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Friday, June 01, 2007

Oh. My. G...

err... King. Wow. That's the single most amazing performance I've ever heard in my life. Better than anything Jordan ever did... and trust me, I had to see or listen to those. Better than Magic, than Bird, than Duncan, than anybody.

25 straight points to end the game?! In 2 overtimes, playing 50+ minutes against a great defense, taking step-back jumpers over a guy with a ridiculous wingspan!? 48 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists in Game 5 of a Conference Finals!? Clutch shot after clutch shot when everyone in the world knows he's the only one who will be shooting the ball!? Are you kidding me?

Lebron James will be the best ever. They'll point to all the great finishes from last year, from this year as the beginning, but this will be the game they'll point to as his sign of greatness.

Wow. That was amazing.

38 comments:

  1. Argh. I had to turn it off after the first quarter. Can't believe I missed this. I'll watch it on DVR, but it's not the same.

    You must be out of your mind right now.

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  2. Double ARGH! I just checked and my DVR of course not only didn't get the overtimes, it missed the end of regulation.

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  3. I saw it all and still do not believe it. Stuff like this just DOES NOT HAPPEN, especially to fans of this town. I honestly don't know how to deal with this, everything is just a little messed up right now.

    Bestay to sum it up for now: Can't stop looking for more articles/info about last night, can't stop smiling...and yes I realize how un-healthy this all sounds and do not care one bit.

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  4. Last point (for now):
    How terrified are you that this went down in a game FIVE?
    --hamevin yavin--

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  5. JA - Oy. Hello, YouTube...

    G - Exactly, exactly, and Shh!! Don't say stuff like that.

    EK - WOOHOO!!

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  6. Ok, why does the media, and everyone else for that matter, try to blow everything out of proportion? It was a GREAT performance, best of the year in the NBA. One of the best ever??? Not likely. Hold one sec, im just going to research other performances...........
    Ok, Im back. Magic Johnson's rookie year in the NBA Finals, not conferance finals, went for 42 points, 15 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 steals.
    And a game I watched personally, Game 6 of the 2003 NBA Finals Tim Duncan completely dominated. 21 points, 20 rebounds, 10 assists and 8 blocks. Thats 2 blocks shy of a quadruple-double, something thats only been done 3 times in history. And he did it in the clinching game of an NBA finals.
    Reggie Miller scoring 8 points in 15 seconds also comes to mind, but as a Knick Fan, I'd rather not dwell on it.
    The point is, it was a great game, and LeBrons first great performance, but I guarantee you that in 3 years, only the Cavs fan will remember it fully, unlike the Magic performance which will forever be remembered by all NBA fans.
    -Lemz

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  7. Are you crazy? He scored the last 25 points OF THE GAME!

    He doesn't have Tony Parker, James Worthy, Kareem, Manu Ginobli, or anyone like that on his team. He was playing against a zone, not a man-to-man, defense. On the road. Game 5, tied 2-2. The closest thing he has to quality teammates had all fouled out (Gooden, Z, Gibson) or were hurt (Hughes).

    He went 11-14 from the field in the last 12-1/2 minutes, in regulation and OT. He was hitting stepback shots over Tayshaun Prince after playing 50+ minutes. Nobody in history has ever ended a game like this. Not even close. I remember everyone making a huge deal when Jordan had 14 of 16 to end a playoff game - and that was amazing. This is way beyond that.

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  8. Oh, and I'm blaming you that I missed it. :P

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  9. "but as a Knick Fan"

    --or in everyday english, "but as one with no baketball credibility"

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  10. First, let me start by saying "Ad Hominem"...always love doing that.

    Secondly, as you said in your original post "taking step-back jumpers over a guy with a ridiculous wingspan!?"
    And now you say "He was playing against a zone, not a man-to-man, defense." Seemingly contradictory statments.

    Also, the fact that LeBron did not have a quality teammate, if anything, makes the 25 straight less impressive. Of course if the Cavs are goign to make a run its going to be him making all the shots. Who else is going to take them?

    I remember watching Game 7 of the Western Conf Finals in Israel between the Lakers and Kings. Went to double OT and Lakers eventually won. Only reason Kings hung around that long was bc Bibby was making shot after shot. The announcers were also calling that one of the greatest playoff performances ever. The term gets thrown around waaay too much.

    Plus, my other two refferenced games were in more critical situations. LeBron didn't even have a double-double!!! Game over.

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  11. --or in everyday english, "but as one with no baketball credibility"

    So true.

    Seemingly contradictory statments.

    Um, how? Watch the clips (post above). He's got between 2 and 4 people on him each play, with Prince the closest of them all, while the others are playing a box around him. See the great article on CBS Sportsline that describes it. A zone doesn't mean the guy doesn't have a man on him. It means he has more than one.

    Also, the fact that LeBron did not have a quality teammate, if anything, makes the 25 straight less impressive. Of course if the Cavs are goign to make a run its going to be him making all the shots. Who else is going to take them?

    Exactly!! That's why it's so amazing - the entire Detroit defense is keyed on him, and he STILL makes it! That's incredible! As the article put it, it was a box-and-one: A box on Lebron, one on the other four guys. And it really was.

    The term gets thrown around waaay too much.

    Agreed. It cheapens games like Lebron's to call Bibby hitting a few 3's one of the best ever.

    LeBron didn't even have a double-double!!!

    It's hard to get assists when you're the only one scoring the points. And there weren't many rebounds to get in those last 12 minutes. But you knew that was stupid anyway.

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  12. You forgot to mention though how you are 5th in the Fantasy Baseball League and im in second. What does that have to do with anything? I dont know, but jsut decided to throw it in there.

    You really should get back to work....

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  13. Yeah, but that's because you forgot that I was in 11th and have climbed to 5th, while you've fallen from first place. (And how! 11 points back now?)

    Remember those 25 points I needed (really 35 the week before that)? We're down to about 10. And it's only been 2 weeks.

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  14. Ok, do I have to bring more proof?
    And the Magic game i mentioned, Kareem didn't play. Magic started in his place at CENTER!

    Check out Bob Petit's performance below, which he scored 19 out of his teams last 20 to win Game 7 of the NBA Finals. Not Game 5 of the Conference Finals.

    Game 7 in the '62 Finals went to overtime and, thanks to Bill Russell, the Celtics added another notch to their championship belt. The Celtics had already forced a Game 7 with a Game 6 win in L.A. two days before. In the final contest, Russell scored 30 points and grabbed an incredible 40 rebounds as the Celtics won their fourth of eight consecutive titles.


    In his first Game 7 of an NBA Finals, Boston rookie Tom Heinsohn emerged as a star. With the Celtics veteran starting backcourt combining for a miserable 5-for-40, Heinsohn made sure the Celtics' first NBA title was a memorable one. Heinsohn scored 37 points and grabbed 23 boards as Boston topped St. Louis 125-123 in double overtime.

    The Portland Trail Blazers were appearing in their first-ever postseason, let alone their first Finals. And after the Philadelphia 76ers won the first two games, the outlook appeared bleak for the Blazers. But Portland won the next three games and center Bill Walton applied the coup de grace with a 20-point, 23-rebound performance in Game 6. He was named Finals MVP.

    Jerry West was making his sixth trip to the NBA Finals in 1969. The previous five had ended in defeat, each by the Boston Celtics' hand. Trip No. 6 appeared to be different as the Lakers took a 3-2 series lead, but a Game 6 loss sent the series back to L.A. West had a triple-double with 42 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists, but the Celtics prevailed again, winning Game 7, 108-106. West's performance earned him the Finals MVP, the only player from a losing team ever to do so.

    If there were one team in the NBA that could challenge Bill Russell's Celtics for the championship, it was Bob Pettit's St. Louis Hawks. After losing a heartbreaker of a Game 7 in The Finals the year before, Pettit made sure the Hawks got their NBA title in Game 6. Pettit notched 50 points, including 19 of the Hawks' final 21 as St. Louis eked out a 110-109 win to close out the Hawks' only NBA title to date.

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  15. Heh. A bunch of examples from when teams barely played defense, when the players were nowhere near as athletic as now, when grabbing 20 rebounds was almost commonplace for the great centers who were far bigger than anyone around them... and yet none had 48 points. None had their team's last 25 of the game. Not all of them did it on the road.

    Each one of these guys did something incredible... Lebron basically did ALL of them in the same game.

    Russell played with a bunch of Hall of Famers and was one of the only true rebounders in the league, and played center. LeBron plays small forward on a team that has four other big boards guys. Obviously great, not anywhere near the same degree of difficulty.

    Heinsohn was probably wide open for a lot of his 37 thanks to the other team covering those guards (5-40!). It's not like he was taking - and making - every shot. Obviously great, not anywhere near the same degree of difficulty.

    20/23? Whoopie. Carlos Boozer does that on occasion. Great, but not incredible.

    West did it at home - and lost. Similar performance, except with greater players around him, not scoring the last 25, not on the road, and no win. Sorry.

    Pettit is the closest with 50 and a great run at the end, but again - better team around him, less defense against him. Obviously great, not quite the same degree of difficulty.

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  16. I know that this may be hard to understand but I'm going to give a shot anyway.

    Nobody (ok maybe EZ, but not me) is claiming that any of the examples you gave are inferior to what took place last night. They are all instances of great individual performances, as was Lebron's. Was his the greatest, most probably not but that does not mean it cannot be added to a list of others.
    The point is, and again I know this runs contrary to much of what being a Knick fan stands for, it is not neccessary to minimize one event in order to elevate another.

    Bye the bye, I wish I was not at work and could listen to Stephen A. holler about this. "The DEEtroit Pistons are TEribble, Flip Saunders was TEribble...howEVAH...

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  17. I'm not saying that they weren't amazing individual performances, or that they were inferior per se. What I mean is that nobody has ever done what Lebron did last night with all the factors I mentioned.

    Part of that is simply that most of those guys played on great teams, so they never had to. The greats who played on bad teams rarely got this far. A better comparison would be Wilt Chamberlin winning the championship or scoring 100... but he didn't score the 100 to win it all.

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  18. Ok, so if youll agree that Petit was the closest, lets just compare those two.
    The points scored is pretty much a push, but since we're splitting hairs here the slight edge goes to Pettit. You bring up the point about worse defenses, but the players then were also not as athletic so they both cancel each other out. As the players got more athletic, the defenses got better to compensate.
    Rebounds - im not sure how many Pettit got but judging from his career numbers im sure it was more than the 9 that LeBron got. Also he was playing against one of the most dominant big men ever - Bill Russell. That fact again takes out your 'worse defense' argument.
    Lebron scored 25 out of the teams last 25. Pettit 19 out of 20. Obviously LeBron's was better, but 25 out of 25 is not monumentally better than 19/20. It's definatly not better enough to offset the difference that one was an NBA Finals Game 7 and the other was a Conference Final game 5.
    Advantage: Pettit.

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  19. Ezzie,

    I'm pretty sure you're arguing that Lebron's performance was one of the best in playoff history, not the best right? Because that's obviously crazy.

    I watched the clips. I'm not totally sure, but it might be possible that Flip Saunders never heard of the concept of a double team. Why didn't anyone tell him that there are no more illegal defense rules and that you can actually put two people on a guy?

    Lebron hit some ridiculous shots, but the interior defense didn't rotate at all after he got through the first line of defense.

    There is no chance something like this would happen against the Spurs. Lebron would score points, but they would make someone else beat them. Larry Brown would not have lost this game.

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  20. G - I am also not saying that his accomplishment should not be noted. It was a great performance and should go on the list of great performances, but it is surely not 'the greatest performance of all time' as Ezzie said.

    Ezzie - Something thats never been done before? So what? In sports, something that has never been done before is done on a regular basis. Nobody ever hit two grand slams in an inning till Fernando Tatis came along. It's not the greatest performance ever. Nobody ever hit in 92 out of 100 games until Jeter did it two weeks ago. Greatest hitting streak ever? No. Things that have never been done before are always done - its jsut a matter of how significant it ends up bieng. If Cavs win it all, it will be very significant. If not - very forgettable.

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  21. Go CAVS and Lebron! Cleveland rocks! And so do we Clevelanders! Woohoo

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  22. QUIET(!!), all of you heathens as we recall the words of a great prophet:

    "Listen well non-believer for what I say is the truth. Behold, a new era dawns across the face of a troubled league. The Chosen One will marshall in an age unlike anything seen in out history. He will lead a starcrossed people to heights of which they to this point could only have dreamed of. And when this is accomplished only those who have witnessed the previous years of heartache will truly appreciate what has been acheived. Yes my friends, these days are coming and coming quickly!!

    ***LONG LIVE THE KING***LONG LIVE THE KING***

    --and to think this will all happen w/ dany ferry in charge, go figure--"
    1/10/2006 11:21:00 AM

    --Wow, are Cleveland fans annoying when they win.

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  23. G - That was freaking hilarious. And prophetic.

    And damn it, we're allowed to be!

    Stacey - Amen!!

    Nephtuli - I don't know if it's "the" best, but it definitely should be in the running. Firstly, there were plenty of double-teams, and/or people collapsing. You also see that for whatever reason, a bunch of times guys start to come to help then quickly backtrack. That's probably due to their knowing that Lebron WILL pass if they do come over.

    Look at old Jordan clips and the like: You'll see far less defense by (often) far inferior players. One of the reason Jordan's shot was so huge was because it was over Ehlo, who generally gave him fits; but Ehlo is nowhere near the defender anyone on the Pistons is.

    As for the Spurs, we're one game closer to seeing that, aren't we? :)

    Rea - 50-48 is nothing worth mentioning.

    You bring up the point about worse defenses, but the players then were also not as athletic so they both cancel each other out.

    Huh? That makes no sense. The defenders are far more athletic, AND they play better defense (zones, etc.) to begin with. Even if you add in Lebron's athleticism, that means he's going up against far better athletes not just playing D, but playing good D, and playing different zones and man combos.

    Rebounds - im not sure how many Pettit got but judging from his career numbers im sure it was more than the 9 that LeBron got. Also he was playing against one of the most dominant big men ever - Bill Russell.

    Right, but each time is going to get its boards. If Petit is a big man, he SHOULD be getting a lot of boards. Lebron is a SF and there are always two guys on the court who are supposed to be doing just about nothing but rebounding on his own team. Not to mention that the Pistons are also a very good rebounding team.

    Obviously LeBron's was better, but 25 out of 25 is not monumentally better than 19/20.

    25/25 vs. 19/21? It's substantially better than 50-48, but the more important point is that it was 100%, and on a team with NOBODY besides Lebron.

    And the difference between a Finals Game 7 and a road Game 5 in a tied Conference Finals is almost nil in terms of pressure. But the pressure on Lebron in specific is unprecedented.

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  24. Ezzie,

    Ah but Ehlo was allowed to play defense back then. Remember Derek Harper and the old Knicks? Remember how they played defense? The current rules do not allow teams to play defense anymore. Ask the Mavs how much defense they were allowed to play against D-Wade last year.

    And defense isn't all about how athletic a player is. Look at how the world consistently shuts down some of the US's best players despite the comparable talent. Teams played better team defense in the 90s.

    I'm not sure if the rule changes equalize the worse athletes of yesteryear, but both Jordan and Lebron had advantages that the other didn't.

    Btw I don't understand your argument about double-teams. Of course Lebron would pass; that's the whole point of the double team! When a player is playing that well, you make him give the ball up, especially when one of his teammates is Eric Snow. So he takes an open shot, so what?

    Lebron had a great game, but Iverson scored 50 twice in one series a few years ago, with even worse teammates. Nu, these things happen.

    Btw Chamberlain once had a 55(!) rebound game against Bill Russell. I realize things were different then, but 55 rebounds against the best defensive big man in history?

    Detroit could still easily win this series, but it would be more fun to see the Cavs in the Finals, I have to admit.

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  25. Should read "despite the lack of comparable talent."

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  26. Neftuli - I was actually also going to mention the 55 rebound game by Wilt, but figured that would be too much already.

    Ezzie - I think you just negated all your previous arguments with your last one: "And the difference between a Finals Game 7 and a road Game 5 in a tied Conference Finals is almost nil in terms of pressure." Wow! How can you even say that??? Hello???! Game 7 in the Finals. That's the ULTIMATE pressure game. The peak, apex, zenith, and whatever other synonym you want to insert, of pressure. Game 5 of a conference final cannot compare.

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  27. Ah but Ehlo was allowed to play defense back then. Remember Derek Harper and the old Knicks? Remember how they played defense? The current rules do not allow teams to play defense anymore. Ask the Mavs how much defense they were allowed to play against D-Wade last year.

    I'll agree that it's hard to compare. But Detroit has gotten away with plenty of contact in this series (and even on a bunch of the shots yesterday - look at the clear swipe on the game-winner as an example). But I think that teams play smarter D now, not to mention tougher D. Back then, you saw a lot of standing around on defense. I think the best measure is the scoring per game from then vs. now. There was a lot more scoring back then.

    Teams played better team defense in the 90s.

    While I agree with the lines before this, I don't think this is true. The Pistons of now vs. (say) the '90s Bulls or Rockets or Jazz or Knicks? How can you say those were better?

    Re: Double teams, you misunderstood - I'm saying that they were scared off the double-team because of Lebron. Should they have double-teamed anyway? Probably. But it looks like they start coming, see something, and go back. I don't know if Lebron is faking them with his eyes or they think that someone else is helping out or what, but that's what it looks like on the clips.

    Re: Chamberlin, it's really hard to compare that era to now. Did anyone else even try to rebound back then? I'd have to see games from then. But I always used to get yelled at for arguing that Chamberlin was better than Jordan, so I can't say I disagree. It's just hard to compare without seeing what 55 rebounds means there. He averaged 50 & 20 one SEASON. Imagine if someone had that for one week now. They'd be handing the MVP to the guy.

    And finally, I wouldn't say "easily"... and I think everyone agrees it'd be more fun to watch Lebron dunk on Duncan. :P

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  28. Rea - Um, you're missing the point. You do finance - graph it. Is the Game 7 pressure the greatest possible? Yes. Is Game 5 of a 2-2 conference final on the road substantially less? No. Both are exponentially greater than anything a person would normally face, with the Game 7 perhaps an increase of an exponent on the Game 5. But from a human standpoint: Does a person playing in Game 5 of a tight series like this feel all the pressure, particularly on the road, with all the fans, especially as the whole series hasn't had a Detroit lead of more than 7 and the Cavs twice went over 6 for a few minutes? When it's been steadily increasing as the game goes on, and you're going to the end of regulation, then OT, then a second one? Does he not feel all the pressure in the world on his mind? How much "greater" can Game 7 be?

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  29. This is a great setup for the Cavs to lose games six and seven. C'mon, Cleveland fans, you know it's coming.

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  30. I remember the 1980 finals. The Lakers played against the '76ers who had a team that is far superior to the current Pistons.

    Dr. J, Darryl Dawkins, Caldwell Jones, Maurice Cheeks etc.

    Magic was a rookie, unlike Lebron who has been playing for several years.

    Magic played every position that day.

    Detroit is over rated. They play in the East which everyone knows is a terrible conference filled with scrubs.

    The only teams that can challenge San Antonio for the title are in the West.

    Might as well give Duncan the trophy, no one is going to take it from him.

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  31. I'll agree that it's hard to compare. But Detroit has gotten away with plenty of contact in this series (and even on a bunch of the shots yesterday - look at the clear swipe on the game-winner as an example).

    Perhaps but the contact was much worse back then.

    But I think that teams play smarter D now, not to mention tougher D. Back then, you saw a lot of standing around on defense. I think the best measure is the scoring per game from then vs. now. There was a lot more scoring back then.

    In the 80s and 90s that was true. Not as true in the mid to late 90s. More teams scored 100 per game this season than in 1996.

    I also think the influx of young players and their lack of fundamentals (such as hitting a jump shot) also has to do with the lower scoring averages.

    While I agree with the lines before this, I don't think this is true. The Pistons of now vs. (say) the '90s Bulls or Rockets or Jazz or Knicks? How can you say those were better?

    Are you talking about defensively or overall? Overall it's not even close. Every single one of those teams had at least one of the top 50 players in the history of the league (some had two).

    Even defensively, those teams were probably better. The Pistons are just not as good as they were with Ben Wallace. Just look at those highlights. Can anyone imagine Lebron just driving in for an easy layup if Ben Wallace was on the court? Or against the Knicks? Bill Simmons might think Lebron is a TE compared to Jordan being a WR, but there's no way Mason or Oakley (or even Karl Malone) is letting that happen.

    That brings me to another point. How many decent overpowering centers are there in the league today? Look at how Mourning (who is a shell of his old self) plays today. He intimidates and just plain overpowers people. Back in the 90s there were 5, 6 centers like that, each of which could completely dominate a game defensively. Today all the shot blockers are athletes who get bowled over by stronger players.

    Re: Double teams, you misunderstood - I'm saying that they were scared off the double-team because of Lebron. Should they have double-teamed anyway? Probably. But it looks like they start coming, see something, and go back. I don't know if Lebron is faking them with his eyes or they think that someone else is helping out or what, but that's what it looks like on the clips.

    I'm still not following. Instead of letting Lebron clear out and drive past whoever is guarding him, they should have doubled him as soon as he touched the ball. If his teammates are so crappy, there is absolutely no excuse for letting him go one-on-one.

    Re: Chamberlin, it's really hard to compare that era to now. Did anyone else even try to rebound back then? I'd have to see games from then. But I always used to get yelled at for arguing that Chamberlin was better than Jordan, so I can't say I disagree. It's just hard to compare without seeing what 55 rebounds means there. He averaged 50 & 20 one SEASON. Imagine if someone had that for one week now. They'd be handing the MVP to the guy.

    I agree. I haven't seen any good statistics like OPS+ that take into account the differences in league averages for the NBA. But my point was that Chamberlain did it against Russell and the best team of his era. Chamberlain was as dominating as Shaq in his prime.

    And finally, I wouldn't say "easily"... and I think everyone agrees it'd be more fun to watch Lebron dunk on Duncan. :P

    These things happen, but the Cavs are going to be huge underdogs in this series and rightfully so.

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  32. In the 80s and 90s that was true. Not as true in the mid to late 90s. More teams scored 100 per game this season than in 1996.

    I was referring more to the period with Magic, Larry, Jordan, since that's what we're comparing to.

    Are you talking about defensively or overall?

    Defensively. I think those teams were almost all better than the Pistons are overall.

    Defensively, I think the Pistons now are better, though I'll agree that they were better with Wallace. That was a huge break for the Cavs: The Pistons are weaker without him, and the Bulls simply added yet another player who shoots terribly from the field. The Bulls - as they stand now, assuming they don't get someone new - will not be able to truly challenge Lebron.

    I'm still not following. Instead of letting Lebron clear out and drive past whoever is guarding him, they should have doubled him as soon as he touched the ball. If his teammates are so crappy, there is absolutely no excuse for letting him go one-on-one.

    I think Lebron established in the first few games that he's willing to pass to these guys, even though they're not the greatest teammates. They're NBA players, and their job on the Cavs is pretty much to stand there and wait for an open 3 on a kickout in these situations. Should the Pistons have doubled Lebron anyway? I don't know, look at tonight's game and Daniel Gibson.

    These things happen, but the Cavs are going to be huge underdogs in this series and rightfully so.

    Agreed. And I think that's good for them.

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  33. I was referring more to the period with Magic, Larry, Jordan, since that's what we're comparing to.

    Right but Jordan had some pretty dominant games even during the mid-90s.

    Anyway I concede that the defense today is better but I don't know if it's substantially better. Expansion has diluted the league big-time, and the younger players really watered-down the talent level.

    Defensively. I think those teams were almost all better than the Pistons are overall.

    I don't think this Piston team is even in the same league as any of those teams. Not even the Knicks, who were the worst of that list. Ewing was far superior to anyone on the Pistons now (and was probably as good as anyone in the NBA today except maybe Duncan).

    Defensively, I think the Pistons now are better, though I'll agree that they were better with Wallace. That was a huge break for the Cavs: The Pistons are weaker without him, and the Bulls simply added yet another player who shoots terribly from the field. The Bulls - as they stand now, assuming they don't get someone new - will not be able to truly challenge Lebron.

    I agree. But for the sake of the East I really hope they get KG or someone, or the West will continue its ongoing dominance (ever since MJ's retirement) for another decade.

    I think Lebron established in the first few games that he's willing to pass to these guys, even though they're not the greatest teammates. They're NBA players, and their job on the Cavs is pretty much to stand there and wait for an open 3 on a kickout in these situations. Should the Pistons have doubled Lebron anyway? I don't know, look at tonight's game and Daniel Gibson.

    You yourself pointed out that most of his teammates on the court during his great 4th quarter and OT were pretty bad offensively. So why didn't the Pistons make Lebron give up the ball? Let Eric Snow take a few big shots. With Lebron on fire like that, which situation would you rather have: Lebron going one-on-one or Eric Snow or some other offensive scrub taking an open three? Is that even a question? Detroit just screwed it up big-time.

    Agreed. And I think that's good for them.

    I still believe the Cavs are the worst team the Spurs have faced in the playoffs. The Spurs caught another break.

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  34. So why didn't the Pistons make Lebron give up the ball? Let Eric Snow take a few big shots.

    Well, they did in Game 6 and the scrubs hit. FWIW, the Cavs took out Snow in Game 5 for offense and had in: Jones, Marshall, Varajeo, and Pavlovic. (Gooden, Z, Gibson were fouled out.) All but AV can hit the 3, and Varajeo was there to clean up misses. I guess the Pistons didn't think Lebron could keep hitting those shots at that point in the game, and assumed that at some point he'd be passing off.

    I still believe the Cavs are the worst team the Spurs have faced in the playoffs. The Spurs caught another break.

    I hear you on the Suns, but I think the Cavs are better than the Nuggets or Jazz. Not by a lot, but better.

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  35. I hear you on the Suns, but I think the Cavs are better than the Nuggets or Jazz. Not by a lot, but better.

    The Nuggets were hitting on all cylinders by the time the Spurs played them and the Jazz won more games in a tougher conference.

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