OT: NBA Finals

[CallMeBruce]

If he does, I'll be sure to remind them.
For being a top candidate for "greatest athlete on the planet," the guy is remarkably humble.

No he's arrogant because... reasons.

I've stopped trying to defend LeBron to people who seem hell-bound to hate him. I've found that most of them are Boston sports fans, who are all deranged and come up with excuses to hate every player who is better than their players. But if you're going to hate a generational, all-time, pantheon-level talent like LeBron, what's the point of even being a sports fan? LeBron is among the players I'm most looking forward to telling my kids I saw play.

 

[Kembacity]

No he's arrogant because... reasons.

I've stopped trying to defend LeBron to people who seem hell-bound to hate him. I've found that most of them are Boston sports fans, who are all deranged and come up with excuses to hate every player who is better than their players. But if you're going to hate a generational, all-time, pantheon-level talent like LeBron, what's the point of even being a sports fan? LeBron is among the players I'm most looking forward to telling my kids I saw play.

#1 Thing to me that makes him difficult to respect is the flopping.

He has DEFINITELY toned it way down in that regard, but as recently as a couple of seasons back, he was by far the #1 star caliber player who was flopping, and he repeatedly doubled down on the claim that he HAD NEVER FLOPPED!

When you're going to flop on every play, and you're already getting the calls your way, and then have the nerve to come out and complain about people flopping as you plow through guys 50 lbs lighter and proceed to whine to the zebras for whistles, you deserve no ones respect

 

[CallMeBruce]

#1 Thing to me that makes him difficult to respect is the flopping.

He has DEFINITELY toned it way down in that regard, but as recently as a couple of seasons back, he was by far the #1 star caliber player who was flopping, and he repeatedly doubled down on the claim that he HAD NEVER FLOPPED!

When you're going to flop on every play, and you're already getting the calls your way, and then have the nerve to come out and complain about people flopping as you plow through guys 50 lbs lighter and proceed to whine to the zebras for whistles, you deserve no ones respect

Listen, I don't really care if you like him or not, so whatever you need to tell yourself to justify it, go ahead.

 

[TasteofUConn]

If the Cavs win game 4, they should rest LeBron and Delly for all of game 5.

 

[bear]

Listen, I don't really care if you like him or not, so whatever you need to tell yourself to justify it, go ahead.

I lump Lebron haters in with 9/11 conspiracy theorists and "we never landed on the moon" people.

 

[Matt1010]

If the Cavs win game 4, they should rest LeBron and Delly for all of game 5.

This is INSANE! That is absolutely never going to happen.

 

[FartMan69]

How can Clevelanders be considered "fair weather fans" when the weather hasn't been fair in 50 years? They deserve this

 

[Kembacity]

Listen, I don't really care if you like him or not, so whatever you need to tell yourself to justify it, go ahead.

Sure, and I don't care if.... just kidding, I literally can't understand how any sports fan can overlook the flopping and incessant denial that he has ever flopped. Very talented athlete and basketball player, so talented that the fact that he cuts corners and still has the audacity to whine about any little thing he can come up with drags him down down down as a "Superstar"

 

[Kitaman]

How can Clevelanders be considered "fair weather fans" when the weather hasn't been fair in 50 years? They deserve this

So true, many Clevelan fans have never experienced that Championship feeling!

According to wikipedia:

The Cleveland sports curse is an ongoing sports superstition involving the city of Cleveland, and all of its professional sports teams.

Cleveland has three major sports teams: the Browns of the National Football League, the Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association, and Major League Baseball's Indians. The city's teams have endured an unprecedented combined 156-season championship drought, having not won a title since 1964, when the Browns won the NFL Championship Game, two seasons prior to the first Super Bowl.

 

[Inyatkin]

Sure, and I don't care if.... just kidding, I literally can't understand how any sports fan can overlook the flopping and incessant denial that he has ever flopped. Very talented athlete and basketball player, so talented that the fact that he cuts corners and still has the audacity to whine about any little thing he can come up with drags him down down down as a "Superstar"

This is one of the worst defenses of anti-LeBronism I've ever heard. At least be mad about The Decision or something.

 

[bear]

Sure, and I don't care if.... just kidding, I literally can't understand how any sports fan can overlook the flopping and incessant denial that he has ever flopped. Very talented athlete and basketball player, so talented that the fact that he cuts corners and still has the audacity to whine about any little thing he can come up with drags him down down down as a "Superstar"

I don't know why I'm biting on this blithering nonsense but please explain how Lebron James cuts corners. Very interested to hear this.

 

[FeedTheDove]

the fact that he cuts corners and still has the audacity to whine about any little thing he can come up with drags him down down down as a "Superstar"

smfhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

 

[8893]

I hated The Decision and was especially bitter because of the way LeBron played the Knicks when there wasn't a chance in hell was going there.

And I thought at the time that going to Miami was a cop-out and a sign of weakness.

I now think I was dead wrong about him as a person and as a player. I am rooting for him and Cleveland.

 

[Scoe]

Sure, and I don't care if.... just kidding, I literally can't understand how any sports fan can overlook the flopping and incessant denial that he has ever flopped. Very talented athlete and basketball player, so talented that the fact that he cuts corners and still has the audacity to whine about any little thing he can come up with drags him down down down as a "Superstar"

Your doing quite a bit of whining yourself.

 

[Kembacity]

I don't know why I'm biting on this blithering nonsense but please explain how Lebron James cuts corners. Very interested to hear this.

Sorry to blither, but maybe 'cut corners' is the wrong phrase, its mainly the flopping. Superstars cant flop.

Can everyone who is so far up Lebrons rectum list for me all of the NBA superstars who flop, or let me say cheat instead. I think Harden plays like a dirtbag at times, but I'm not completely sure on flopping

If he wants to be the best, he should play like it. He should be above any sort of trickery and the flopping epidemic to me was a slap in the face of any basketball fans. Anyone who loves the game should want to see these guys getting paid obscene money respecting it, rather than treating the fact that its called by humans who are subject to human error as a loophole to get an edge any moment they think they can

So he flops, fine, whatever, but what set it over the top for me was his constant claims that he has never and will never flop. I don't like liars who lie for no reason. So I without a doubt respect his talent and unbelievable athleticism, but I strongly dislike the person underneath it all. I simply don't agree with the choices he makes off the court

 

[CallMeBruce]

Somebody never watched Jordan play, apparently.

 

[mets1090]

Disliking LeBron when he was 26 was understandable but anyone that continues to criticize him is either stuck in 2010 or just an ignorant basketball fan. So he sells a foul every now and then because at that moment it gives his team the best chance to win? Cry me a river. He's an unbelievable player with unbelievable drive and when it's all said and done I personally think he'll be known as the best ever.

p.s. I love that flopping isn't ok but getting away with pushing off on offense, clutching and grabbing on defense, etc. are all just part of the calls that you get as a superstar. What?

 

[Scoe]

Sorry to blither, but maybe 'cut corners' is the wrong phrase, its mainly the flopping. Superstars cant flop.

Can everyone who is so far up Lebrons rectum list for me all of the NBA superstars who flop, or let me say cheat instead. I think Harden plays like a dirtbag at times, but I'm not completely sure on flopping

If he wants to be the best, he should play like it. He should be above any sort of trickery and the flopping epidemic to me was a slap in the face of any basketball fans. Anyone who loves the game should want to see these guys getting paid obscene money respecting it, rather than treating the fact that its called by humans who are subject to human error as a loophole to get an edge any moment they think they can

So he flops, fine, whatever, but what set it over the top for me was his constant claims that he has never and will never flop. I don't like liars who lie for no reason. So I without a doubt respect his talent and unbelievable athleticism, but I strongly dislike the person underneath it all. I simply don't agree with the choices he makes off the court

You have it ingrained in your mind that you don't like Lebron so no matter what he does or says you think its wrong. In the heat of battle you have to things on the fly, I don't see him flopping like Harden but does he try to sell some calls sure what athlete doesn't thats gamesmanship, he doesn't get every call did you see the end of game 2. You talk about him making choiced off the court, what exactly has he done that you don't like is it "the decision".

 

[aceboon]

This was written early in the playoffs and you can see some of this stuff now being applied in this series. Jonathan Tjarks is one of the best bball writers around, his piece on Lamb's plight from a few months ago was also very good

http://patternofbasketball.blogspot.com/2015/04/beating-warriors.html?m=1

 

[Scoe]

Somebody never watched Jordan play, apparently.

I have watched both of them throughout their careers which is pretty awesome. MJ is the greatest, but I can still appreciate Lebrons greatness. I don't feel the need to be an MJ or Lebron dickrider I just appreciate greatness when I see it and I'm pretty lucky to have watched 2 once in a lifetime type players, I'm jealous that my grandfather was able to watch Babe Ruth followed later on Mickey Mantle.

 

[CallMeBruce]

I have watched both of them throughout their careers which is pretty awesome. MJ is the greatest, but I can still appreciate Lebrons greatness.

No, the point I'm making is that Jordan often sold fouls as well. I'm not comparing them as players.

 

[Scoe]

No, the point I'm making is that Jordan often sold fouls as well. I'm not comparing them as players.

Ok I see, MJ is a way bigger dick as a person then Lebron, and I do believe he cared more about his stats then Lebron. MJ might have absolutely lost it had he played on this team, with his personality.

 

[champs99and04]

How does nobody mention the fact that the two dudes in @Kembacity 's avatar constantly flopped and sold calls? Should we boycott them, too? LeBron flops but he's not sold on Harden? What? Harden's entire offensive game is predicated on drawing fouls. Ever watched Chris Paul play?

Hey, I'm not going to pretend that there aren't players I dislike for irrational reasons. Name a guy that went to Duke or Syracuse and I probably have a perfectly good reason to dislike them. Tyus Jones? Serial flopper. Kyrie Irving? Uh, he's kind of annoying, I guess. The bottom line is if you're predisposed to disliking somebody you're going to find a reason to dislike them. If you dislike LeBron, fine - I like him, but I'm also not his biggest fan. Just don't pretend that you dislike them for a particular reason when you put up with them with other players.

 

[James]

Ok I see, MJ is a way bigger dick as a person then Lebron, and I do believe he cared more about his stats then Lebron. MJ might have absolutely lost it had he played on this team, with his personality.

he would have punched dellavadova and joe harris multiple times in practice

 

[FeedTheDove]

I don't have a problem with people disliking LeBron. Not everyone has to like everyone else. What bothers me is when people try to justify their LeBron dislike with delusional and bullsh--- reasoning. "I hate LeBron because he flops for EVERY call and is a cheater!" ...What? Listen to yourself. It's fine if you don't like LeBron, but just say it - "I don't like LeBron James." Don't follow up with awful reasoning to try and justify it.