NBA Playoffs 2011

[MarkGrace]

Some thoughts from Simmons. I think his theories A and B made some good points.

http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/6657623/nba-finals-game-6-retro-diary

[Color Me Badd Fan]

If LeBron had gone to Chicago, he'd have won his title. That was the easy way. instead, he went to Miami, which surprised most people. Yet, I'm still hearing that LeBron tried to get his title the easy way, by teaming up in Miami.

I don't get it. Going to Chicago would have been the easy route. New York made about as much sense as Miami, as far as an easy path to a title.

I'm not sure how Derrick Rose and LeBron James would have coexisted.

I think there were two better fits for LeBron than even Chicago:

LA Clippers (laugh all you want, but imagine LeBron with that roster -- Griffin, Eric Gordon, the Creature from the Black Lagoon).

Dallas -- Cuban was actually trying to speak with/recruit LeBron but LeBron blew him off. I know it's easy to see how good of an option Dallas was now that they won a ring, but I think Nowitzki and LeBron would have complimented each other very well. I look at this like it would have been kind of like Kobe-Gasol, only Dirk has a lot more range, and better all around offensive game but both are good decision makers.

The point in all this is that I don't think LeBron or whatever roster he's on is particularly better off when that roster already has a guy that can only reach his full potential when he's handling the ball. Wade and LeBron don't reach their full potentials when they're playing with each other. They're two of the top 5 players in the league, they should either win the title every year or compete for it like they did. But they don't particularly complement each other very well. LeBron would have been better off with another superstar who can create without necessarily constantly having to run the offense -- like Nowitzki.

[MartyFunkhouser]

If LeBron had gone to Chicago, he'd have won his title. That was the easy way. instead, he went to Miami, which surprised most people. Yet, I'm still hearing that LeBron tried to get his title the easy way, by teaming up in Miami.

I don't get it. Going to Chicago would have been the easy route. New York made about as much sense as Miami, as far as an easy path to a title.

Even if this is true, Bron Bron isn't smart enough and his advisers aren't smart enough to figure it out that Chicago was the best place for him. I'm sure Bron Bron was convinced that playing with the super friends and no one else was the best way to win a title.

[dabrockster]

Ohio's Gov. Kasich takes a nice swipe at former Ohio-native LeBron James by this little nugget..

Kasich Declares Dallas Mavericks 'Honorary Ohioans'..

http://www.10tv.com/live/content/local/stories/2011/06/13/story-columbus-john-kasick-honorary-ohioans.html?sid=102

[Jacob]

Chicago may have been the easy way with the benefit of hindsight but that was not the prevailing perception at the time.

I think it was clear to most people who follow basketball. Chicago had a full team. Even without LeBron, they were picked as a top eastern team pre-season. And not many people were picking Miami as the pre-season favorite.

how did new york make as much sense? play with 1 super star and 1 all star or play with 1 all star.

Play with 1 other start who compliments you as well as other complimentary players. Everybody questioned the Miami decision at the time because Wade and LeBron are similar players, and they had a crap supporting cast.
NY wasn't a sure thing, but there was more flexibility to build a team.

[TripletDaddy]

Bill Reiter eviscerates LBJ about his weird post-game comments. Looks like most of the media, America, and those who follow basketball agreed with me.

http://www.foxsportsflorida.com/06/13/11/LeBrons-image-takes-another-beating/landing_nbafinals2011.html?blockID=532400&feedID=3722

Twitter, television, sports bars, office chatter — America went crazy. That's what happens when a guy who calls himself The King and tattoos "Chosen 1" across his back, that same guy who'd just blown an NBA championship with a level of weakness and cowardice that almost defies words, responds by talking about everyday people stuck with their problems and God's place in the NBA Finals.

Blowhard, came the response. Jerk. Petulant, out-of-touch star. Loser. This guy, so many said, is the same pompous and egotistical villain we've hated for almost a year.

Some defended him. Some pointed out, somewhat reasonably, that the guy was just trying to address the notion that people who want him to fail will move on and eventually those feelings will either fade or won't matter.

So was the guy taunting and mocking the masses, or was he simply accepting they're there and saying he'll live with it?

I say it doesn't matter.

The key takeaway here is that in the end LeBron James was unable to learn from The Decision and its aftermath a single thing about being a better basketball player or a better spokesman on behalf of himself.

The result is twofold: The Heat are not world champions and LeBron, far from finding redemption, has done the impossible: He's surely worsened his standing with the public.

For a guy who wants to be a global brand and sell merchandise to the masses, this is not good.

It is, frankly, stunning that he found a way to choke after the fourth quarter had ended.

I expect to see articles like these all summer long. Even worse if there is a lockout.

[TripletDaddy]

Looks like MIA is taking the loss in stride. Heat players spotted partying with Mavs at Club Liv after the game.

http://network.yardbarker.com/nba/ar...ericks/5032153

[Surfah]

Looks like MIA is taking the loss in stride. Heat players spotted partying with Mavs at Club Liv after the game.

http://network.yardbarker.com/nba/ar...ericks/5032153

Cuban paid the bar tab. $90,000. And dropped a $20,000 tip on top of that. Damn.

[TripletDaddy]

LBJ issues an admission a clarification of his condescending post-game comments.

http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/LeBron-James-clarifies-comments-after-Game-6-of-NBA-Finals-says-he-is-not-superior-to-anyone-061411

Apparently, we all don't have to go back to our problematic reality after all and LBJ isn't going to wake up tomorrow and get to live his life and make his money. That was all a big misunderstanding.

[MartyFunkhouser]

LBJ issues an admission a clarification of his condescending post-game comments.

http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/LeBron-James-clarifies-comments-after-Game-6-of-NBA-Finals-says-he-is-not-superior-to-anyone-061411

Apparently, we all don't have to go back to our problematic reality after all and LBJ isn't going to wake up tomorrow and get to live his life and make his money. That was all a big misunderstanding.

After the team held its exit meetings Tuesday, James was saying that he's ''not superior to anyone'' and that he knows his comments could have been interpreted differently.

[il Padrino Ute]

LBJ issues an admission a clarification of his condescending post-game comments.

http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/LeBron-James-clarifies-comments-after-Game-6-of-NBA-Finals-says-he-is-not-superior-to-anyone-061411

Apparently, we all don't have to go back to our problematic reality after all and LBJ isn't going to wake up tomorrow and get to live his life and make his money. That was all a big misunderstanding.

I don't accept his apology clarification. I want him to know that I woke up with as many NBA titles as he has.

[il Padrino Ute]

My son told me this earlier today:

Don't ask LeBron for change for a dollar, because he'll only give you three quarters.

[MarkGrace]

My son told me this earlier today:

Don't ask LeBron for change for a dollar, because he'll only give you three quarters.

:igiveup:

[TripletDaddy]

:igiveup:

Already? The finals ended two days ago. This is going to last all summer long and into the lockout. What else do you think the media is going to talk about?

[dabrockster]

Lebron is "The Chosen 1".. The "Chosen Whipping-boy" for the next year.....