NBA 2010-2011 Season

[1/28/01]

[quote name='Ed_Reed20' timestamp='1307997012' post='696468']
Great article on LeBron by [i]NFL[/i] reporter Danny O'Neil.

[url="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/dannyoneil/2015308736_oneil14.html"]Link[/url]
[/quote]
Wow.....so his FG percentage was highest in the finals then compared to all others playoff series (Boston, Chicago etc)?

He just didn't want to shoot, I guess!

[Wacko4Zacko]

So 1998 draft Milwaukee Bucks traded their 9th overall pick to Mavs which turned into DIRK. However at that moment Paul Pierce was sitting at Mavericks lap as well. Now I must ask Where would both franchises be today? If lets say DIRK went to Celtics and Pierce went to the Mavericks.
Would have Celtics won in 2008? Still Lost to Lakers in 2010? Would Big 3 ever happen?

Would have Mavericks won in 2011? Still Lost to Heat in 2006?

[1/28/01]

[quote name='Wacko4Zacko' timestamp='1307999496' post='696488']
So 1998 draft Milwaukee Bucks traded their 9th overall pick to Mavs which turned into DIRK. However at that moment Paul Pierce was sitting at Mavericks lap as well. Now I must ask Where would both franchises be today? If lets say DIRK went to Celtics and Pierce went to the Mavericks.

Would have Celtics won in 2008? [b]YES [/b]Still Lost to Lakers in 2010? [b]NO[/b] Would Big 3 ever happen? [b]YES (of course, different 3)[/b]

Would have Mavericks won in 2011? [b]NO[/b] Still Lost to Heat in 2006? [b]YES[/b]
[/quote]

[Wacko4Zacko]

Different Big 3? Who would be the Big 3?

Garnett would of never joined due to DIRK. So it would be Dirk and Ray Allen raining 3's all day

[AwakenTheDemon]

[quote name='Ed_Reed20' timestamp='1307997012' post='696468']
Great article on LeBron by [i]NFL[/i] reporter Danny O'Neil.

[url="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/dannyoneil/2015308736_oneil14.html"]Link[/url]
[/quote]

He's correct, James career won't be defined by this lost. It'll be defined by him turning his back on Cleveland, his hour long "Decision", the smoke and laser show that guaranteed "not one, not two, not three, not four" championships, but a dominating dynasty, his arrogance and poor attitude towards the fans who "hate him", and his immaturity.

If LeBron wants to be the next big thing, he has to work on his attitude and maturity issues. Showing no sportsmanship and walking straight to the locker room after a big loss, that needs to change. Deriding fans for not liking him, that needs to change. Michael Jordan wasn't just the greatest basketball player of his time (and all time), he was also someone kids could look up to and parents wouldn't mind, he was a role model. After what's gone down this season, some of the things he said and done, LeBron is far from a role model. I'm not saying he has to pander to children and has to be a model to go down as one of the greats. But you don't want to be one of the most childish, immature, albeit talented players to ever play.

[Ed_Reed20]

[quote name='1/28/01' timestamp='1307998866' post='696485']
Wow.....so his FG percentage was highest in the finals then compared to all others playoff series (Boston, Chicago etc)?

He just didn't want to shoot, I guess!
[/quote]

Pretty much.

I literally lost count of the times he drove hard to the hoop and dished the ball. It was the smart play in some situations but he clearly looked reluctant to pull the trigger at other times and it just reinforced the feeling that he lacks a killer instinct, especially in winning time.

It's funny how often people mention him lacking in this area compared to two of greatest ever in MJ and Kobe but LeBron doesn't even compare as a "closer" to the guy taken two spots after him in '03, Carmelo Anthony.

[AwakenTheDemon]

You know, I'm not even sure that LeBron's lackluster performance was the real downfall of Miami. Don't get me wrong, it certainly didn't help. However, so much of that team's output comes from the same three players. Sure, Chalmers put up some solid points off the bench, as did Haslem. But for the most part, there's very little depth to Miami outside of the three. If Miami had some real, solid depth to come off the bench, it probably would have helped them all season long.

[AwakenTheDemon]

Apparently former WWE superstar JBL isn't happy with LeBron blaming God for the Heat losing.

[quote]There are reportedly one billion people in this world that are hungry, several wars and people worldwide trying to get over terrible disasters-I don’t believe God cares who won the NBA Finals.”

“LeBron James brought his “talents” to South Beach, too bad those “talents” don’t include a heart-or the ability for correct introspection. Now, after the worst final choke in history his answer is that God didn’t want him to win. He tweeted “The greater man upstairs knows when it is my time. Right now isn’t the time.” At least he acknowledged that God is the greater man.

“Does this mean that God is a Maverick fan? Or that God was rooting for Dirk or Jason? Or that God was just rooting against Miami?… Thank God for your health, for your family, for the opportunity-but please don’t thank God anymore for sports victories-I don’t believe he is a sports fan, and I hope he is not because I hope he has bigger issues to work on.

“And, PLEASE whatever you do-don’t blame him for your losses-that is just classless.??”Now as LeBron stated so emphatically-I’ll go back to my daily life as we commoners tend to do. Which isn’t so bad-and, BTW, I have as many rings as LeBron.”[/quote]

[url="http://www.sescoops.com/wrestling-news/wwe/jbl-responds-to-lebron-blaming-god-for-nba-finals-loss/"]LINK[/url]

[Ed_Reed20]

[quote name='AwakenTheDemon' timestamp='1308000078' post='696497']
He's correct, James career won't be defined by this lost. It'll be defined by him turning his back on Cleveland, his hour long "Decision", the smoke and laser show that guaranteed "not one, not two, not three, not four" championships, but a dominating dynasty, his arrogance and poor attitude towards the fans who "hate him", and his immaturity.

[b]If LeBron wants to be the next big thing, he has to work on his attitude and maturity issues. Showing no sportsmanship and walking straight to the locker room after a big loss, that needs to change. Deriding fans for not liking him, that needs to change. Michael Jordan wasn't just the greatest basketball player of his time (and all time), he was also someone kids could look up to and parents wouldn't mind, he was a role model. After what's gone down this season, some of the things he said and done, LeBron is far from a role model. I'm not saying he has to pander to children and has to be a model to go down as one of the greats. But you don't want to be one of the most childish, immature, albeit talented players to ever play.[/b]
[/quote]

I disagree. If he wants to win, he needs to improve as a basketball player. People can dislike him as a person(they probably always will) but if he refines his game and that leads to championship, what does public perception really matter? Kobe has never fully regained his public image since the rape trial but that hasn't put a damper on the two rings he's won since then.

As for what happened immediately after the game last night, I can bring up examples of numerous athletes that walked off the playing field after suffering losses. With that said, LeBron [i]did[/i] show sportsmanship by hugging Kidd. Why aren't people questioning why Dirk ran off the court and to the back after the final whistle?

You say Jordan was role model. But wasn't he notorious for talking trash? He once referred to his teammates as, "my supporting cast." There are hundreds of accounts o his arrogance and pettiness. His Hall of Fame speech shed even more light on that. Let's not pretend that wasn't the case with Jordan and vilify LeBron for similar acts.

[EnVy_CaLiBeR]

[quote name='Wacko4Zacko' timestamp='1307995706' post='696453']
I think CP3 should go to Orlando and then move Jameer or Arenas to SG. Hedo will be Hedo and still make the necessary shots. Paul could turn Magic around alot and make them a bigger threat in East.
[/quote]
Magics have to get rid of either Hedo or Arenas before they can go after a big name free agent. Hopefully they can do it because CP3 and Dwight would be deadly.

[img]https://fbcdn-profile-a.akamaihd.net/hprofile-ak-snc4/195743_199609973410626_6175282_n.jpg[/img]

I can only dream until it happens. =(

And if Howard does go somewhere it is not going to be LA. I don't see that coming at all.

[AwakenTheDemon]

[quote name='Ed_Reed20' timestamp='1308002019' post='696516']
I disagree. If he wants to win, he needs to improve as a basketball player. People can dislike him as a person(they probably always will) but if he refines his game and that leads to championship, what does public perception really matter? Kobe has never fully regained his public image since the rape trial but that hasn't put a damper on the two ring he's won since then.

As for what happened immediately after the game last night, I can bring up examples of numerous athletes that walked off the playing field after suffering losses. With that said, LeBron [i]did[/i] show sportsmanship by hugging Kidd. [b]Why aren't people questioning why Dirk ran off the court and to the back after the final whistle? [/b]

You say Jordan was role model. But was notorious for talking trash? He once referred to his teammates as "my supporting cast". There are hundreds of accounts o hisf arrogance and pettiness. His Hall of Fame speech shed even more light on that. Let's not pretend that wasn't the case with Jordan and vilify LeBron for similar acts.
[/quote]

Because Dirk already explained why he left the court. He said he got emotional and started to cry, he didn't want to be interviewed in that state. It had nothing to do with sportsmanship.

[Ed_Reed20]

[quote name='AwakenTheDemon' timestamp='1308002490' post='696520']
Because Dirk already explained why he left the court. He said he got emotional and started to cry, he didn't want to be interviewed in that state. It had nothing to do with sportsmanship.
[/quote]

Emotions must have been high for LeBron too. So why does it really matter if he left the court without intending to acknowledge anyone?

I don't think Bosh stuck around and he broke down at least twice on the way to the locker.

[AwakenTheDemon]

[quote name='Ed_Reed20' timestamp='1308003392' post='696527']
Emotions must have been high for LeBron too. So why does it really matter if he left the court without intending to acknowledge anyone?

I don't think Bosh stuck around and he broke down at least twice on the way to the locker.
[/quote]

Because this isn't the first time LeBron's done this. He's a sore loser most of the time in big game situations. There's a difference between someone who's worked for 13 years throughout criticism about being a "choke artist" to finally win his first NBA Championsip, and an immature man who's bitter about yet again coming up short.

[Ed_Reed20]

[quote name='AwakenTheDemon' timestamp='1308004523' post='696541']
Because this isn't the first time LeBron's done this. He's a sore loser most of the time in big game situations. There's a difference between someone who's worked for 13 years throughout criticism about being a "choke artist" to finally win his first NBA Championsip, and an immature man who's bitter about yet again coming up short.
[/quote]

A lot of athletes are sore losers. A lot of [i]great[/i] athletes have been sore losers. To me, James walking off the court and only hugging Kidd after Jason initiated it is trivial.

[Ed_Reed20]

Real classy DeShawn...

[url="http://larrybrownsports.com/basketball/deshawn-stevenson-calls-heat-classless-wears-hows-my-dirk-tastes-shirt/72575"]Link[/url]

[AwakenTheDemon]

[quote name='Ed_Reed20' timestamp='1308008515' post='696579']
A lot of athletes are sore losers. A lot of [i]great[/i] athletes have been sore losers. To me, James walking off the court and only hugging Kidd after Jason initiated it is trivial.
[/quote]

I never said it was a [i]huge[/i] deal, it's just another sign of his immaturity which many, many people see. Especially after his post-game comments aimed at his "haters". There's no other way to slice it.

[AwakenTheDemon]

[quote name='Ed_Reed20' timestamp='1308010277' post='696591']
Real classy DeShawn...

[url="http://larrybrownsports.com/basketball/deshawn-stevenson-calls-heat-classless-wears-hows-my-dirk-tastes-shirt/72575"]Link[/url]
[/quote]

Was it a smart decision? No. Is it hypocritical? Yes. Who's really going to care about it? Heat fans. The only people who are going to be offended by it are Heat Backers, everyone else will chuckle and forget about it. DeShawn is DeShawn, he's not going to change. He's a strong defender, but we all know he can be immature himself, whether it be with some of his media comments or this shirt.

It's a non-factor, and it's boring to me. The Stevenson-James rivalry is amusing in words only, seeing as James statistics greatly outweigh DeShawn's, however DeShawn does have the ring that LeBron doesn't. As much as I like having Stevenson on the Mavs, I'd really wish he'd calm down just a bit. Call LeBron overrated all you want (I've said it myself), but I'd really wish to just let this rivalry die out, since like I said, if it weren't for his ring, DeShawn wouldn't hold a candle to James... except for three point shooting maybe.

[Ed_Reed20]

[quote name='AwakenTheDemon' timestamp='1308010331' post='696593']
I never said it was a [i]huge[/i] deal, it's just another sign of his immaturity which many, many people see. Especially after his post-game comments aimed at his "haters". There's no other way to slice it.
[/quote]

Nope.

I'm not trying make excuses for him or get into a character discussion but his immaturity really isn't surprising considering the circumstances. I'd love to see someone maintain their humility after being an only child from a single-parent home, be constantly lavished with praise probably from grade school, make the cover of national magazines in high school, have ESPN televise their high school games and probably have every major college recruit them, in addition to having "yes men" giving them advice and help market them before they're 19.

[Ed_Reed20]

[quote name='AwakenTheDemon' timestamp='1308010708' post='696597']
Was it a smart decision? No. Is it hypocritical? Yes. Who's really going to care about it? Heat fans. The only people who are going to be offended by it are Heat Backers, everyone else will chuckle and forget about it. DeShawn is DeShawn, he's not going to change. He's a strong defender, but we all know he can be immature himself, whether it be with some of his media comments or this shirt.

It's a non-factor, and it's boring to me. The Stevenson-James rivalry is amusing in words only, seeing as James statistics greatly outweigh DeShawn's, however DeShawn does have the ring that LeBron doesn't. As much as I like having Stevenson on the Mavs, I'd really wish he'd calm down just a bit. Call LeBron overrated all you want (I've said it myself), but I'd really wish to just let this rivalry die out, since like I said, if it weren't for his ring, DeShawn wouldn't hold a candle to James... except for three point shooting maybe.
[/quote]

I'm not really offended by it. As much as I find Stevenson to be a clown, the t-shirt is actually funny when you put aside allegiances.

[AwakenTheDemon]

[quote name='Ed_Reed20' timestamp='1308011675' post='696602']
Nope.

I'm not trying make excuses for him or get into a character discussion but his immaturity really isn't surprising considering the circumstances. I'd love to see someone maintain their humility after being an only child from a single-parent home, be constantly lavished with praise probably from grade school, make the cover of national magazines in high school, have ESPN televise their high school games and probably have every major college recruit them, in addition to having "yes men" giving them advice and help market them before they're 19.
[/quote]

Oh, I definitely agree. All of the ridiculous praise and hype about him before he was even old enough to drink doesn't help. And I don't think he's beyond maturing, it's still early in his career, after all he's only what, 25? While things like "The Decision" are always going to hang over his head (especially if he never makes good on his promise of at least [i]one[/i] championship in Miami), I see him becoming at least a bit more humble as the years start to pile on. He'll never be the most humble man on the court, but I can see him at least calming down a bit more. The same goes for his ability to close. The man does it all season long, so as much as I hate him, I see no reason why he can't do the same on the biggest stage in the NBA. Hate to say it, but LeBron's career won't end in him going ringless. The Heat showed this season that they have what it takes to win it all, a year under their belt working together as a team (even if it's a 3 person team ) and hopefully bringing more depth besides just Chalmers and Haslem to their bench will help. Especially if Spoelstra continues to start Chalmers.

[AwakenTheDemon]

[quote name='Ed_Reed20' timestamp='1308011912' post='696607']
I'm not really offended by it. As much as I find Stevenson to be a clown, the t-shirt is actually funny when you put aside allegiances.
[/quote]

It made me chuckle, and I think as much as Dallas kept their mouths shut this post season, they deserve to finally talk some smack. However, it's a hypocritical move to say someone's "classless" then wear a crude shirt such as that. DeShawn could have [i]at least[/i] waited a week between making the comment and wearing the shirt

In other news:
ESPN just did a piece on the favorites to win the 2012 (personally, I think it's entirely too early to even think of next year's championship). Here's the list:
1. Miami Heat (5-2)
2. Los Angeles Lakers (11-2)
3. Chicago Bulls (6-1)
4. Oklahoma City Thunder (8-1)
5. Dallas Mavericks (10-1)
6. Boston Celtics (12-1)
7. San Antonio Spurs (20-1)
8. Orlando Magic (22-1)
9. New York Knicks (28-1)
10. Portland Trailblazers (30-1)

Those odds are coming from BODOG.com though, so take them for what you will.

[Ed_Reed20]

[quote name='AwakenTheDemon' timestamp='1308012125' post='696609']
Oh, I definitely agree. All of the ridiculous praise and hype about him before he was even old enough to drink doesn't help. And I don't think he's beyond maturing, it's still early in his career, after all he's only what, 25? While things like "The Decision" are always going to hang over his head (especially if he never makes good on his promise of at least [i]one[/i] championship in Miami), I see him becoming at least a bit more humble as the years start to pile on. He'll never be the most humble man on the court, but I can see him at least calming down a bit more. The same goes for his ability to close. The man does it all season long, so as much as I hate him, I see no reason why he can't do the same on the biggest stage in the NBA. Hate to say it, but LeBron's career won't end in him going ringless. The Heat showed this season that they have what it takes to win it all, a year under their belt working together as a team (even if it's a 3 person team ) and hopefully bringing more depth besides just Chalmers and Haslem to their bench will help. Especially if Spoelstra continues to start Chalmers.
[/quote]

Agreed on all counts.

[quote name='AwakenTheDemon' timestamp='1308012243' post='696611']
I made me chuckle, and I think as much as Dallas kept their mouths shut this post season, they deserve to finally talk some smack. However, it's a hypocritical move to say someone's "classless" then wear a crude shirt such as that. DeShawn could have [i]at least[/i] waited a week between making the comment and wearing the shirt

In other news:
ESPN just did a piece on the favorites to win the 2012 (personally, I think it's entirely too early to even think of next year's championship). Here's the list:
1. Miami Heat (5-2)
2. Los Angeles Lakers (11-2)
3. Chicago Bulls (6-1)
4. Oklahoma City Thunder (8-1)
5. Dallas Mavericks (10-1)
6. Boston Celtics (12-1)
7. San Antonio Spurs (20-1)
8. Orlando Magic (22-1)
9. New York Knicks (28-1)
10. Portland Trailblazers (30-1)
[/quote]



Unless the Lakers get another quality player or Shannon Brown makes serious strides, I don't see how they can be a favorite over the Mavs, Thunder or Bulls.

[Jamal]

[quote name='Ed_Reed20' timestamp='1308003392' post='696527']
Emotions must have been high for LeBron too. So why does it really matter if he left the court without intending to acknowledge anyone?

I don't think Bosh stuck around and he broke down at least twice on the way to the locker.
[/quote]
And Bosh isn't exactly getting love from anyone for doing so. Be a man and walk to the locker instead of collapsing, and make yourself look more weak mentally.

I have no problem with Dirk going to the locker room instead of crying in front of everyone.

[FerrariFan87]

[quote name='EnVy_CaLiBeR' timestamp='1308002298' post='696518']
Magics have to get rid of either Hedo or Arenas before they can go after a big name free agent. Hopefully they can do it because CP3 and Dwight would be deadly.

[img]https://fbcdn-profile-a.akamaihd.net/hprofile-ak-snc4/195743_199609973410626_6175282_n.jpg[/img]

I can only dream until it happens. =(

And if Howard does go somewhere it is not going to be LA. I don't see that coming at all.
[/quote]

Yeah, keep dreaming. Howard will be gone and CP3 won't want to go there unless Howard is.

[Jamal]

I have a hard time seeing any team in the NBA taking on Arenas's contract. Orlando pretty much signed their death certificate in terms of keeping Howard once they did. I just don't get why they weren't content with Hedo and Richardson.

[Ed_Reed20]

[quote name='Jamal' timestamp='1308056946' post='696758']
And Bosh isn't exactly getting love from anyone for doing so. Be a man and walk to the locker instead of collapsing, and make yourself look more weak mentally.

I have no problem with Dirk going to the locker room instead of crying in front of everyone.
[/quote]

Some people would have found a way to criticize Bosh no matter what he did.

Jordan sobbed uncontrollably on the floor in front of cameras after winning his fourth title. I see nothing wrong with Bosh breaking down after losing.

[FerrariFan87]

[quote name='Ed_Reed20' timestamp='1308063727' post='696788']
Some people would have found a way to criticize Bosh no matter what he did.

Jordan sobbed uncontrollably on the floor in front of cameras after winning his fourth title. I see nothing wrong with Bosh breaking down after losing.
[/quote]

Yeah, people need to cut Bosh some slack.

[RavensAllTheWay]

Lebron may be percieved as a villain, but at the end of the day, I don't hate the guy. I hope the guy wins a championship at some point. I should've said this back then as opposed to now, but honestly, I thought the criticism that he received for "embarrassing" the Cavs was dumb. They say he put them on live TV and trashed them in front of the entire sports world and that the way he did it was wrong. That's fine. But in my opinion, he still left them, regardless of how. Even if he hadn't made it such a drama, he's ultimately not a member of the Cavaliers anymore EITHER WAY, which is what it all comes down to. He gave it his heart and soul up there, but was held to ridiculous standards because he had no one else. So it was all on him. In no way, shape or form do I blame him for leaving that city, but they overreacted big time (burning jerseys right away etc...).

Now, he's lost in the finals and the world is happy (not just Cleveland). But the idea that he took a short cut to try and get to a ring is hideously wrong. If anyone else signs with the most talented team in the NBA, it's fine, but if Lebron does it, he's taking a short cut and his legacy is tarnished? What a freaking joke, especially when you consider all the stuff he had to do in Cleveland. The guy understands the fact that this gives him arguably the best chance to win a ring. But no one wants him to get a ring, so he's WRONG for coming to Miami.....

So even though some of Lebrons comments were classless, I do not take offense from any of them. It's not that I don't blame him and I agree with saying them on camera because I don't, but all he's really doing is retaliating to a bunch of crap.

[EnVy_CaLiBeR]

[quote name='FerrariFan87' timestamp='1308061550' post='696778']
Yeah, keep dreaming. Howard will be gone and CP3 won't want to go there unless Howard is.
[/quote]
Hey, way to crush a guy. =/

Howard recently now saying he doesn't want to sign an extension and saying he would reconsider his future in Orlando if they don't win a championship(which is what's going to happen) basically makes me believe we should just trade him and get what we can. Before, I said I'd rather let Howard decide but that was when he was stating he wants to stay and start his own path. Now that uncertainty is in the air, they need to get what they can for him. Players and lottery picks for 2012.

[Jamal]

[quote name='Ed_Reed20' timestamp='1308063727' post='696788']
Some people would have found a way to criticize Bosh no matter what he did.

Jordan sobbed uncontrollably on the floor in front of cameras after winning his fourth title. I see nothing wrong with Bosh breaking down after losing.
[/quote]
Yeah, but I'm pretty sure that was in the locker room.

I don't have a problem with you crying, but at least make it to the locker room. I mean Bosh didn't exactly help against the Heat "drama queen" image.