NBA 2016 Playoffs & Beyond

[Hewson]

Damn, no free Locos Taco. Thanks Obama LeBron

[coolian2]

OKC would have splashed these jokers just as easily

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Gotta feel extra bad for Iman Shumpert for having to deal with this and a low flow shower head in his hotel room to boot

[LemonMelon]

What does Eastern Conference Champion even mean anymore

[Hewson]

Originally Posted by Headache in a Suitcase

Gotta feel extra bad for Iman Shumpert for having to deal with this and a low flow shower head in his hotel room to boot

[coolian2]

Originally Posted by LemonMelon

What does Eastern Conference Champion even mean anymore

The West Champion gets to take a victory lap on you?

[Phantom Dreamer]

Originally Posted by LemonMelon

What does Eastern Conference Champion even mean anymore

The LeBron Award

[MrPryck2U]

Will the Cavs be swept?

[cobl04]

4-1 is my guess now but if they don't get better than the first two games it'll definitely be a sweep.

[MrPryck2U]

Originally Posted by cobl04

4-1 is my guess now but if they don't get better than the first two games it'll definitely be a sweep.

Yeah, if the Cavs lose Game 3, I think they'll be swept. Love's concussion doesn't help.

[lazarus]

Originally Posted by cobl04

I'd like to know why some here hate him so much. To me, and I'll drop the whole I-know-what-I'm-talking-about facade now, he seems like a really good dude. That Kendrick clip. His background - don't think Curry ever had to sleep in his mother's car. He did have it tough. He can take the piss out of himself. Seems to me be to be really giving to media and fans.

If it's all just animosity over The Decision, I mean, fuck. Let it go. He did what a million sportsmen before him have done (except none of them would have returned home). And he didn't pocket money from the TV special.

Smells like tall poppy to me.

Originally Posted by Headache in a Suitcase

It's significantly more to do with his off the court dealings than his ability although his ego and knowitall-ness hurts his on the court play and ability to win championships.

The whole "we are all witnesses" marketing campaign, complete with him tattooing his own marketing campaign on his leg.

How he's driven every coach he's ever had out the door, and the offense and results are exactly the same with the next coach no matter what the coach's previous styles were). The way he treated Dave Blatt was nothing short of disgraceful.

The lone exception is Spoelstra in Miami, who he certainly tried to get fired. The only reason why it didn't work was because there was a stronger ego in place in Pat Riley. Eventually they got him to adjust his playing style just enough and he was utterly dominant and won two titles (although one of those two was gift wrapped by poor decisions by the great Greg Popovich).

And why did he eventually leave Miami? Cause there was a stronger ego in place in Pat Riley who would never let him take control. So he went crawling back to Cleveland because he has full reign over that franchise. They can let him be his own god. But he's on year to year contracts, so he can always hold that over their heads. He forced them into trading away a future star to focus in winning now, but then makes that future star fit into how Bron wants to play instead of playing to his strengths. He waits to sign his contract until they give a player who's represented by the same agent a contract he was never going to get anywhere else, which handicaps their ability to add to the roster. He insists on playing a slow down isolation style of half court offense that the rest of the NBA is fast recognizing as obsolete, because it fits his game better.

His incredibly egotistical manner of speaking.

His sly shots at Steph Curry winning the MVP. He just can't help himself.

And, oh yea, The Decision.

In a way I admire him for trying to take the power that his status allows, but at the same time his decision making process is incredibly flawed, and his ego prevents him from winning more championships and he doesn't seem to get that.

I'm assuming by the lack of a response that Cobbler is still processing.

Well said, Headache.

[coolian2]

If Lebron wasn't loaded he'd make a great coach. I'm convinced of that. But he probably could have been more as a player, in terms of results.

I mean yeah he's a jerk but he's got himself there.

Also going back a whole shit load of topics but fuck you all because I'm bored and my Lebron opinion is wrong, on Steven Adams - you think he's big. I've walked past his sister. She's in astonishing shape but holy fuck. She is a huge human being. She could shotput me 20 yards without thinking about it.

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Originally Posted by coolian2

If Lebron wasn't loaded he'd make a great coach. I'm convinced of that

Yea. No.

[Hewson]

I don't see LeBron having the right temperament to be a coach, regardless of how high he tells us his basketball IQ is.

[cobl04]

Originally Posted by lazarus

I'm assuming by the lack of a response that Cobbler is still processing.

Well said, Headache.

My question was *somewhat* hypothetical. I don't follow basketball closely enough to really care or respond to his points. I was sorta just spitballing. I'd like to hear from others too, though. Cos whilst I know Headache is hella knowledgable on the sport, he's also biased. You'd have thought Miami Heat were the spawn of Satan the way he talked about them in the 2012 & 13 Finals.

Like I can only compare it to my own sports leagues that I actually follow back here, and there's teams I hate - and there are probably cultural/structural differences that I'm not aware of - but it doesn't blind me, yknow? I haaaaate the team that has won the past three AFL grand finals, but I respect the shit out of them, because they're so good.

[PhilsFan]

Yeah, smart player doesn't automatically equate to good coach. I'm generally a LeBron defender, but I can't see him being anything short of a disaster as a coach.

[coolian2]

He'd be a good assistant coach then.

But for the ego. As if he'd accept that.

[LuckyNumber7]

I don't imagine telling LeBron he's someone's assistant would go over well.

I also don't think he's that smart of a player. Not the basketball IQ thing, but more of what Hewson was getting at with the temperament. When LeBron is frustrated, he does dumb things.

[cobl04]

Nearly every time I watched the TV he had a turnover today. Was a very ugly Cavs effort (take nothing away from GS, they were fucking amazing)

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Opinion of LeBron specifically aside, most stars make awful coaches. There's a reason why, Larry Bird aside, the majority of players turned great coaches were role players