You don't even believe that.

Didn't need another FG because of his incredible GOAT level defense.

I would bet any amount of money right now that LeBron James never wins another NBA title.

You believe that.

I believe that as a Lakers fan.

They need a consistent presence at the 2 guard to even be back in the conversation to come out of the West. It's apparent that Russell ain't that guy and Kyrie hasn't been worth his baggage for almost a decade.

What kind of rabbit do you see them pulling out of a hat this off-season to get them past Denver or even Phoenix? To say nothing of the Bucks or Celtics out of the East.

It wouldn't take a ton to have them still in the conversation with the 76ers, Clippers, Warriors or Grizzlies, but that looks like a clear tier 2 to me and I'm not seeing a move that vaults them into tier 1.

Moreover, James is going to have to 'pace' even more in the post-season than he did this season. And Davis isn't getting any younger, nor will he be likely to become more durable or consistently engaged as he enters his 30s.

You had them pegged as the worst team in basketball a mere 10 weeks ago. A team that should've just folded up their tents and gone home. A squad you mocked for 'mortgaging their future' after they moved a 1st rounder to turn Westbrook into an asset.

Now you're going to try to argue that they have another title in the tank?

No, you don't believe that for a second.

I don't necessarily believe it will happen with LA, but LeBron can play for as long as he wants to and likely will do so for many years to come (he's not retiring next year, that's a ploy to get Kyrie). There's very little stopping him from winning a title as a #2 or #3 option on a different or better team that the current LA Lakers.

Brady jumped on board a completely stacked Bucs team at the end of his career to win one more. What's stopping LeBron from doing the same?

bronny LMAO

lebron's ego will get in the way of him going to some stacked team that has no shot at drafting bronny

LeBron could also try to buy an expansion team (Vegas) in a few years and then also be an owner/player in his 40s. The possibilities are endless.

GOAT stuff, you know.

btw Brady may be an owner/player for Vegas this year too

Another thing that won't happen.

I'm sure he's won at least 20 titles in a row on your 2k franchise, though.

Ah. So you've lost your mind. Cool - that makes this all a bit more straightforward.

I mean I figured I'd at least get "Hey, maybe Fred VanVleet forces his way out of Toronto as part of a 3-team deal with...blah blah blah"

But no, you're going with "he's gonna opt out in a year and go ring chasing at 40 years old with...someone"

Yeah, because James, if he's demonstrated anything in his 20 years in the league, has demonstrated a savvy eye for championship caliber roster building and a willingness to set his ego aside.

It's only fitting for Lebron to finish his career in China playing for the Shanghai Sweatshops.

On the contrary, LeBron has demonstrated plenty of times his willingness to jump ship for another franchise with better championship hopes. There's no reason to think that will stop if he chooses to play in his 40s.

Be pretty awkward playing Robin to Dylan Brooks' Batman out there, but he'll figure it out.

#Fauxtstuff

The last NBA video game I played was NBA Live 2005.

KC_Infection: LeBron won four titles in the NBA and three in China, Jordan couldn't win once outside the US, clearly NOT the GOAT.

so you broke your controller in a fit of rage when you were so bad at the video game even jacking up lebron's ratings to 99 couldn't get you a ring

I could see Lebron go play in GS with Curry. He said he was the one player he would love to play with.

I did once throw a controller, but that was a result of NFL Blitz for the N64 as I recall.

That would work. Curry could dominate for the first 3.5 quarters and then LeBron could take over at the end in clutch time.

Well at least at that point Curry would have ONE title you would view as legitimate...

That would probably make him feel better about himself.

For the love of christ, can we just ban the next person who blabbers on about LeBron for no reason. Hes out of the playoffs. Get over it. Its the NBA thread, not the LeBron James thread FFS

They are obsessed with destroying him. Every day it is something else.

And have no field goals in the final 4 minutes like he did in Game 7 vs the Warriors????

I'm pretty sure KCC got banned from an NBA thread before for the same shit and had to start a new thread ball wash his boo in.

Yeah, that definitely never happened. More lies being spewed here.

Don't need field goals if you don't let the other team score.

How 'bout them Cowboys...

That was for calling Donald Trump an idiot (in a thread that had become completely embroiled in political discussion by everyone else during the NBA bubble potential strike, including those who didn't give a shit about the NBA and were only using it to further their own political arguments). Had nothing to do with LeBron.

LMAO. I remember the ban but couldn't remember why. Given 95% of your post are LeBron related I made an educated guess.

Anyone think BOS has a chance to get back in this thing? They looked pretty good in the highlights I saw earlier, but was that an outlier performance or can they repeat that?

From a basketball perspective, there's no reason they can't. But the reason they fell behind 3-0 (no heart, no effort) will probably crop back up before its over.

Yeah, kind of what I've been hearing from people here that actually watch the NBA. Wondered if it was worth putting something on it is all.

Yesh they got to the pinnacle of basketball. On the brink of the NBA Finals and they just stopped trying. Thats exactly what happened. :rolleyes:

While I am no fan of KC_LEBRONIE I do agree with him at times and in this case I back him.

Teams quitting or more appropriately worded, showing a lack of effort - it can happen. Some teams are so talented they don't have to put as much effort as others so then when things get tough - they quit. This is clearly the case with the Celtics and there are plenty of other examples of extremely talented playoff teams doing the same.

I'm guessing somebody didn't actually watch game 3 of this series. The Heat gave them a bit of adversity and they literally quit on court halfway through the game.

https://i.imgur.com/MxgmFy9.gif

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Sources: The NBA’s Competition Committee is discussing potential of in-game penalty for flops that would result in technical foul free throw. Trial is possible at Summer League in July.</p>&mdash; Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1661763790390820865?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 25, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Jokic is in massive trouble now.

Let's do it. I know KCC would be ecstatic and Steph and Lebron would each get their 5th title. Everybody is happy well except their opponents. :)

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">&quot;The Warriors starting lineup would be Steph, Klay, LeBron, Draymond &amp; Looney, with Wiggins and GP2 off the bench. That team wins the title.&quot;<br><br>- Nick Wright <br><br>(Via <a href="https://twitter.com/FTFonFS1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FTFonFS1</a> ) <a href="https://t.co/hxl2Q4qrQz">pic.twitter.com/hxl2Q4qrQz</a></p>&mdash; NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheNBACentral/status/1661520837902585858?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 24, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

That would RUIN BASKETBALL!!!

I would prefer LeBron and Curry joined up elsewhere away from that disgraceful organization, but that would be acceptable.

It definitely would lol. It would be fun to watch though

Yes!

I would need more information on how this would work. Guys are getting really good at selling things and it is hard for officials to tell.

I dont think the math works out for that trade with the new cba. Warriors would only be able to take back 110% of outgoing salary, LeBron is over that on those 3. So while it's pointless to talk about anyway, it's also not feasible.

That only happens when LeBron is not involved.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">BREAKING: LeBron James played through the entire 2023 playoffs with a torn tendon in his foot -- surgery may be need this off-season.<br><br>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ShamsCharania</a>) <a href="https://t.co/5MxEKxFNlu">pic.twitter.com/5MxEKxFNlu</a></p>&mdash; Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) <a href="https://twitter.com/LegionHoops/status/1661788324930138112?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 25, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Hardly a surprise. He fought through a serious injury to help his team the past few months and still managed to average a 30 point triple double.

GOAT stuff.

Why would any team voluntarily throw themselves in FRONT of the Jordan Poole's Contract bullet?

And I'm not completely convinced Moses Moody even belongs in the NBA.

Kuminga is about the only piece in that deal that has any value at all. That's not the sort of deal the Lakers would EVER make. They star-chase to keep the attention of the LA sports scene. They ain't trading a marquee player for a contractual liability, a scratch-off ticket and a never was.

Another nail in the coffin.

Goodbye, LeBron. You are now irrelevant.

I didn't think he had any triple doubles this past postseason.

We round up. 6/6/6 now counts.

Splitting hairs, are we? He averaged 27.8, 9.5 and 10.0 in the series. On a torn tendon in his foot. In year 20.

If LeBron was looking to stat pad, he could have easily looked to get the extra rebound or assist he needed in any one of those games but his goal was solely to win.

LEGEND

which episode of "The Last Sweep" will this be mentioned in?

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The funniest part about Kwame Brown’s comments is that LeBron has literally hit the most clutch shots in history. <a href="https://t.co/TK37xCOLvF">pic.twitter.com/TK37xCOLvF</a></p>&mdash; LeBron History 🏀 (@bronhistory) <a href="https://twitter.com/bronhistory/status/1661579399303663617?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 25, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

So clutch. Such GOATness.

Uh oh the Heat might really be in trouble.

Celtics squad playing up to potential is by far the best finals match up

Winless while he stat whored

The Celtics are both vastly more talented than the team they fell behind 3-0 to and also have home advantage. Both are almost always not true for a team that has fallen behind 3-0.

They could definitely do this.

Three,three,three. So much fun to watch. Another three.

Heat will be feeling major pressure in Game 6. This is essentially a 1 game series now. If the Heat don’t win in 6, Celtics will win in 7.

Imagine the Warriors were still in it. Thankfully LeBron did the job.

I don't think there's much the Heat can do if the Celtics play at a decent level. Of course, they didn't do that for the first 3 games.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Waiting for B/R to post a pic of Jimmy Butler doing nothing and captioning it like he&#39;s got a plan for Game 6.</p>&mdash; Barry (@BarryOnHere) <a href="https://twitter.com/BarryOnHere/status/1661923800600936449?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 26, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

I remember the days when he was being compared to MJ. Three days ago.

I like watching Jimmy Buckets a lot. But he doesn't have the most talented team. Clock was going to strike midnight eventually...

The Celtics are a problem when they actually play defense.

They're much bigger than Miami and their length caused the Heat problems these last two games. They're closing on shooters and swarming ball handlers like there's no tomorrow.

Another blowout. Incredible. That's what you get in this era of chucking 50 three pointers a game. Big margins. Boring games.

If you're the Nuggets, you're absolutely rooting for the Heat to win game 6.

Nothing like getting a significantly weaker team that was lucky to survive.

Not sure about that. Denver played 15 games. If Boston wins, they will enter the Finals playing 20 games. That's a BIG difference. Boston was gassed last year as the Finals progressed and the games played advantage was much less than this Finals would be.

Denver beats the Heat in 4 or 5 games.

A series with Boston would be completely up in the air.

we haven't seen that dude in years, man, get off it ROFL

There are 17 days from game 1 to game 7 in the Finals. In other words, more rest in between games. You take the weaker team that almost choked away a 3-0 series lead 10 times out of 10.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1Ii8WtZfvmw" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>

looked like he almost broke a hip getting to the bucket LMAO

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">There it is. <a href="https://t.co/zRjIThxyST">https://t.co/zRjIThxyST</a></p>&mdash; Barry (@BarryOnHere) <a href="https://twitter.com/BarryOnHere/status/1661934582919208961?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 26, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Cowherds take is Wiggins, Poole and kuminga for LeBron. The math works on that one. And while I don't believe your take that moody isn't worthy to be an nba player, Wiggins is obviously a vastly superior player.

When Boston is on Miami can't beat them. They are still a longshot to win IMO but at least they didn't go down like punks.

Miami can’t let this happen. I don’t want that city or state to experience any more success.

Taking on Poole is the biggest problem in the whole thing, though.

Wiggins would make it a bit more interesting, though.

You're essentially getting Kuminga to offset the Poole contractual liability. Taking Poole and Kuminga for like a late 1st rounder would be an okay deal. Kuminga has more value than that but Poole takes some value off the table.

So if you do a little algebra and equate Poole/Kuminga as being worth roughly a late 1st, the deal becomes James for Wiggins and a late 1.

I mean it's not a GOOD deal, but it's a deal you might wanna make if you're the Lakers and trying to look to the future. But you're really banking on pulling a couple of cock-teases to their best level of play and that's a MASSIVE risk.

I mean just how confident can you be that Wiggins will be a guy who you can build around? I mean obviously Davis would be the focal point but you figure he's gonna miss 20 games. Can some sort of funky-ass small ball lineup with Wiggins, Poole and Russell accomplish anything at all?

Eh...probably not. And that's not a lineup that's going to be able to recruit any additional high-end talent.

I think you probably raise that team's floor a bit, but the ceiling is just so limited, IMO.

A 1-2-3-4 of Russell (PG), Poole (SG), Wiggins (SF), Davis (PF) is pretty interesting when they're healthy and productive, but my word, that's 4 of the streakiest and least consistent players in the entire NBA. One of the biggest issues with that team, though, is that it's gonna be awfully hard to give a bigger role to Reaves unless you really commit to small ball.

So then you go with 1-2-3-4-5 of Russell, Reaves, Poole at SF, Wiggins at PF and Davis at C. Poole is no sort of SF though so it's really just a straight 3-guard lineup with an undersized PF in Wiggins. Now in the post-season that might be kinda feisty if those guys are playing well because Davis can erase a lot of defensive issues by turning his defensive effort up to 11. But that's gonna be a loooooooong regular season defensively.

Miami losing the dog mentality.

Boston really took it personal when the media started talking about how they quit in game 3.