Lebron James "if I come into your building for game 1,I can be very challenging"

[celticsclay]

I seriously have never heard anyone else talk like this.  Nice win for the cavs tonight though http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/22684982/lebron-james-cleveland-cavaliers-says-level-play-probably-all-high

[moiso]

It says a lot that a guy who is in the conversation for the greatest of all time still has the strong need to brag about himself so much.  Last week he said that he was "in awe" of one of his own moves.  He's getting worse at this stuff as time goes on.  Most of it leaves a very bad taste in my mouth. He's incredible insecure and needy.  His play speaks for itself.  He should continue to speak out about social injustices whenever something pops into his head, but he should just shut up and dribble when it comes to bragging and self promotion. 

[Moranis]

At least quote what he actually said if you are going to put quote marks.  Very poor form to not do so

[Celtics4ever]

He is a great player and there is no doubt that he is a walking talking match-up nightmare.

e·go·cen·tric
ˌēɡōˈsentrik/Submit
adjective
1.
thinking only of oneself, without regard for the feelings or desires of others; self-centered.
"their egocentric tendency to think of themselves as invulnerable"

[/b]

A lot of great players believe in themselves.   LeBron the player is a great player but I have never liked LeBron the person or at least the public persona that he shows us.

[Redz]

Muhammad Ali made his braggadocio rhyme and people scooped it up with a spoon.  Made songs of it.  Maybe LeBron should try that out.

[Green-18]

Too bad he can't channel that confidence and use it to elevate his teammates.  He makes his teammates better on the court but how many players have credited LeBron with helping them improve their game?  There are virtually no stories about LeBron demonstrating leadership in practice or on the road.  Success is always a result of his singular talent on the basketball court.  This type of stuff just further justifies everything we heard about Kyrie getting tired of "The King".

It also appears that LeBron lacks the self awareness to understand why people criticize him so much.  He has mentioned the quest to chase Jordan multiple times.  The comparisons would exist regardless but his decision to participate in the narrative only makes the scrutiny worse.

If LeBron wants to measure up to Jordan then maybe he should read about some of the legendary practice stories in Chicago.  Michael used to intentionally face off against his best teammates during 3 on 3 drills.  He usually partnered with the last 2 guys off the bench.  This was meant to put constant pressure on himself to perform at all times.  Based upon everything we have heard the Cavs don't even practice.     

[jambr380]

Too bad he can't channel that confidence and use it to elevate his teammates.  He makes his teammates better on the court but how many players have credited LeBron with helping them improve their game?  There are virtually no stories about LeBron demonstrating leadership in practice or on the road.  Success is always a result of his singular talent on the basketball court.  This type of stuff just further justifies everything we heard about Kyrie getting tired of "The King".

It also appears that LeBron lacks the self awareness to understand why people criticize him so much.  He has mentioned the quest to chase Jordan multiple times.  The comparisons would exist regardless but his decision to participate in the narrative only makes the scrutiny worse.

If LeBron wants to measure up to Jordan then maybe he should read about some of the legendary practice stories in Chicago.  Michael used to intentionally face off against his best teammates during 3 on 3 drills.  He usually partnered with the last 2 guys off the bench.  This was meant to put constant pressure on himself to perform at all times.     

This pretty much sums it up (as well as moiso's post). Lebron is very lucky that he had Ray Allen and Kyrie Irving as teammates at the right time or we could be talking about a 1-7 Finals record. 'Mentally strong' is not a term I would use for Lebron; players like Jordan and Bird didn't feel the need to explain to the public how awesome they were. He is certainly going to finish his career as one of the all-time greats, but more because of his physical dominance and superior basketball ability than his mindset. His insecurity makes me a little uncomfortable.

[Green-18]

Too bad he can't channel that confidence and use it to elevate his teammates.  He makes his teammates better on the court but how many players have credited LeBron with helping them improve their game?  There are virtually no stories about LeBron demonstrating leadership in practice or on the road.  Success is always a result of his singular talent on the basketball court.  This type of stuff just further justifies everything we heard about Kyrie getting tired of "The King".

It also appears that LeBron lacks the self awareness to understand why people criticize him so much.  He has mentioned the quest to chase Jordan multiple times.  The comparisons would exist regardless but his decision to participate in the narrative only makes the scrutiny worse.

If LeBron wants to measure up to Jordan then maybe he should read about some of the legendary practice stories in Chicago.  Michael used to intentionally face off against his best teammates during 3 on 3 drills.  He usually partnered with the last 2 guys off the bench.  This was meant to put constant pressure on himself to perform at all times.     

This pretty much sums it up (as well as moiso's post). Lebron is very lucky that he had Ray Allen and Kyrie Irving as teammates at the right time or we could be talking about a 1-7 Finals record. 'Mentally strong' is not a term I would use for Lebron; players like Jordan and Bird didn't feel the need to explain to the public how awesome they were. He is certainly going to finish his career as one of the all-time greats, but more because of his physical dominance and superior basketball ability than his mindset. His insecurity makes me a little uncomfortable.

The insecurity is really strange.  I have been an LBJ hater for a long time but I can admit he is the most naturally gifted talent I have ever seen.  My criticisms are always rooted in the debate about his place as one of the greatest.  No reason for me to judge him as a person.

Just imagine if LeBron learned how to share a small portion of his knowledge with teammates.  Supposedly he has a photographic memory and remembers schemes/plays from years ago.  You would think this stuff would be valuable to share with the team in film sessions.  I guess team practice just isn't his thing.

[ebonilla34]

I have no problem with it. He was asked a specific question regarding his specific play in the game and as of late since February because he's putting up historic numbers. Lebron answered directly to the question he asked.

As the leader of the Cavs, as the greatest player on a team (arguably of all-time), as the go-to player when the pressure is on, as a fan I WANT to hear an undeniable confidence from Lebron. I don't want to hear passive answers from a captain of the squad who's willfully leading an entire organization to championship contention.

Our very own Kyrie went on to recently talk about how he was a BA mofo when he was shown old tape of his games vs the Celts: https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ftw/2018/03/07/kyrie-irving-praised-himself-after-watching-clips-of-his-first-cavsceltics-playoff-series/111135052/

This next statement is not to call out anyone, never been my character, but great players simply have confidence within themselves because they sure aren't getting the confidence stamp from emotionally fickle fans & media.

[PAOBoston]

Thank you captain obvious. I don't think there's ever been a situation where the generational league talent and possibly top 5 player ever walked into a gym and the other team thought they were gonna have an easy night.

I love LeBron the player but his ego is just ridiculous sometimes.

[Moranis]

Now that I'm not on my phone, I can actually put the full quote since clay decided to skip parts of it.

"If I come into your building for a Game 1, I can be very challenging."

Before that he was talking about seeding, so here is the full context.

"Listen, it doesn't matter to me if I'm a 6-seed or a 3-seed or a 2-seed, 8-seed," James said. "If I come into your building for a Game 1, I can be very challenging."

When you have the full quote and the full context, it gives a much different impression of what James was saying and his meaning. 

[Green-18]

I have no problem with it. He was asked a specific question regarding his specific play in the game and as of late since February because he's putting up historic numbers. Lebron answered directly to the question he asked.

As the leader of the Cavs, as the greatest player on a team (arguably of all-time), as the go-to player when the pressure is on, as a fan I WANT to hear an undeniable confidence from Lebron. I don't want to hear passive answers from a captain of the squad who's willfully leading an entire organization to championship contention.

Our very own Kyrie went on to recently talk about how he was a BA mofo when he was shown old tape of his games vs the Celts: https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ftw/2018/03/07/kyrie-irving-praised-himself-after-watching-clips-of-his-first-cavsceltics-playoff-series/111135052/

This next statement is not to call out anyone, never been my character, but great players simply have confidence within themselves because they sure aren't getting the confidence stamp from emotionally fickle fans & media.

All valid points but my criticism of his comments comes from a different angle.  I don't necessarily disagree with everything you said. 

LeBron doesn't like to practice and rarely has shown interest in pushing his teammates to become better.  Being the greatest requires being the greatest winner.  I've never gotten the vibe that his NBA Finals losses truly eat at him.  His singular greatness is unreal he's never been a consistently clutch player, minus a couple of series in the underdog role.

[Green-18]

Now that I'm not on my phone, I can actually put the full quote since clay decided to skip parts of it.

"If I come into your building for a Game 1, I can be very challenging."

Before that he was talking about seeding, so here is the full context.

"Listen, it doesn't matter to me if I'm a 6-seed or a 3-seed or a 2-seed, 8-seed," James said. "If I come into your building for a Game 1, I can be very challenging."

When you have the full quote and the full context, it gives a much different impression of what James was saying and his meaning.

Glad you posted that.  I'm guilty of falling into LeBron hater mode way too quickly.

[timpiker]

He could get a Nobel Peace prize and I'd still hate LeBUM.

[Ed Hollison]

Muhammad Ali made his braggadocio rhyme and people scooped it up with a spoon.  Made songs of it.  Maybe LeBron should try that out.

The one problem with this analogy is that boxing is not a team sport. Muhammad Ali did not have teammates that he won and lost with.