Lebron has won my respect.

[WeMadeIt17]

I cant give him mine. He still acts like a punk on the floor. I mean look at the flop he did when fisher ran into him. I mean could you ever see Larry Magic Or Bird just floping like that, I cant stand the guy. He is a great player don't get me wrorng but he still acts like a little punk and I am scared to see what calls he will get if he wins a ring. But here's to hoping the Thunder making it interesing.

[chambers]

"Lebron has won my respect"

huh ?

i lost even more respect for the guy (if that's possible) with that nauseating walk to the bench on the late time-out - dragging his leg like he was Willis Reed.

i'm sure he sprained his ankle or cramped up or whatever, but he played it for all it was worth just to draw attention to himself in one more attempt to gain some credibility as a mentally tough player. i repeat, It Was All About Him.

he's hit some big shots these past couple of years in the playoffs, yes, good for him - i'll give him credit for being an absolute physical basketball freak.

i look at Lebron as the modern Wilt - a guy who is physically way beyond the league they respectively played in and who can do lots of different things spectacularly. but he still lacks the the heart & mindset of Russell, West, Cowens, Bird, Magic, Jordan, Hakeem, Garnett and even Bryant, though i think he may be even more self-centered than James.

even Wilt finally won a couple of titles, but that didn't make him Russell's equal........

 and Lebron hasn't won anything yet.

You're reasoning sounds like a typical hater-based on theory and opinion but nothing based in reality or fact. How do you know it was all about him? What if he had severe cramping? I mean the game was still on the line when he went out. If OKC comes out and hits three 3's and goes up by 4 points and Miami lose does LBJ get the blame?

You're saying he doesn't have the heart or determination yet he single handidly got the Heat to the finals against our veteran Celtics squad in games 6 and 7. His game 6 performance was one for the ages, the stuff of legends and greats.
He's had almost a triple double in 95% of the games this playoffs. He's finding open team mates, getting enormous rebounds and defensive plays and hitting HUGE three point shots at vital times.
I just don't get it. The guy has heart all right. All the pressure he's under, with Wade on a bad knee and a few role players to hit open threes.
I really just don't get it.

[Celtics18]

Hate him? Yes.  Respect him? Yeah, that too.

[CantBeRight]

I lost all respect for that man after "The Decision".

The NBA must feel sorry for the guy they're basically GIVING him a ring.

[Eja117]

"Lebron has won my respect"

huh ?

i lost even more respect for the guy (if that's possible) with that nauseating walk to the bench on the late time-out - dragging his leg like he was Willis Reed.

i'm sure he sprained his ankle or cramped up or whatever, but he played it for all it was worth just to draw attention to himself in one more attempt to gain some credibility as a mentally tough player. i repeat, It Was All About Him.

he's hit some big shots these past couple of years in the playoffs, yes, good for him - i'll give him credit for being an absolute physical basketball freak.

i look at Lebron as the modern Wilt - a guy who is physically way beyond the league they respectively played in and who can do lots of different things spectacularly. but he still lacks the the heart & mindset of Russell, West, Cowens, Bird, Magic, Jordan, Hakeem, Garnett and even Bryant, though i think he may be even more self-centered than James.

even Wilt finally won a couple of titles, but that didn't make him Russell's equal........

 and Lebron hasn't won anything yet.

You're reasoning sounds like a typical hater-based on theory and opinion but nothing based in reality or fact. How do you know it was all about him? What if he had severe cramping? I mean the game was still on the line when he went out. If OKC comes out and hits three 3's and goes up by 4 points and Miami lose does LBJ get the blame?

You're saying he doesn't have the heart or determination yet he single handidly got the Heat to the finals against our veteran Celtics squad in games 6 and 7. His game 6 performance was one for the ages, the stuff of legends and greats.
He's had almost a triple double in 95% of the games this playoffs. He's finding open team mates, getting enormous rebounds and defensive plays and hitting HUGE three point shots at vital times.
I just don't get it. The guy has heart all right. All the pressure he's under, with Wade on a bad knee and a few role players to hit open threes.
I really just don't get it.

Wait a second. Out of curiosity can you give me an example of being a hater based on fact? In pro sports?

[fairweatherfan]

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

Have you read the thread?  There's always a way.  People are even turning hitting the go-ahead 3 with severe cramps into an attack on him. 

I'm not a fan of LeBron or his game (though I recognize he's an all-time great player), but he's been the best player in the playoffs so far and has come up big when the Heat need him.  And last year he did the same thing til playing poorly in the Finals.  Dude can clearly get it done in the playoffs.

Folks, I know some of you believe David Stern works like some dark wizard telepathically pulling strings in real-time via his ref minions, but I'm pretty sure they don't have a magnet inside the basketball.  That's not David Stern making big plays and hitting clutch shots, it's LeBron.  He's probably going to win a title this year, and he deserves it.  Accept that or take a big, big step closer to Delusionville.

[wdleehi]

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

Have you read the thread?  There's always a way.  People are even turning hitting the go-ahead 3 with severe cramps into an attack on him. 

I'm not a fan of LeBron or his game (though I recognize he's an all-time great player), but he's been the best player in the playoffs so far and has come up big when the Heat need him.  And last year he did the same thing til playing poorly in the Finals.  Dude can clearly get it done in the playoffs.

Folks, I know some of you believe David Stern works like some dark wizard telepathically pulling strings in real-time via his ref minions, but I'm pretty sure they don't have a magnet inside the basketball.  It's not David Stern making big plays and hitting clutch shots, it's LeBron.  He's probably going to win a title this year, and he deserves it.  Accept that or take a big, big step closer to Delusionville.

I agree, there will always be attempts, they just come off as weak or silly if he can close this deal.

[Arok325]

LeBron can't even catch a break when he gets cramps. All of a sudden fans think he's faking or whatnot. This is just ridiculous! How the heck can someone think he's faking!?

Seriously, this LeBron hate has gone way overboard. Guy is an amazing player. End of story. He will eventually go down as one of the best players ever and there is nothing anyone else can do about it. All of your misplaced resentment towards him will mean nothing.

Also, where do people get off thinking that he betrayed Cleveland? Does your employer own you? The guy did what was best for his future and he maximized his chances of winning a championship. If you ask me he's looking pretty smart right now as he's on the verge of winning his first championship. The Heat will win this year and they will be perennial contenders for years to come.

[slamtheking]

as much as I despise his being anointed the chosen one by the league before he's won anything and his thriving on favorable officiating and his incessant whining AND his p----poor treatment of the Cleveland fans on his departure, I'll admit that he's really stepped up this playoffs and performed at the level expected of a league MVP.  He's made the big plays when his team needed them.  Same for Bosh too for that matter now that he's back.

I do think the officials have greatly helped him with their lack of foul calls against him and the lack of T's for his whining.  His comments after fouling out against the C's were appalling and will forever mark him as an **** in my book but he's really stepped up his play in crunch time this year.

[syfy9]

Everybody that was not a Celtics fan hated Paul "The drama queen" Pierce for his seemingly horrific "stunt" only to come back some time later and play well. Come on, Lebron just had a cramp. Do you really think he was faking it in any way? Did any of you hear him scream vulgar on live TV when he was being treated? That sounded like it hurt a lot.

To me, Lebron made a few mistakes when he joined the Heat. It was The Decision and the arrogance he had upon joining the Heat. His choice to play with another HOF and an all star only helps the argument that he wants to win badly.

That was 2 years ago, and now he's not smelling farts of Varejao, he's not longer one of the NBA's most loved players, and he's not the same, playful Lebron he was years ago. Lebron is a competitor - he now has the will to win.

[tenn_smoothie]

"You're reasoning sounds like a typical hater-based on theory and opinion but nothing based in reality or fact. How do you know it was all about him?"

i know it's all about him because everything htat he does that is newsworthy he does at center court and he stays there as long as possible - just like last year when he finally beat the Celtics in the East semis, not only did he put on this dramatic, crying, writhing, on-my-knees in ecstacy show on the mid-court circle, but then, long after the other players had left the floor, he kept wandering the court endlessly looking for more people to take his picture and stick a microphone in his face.

as for the "cramp" - he actually needed teammates to help him off the floor after he dragged his leg around at midcourt once again - even though he was able to run down the court and pull up for the 3-point shot.

btw ........ what exactly is "a typical hater-based" ?

yes, i hate him as a basketball player - i just gave you some of the reasons why.

[dark_lord]

he is too much of an egocentric DB to earn any respect from me

[MMacOH]

And I can't believe my first post in years (I think) is actually going to be about Lebron.  I hate the guy, with a passion.  What he did to my Cavs was inexcusable.  I am okay with the fact that he left, the team was awful.  It was how he did it(waiting until free agency was basically over, holding the team hostage by not committing to staying year after year).

But man, he has stepped up in the playoffs this year.  I can still hold out hope that he chokes during the next 3 games.  Go Thunder

[OmarSekou]

I don't care who wins because I like both teams but Lebron has always had my hate-respect.

As a basketball player, he's a force of nature. Just an immense combination of physical talent, BBIQ, and skill. He's mentally fragile at times but that's maybe the difference from being a top 10 all time player and a top 1-5. We're talking about degrees of greatness.

As far as his personality, he has an ego and some of the stuff he does is corny but he seems like a good dude. He's charitable and sociable and a solid role model to kids. The Decision was a bad move but he did what I know the majority of people he would do. He took less money to go to a better company where he got to work with his friends.

Why should he put himself in a worse team situation to prove himself as an individual player? That's everything I (and a lot of people claim when referring to anything but Lebron) dislike about basketball. He's not the only player who flops, whines for calls, travels, or isn't known for late game heroics, but he's always been under the most scrutiny. And he's continued to ball and continued to be positive.

One of the things I worry about is how Rondo is going to fare as more of the media burden falls on his shoulders.

[soap07]

as for the "cramp" - he actually needed teammates to help him off the floor after he dragged his leg around at midcourt once again - even though he was able to run down the court and pull up for the 3-point shot.

btw ........ what exactly is "a typical hater-based" ?

yes, i hate him as a basketball player - i just gave you some of the reasons why.

None of what you mentioned had anything to do with his playing of basketball, but okay.