place skill wise after Jordan's first retirement in 1993 and it took over a decade to recover.

And then I look at the game today after the rule changes that opened it up. It allows for more skill at every position. Almost everyone can dribble and shoot. Because zone defenses came into the league, you have much less isolation basketball and more of an emphasis on the team game. And it's not like the game still isn't physical, especially in the playoffs - look at this series for example.
 
I agree with most of what you said but I'm not sure that basketball was better in the 90s. In the 80s yes, but the 90s no. Certainly not from a skill standpoint. People remember the 1990s fondly mostly because Jordan was so great and there were some fantastic Hall of Famers playing. But the league was diluted due to brand new expansion teams, rookies getting paid too soon before the rookie scale, and a general lack of skill. Pat Riley brought this hard nosed, roughhouse basketball to the NBA in the Knicks and the Heat. Defense was too good and isolation basketball ruled. Those 1990s teams were physical but many of those 1990s teams weren't that skilled. Look at the Knicks: how good would a team be today with John Starks as their second best player? But that team was a legitimate contender for most of the decade. the skill was so bad in the 1990s that they actually moved the three point line in for a season. Teams literally employed goons like Dale Davis, Anthony Mason, etc....those guys wouldn't even have a job in the current NBA. Basketball went to a dark place skill wise after Jordan's first retirement in 1993 and it took over a decade to recover.

And then I look at the game today after the rule changes that opened it up. It allows for more skill at every position. Almost everyone can dribble and shoot. Because zone defenses came into the league, you have much less isolation basketball and more of an emphasis on the team game. And it's not like the game still isn't physical, especially in the playoffs - look at this series for example.

Yes, I realize isolation basketball started becoming more primitive, and some of the expansion teams did water it down some, that's always going to happen when you add new expansion teams.

When I'm talking at a skill point, I referring as the game being more well rounded. You had big men, that played like big men. You had true centers, real power forwards, then you had a plenty of point guards/perimeter players.

Positions and styles varied a lot, making it more interesting.

Styles today aren't too contrast. Even so-called big men, are playing the game more and more perimeter oriented like wings.

The game is more finesse, and more scoring, and some people love it.

I personally don't. I think the mid 90s was a great time for the NBA. You had variety of different stars, at all types of positions. It was one of the golden times in the NBA.

You had REAL big men, going at it, and it was fun to watch. You had older stars, a younger generation entering the league.

Now, the late 90s to early 00s is when the NBA was starting to see a very dark era, personally. Jordan was almost the only really good thing still left before he retired, then it fell into hell for awhile.

Mid 90s were awesome though. At least for me, I loved the NBA the most then.
 
Just a comment observing Lebron James the person... He's never struck me as an overly intelligent guy in some ways, he's sometimes slow to understand what others are saying, etc., but his extraordinary memory and awareness of his surroundings never fail to amaze me. He rattled off what happened before that Delly situation in the post-game press conference, I went back and watched it, and it was as as he said. Prior to the Gibson punt he remembered that Delly was boxing out and Tristan got a rebound, then on the Gibson punt he remembered that Brooks and Gibson were doing a high P&R and that Brooks made a right-handed hook shot.

If he wasn't such a skilled basketball player, he probably could've been a secret agent.
 
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Such a shame his athletecism is declining :gay:
 
Just a comment observing Lebron James the person... He's never struck me as an overly intelligent guy in some ways, he's sometimes slow to understand what others are saying, etc., but his extraordinary memory and awareness of his surroundings never fail to amaze me. He rattled off what happened before that Delly situation in the post-game press conference, I went back and watched it, and it was as as he said. Prior to the Gibson punt he remembered that Delly was boxing out and Tristan got a rebound, then on the Gibson punt he remembered that Brooks and Gibson were doing a high P&R and that Brooks made a right-handed hook shot.

If he wasn't such a skilled basketball player, he probably could've been a secret agent.

LeBron rattles off other players stat lines like it's nothing right after games sometimes. Keep in mind, he's usually on the floor playing so it's not like he has the time to check out everyones stats on the sideline.

It's amazing, really.
 
May never have the resume Jordan had, but he is the most talented basketball player ever.

I mean that chase down block would be an all-time career number 1 play for ANYONE else. Including Jordan.

For Lebron, it's just another page in the story.

Hated it when he said it but he's right, he spoils us.
 
May never have the resume Jordan had, but he is the most talented basketball player ever.

I mean that chase down block would be an all-time career number 1 play for ANYONE else. Including Jordan.

For Lebron, it's just another page in the story.

Hated it when he said it but he's right, he spoils us.

You're reaching. How about a game-winning steal + shot to win the Finals?
 
May never have the resume Jordan had, but he is the most talented basketball player ever.

I mean that chase down block would be an all-time career number 1 play for ANYONE else. Including Jordan.

For Lebron, it's just another page in the story.

Hated it when he said it but he's right, he spoils us.

Let's just wait and see how that turns out. He just turned 30 and if he can stay healthy he has many productive years ahead of him. If he's smart he may even change his playing style down the road to compensate for his declining athleticism.

Let's not forget how KAJ won multiple rings after his 30's when Showtime came along. With Irving and all that young core of players around him, this team can thrive. We'll have to wait and see, but his overall numbers when he retires could be untouchable for quite some time.
 
Alot of people forget just how dominant and cerebral Kareem was in his prime. That Sky Hook is still the one unstoppable shot in NBA history. Everyone was helpless when he had it going.


Let's just wait and see how that turns out. He just turned 30 and if he can stay healthy he has many productive years ahead of him. If he's smart he may even change his playing style down the road to compensate for his declining athleticism.

Let's not forget how KAJ won multiple rings after his 30's when Showtime came along. With Irving and all that young core of players around him, this team can thrive. We'll have to wait and see, but his overall numbers when he retires could be untouchable for quite some time.
 
I love reading all the LeBron love! Going to click through the last few pages again and enjoy. It will suck when the pitchforks come out tomorrow following a couple of LBJ iso 3-point rim clangers :furious:.
 
May never have the resume Jordan had, but he is the most talented basketball player ever.

I mean that chase down block would be an all-time career number 1 play for ANYONE else. Including Jordan.

For Lebron, it's just another page in the story.

Hated it when he said it but he's right, he spoils us.

You are really young.
 
I think I posted this article before, but it's worth posting again. This article breaks down how getting rid of illegal defense rules has transformed the game and made defenses MUCH tougher to score against. Bottom line, this is the greatest era of basketball ever.

http://therdsports.com/2013/06/19/the-mythic-1990s/

Go back and watch some full games from earlier eras. Defenses are a lot worse. The inability to load up against a star playing iso ball just was not there -- it wasn't allowed. And getting rid of hand checking doesn't make up for it, not even close. Anyone who thinks that hand checking could have stopped Lebron is dreaming.

Side note -- I saw a video of Oscar Robertson playing against Bill Russell in one of the NBA League Pass classics. Robertson looked like a guy who would have had a hard time making an all-star game today. (Although he clearly could have played in the modern league, which you couldn't say about a lot of guys on the court with him). Russell on the other hand looked like a defensive superstar in any era.
 
When I'm talking at a skill point, I referring as the game being more well rounded. You had big men, that played like big men. You had true centers, real power forwards, then you had a plenty of point guards/perimeter players.

Positions and styles varied a lot, making it more interesting.

Styles today aren't too contrast. Even so-called big men, are playing the game more and more perimeter oriented like wings.

The game is more finesse, and more scoring, and some people love it.

I personally don't. I think the mid 90s was a great time for the NBA. You had variety of different stars, at all types of positions. It was one of the golden times in the NBA.

You had REAL big men, going at it, and it was fun to watch.

I agree with you that big men who play the post game are a dying breed, it doesn't seem to be an effective tactic in today's game. With no illegal defense rules it is much easier to neutralize a center or PF playing inside. Today's game is more about just shooting and driving. I also agree that it's kind of a shame. Today's game has a much higher skill level I think, but it has somewhat less diversity in styles of play, if that makes any sense. It's also that the analytics guys have gotten teams to hugely emphasize the 3-pointer. I wouldn't mind it if they moved the line out some.

This article gives a great discussion of how new defensive rules killed interior post play:

http://www.sbnation.com/2014/3/25/5542838/nba-rules-changes-lebron-james-michael-jordan

it's a good supplement to the previous article, even though it kind of takes a different perspective on the comparison between the eras.

One really good point it makes is that because every defender had to be on a specific player, you could afford to play people with limited offensive skills:

"In the 90s, though, teams had to actually defend every player on the court unless they sent a hard double-team. This allowed teams to play unskilled titans or defensive specialists who nevertheless had to be accounted for because the rules said so."
 

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