Its June 2012, before the series ends.................

[Kitaman]

can bball fans state why they still 'hate' or 'dislike' Lebron James? Last night I witnessed a man (no longer a child) will his team to victory, including playing hurt. He is not a prima donna or selfish by any means. He is proving that he is the best of the best and takes on the opponents best player irregardless of position. I once fell into the dislike category but now for me its unwarranted. The kid is flat out good! Its his stage now as was MJ's.

So again why is the hate still lingering so many years, and at the prime of his career?

 

[HuskyBballFan]

The Decision. If that hadn't happened, his public perception would be a lot different.

 

[8893]

I don't hate him, but I do hate the use of "irregardless."

I am glad all his fans are going to have their "a ha" moment. The only thing more annoying than the LeBron "hate" imo is the number of people lining up to say "I told you so," as if even those who aren't fans hadn't appreciated his talent. I hope the Heat seal this thing so we don't have to hear the "poor, disrespected LeBron" storyline any more. And it's sooo cute that he now has his MJ "playing hurt" moment too.

Chalmers was the hero last night, btw.

 

[suzyq]

can bball fans state why they still 'hate' or 'dislike' Lebron James? Last night I witnessed a man (no longer a child) will his team to victory, including playing hurt. He is not a prima donna or selfish by any means. He is proving that he is the best of the best and takes on the opponents best player irregardless of position. I once fell into the dislike category but now for me its unwarranted. The kid is flat out good! Its his stage now as was MJ's.

So again why is the hate still lingering so many years, and at the prime of his career?

"Not one, not two, not three..." To his credit I believe he has some regrets about that little display of hubris, but I can't get it out of m head. having said that He's a hell of a ball player. I hate Kobe too, but you've got to respect the talent.

 

[RayRay19]

"Not one, not two, not three..." To his credit I believe he has some regrets about that little display of hubris, but I can't get it out of m head. having said that He's a hell of a ball player. I hate Kobe too, but you've got to respect the talent.

I think he started at...not 5...not 6...not 7....lol

One ship will get the critics off his back for a while. If the thunder can keep the core together, they will only get better and will be running the nba for the next few years in my mind. Harden needs to step up...he is playing horrible.

I'm happy both ways, if durant wins one, thats awesome, if lebron wins one, hopefully people get off his back.

 

[caw]

can bball fans state why they still 'hate' or 'dislike' Lebron James? Last night I witnessed a man (no longer a child) will his team to victory, including playing hurt. He is not a prima donna or selfish by any means. He is proving that he is the best of the best and takes on the opponents best player irregardless of position. I once fell into the dislike category but now for me its unwarranted. The kid is flat out good! Its his stage now as was MJ's.

So again why is the hate still lingering so many years, and at the prime of his career?

I'm not a hater, but I don't have to like him. He is a fantastic player, that is unquestionable. He is probably the most talented, athletic basketball player in a long time (if ever).

He is also a bit unlikable.

1. The decision show was in extremely poor taste (what his marketing people/agent were thinking is beyond me).
2. The fact he left Cleveland to join up with two other All-Stars is also a bit off-putting. The organic nature of the Thunder is one reason they are so likable.
3. The Miami Heat big 3 intro was borderline silly (the guy guaranteed 7+ championships before the team played a game)
4. He (as with many stars) just whines a ton on the court. Many players would be T'd up for what he gets away with. This is nothing new, but it does not help his image.
5. He is a prima donna. He may be a facilitator on the team and a team player but he is still a prima donna. They are not mutually exclusive.
6. (Prior to this year) He has never quite lived up to the hype. Don't get me wrong, he is a fantastic basketball player but he never seemed to get better. That is my biggest issue with him. He has this enormous amount of talent and it seems he could/should be much better than he is. His shooting percentages especially are disappointing (again prior to this year).
7. All that said and he is still a great basketball player and seems to be a decent person.

Finally, I wouldn't put him near MJ. He has a long way to go to reach MJ as a player. The amazing thing about MJ was how he retooled his game when he was past his prime. The post game MJ had after coming back was simply amazing.

 

[Palatine]

The NBA is a joke, the officials took two games from the Thunder. James fouled at the end of game two and it was ignored because it was James.

I could be a superstar in the NBA if the refs protected me like they protect James.

The NBA has more in common with wrestling than with baseball or football.

 

[JaYnYcE]

He plays for the Miami Heat, a long time rival of the Knicks dating back to the Mourning/Ewing days.

 

[JaYnYcE]

The NBA is a joke, the officials took two games from the Thunder. James fouled at the end of game two and it was ignored because it was James.

I could be a superstar in the NBA if the refs protected me like they protect James.

The NBA has more in common with wrestling than with baseball or football.

It does look like it. They choose when they're going to let the players play and when they're going to use their whistle. The Heat are good, but my God do they get a majority of the whistles this post season.

Rondo was robbed in game 2!!! Boston should be in the finals right now!

 

[4UConn]

The NBA is a joke, the officials took two games from the Thunder. James fouled at the end of game two and it was ignored because it was James.

I could be a superstar in the NBA if the refs protected me like they protect James.

The NBA has more in common with wrestling than with baseball or football.

Agree. The refereeing in the NBA is just abysmal. If it's not intended it certainly is capricious. The thought occurred to me last night that Durant is getting the "Paul Pierce" treatment from the refs (superstars that don't get superstar treatment from the refs).

 

[babysheep]

We've been over the alleged overall lack of disparity in foul calls. That assertion has been brought up several times and has been rebuked.

People don't hate on LeBron because of The Decision. They use it and other stuff he did as excuses to hate him because they're losers. I find it amazing that people who bring that up must still think that LeBron stands behind the way he handled his move and regrets nothing (he probably won't say so publicly because then he would catch flak about going back over what he said). Dude obviously knows that he mishandled things. His behavior this season has been phenomenal, and it shows real change. Maybe he needed to choke and lose in the finals and deal with all the drama, because he's come out of it and it seems like he really has changed, and is about to win a title, but now that he has made that turn in life and is a better person, you have to forgive and forget how he handled everything a couple years ago.

If you still cling to the decision as an excuse to hate on him, grow up. Seems like LBJ is the only one who has actually done some of that since he lost in the Finals. You're like diet Skip Bayless, who makes himself into a fool on national TV while he criticizes LeBron for not making jump shots even though he's still 46%+ from the field.

 

[JaYnYcE]

Skip Bayless is the MAN! Only guy on ESPN that I can stand to listen to besides Stephen A.

 

[babysheep]

Skip Bayless is the MAN!

Okay, now we all know you're just trolling us. Few humans other than Skip Bayless would say that Skip Bayless is "the MAN."

 

[Scoe]

Im a Knicks fan and I hate the heat but I dont hate Lebron. I cant stand Dwayne Wade, I like Lebron and will be happy for him when he wins his ring. Lebron just looks like he has matured alot in his demeanor, he has been on twitter less, he admitted "the decision" he regrets, it looks he saw a sports psychologist after last years finals.

Skip Bayless has taken both sides so that way he is always right no matter what. If/when the Heat win he will say D Wade carried the Heat and Lebron was robin, on the Thunder he likes bashing Russell Westbrook. He predicted the Thunder to win the series but was routing for the Heat lol. I do like listening to Skip Bayless and Stephen A.

 

[JaYnYcE]

You can't take him seriously, he's just funny to listen to. The back and forth between he and Stephen A is priceless.

 

[8893]

This shouldn’t be that hard for all the Bron Bron lovers to get through their heads, but for some reason they appear to be among the more obtuse people on the planet:

• It is possible to simultaneously appreciate a player’s superior talent AND not be a fan of him and/or his team. Even LeBron’s fans admit that there are a lot of things he should have handled better; and apparently he admits that now, too. Just because a lot of people are willing to look past that and root for him now does not mean that people who are not rooting for him are any less justified in their opinions. Being a sports fan, imo, includes harboring irrational dislike against certain players precisely because they are so talented (and cocky) and they play for a team that is the rival of the team for which you are a fan. It does not equal “hate,” and those who continue to equate the two look even pettier than those on whom they are trying to cast aspersions.
  
  
• It is also possible for the Heat to be playing better, harder, more determined and more experienced AND to simultaneously be benefitting from inconsistent officiating. That is my opinion, and I have also heard several NBA coaches, players and analysts saying precisely that. No one has rebuked the notion. It does not mean that everyone believes that the officiating has been the deciding factor; but most knowledgeable people who have been watching the playoffs have observed that the Heat have benefited significantly from inconsistency in the calls. They are exhibit A for why David Stern has stated that the NBA will address the flopping epidemic this off-season. To their credit, the Heat have made flopping an art form, and it is paying dividends.