Official LBJ thread: Game winner: ESPN gonna rock it

Finwë wrote:

King of Clutch wrote:I will say this, lebron is the most athletic, freak of nature, to ever play in the nba. Great player.

Yup. I don't think the league has ever had a player with such a devastating combination of size, agility, speed, strength, health & jumping ability. The guy is a physical FREAK, a clear stand-out in that regard in a league filled with them.
Skills-wise he's not even close to a lot of players, but his athleticism, combined with some skills (passing is his best one) & with the proper system (no bigs clogging the lane, shooters spacing the floor, going back and forth from the post and out) he busts out machine-like production game in, game out.
I'll give him some credit for improving some of his fundamentals as his career went on, and I'll always acknowledge his superior athleticism. But to me athleticism isn't as praise worthy as fine-tuned skills, and among other intangibles that's what makes Kobe (and Durant to name another one) a player I prefer over him.

therealdeal wrote:

Finwë wrote:

King of Clutch wrote:I will say this, lebron is the most athletic, freak of nature, to ever play in the nba. Great player.

Yup. I don't think the league has ever had a player with such a devastating combination of size, agility, speed, strength, health & jumping ability. The guy is a physical FREAK, a clear stand-out in that regard in a league filled with them.
Skills-wise he's not even close to a lot of players, but his athleticism, combined with some skills (passing is his best one) & with the proper system (no bigs clogging the lane, shooters spacing the floor, going back and forth from the post and out) he busts out machine-like production game in, game out.
I'll give him some credit for improving some of his fundamentals as his career went on, and I'll always acknowledge his superior athleticism. But to me athleticism isn't as praise worthy as fine-tuned skills, and among other intangibles that's what makes Kobe (and Durant to name another one) a player I prefer over him.

Actually two names come to mind that might have been more athletic and more impressive physically: Shaquille O'Neal and Wilt Chamberlain. Those two were 7 foot plus and moved incredibly well. They did things physically that honestly should never be allowed.

I'd say that they're at least on the same level as LeBron, Wilt would rank higher to me.

therealdeal wrote:Shaquille O'Neal was drafted 92-93 and was physically dominant throughout his Laker tenure and I'd argue the Heat were able to feed off the remains of his athleticism in 2006 for a ring.

That'd put him at somewhere a little over 10 years of straight physical dominance. I know it feels like shorter because he was physically terrible to end his career, but it was actually for a very long time.

KEVIN DING ‏@KevinDing
Since LeBron entered the NBA in 2003, Kobe has 303 games with at least 30 points. LeBron has 301.

Earvin Magic Johnson ‏@MagicJohnson
I have to apologize to Michael Jordan, @KingJames is playing awesome but MJ avg 33pts 11rebs 10ast over 11gm stretch!

LA Lakers
Dave McMenamin

What is the one major difference in LeBron in Year 10 vs. LeBron in Year 9? Kobe says ...

"I think he’s a little bit more focused than he was when he was younger," Kobe Bryant said after LeBron was brilliant in a 107-97 win over the Lakers on Sunday. "The thing is, when you’re a young player – particularly him – it just seems like everything is just going to happen. You expect to be in the Finals year after year and your career just seems like it’s endless. I think at this stage of his career, he starts to really value each year, take the significance to his training, and the significance of focusing for each game. I think it’s taken his game to another level."

V.V.V.V.V. wrote:I still think that NY has a shot to knock them off. Melo is the only guy strong enough and young enough to beat LeBron head to head. Imagine how you can slow LeBron down if you make him work on defense every possession. Ron gives him a free pass on the defensive end, and then defends him poorly. LeBron is great, but his limited game makes him easier than other stars to contain. Make him into a shooter, and contest his shots. His poor shooting form makes it easier to make him miss when you rush him or crowd him.

Forward Three wrote:The table is certainly set for a Miami repeat, the East got weaker and while the West got stronger, the Heat have already shown they can throw teams like the Clippers around pretty convincingly. Still, the Heat look weaker this year to me than they did last year. Lebron looks better, but that's about it. I think if it is a Thunder vs. Heat rematch in the Finals the Thunder take it in much the same way the Lakers took the 2010 Celtics rematch series. For all the gushing about Lebron's play, people forget that Durant's play has elevated substantially since last season as well, and sure Westbrook is still a hothead and a 'mad is bad' player, but I just don't see him committing the same stupid mistakes if he gets another shot to beat Miami in the Finals, and they already were only a couple of bad plays in each game away from winning the thing last season.

I think it is a very good likelihood that Miami makes it to the Finals again, but the only team of the West elite that I think they would beat is LAC.

Finwë wrote:I think if anybody from the West is gonna beat Miami it's gonna be San Antonio. Unfortunately, I think OKC best matches up with SAS, and Miami with OKC. So it wouldn't surprise me beat SAS only to lose to Miami again.

Finwë wrote:Michael Jordan, '87-'88 season, games 66-71:

Game 66: 18/32 FG, 5/6 FT, 41 pts, 6 reb, 5 ast, 5 stl
Game 67: 16/28 FG, 2/3 3pt FG, 9/10, 43 pts, 5 reb, 6 ast, 5 stl
Game 68: 14/24 FG, 28 pts, 12 reb, 5 ast, 6 stl
Game 69: 23/37 FG, 21/23 FT, 69 pts, 18 reb, 6 ast, 4 stl
Game 70: 20/34 FG, 8/9 FT, 49 pts, 12 reb, 4 ast, 5 stl
Game 71: 20/29 FG, 6/9 FT, 47 pts, 6 reb, 7 ast, 3 stl, 3 blk

6 games average: 46.1 ppg, 9.8 rpg, 5.5 apg, 4.6 spg, 1.1 bpg on 60% FG.

IMO that's a better stretch, and it's just one example. Jordan averaged 16 more ppg in his stretch, more rpg, about the same in apg, a lot more spg. His fg% is lower than LBJ's in his current stretch, but 60% is still amazing (and he wasn't playing in a super team that allowed him to pick and choose his spots with comfort).

Statistically, league history is full of amazing stretches. Shaq has had some monster stretches, so has Kobe, so has Jordan, so ha KAJ, so has Wilt, so has Oscar Robertson, and so forth and so on.
LeBron's stretch is great almost solely because of his high %. It's undeniable that it's pretty amazing, even though he's actually playing the 4 now, most of his shots come in the paint and the jumpshots that he does take are usually open (he picks and chooses his spots very well) and he's in a rythm. Still, it's a pretty amazing run.
Best run ever though? No way.

dwighthowardsdad wrote:

KEVIN DING ‏@KevinDing
Since LeBron entered the NBA in 2003, Kobe has 303 games with at least 30 points. LeBron has 301.

Tom Haberstroh @tomhaberstroh 10 Feb
Kobe has 77 games with 30+ shots. LeBron has 27. MT @Kevin Ding: Since LeBron entered the NBA, Kobe has 303 games w/ 30+ pts. LeBron has 301.



Read more: http://hoopshype.com/twitter/tag/miami_ ... z2Kaxo4PF1

Brian Windhorst ‏@WindhorstESPN
LeBron has 75 reg. season games where he has 30+ pts & shot 60%+, most among active players. Kobe 2nd with 69, D. Wade 3rd with 66

Brian Windhorst ‏@WindhorstESPN
Want to offend both Kobe & LeBron? Say LeBron is better scorer. But since '03 LBJ has 86 more points on 525 fewer shots