Lebron has won my respect.

[mctyson]

Here's my question though: why is has he hit these back-breaking three-pointers against us and OKC?  He's done it to us 2 years in a row.

The guy is a 30% 3-pt shooter at best. Yet he hits a 3 from out of bounds at half court against us in Game 7.  WHY GOD WHY?

[Potapenko Boxout]

co-sign. Lebron time

[myteamisbetterthanyours]

Respect and win shouldn't be in the same sentence, let alone the same 200 page autobiography, as Lebron. Ever.

[soap07]

He acts relatively maturely as long as he keeps getting away with murder when it comes to fouling other players, getting a whistle in his favor every time he goes to the hoop, and travelling whenever he feels like it without ramifications, (via his self-dubbed "crab dribble").

Do you have the same outrage for KG and offensive fouls? Or Pierce when he drives to the hoop? Or is it only selective?

[wdleehi]

He is going to make it really hard for those who just don't like him to make knocks on him.


Cramps?  A guy is a rebound away from a triple double while shooting 50% for the winning team and someone thinks he was faking cramps?


He isn't Jordon, Bird, Magic... because he had to go find a team with other all star players where they had the luxury of being drafted to a team that got them all-star players around them.  (and not all of it through the draft)



He is only averaging 30.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, 5.3 assists while shooting 50% in the playoffs.  (29, 10 and 6 in the finals)


But let's compare him to Hitler because he handled his free agency bad.  




He is the best player in the NBA today and he is now showing up on the biggest stage.  


(and yes, I am ready to hear the "he only has one ring" comments this summer into next year if the Heat hold on to win)

[Bahku]

He acts relatively maturely as long as he keeps getting away with murder when it comes to fouling other players, getting a whistle in his favor every time he goes to the hoop, and travelling whenever he feels like it without ramifications, (via his self-dubbed "crab dribble").

Do you have the same outrage for KG and offensive fouls? Or Pierce when he drives to the hoop? Or is it only selective?

As selective as the officials ... which is considerable.

And absolutely no comparison ... it astonsihes me that he not only gets the nod from the league, but so many non-Miami fans as well.

Being regarded as "the best basketball player on the planet", (not by me), comes with a number of free passes, it seems.

"Crab Dribble"?!? Come on ... he has his own personal excuse for why he gets away with walking when others do the same thing and get called for it.

How many times did he foul out this year, (or even approach it)? Just coincidence, I'm sure.

[soap07]

He isn't Jordon, Bird, Magic... because he had to go find a team with other all star players where they had the luxury of being drafted to a team that got them all-star players around them.  (and not all of it through the draft)

Let's not forget that Magic has been quoted in the past saying that if he was drafted by the Bulls he wouldn't have played there because of the lack of a supporting cast. So all this crap of "I wouldn't have teamed up with so and so" is garbage too.

[soap07]

And absolutely no comparison ... it astonsihes me that he not only gets the nod from the league, but so many non-Miami fans as well.

There absolutely is a comparison. 99% of KG's screens are moving. Almost all of them. Do you know how many times KG fouled out this year? Once. I guess the league officials are in both Miami and Boston's tanks.

[ThaPreacher]

He acts relatively maturely as long as he keeps getting away with murder when it comes to fouling other players, getting a whistle in his favor every time he goes to the hoop, and travelling whenever he feels like it without ramifications, (via his self-dubbed "crab dribble").

As long as the officials are in his pocket and not bothering his "flow", he's as happy as a pig-in-poop, and gracious as all get-out, (while he's winning) ... but as soon as calls start being made fairly and he gets into foul trouble, (which is about once a season), he throws a tantrum, or stares down the refs with a "How dare you!" look, (that would get anyone else a tech).

Sorry, but I will never respect this guy on any level until the league starts treating him with the same indifference, (or even moderation), that it does his opponents, (which will not happen in this century). It's easy to be magnanimous when things are going your way, and that's the only change taking place with Lebron, not some sudden transformation into maturity.

Please.

Bravo!!! Verismo!!!
TP

Tell it like it is boss!!!

[Rondo2287]

He is going to make it really hard for those who just don't like him to make knocks on him.


Cramps?  A guy is a rebound away from a triple double while shooting 50% for the winning team and someone thinks he was faking cramps?


He isn't Jordon, Bird, Magic... because he had to go find a team with other all star players where they had the luxury of being drafted to a team that got them all-star players around them.  (and not all of it through the draft)



He is only averaging 30.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, 5.3 assists while shooting 50% in the playoffs.  (29, 10 and 6 in the finals)


But let's compare him to Hitler because he handled his free agency bad.  




He is the best player in the NBA today and he is now showing up on the biggest stage.  


(and yes, I am ready to hear the "he only has one ring" comments this summer into next year if the Heat hold on to win)

Personally I think Lebron's Career arc mimmicks Peyton Mannings more than anybody else in basketball.  The reason more people respect Manning though is that he stuck through the crappy defenses, made the players around him better and won in a small market. 

However I also think that while Peyton Manning has every reason to be entitled, and very well may be in private, he handles the media much better than Lebron.  Lebron's personality is very abrasive. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfSXEpgdpWA

[Bahku]

And absolutely no comparison ... it astonsihes me that he not only gets the nod from the league, but so many non-Miami fans as well.

There absolutely is a comparison. 99% of KG's screens are moving. Almost all of them. Do you know how many times KG fouled out this year? Once. I guess the league officials are in both Miami and Boston's tanks.

Where did you get the moving screens stat? Didn't know there was one to measure how many of a player's screens are moving, (please provide).

Lebron James PFs this year: 94 in 62 games, Kevin Garnett: 141 in 60 games ... like I said, not even close.

And no one other than Lebron has yet to convincingly explain away the "crab dribble", because it's really the "crap dribble", invented for his personal excuse.

Everyone else on the planet who can be objective about it, knows it for what it is, and it's just plain laughable. (That free pass card again).

[LarBrd33]

Hope he closes it out the next game.  Can't root for the Thunder until Seattle gets a franchise... I want to see OKC fans suffer a bit.  Victory will taste sweeter when they have some context of struggle.  Preferably I'd like them to sit through a decade long lotto stretch, prove their fan loyalty and THEN I think they will have sufficiently appeased the basketball gods enough to earn glory.

I've always had respect for LeBron.  I really want to see him win a title.  Dude deserves it.  It's his time.

[jgod213]

He is going to make it really hard for those who just don't like him to make knocks on him.

Cramps?  A guy is a rebound away from a triple double while shooting 50% for the winning team and someone thinks he was faking cramps?

He isn't Jordon, Bird, Magic... because he had to go find a team with other all star players where they had the luxury of being drafted to a team that got them all-star players around them.  (and not all of it through the draft)

He is only averaging 30.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, 5.3 assists while shooting 50% in the playoffs.  (29, 10 and 6 in the finals)

But let's compare him to Hitler because he handled his free agency bad.  

He is the best player in the NBA today and he is now showing up on the biggest stage.  

(and yes, I am ready to hear the "he only has one ring" comments this summer into next year if the Heat hold on to win)

Thank you, WD.

I dislike a lot of things about about Lebron myself, but the hate is getting out of control, it's embarassing.

That Celtics-Heat game 6 will go down as a defining moment in LBJ's career, as it finally donned on him what it takes to be a champion.

For all the character flaws that he has, can't we at least all come to the consensus that he's the best basketball player on the planet? He's carrying that Heat team on his back and making it look easy.

He's played 939 minutes this postseason - almost 150 more than Durant...Oh but wait he got a cramp...what a sally. 

[Cman]

That Celtics-Heat game 6 will go down as a defining moment in LBJ's career, as it finally donned on him what it takes to be a champion.

Yes, I agree with this.

I'm not ready yet to call him the best basketball player, I'll need to see it consistently for me to say that. I'd probably still chalk Kobe up to best.

[LB3533]

No one can deny that Lebron hasn't or isn't stepping up in these NBA Finals.

This is Lebron's 3rd Finals and he is playing his most complete, most efficient, best ever ball.