LeBron James

[Gus Zing]

Its all about LeBron's jumper.

He's not doing what he did in 2012 imo. His jumper was broke during that playoff run for the Heat , but he shot less 3's and played more in the post. Or at least was more effective in the post.

LeBron seems hellbent on shooting 3's (almost 5 a game). Yet, he's on pace to shoot the worst % in NBA Playoff history for that many attempts. I truly hope he got all the bad shots out of the way to shoot them well in the finals. Otherwise its just wasted possessions.

Its asking a lot. But we need aggressive LeBron, but efficient LeBron as well. I dont think we can win this series if LeBron's shooting 42% from the field. We finally need that 50% from the floor LeBron. He's gotta make jumpers. Kerr is going to go the Pop route with him. LeBron either has to make jumpers, or be a dominant finisher around the rim.

 

[OnSugarHill]

This finals presents a very interesting scenario for LeBron and the Cavs. Some facts:

-Cleveland simply doesn't have the same set of expectations that the Big 3 Heat had
-Love is injured, Kyrie is hobbled
-Cavs are on the road
-Cavs are overwhelmingly considered to be underdogs

At the same time:

-The Cavs chemistry is clicking at the highest level of the season RIGHT NOW
-Tristan Thompson and Mozgov have become a dominant frontcourt
-LeBron is officially in "Post up mode", which is what he used to own the Warriors earlier in the regular season.

LeBron will be EXTRA MOTIVATED. He knows how HUGE a win this year would be for his legacy. He already has a great legacy, but beating a 67 win team with your 2nd option injured, and 3rd option out? Never count out an all time great trying to establish his legacy. We never know how the Warriors will react to the bright lights of the NBA finals. Plenty of things can go wrong for them. While I still wouldn't put money on the Cavs here, there are a lot of factors coming into play that could lead to a major upset. I think the fact that the Cavs are being seen as the underdxog will take the pressure off of LeBron and the Cavs. They almost have nothing to lose.

 

[Andrew]

LBJ wins at life, who wants to beat his daughter is cuter than Riley Curry?

 

[The Human Q-Tip]

I've excerpted it, but you can click to get the whole thing.

Windsor: LeBron James is better than Michael Jordan

Go back and watch. I dare you.

Go back and watch Michael Jordan.

Not just his highlights, not just his all-time dunks and buzzer-beaters, but an actual game in which he played, a full game, a game that reveals NBA wings without left hands and point guards who couldn't shoot.

Games in which he feasted on nonathletic shooting guards and slithered past power forwards with two left feet.

Dale Davis, anyone?

Yeah, there was muscle in the '90s, especially on the front line. And there was grabbing — mostly because there wasn't enough lateral quickness. And there was less skill and grace, poorer shooting and ballhandling and less otherworldly explosiveness.

So please: the romanticism. It. Has. To. Stop.

Hey, I get it: Jordan is still our future. He showed us the outer edge of athletic achievement in space. Nobody ever danced like he did.

During Jordan's rookie year I drove from Austin to San Antonio to catch a glimpse for myself. It's hard to overstate how electric he was then, how incomprehensible he was to our idea of what basketball could be. Plus, he won.

But he isn't LeBron James.

There, I said it.

And I'll say it again: Jordan is not James, not the same leader, not the same floor presence, not the same basketball genius. Jordan may be the best scorer in the history of the NBA. He may be the best last-minute shooter. He may even be the best perimeter defender, although I'd take Kawhi Leonard over Jordan in a heartbeat.

But he is not the best player.

LeBron James is.

This should be clear after Tuesday night, when James led the Cavaliers to a sweep over the Atlanta Hawks to get himself to the NBA Finals for the fifth straight time and sixth overall.

This year's Cavs are more talented than the team he pushed to the Finals in 2007, but Jordan never led a team like either to the final round.

He played for one of the best coaches in the sport's history, alongside the best small forward of his era (who happens to be one of the NBA's 50 greatest), flanked by shooters who helped other teams win titles and Hall of Fame rebounders who did the same.

Jordan played for a team that came within a bucket of the Eastern Conference finals the year after he retired. LeBron played for two teams that missed the playoffs the year after he left.....

http://www.freep.com/story/sports/nba/pistons/2015/05/28/lebron-james-michael-jordan/28056173/

I personally think he's right. Whatever the arguments about on-court skills, LBJ has become a superior leader to what Jordan was, and elevates the play of those around him more than Jordan did.

 

[Frank Reynolds]

Best team player: LeBron James.

Best overall player: Michael Jordan.

 

[Muffinalt]

I'd take Kawhi Leonard over Jordan in a heartbeat.

Yeah.... That kinda ruins the article for me.

I dont care who is considered better, LeBron or Jordan. Theyre different. Interesting point about his on court presence though. That to me is what makes LeBron top2, his presence just makes the game different for the opposition each time.

 

[chuck0609]

Best team player: LeBron James.

Best overall player: Michael Jordan.

This all needs to stop. LBJ should be appreciated for who he is and his game.

There's only one Michael Jordan, and there will NEVER be another. He was a marketing TITAN who really will never be matched again with his IMPRINT not only on basketball, but in SOCIETY as a whole. AND, he was the marquee guy on arguably the most dominant NBA teams of all time.

Lebron is great and will be remembered, esp here in NE Ohio if he wins a championship here. BUT, Jordan's legend will never die.

Its not disrespecting to LBJ to give the proper respect to MJ.

 

[The Human Q-Tip]

This all needs to stop.

Uh, who are you, exactly? A mod?

LBJ should be appreciated for who he is and his game.

Right, which is exactly what we're doing.

There's only one Michael Jordan, and there will NEVER be another.

And there will never be another Wilt, or another Bill Russell, or Kareem, or Magic, or Bird, or MJ, or Kobe, or LBJ. Each is different in his own way. For that matter, there won't even be another Paul Mokeski.

He was a marketing TITAN who really will never be matched again with his IMPRINT not only on basketball, but in SOCIETY as a whole.

I thought we were talking about who is the better basketball player, not "marketing" and not "impact on society". If that's the issue, then doesn't TMZ have a website or something to discuss Taylor Swift and the Kardashians?

AND, he was the marquee guy on arguably the most dominant NBA teams of all time.

Now that's probably Bill Russell.

Lebron is great and will be remembered, esp here in NE Ohio if he wins a championship here. BUT, Jordan's legend will never die.

And neither will Russell's or Wilt's, or Larry's or Magic's.....

Its not disrespecting to LBJ to give the proper respect to MJ.

Nor is it disrespectful to MJ to give the proper respect to LBJ.

As for me, I wouldn't have made this argument last year. But to me, what LBJ has done this year in terms of elevating an entire team is unmatched. MJ's game did not elevate his teammates' game anything close to the same extent, and given that it's a team game, that should count for a lot.

 

[secund2nun]

Best team player: LeBron James.

Best overall player: Michael Jordan.

Better team and overall player : lebron

 

[shoes22]

This all needs to stop. LBJ should be appreciated for who he is and his game.

There's only one Michael Jordan, and there will NEVER be another. He was a marketing TITAN who really will never be matched again with his IMPRINT not only on basketball, but in SOCIETY as a whole. AND, he was the marquee guy on arguably the most dominant NBA teams of all time.

Lebron is great and will be remembered, esp here in NE Ohio if he wins a championship here. BUT, Jordan's legend will never die.

Its not disrespecting to LBJ to give the proper respect to MJ.

Man, this Jordan hyperbole is getting ridiculous.

There will also NEVER be another Lebron James. Do you know how much his presence alone has impacted the league? It's a massive ripple effect. The popularity of the NBA would have been quite significantly diminished if there was no LeBron in it the last decade.

 

[enigmatic]

Maybe it's just me, but I still think Luke Witte is the greatest Basketball player of all-time.

 

[The Human Q-Tip]

Maybe it's just me, but I still think Luke Witte is the greatest Basketball player of all-time.

From whence do you think I derived my screen name?



From whence?

Damn I'm a douche.....

 

[Triple-S]

I will say it once, I will say it again.

There's one player I'd like really like to see LeBron imitate more and more.

Timmy D. Quietly the best player of his era.

 

[Splitz]

Is it me or is the Jordan vs. Lebron discussion a bit premature? Lebron is still only 30 years old. There is the potential for another 4 or 5 Finals appearances at least. He should continue to be effective as he ages thanks to his size and court vision. At the end of his career, this comparison will be a lot more legitimate. Right now, I'm not sure it's worth discussing.

 

[enigmatic]

True story; when I was a kid (mid 70s, so my memory of this is a little hazy) my older brother played in an industrial basketball league in Cleveland that was pretty good, but had just lost it's Center for a couple of week because he had gotten married and was on his honeymoon and were short-handed. Another one of the guys on the team knew a guy that knew Luke (this was a little bit after he retired I think) and tried to convince him to play w/ this team for a couple of games until their original C came back. Luke was supposedly going to do so until the league stepped in and nipped that in the bud. That would have been glorious to see.

From whence do you think I derived my screen name?



From whence?

Damn I'm a douche.....