**2014 Official NBA Playoffs Thread**

[-King-]

Round 1:

EAST:

#8 Hawks @ #1 Pacers
#7 Bobcats @ #2 Heat
#6 Nets @ #3 Raptors
#5 Wizards @ #4 Bulls

WEST:
#8 Mavericks @ #1 Spurs
#7 Grizzlies @ #2 Thunder
#6 Warriors @ #3 Clippers
#5 Blazers @ #4 Rockets

[KC_Connection]

Originally Posted by ChiefsCountry

Well he thought Rose and Noah would be shit to play with for one.

All these fans buy LeBron jerseys in an instant if he bolts for Chicago this summer, though.

[BeeHo]

Originally Posted by KC_Connection

The fact that you would phrase it as Ray Allen "bailing out" LeBron when he was the best player in the series by far tells me all I need to know. Well that and the fact that you're a Bulls fan who has a vested interest in maintaining MJ's legacy and have already said you actively root against LeBron as a result of that interest.

But isn't that what happened?

My memory says that in the last seconds of regulation game 6 Lebron bricks a 3 point attempt which is then rebounded by Bosh (for some reason Duncan was on the bench??) and dished to Ray Allen for the miraculous 3 point tie.

yea. Ray Allen saved the Heat: watch?v=tr6XsZVb-ZE

[staylor26]

Nobody is saying Lebron isn't the best player in the league. Nobody is saying he isn't one of the best ever. Nobody is saying he isn't the most freakishly athletic player they've ever seen. But everybody knows we measure the best of the best in sports by how they play in the postseason and in championship games.

[KC_Connection]

Originally Posted by dirk digler

I just told you he was a better defender, better FT shooter etc. MJ was a 2x Defensive Player of the Year, Lebron hasn't one yet.

If you look at DRtg, LeBron is actually the slightly better defender over his career (so I don't quite get how you can definitively make that statement). FT shooting, sure, but that's an aspect of scoring. I could just as easily say LeBron is the better 3 PT shooter (which he's evolved into) and it would mean just as much as that.

[KC_Connection]

Originally Posted by staylor26

Nobody is saying Lebron isn't the best player in the league. Nobody is saying he isn't one of the best ever. Nobody is saying he isn't the most freakishly athletic player they've ever seen. But everybody knows we measure the best of the best in sports by how they play in the postseason and in championship games.

LeBron has 30 career postseason games with 30+ Pts & 10+ Reb. That's twice as many as Jordan had (15). He's also had 73 postseason games with 25 Pts/5 Reb/5 Ast, which is already tied with Michael Jordan for the most ever. He's also the only player in NBA history to surpass 4000 career points, 1200 rebounds & 1000 assists in the postseason. But yeah, LeBron is just terrible in the playoffs.

[ohiobronco2]

LeBron is one of the best to every play. To compare him to Jordan at this time is foolish. One's body of work is finished and the others is not. Unfortunate for LeBron he lives in the era of social media and everyone knows of every little mistake he makes. Jordan has had plently of mistakes (gambling for starters), but they were not as widely reported and have been glossed over. It's simple, if James is smart, he will leave Miami. Their complementary stars are aging/overrated and the rest of the roster is simply not good enough. I want him back in Cleveland (for obvious reasons-great player, great storyline, good young roster), but is Kyrie, Waiters & Embiid good enough for him and good enough to get him the titles he covets?

[KC_Connection]

Originally Posted by BeeHo

But isn't that what happened?

My memory says that in the last seconds of regulation game 6 Lebron bricks a 3 point attempt which is then rebounded by Bosh (for some reason Duncan was on the bench??) and dished to Ray Allen for the miraculous 3 point tie.

yea. Ray Allen saved the Heat: watch?v=tr6XsZVb-ZE

Well, what actually happened is that LeBron's great play throughout the series was the only thing that put them in position for that Ray Allen three to even matter.

[BigCatDaddy]

Originally Posted by ohiobronco2

LeBron is one of the best to every play. To compare him to Jordan at this time is foolish. One's body of work is finished and the others is not. Unfortunate for LeBron he lives in the era of social media and everyone knows of every little mistake he makes. Jordan has had plently of mistakes (gambling for starters), but they were not as widely reported and have been glossed over. It's simple, if James is smart, he will leave Miami. Their complementary stars are aging/overrated and the rest of the roster is simply not good enough. I want him back in Cleveland (for obvious reasons-great player, great storyline, good young roster), but is Kyrie, Waiters & Embiid good enough for him and good enough to get him the titles he covets?

I can't see how he can leave Miami and ever be taken seriously. A star in his prime jumping from team to team chasing titles is death to ones legacy. He would be the butt of jokes(even more so than already) for the rest of his life. He has to stay in Miami and take his medicine.

I also think it's funny that his supporting cast is blamed when HE is the one that choose to play with that supporting cast

[ohiobronco2]

Originally Posted by BigCatDaddy

I can't see how he can leave Miami and ever be taken seriously. A star in his prime jumping from team to team chasing titles is death to ones legacy. He would be the butt of jokes(even more so than already) for the rest of his life. He has to stay in Miami and take his medicine.

I also think it's funny that his supporting cast is blamed when HE is the one that choose to play with that supporting cast

I understand what you are saying. I think Cleveland is one of the few outs he has because people will gloss over this because he will be returning to the team that drafted him in an attempt to bring a title to a town that is in desperate need of one. I think he would immediately go from villian to hero. True about the supporting cast, they should be good enough to win, just shows you how great the Spurs are.

[KC_Connection]

Originally Posted by BigCatDaddy

I can't see how he can leave Miami and ever be taken seriously. A star in his prime jumping from team to team chasing titles is death to ones legacy. He would be the butt of jokes(even more so than already) for the rest of his life. He has to stay in Miami and take his medicine.

I also think it's funny that his supporting cast is blamed when HE is the one that choose to play with that supporting cast

Somehow I doubt he cares what a bunch of people who will hate him no matter what he does think of him.

If he cares about winning at all and there's a better chance for a title elsewhere, he should obviously take it. It's not even a question.

[staylor26]

Originally Posted by BigCatDaddy

I can't see how he can leave Miami and ever be taken seriously. A star in his prime jumping from team to team chasing titles is death to ones legacy. He would be the butt of jokes(even more so than already) for the rest of his life. He has to stay in Miami and take his medicine.

I also think it's funny that his supporting cast is blamed when HE is the one that choose to play with that supporting cast

It's a joke. Making excuses. The theme of Lebrons legacy.

[dirk digler]

Originally Posted by KC_Connection

If you look at DRtg, LeBron is actually the slightly better defender over his career (so I don't quite get how you can definitively make that statement). FT shooting, sure, but that's an aspect of scoring. I could just as easily say LeBron is the better 3 PT shooter (which he's evolved into) and it would mean just as much as that.

Fair enough but his ratings\averages are coming in his prime they will decrease as he gets older. MJ is consider if one if not the best defender as a guard in NBA history.

I will just throw this in here because I think what he says is true. Not a knock on Lebron or Kobe but the truth.

Back in April, longtime NBA trainer Tim Grover, who has worked for years with both Jordan and Bryant, told SI.com that comparing Jordan to anyone besides legendary Celtics center Bill Russell would be a mistake.

“Michael Jordan was six-for-six in Finals, never lost a Finals, never needed a Game 7 to do that,” Grover said. “Just by saying that alone, that puts him in a category I don’t think anybody else is in, except maybe a Bill Russell. Other than that, I don’t know if you can really put [Jordan] in the same category [with anybody].

“I think what [James] should do, instead of worrying about where Mike was at, he should be trying to get to the accolades, get to the Finals, as many times as Kobe had. … I think the comparison [for James] should be more toward a current player he’s playing against now because of what Michael already did, and LeBron, in the early part of his career, faltered two times in the Finals. I think that [the Jordan/James] comparison can’t be made, just from that alone.”

[BeeHo]

Originally Posted by KC_Connection

Well, what actually happened is that LeBron's great play throughout the series was the only thing that put them in position for that Ray Allen three to even matter.

Wait. If Ray Allen doesn't make that 3, it's OVER. It's the Spurs missing 2 or 3 critical free throws and sitting Tim Duncan that allowed Bosh to rebound Lebron's 3 point brick that put Ray Allen in the position to tie the game.....

Tell me otherwise cause my memory could be wrong.

[ChiefsCountry]

That first Finals for LeBron should be treated the same way Hakeem's was in 1986 IMO. Shouldn't really matter in your legacy scheme.

[BigCatDaddy]

Originally Posted by dirk digler

Fair enough but his ratings\averages are coming in his prime they will decrease as he gets older. MJ is consider if one if not the best defender as a guard in NBA history.

I will just throw this in here because I think what he says is true. Not a knock on Lebron or Kobe but the truth.

The thing with Jordan was it felt like he was always fighting wars on the basketball court. The Pistons, Knicks, Jazz. There was an emotional element to his game that seems to be lacking for whatever reason with guys like Lebron. I can't really put my finger on it.