The Indy Talks To Himself (NBA) Thread.

You don't think Indy's "there's zero argument for anyone other than LeBron" determinations are pretty presumptuous? Of course there are arguments. It's a subjective title.

I saw both play. There would be arguments.

 

I’m actually laughing at you and your weak attempts to discount Bron’s accomplishments. Imagine thinking Bron got lucky dodging the team who lost in a 7 game series to the team the Lakers are up 2-0 on. What happens when the Lakers sweep the Nuggets? Are they still lucky the Clippers lost?

 

The funniest part, for me, is that this is only his fourth title, he hasn’t even won it yet, and people are already reacting this way. Imagine what it will be like after he wins it... or after he gets number 5. Meltdowns galore.

 

Dude, only you are putting up these multiple posts with lengthy responses. Who is melting down? I pointed out how it's opening up for the Lakers, like it does for a team in the NCAA tournament with a few upsets. You are the one going on this binge on people daring to say this is lucky. I say it's opening up and you prove my point on your infatuation with the furious responses and extrapolations to defend the honor of Sir LeBron.

 

Are you going to talk about me and what I’m doing in every single post? Why are you so focused on what I’m doing? Just discuss the topic.

You’re incapable of giving the man his credit. His team is 10-2 in the playoffs despite playing the best 8 seed ever with the hottest player in the bubble, the 2nd best team in the West, who had 2 MVP’s, and now the team that knocked off the Clippers. Your response? “He sucked in the fourth. Caruso and Rondo are playing lights out. Denver doesn’t belong. The Clippers and Bucks got upset. Celtics don’t have the mentality to beat them.”

Is that 5 excuses in one post? Plus ssmiff’s stupid comment. And then all the other people outside of this forum making excuses. People just can’t stand to see him win or admit when he’s amazing.

He’s averaging 25.5, 10, and 9 in the playoffs on 55%/36% shooting, and that’s all despite playing only 34 minutes a night. Imagine if they upped his usage to the 42 minutes he saw on average in the playoffs two years ago. Nothing is “opening up.” He’s just still the best player in the world on the best team in basketball, moving closer and closer to winning his 4th title with his 3rd team. And he’d be doing that regardless of which teams were in his way because he’s just better at basketball.

 

He's the 2nd best player who has ever played, as I've stated. I think I've given him worthwhile credit as that's seriously high praise. I have no [uck fay]ing idea why you take this so damn personal regarding me not to sit here and write a five paragraph testimonial of the greatness of LeBron where I fawn all over him being the greatest and bestest everything in basketball history.

But, the fact he was pretty awful in the 4th quarter and the Lakers still won kind of harkens back to your criticism of Giannis when his teammates rallied to win game 4, compelling you to write multiple unprompted posts noting such a phenomenon. Is this the result of his team being better than you suggest? And, the Bucks and Clippers being noticeably off or worse in the bubble than they had been in the regular season is a fact and beneficial to the Lakers, without question. You were opining this was to be the most amazing ever gauntlet of teams the Lakers were about to face, but it hasn't been as remarkable as you once stated.

All these things can be true and LeBron still a great player.

 

This may be the biggest man ctush ive ever seen. "I dont love lebrom.." in the middle of 25 posts about his greatness.
If Lebron wasnt such a drama queen flopper, some would think more of him.
And btw, Caruso can play. Really good player in college. I assume you think because hes bald and white that he cant, yet he plays over the former higher rated recruits on the bench. Because he is a good player. Not because hes a hack.
And as for my "stupid comment" in regards to Lebron. Ask other sports people what they like and dont like about lebron and learn for youself. My comment is only "stupid" because you dont like it and act like a butthurt baby when people dont kiss your heros ass as much as you.
Lebron isnt the goat and never will be, no matter how hard you try. Never.

 

wild haymaker on Caruso here, failing to connect. I haven't seen him get any criticism, he seems to be a highly complimentary player to such an otherwise big team. great change of pace from when James takes it up the court. And I've never heard baldness being a knock on a basketball player. this isn't Hollywood.

 

Caruso has always been a good player. Can handle, score, elevate and defend.
Is the follpwing from indy a compliment or criticism?
"This Lakers team give minutes to Alex [uck fay]ing Caruso"..

 

I think all he meant was this isn't a team of all stars

 

They have plenty of talent and multiple multiyear all stars on the roster. Caruso can play and much of what he does, viewers who just watch the ball go thru the net, can't see. I'd venture to guess his +/- is best on the team, so if he's pulling that while d'ing up, to complain about him getting minutes and not being a good pro player is just ignorance. Some people see the game. Some don't.

 

according to nba.com he is tied for 4th on the team on +/- with Danny Green

 

Googled his name and this was first article. It mentions his pts differential vs competition in 100 possessions being best on the team ahead of lebron and davis.
https://news.yahoo.com/why-alex-caruso-indispensable-part-054831173.html

 

You're so concerned with how much I'm writing, as if typing out a short paragraph takes a massive amount of time or something. It's getting weird.

Him being awful in the 4th means a lot more if he didn't have 20 pts at halftime on 80% shooting from the field and 100% shooting from 3. That's the thing about basketball - there are two halves, and you can play amazingly in one and not so great in the other. LeBron's stellar first half put them in position to win the game, even if he didn't close out as well as usual. And let's not sit here and pretend that just because he struggled offensively, he wasn't making a positive impact elsewhere. He was getting board after board down the stretch and still facilitating for teammates. And he always has a defensive presence that keeps people uneasy.

The Bucks missed the finals again, same as last year. What was "off" about them? Miami shut them down, same as they had during the season. A lot of people were predicting that. The Clippers were wildly inconsistent and struggled to close out games late. They never built a true chemistry prior to the playoffs because they never focused on playing everyone together as a unit. What about that is different from what we've seen all season? Both the Bucks and the Clippers proved they were exactly who a number of people thought they were all season.

From a narrative perspective, yeah, it could have been an amazing gauntlet. Beating the Blazers, Rockets, Clippers, and Bucks would have been the best "story" for LeBron, but it shouldn't take anything away from his accomplishment if the Bucks and Clippers lose early. This isn't the NCAA tournament, where a better team can have an off night and get knocked out by Cinderella. A 7 game series usually finds the best team, and in this case, the Nuggets and Heat were the better teams (the latter by some margin). A the Lakers will likely beat either/both of them with relative ease.

 

Comments like this should eliminate your opinion from the conversation. You're not looking at the facts with an open mind. You're an old dude stuck in what he believes.

 

Or maybe im a dude who's been watching ball since the 70s, has a natl champ during 5 years of coaching some of the best HS players and future pros in the country.
Talk about needing to eliminate people for judgement. I dont value your decision making and judgement on much of anything. You dont see much other than stat line and ball thru the net.

 

You're right dude. If only ANY team had "seen the game" and [uck fay]ing drafted the guy, he wouldn't have had to work his way into the league via the summer league. Funny how every single team struggled to "see the game" and pick him up. And it's also crazy how the 76ers still couldn't "see the game" after having him for the summer league, or the Thunder, after he signed with them but was later dropped.

And even after the Lakers finally "saw the game" and picked him up, it's crazy how he's still only started 13 games in 3 seasons and only managed 5, 2, and 2 a game this season. Any yet, he's averaging more minutes per game in the post season than Patrick Beverley and about as many as Lou [uck fay]ing Williams. Would you take Alex Caruso over Pat Bev or Lou Williams?

Caruso is a fine player and a GREAT fit for a LeBron led team. He's crafty, smart with the ball, and gives great effort. He's not a 29 minute guy in the Western Conference Finals, and he's not anywhere near as good as he is without LeBron facilitating.

And when you say they have multiple multiyear all stars on the roster, I think what you mean is they have a bunch of old vets with terrible personalities that no one else wanted. Funny how guys like Dwight Howard and Rajon Rondo couldn't find a team for 5 years and then magically gelled with the Lakers into a championship roster. It's almost as if the Lakers have something/someone that those other teams didn't, and that something/someone makes it easier for anyone to fit into a team.

 

you have a national championship from coaching basketball?

 

Now that you mention it, I DO remember you going nuts in here about all the teams passing up on Caruso in 2016. We all thought you were crazy for playing up the bald white guy, but it turns out you were just literally the only person on earth who "sees the game" in a way that allowed you to recognize his greatness so early.

 

Caruso is a fine player, especially for this team. He's the type of guy you can't help but love because his effort and intensity makes up for a lot of his shortcomings in actual ability.

No team in the league wants to give Alex Caruso 29 minutes in a Conference Finals game. Not a single one. There's a reason he went undrafted and then bounced to multiple summer league/development teams before finally getting picked up. There's a reason he wasn't included in the deal that saw the Lakers' young core move to New Orleans and AD to LA.

If only New Orleans had someone who could see the game like ssmiff, the Pelicans would have Caruso, and the Lakers would be stuck with Lonzo still running the point for them.