It's frustrating to see a player with the physical talents of Lebron not dominate in the playoffs. On pure physical talent, there hasn't ever been a player like him. I think the ass kissings he has received since he was in middle school has a lot to do with it. Look at Jordan, it's well known he didn't make his high school basketball team his freshman year. So he worked and made it. Do you think Dean Smith kissed his ass? That's where the difference in drive and want to lies.
LeBron is the most talented player in the league but I don't know that he'll ever LEAD a team to a championship. He has the mindset of a role player in crunch time.
Exactly. It's not that the tape leaked out, or even that Nike initially tried to squash it....but that LeBron is so emotionally fragile as to demand that they do so, is the point. LeBron James is a [itch bay]. A sissy. A coward. I don't know how much more plainly I can say it, than that, and it's really rather inarguable. Had this happened to Jordan, he would've watched it every week, praying that the kid would eventually make a team....just to have a chance to blow his shit up, even if years down the road. And he would have done just that. Because he had heart. And was a man. And not a [itch bay]. Like LeBron.
Lebron is the best player in the league, and his lead is comfortable. When you say "Kobe", I assume you are referring to Kobe Bryant 5 years ago. And when you say D-Wade, I assume you're simply making a joke.
statistically and physical talent wise, yes. Taking into account the intangibles like drive and will to win? no. That's the point of the thread.
It compares favorably. LeBron's MVP campaign could be stilted - TrueHoop Blog - ESPN In describing LeBron James' season, “great” might not even begin to do it justice. If the season ended today, his PER (player efficiency rating) of 32.6 would be the best in NBA history, surpassing Wilt Chamberlain’s 1961-62 and 1962-63 seasons. Highest Single-Season PER NBA History PER 1962-63 Wilt Chamberlain 31.8 1961-62 Wilt Chamberlain 31.8 2008-09 LeBron James 31.7 1987-88 Michael Jordan 31.7 >>LeBron James: 32.8 PER this season Just how good has James been? Kevin Durant is currently second in the NBA in PER at 27.4. The difference between James and Durant is about the same as the difference between Durant and Tony Parker, who ranks 16th in the category. Going strictly by PER, the difference between first and second this season is the same as the difference between the 16th and 66th. You get the idea. With that in mind and with the Heat on a roll, you would think James would be a slam dunk for the MVP award. Apparently not. Chris Broussard isn’t alone in his statement that his vote would currently go to Kevin Durant. Which begs the question: If LeBron James does NOT win the MVP award, will it be the greatest non-MVP season in NBA history? Here are some other contenders. • 1961-62 Wilt Chamberlain - 50.4 PPG, 25.7 RPG Chamberlain put up video game numbers (even for him), averaging more than 50 points and 25 rebounds per game. His PER of 31.8 remains tied alongside his ’62-63 season for the best in NBA history. He had more 50-point games that season (45) than Michael Jordan had for his career (31). • 1961-62 Oscar Robertson – 30.8 PPG, 12.5 RPG, 11.4 APG That same season, Robertson lost out on the MVP (Bill Russell won the award, by the way) despite becoming the only player ever to average a triple double. Chamberlain, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Fat Lever and Jason Kidd are the only players in NBA history with as many CAREER triple-doubles as the Big O had that season alone (41). • 1988-89 Michael Jordan – 32.5 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 8.0 APG Jordan joined Robertson as the only players in NBA history to average at least 30 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists per game. It was arguably his most efficient season, as he also set a career-high for FG pct (53.8 pct).
I read the thread. I'm responding in sequence. Your post was a waste of otherwise fine electrons. Kobe Bryant better than Lebron James? This year?
Co-sign. And the Celtics series as well. Lebron dominated those two series on both ends of the floor. Yes, he shrinked against the Mavs. That doesn't result in a conclusion that Wade is a better player. This thread is over the top.
You basically just made the statement that everyone else was making, but did so in a way that insinuated an argument. Unless you are going to try to claim James does possess those intangibles?
There is a lot of "conventional wisdom" getting tossed around in this thread. The thing about "conventional wisdom" is that it is often wrong. The truth about Kobe Bryant in crunch time - TrueHoop Blog - ESPN
You wrote the words "taking into account", but you pretty clearly don't know what they mean. For Wade or Kobe to be considered the best players in basketball, their intangibles would have to be such that they could simply flash their junk at the end of the game -- not even the whole thing, but just the tip, and just for a second -- and the opposing defense would part like the Red Sea. I am not aware of any evidence indicating that either player has the ability to simply flash his junk at the end of the game -- and not even the whole thing, but just the tip, and just for a second -- in a manner that causes the opposing defense to part like the Red Sea. And so Lebron James, taking into account all factors, is the best player in basketball.
