2008/2009 NBA Thread v2.0

[KeepinThatFunkAliveV4]

The only thing worth meaning in any sport is a championship ring

I'd like to echo your "Jesus Christ, ugh" at this statement.

Anyways, it's clear neither party is going to change the other's mind, and we're touching on the same points for about the third and fourth times now - I'm done because anything else I say at this point will be rehashing what I already said.

[livid]

If you don't think that a championship ring is the most important part of any sport then you're the one who doesn't understand the game of basketball, or any sport for that matter. Simple as, LeBron failed. They won 66 games this year and were the all around #1 seed. If you don't win the Championship, that's bad enough but if you don't even make it in the Championship series, that's worse. Viewing LeBron this season as anything other than a failure shows that you really don't know what you're talking about and are nothing more than a LeBron fanboy. There's no way around it.

[KeepinThatFunkAliveV4]

When did I say it wasn't the most important part? Please.

Regardless, LeBron was not a failure this season...that statement is extremely LOLworthy. And writing me off as a fanboy and saying I don't know what I'm talking about because I don't agree that he was a failure is juvenile.

Edited May 31, 2009 by KeepinThatFunkAliveV4

[Colossus]

He was a failure. He had the best record in the league, he had one of the best records ever at home. He had to reach at least the Fianls.

Imagine if the 1996 Bulls haven't won the Title. That season would have been a failure.

[KeepinThatFunkAliveV4]

HOLY SHIT. Did you just compare the 1996 Bulls to the Cleveland Cavaliers?!

and HE didn't have those records, his team did. Yet you are comparing LeBron's failure as an individual a hypothetical TEAM failure by the Bulls. How ironic.

Edited May 31, 2009 by KeepinThatFunkAliveV4

[Colossus]

Were did I compare the two teams?

And he failed. Being the best player in the team and one of the best in the world, he had to do more this Series. He was great during the Season, and he did not perform at the same level this Series. Yes, he had a lot of points, but that alone doesn't win games. Compare it with MJ, since you say he will be better than him. When the team needed him, he made a shot,a steal, a pass, anything...

[livid]

How did he not fail?

As a player, your goal is to win a championship. He failed to reach that goal, therefore...failure. I don't understand how you haven't gotten that concept yet.

[KeepinThatFunkAliveV4]

How were you not comparing the two teams? What the hell were you doing if that wasn't a comparison? The 1996 Chicago Bulls were a far different story from this Cleveland team. 96 Chicago not winning a title and 09 LEBRON (since you aren't speaking in terms of the Cleveland TEAM) not winning a title is a different story.

Because he's not the only player on his team, and games and championships are won by TEAMS. Funny how you didn't answer my previous question, though, yet ask me another.

EDIT: I'll slap myself here because I forgot I mentioned I was done with this topic. It's been exhausted. If ya'll raise any new points besides calling LeBron a failure because Cleveland had the best record and the Cleveland TEAM didn't win the Finals, fine, I'll discuss, or if ya wanna talk about Orlando/LA, I'll discuss.

Edited June 1, 2009 by KeepinThatFunkAliveV4

[livid]

What question? That you didn't say that championships are the most important part of the game? Fair enough but then what's with this?

The only thing worth meaning in any sport is a championship ring

I'd like to echo your "Jesus Christ, ugh" at this statement.

Because ya' know, it is the only meaningful thing in any sport. Ask Dan Marino if he'd rather have the single season TD record (of course he doesn't anymore) or a ring and he'll damn well tell you he'd rather have a ring.

What was the Cavaliers' goal? Just like any other team in the league, it was to win an NBA Championship. Did they accomplish that? No, they failed. I never once mentioned that LeBron was the only one to fail on the team, but you can't sit there and say that the team failed but he didn't because he's apart of that team, he's the superstar of that team. If the team fails, he does too. Again, not that hard of a concept to grasp, really.

[rocksta]

KTFA all your points are invalid after your idiocy claiming that no one here had any right to talk since they didn't play basketball. That your opinion instantly outweighed theirs because you played high school basketball. I really don't know how anyone can seriously argue with you after that.

[KeepinThatFunkAliveV4]

KTFA all your points are invalid after your idiocy claiming that no one here had any right to talk since they didn't play basketball. That your opinion instantly outweighed theirs because you played high school basketball. I really don't know how anyone can seriously argue with you after that.

Once again I have words put in my mouth and what I said is taken completely out of context.

Why the hell is it that when people debate things on this board they must come with such a condescending attitude and act like they're better than someone who disagrees with them? Get the hell over yourselves before acting like a supreme court judge and ruling my points invalid due to my idiocy, based on a conclusion you came to after manipulating my words to support your claim.

Grow up.

Edited June 1, 2009 by KeepinThatFunkAliveV4

[naiwf]

Once again I have words put in my mouth and what I said is taken completely out of context.

Why the hell is it that when people debate things on this board they must come with such a condescending attitude and act like they're better than someone who disagrees with them? Get the hell over yourselves before acting like a supreme court judge and ruling my points invalid due to my idiocy, based on a conclusion you came to after manipulating my words to support your claim.

Grow up.

------

Apparently there are a lot of people in here who think they know basketball, but in actuality, don't at all. I'm willing to bet not very many of the people calling LeBron a failure ever played basketball at a remotely high level, either.

If LeBron's a failure, I'll take being a failure any day.

-------

Pot. Kettle. Black.

[KeepinThatFunkAliveV4]

If you notice the context of the thread at that point, someone (slips my my mind who, too lazy to look back) had just pointed out that basketball was on a 5 on 5 game. If you really needed my response to be detailed enough to understand that I was making that statement in the sense of people not realizing that [basketball is a team game] because they hadn't played basketball before, then I apologize.

Edited June 1, 2009 by KeepinThatFunkAliveV4

[rocksta]

....what?

[JStarr]

Yeah, we're going to move on from here before KTFA completely loses his shit and posts something that might backfire on him.

So, we're looking forward to Orlando/LA now. LeBron and the Cavs are out of the playoffs, and discussion on them has now officially been beaten to death.

[El Presidente]

So I think this whole Jameer Nelson possibly returning for the finals thing is bullshit. I think they're just trying to get people talking about it. Either way, I think the Lakers are going to take this in 6, regardless of whether Jameer plays or not. The X-Factor for me is Andrew Bynum. If he can defend Dwight Howard, and he certainly has the body for it, the Lakers are going to take it. Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom don't really have the body to guard Dwight and Josh Powell doesn't have the height. The Lakers really need Bynum defensively but I have a feeling he'll just get in foul trouble every game again. Maybe they'll have to get DJ Mbenga some playing time..

[naiwf]

Bynum should be a nonfactor. Howard will draw 3 fouls on him inside of 10 minutes fairly easily. Putting Gasol or Odom on Howard would be a terrible idea. The Lakers need to let Howard get his 30-40 pts & 15-20 rebs and limit everyone else if they want to win.

[KeepinThatFunkAliveV4]

So I think this whole Jameer Nelson possibly returning for the finals thing is bullshit. I think they're just trying to get people talking about it. Either way, I think the Lakers are going to take this in 6, regardless of whether Jameer plays or not. The X-Factor for me is Andrew Bynum. If he can defend Dwight Howard, and he certainly has the body for it, the Lakers are going to take it. Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom don't really have the body to guard Dwight and Josh Powell doesn't have the height. The Lakers really need Bynum defensively but I have a feeling he'll just get in foul trouble every game again. Maybe they'll have to get DJ Mbenga some playing time..

I can't believe they are pushing him as having a legitimate chance for a return. Even if he was able to come back I think at this point his return would be detrimental to the team with him not being in game shape as well as throwing off the rhythm the team has gotten itself into.

I don't think anyone can guard Dwight Howard one on one, whoever is doing it is going to need some help. Bynum seems the most able out of all the Lakers, but you have to have Gasol in, with his offensive skill..and with Bynum already on Howard, who are you going to put Gasol on? That's primary issue for the Lakers to me. Hell, I would almost go with a matchup 3-2 zone type look, but I'm sure Phil Jackson will have something up his sleeve.

[livid]

I wouldn't be shocked to see Odom start with Bynum coming off of the bench.

[Hajjhowe]

I think it pretty much comes down to whether Orlando can shoot the high percentage on three's they had last series (And if the Lakers can guard the perimeter better than Cleveland did). Howard should dominate inside like he pretty much would against anyone. That said, Jackson is no dummy and I am sure he's got ideas of how to set up his defense to not give up as many wide open three's as the Cavs did. That's what pretty much killed them. It's also a pretty big factor into Orlando's high shooting percentage that series.

Should be interesting, but the Lakers are obviously favorites.