Chalupa Posted May 27, 2011 Report Posted May 27, 2011 I might be in the minority but I would like to see LeBron get a ring. Don't know if he will this year but I can tell you that this is the first Finals in YEARS that I'm going to watch from start to finish. Oh and that Derrick Rose cradling the ball thing. How is that not a travel?? C'mon, really? Check the video at about 40 seconds in... http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=310526004 Quote
Bright Moments Posted May 31, 2011 Report Posted May 31, 2011 The BIG game is tonight! Hope we start off on the right foot!! Quote
papsrus Posted May 31, 2011 Report Posted May 31, 2011 I might be in the minority but I would like to see LeBron get a ring. Don't know if he will this year but I can tell you that this is the first Finals in YEARS that I'm going to watch from start to finish. Oh and that Derrick Rose cradling the ball thing. How is that not a travel?? C'mon, really? Check the video at about 40 seconds in... http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=310526004 I'm with you on both counts. Folks went way over the top crushing LeBron for giving the hometown team 7 good years, then leaving Cleveland for Miami and a chance to play with Wade. ... Cleveland and nobody -- Miami and Wade. Hmmm. And you heard Wade say the other night there is no way on earth he would go to Cleveland. I assume that goes for Kobe, Dwight Howard, Dirk, Chris Paul, Carmello Anthony, Stoudemire and just about any other big-name player you can think of. I'm sure Cleveland is a great place in a lot of ways, but c'mon. And Rose carries the ball like a tailback. Quote
Noj Posted May 31, 2011 Report Posted May 31, 2011 I think people hate LeBron more for the way he left Cleveland, not just that he left. His big TV show special "The Decision" to announce that he was abandoning the city that worshiped him. The pompous statement, "I've decided to take my talents to South Beach" has been a punchline for months. Had LeBron simply insisted on leaving, and forced Cleveland to trade him, a la Melo to NYK, it wouldn't have been as bad. Instead, he left Cleveland fans twisting in the wind, guessing for weeks after an inexplicable collapse in the playoffs (during which LeBron's effort was questionable), then announced he was going to go play second fiddle to Wade and make the Cavs instantly go from contender to worst team in the NBA. Quote
Aggie87 Posted May 31, 2011 Report Posted May 31, 2011 (edited) Folks went way over the top crushing LeBron for giving the hometown team 7 good years, then leaving Cleveland for Miami and a chance to play with Wade. ... Cleveland and nobody -- Miami and Wade. Hmmm. I don't think it's the fact he left that bugs most people - I'd rather play with Wade than with Anderson Varejao too - it's how he did it. Athletes change teams left and right in this era, so he's no different in that regard. But to put on a huge show on ESPN, toy with the hometown fans who had never had a winner, be the face of Cleveland (what other sports star can you think of from Cleveland in the past 40 years?), and then to dump them and "take your talents" to Miami? That cost him a lot of respect, for many people. edit - was typing this when Nojjy posted, but pretty much agree with everything he said, obviously! Edited May 31, 2011 by Aggie87 Quote
papsrus Posted May 31, 2011 Report Posted May 31, 2011 Isn't that "take my talents to ..." line from somewhere else? Like he was almost quoting it as a gag or something? (Hah! I just googled it and the urban dictionary says its a euphemism for masturbate.) Person A: What are you doing tomorrow? Person B: I'm going to sleep in, take my talents to South Beach, go to work, and head to the bars. Quote
Quincy Posted May 31, 2011 Report Posted May 31, 2011 Isn't that "take my talents to ..." line from somewhere else? Like he was almost quoting it as a gag or something? (Hah! I just googled it and the urban dictionary says its a euphemism for masturbate.) Person A: What are you doing tomorrow? Person B: I'm going to sleep in, take my talents to South Beach, go to work, and head to the bars. It's also used for when one has a need to declare that he's taking a dump. Like Noj & Aggie said, I don't begrudge the guy for getting out of Cleveland and taking control of where he wanted to play. But that little show of his was so narcissistic, I don't care if it was done for "charity" or not. (And really, Jim Gray? Ugh.) That said I'm going to try to put all that crap out of mind and enjoy his "talents," and hope to hell that the referring isn't atrocious. If I see Dick Bavetta out there I reserve the right to shut the TV off and never watch a NBA game again. Quote
Free For All Posted May 31, 2011 Report Posted May 31, 2011 It's also used for when one has a need to declare that he's taking a dump. I love it! That beats out my previous favorites which included "launching a sea pickle", "hanging a moose" (no offense, Mark) and "dropping the kids off at the pool". Quote
Dave James Posted June 1, 2011 Report Posted June 1, 2011 LeBron's a punk and a prima donna. He thinks he's bigger than the game. Can you in your wildest dreams ever imagine Magic or Bird orchestrating a stunt like that and then following it up with that theater of the absurd coming out party in Miami? This guy is an embarrassment to himself and to the league. I don't give a rat's ass about the NBA, and I have no plans to watch any of the finals, but if Dallas won 4-0 it would be fine with me. Quote
Quincy Posted June 1, 2011 Report Posted June 1, 2011 I'm rooting for Dallas but the most beautiful thing I saw on the court was w/ a 1:08 left. Wade gets his 10th rebound (!), escapes backcourt pressure, gets out of trouble and fires the pass from past half court for the put it out of reach bucket. I also liked that Dallas had an emphatic dunk on the following point. Pointless perhaps but it surprised the crowd which was good. For the first time I looked over how the "Big 3" stats changed in their season together and I noticed Wade's rebounding went up to 6.4 from 4.9 the year before. That's crazy for a guard. He also must be the best shot blocking guard in history. He's better than Carlos Boozer & Zach Randolph combined and then some. That said Boozer only blocks .3 shots a game more than any poster here. Unless Noj is really Tim Duncan and has been faking his love of Lakers all this time... I'm hoping for the sake of competitive games that the Dallas bench has a better Game 2. Were they "average" tonight it might have gone down to the wire. Quote
papsrus Posted June 1, 2011 Report Posted June 1, 2011 Dirk has a torn tendon in middle finger of non-shooting hand (left). Apparently unlikely to affect his shooting, but overall it can't be a good thing. Quote
Dave James Posted June 1, 2011 Report Posted June 1, 2011 It's also used for when one has a need to declare that he's taking a dump. I love it! That beats out my previous favorites which included "launching a sea pickle", "hanging a moose" (no offense, Mark) and "dropping the kids off at the pool". "Laying some cable", "pinching off a loaf" and my current favorite, "mud slide". Quote
Jim Alfredson Posted June 1, 2011 Report Posted June 1, 2011 I think people hate LeBron more for the way he left Cleveland, not just that he left. His big TV show special "The Decision" to announce that he was abandoning the city that worshiped him. The pompous statement, "I've decided to take my talents to South Beach" has been a punchline for months. Had LeBron simply insisted on leaving, and forced Cleveland to trade him, a la Melo to NYK, it wouldn't have been as bad. Instead, he left Cleveland fans twisting in the wind, guessing for weeks after an inexplicable collapse in the playoffs (during which LeBron's effort was questionable), then announced he was going to go play second fiddle to Wade and make the Cavs instantly go from contender to worst team in the NBA. Exactly. And that's the sole reason I stopped watching the NBA. I have not watched a game since that fiasco and I don't plan to anytime soon. The league has become obsessed with "stars" at the expense of the beauty of the game itself. My prediction for this series? Anyone who looks at Wade funny or breathes on him or LeBron will be called for a foul and the refs will join the Heat for another "championship" celebration. Just like the last time they robbed faced Dallas. Quote
Chalupa Posted June 1, 2011 Report Posted June 1, 2011 I think people hate LeBron more for the way he left Cleveland, not just that he left. His big TV show special "The Decision" to announce that he was abandoning the city that worshiped him. The pompous statement, "I've decided to take my talents to South Beach" has been a punchline for months. Had LeBron simply insisted on leaving, and forced Cleveland to trade him, a la Melo to NYK, it wouldn't have been as bad. Instead, he left Cleveland fans twisting in the wind, guessing for weeks after an inexplicable collapse in the playoffs (during which LeBron's effort was questionable), then announced he was going to go play second fiddle to Wade and make the Cavs instantly go from contender to worst team in the NBA. Exactly. And that's the sole reason I stopped watching the NBA. I have not watched a game since that fiasco and I don't plan to anytime soon. The league has become obsessed with "stars" at the expense of the beauty of the game itself. Here's the thing. How much of that show was the result of something LeBron wanted to do as opposed to how much David Stern, ESPN, their advertisers, Lebron's sponsers, etc, wanted to milk "The Decision" for every last drop of publicity?? I mean really? What surprises me about the whole "Decision" thing is how much LeBron still gets the blame while the Cavs owners(And Stern, ESPN, and the rest) get off Scott Free. I think LeBron was in a lose/lose situation once he decided to be part of the media circus. If he had stayed in Cleveland how many of you would be saying stuff like,"Oh he played us," or "What a letdown," or "I can't believe he is staying in cold, snowy Cleveland and playing for owners that won't get him the talent to win an NBA championship when he could be in sunny South Beach with a chance to play w/ Wade and Bosh? What a fool!"??? Re: Star thing. It's been that way since Jordan ascended to the throne back in the early 90's. His basketball greatness was only surpassed by his international marketing super stardom. The NBA knew that and exploited it. Let's face it - all of the professional sports organizations market their stars, not the game itself. After MJ retired the NBA's TV rating's dropped way off so "The Decision" was made to find the next Jordan. They tried Kobe but the public didn't buy it(I guess that rape accusation didn't help either) so they got Lebron. Quote
papsrus Posted June 1, 2011 Report Posted June 1, 2011 I think people hate LeBron more for the way he left Cleveland, not just that he left. His big TV show special "The Decision" to announce that he was abandoning the city that worshiped him. The pompous statement, "I've decided to take my talents to South Beach" has been a punchline for months. Had LeBron simply insisted on leaving, and forced Cleveland to trade him, a la Melo to NYK, it wouldn't have been as bad. Instead, he left Cleveland fans twisting in the wind, guessing for weeks after an inexplicable collapse in the playoffs (during which LeBron's effort was questionable), then announced he was going to go play second fiddle to Wade and make the Cavs instantly go from contender to worst team in the NBA. Exactly. And that's the sole reason I stopped watching the NBA. I have not watched a game since that fiasco and I don't plan to anytime soon. The league has become obsessed with "stars" at the expense of the beauty of the game itself. My prediction for this series? Anyone who looks at Wade funny or breathes on him or LeBron will be called for a foul and the refs will join the Heat for another "championship" celebration. Just like the last time they robbed faced Dallas. I've never been a big NBA fan. I watch some of the playoffs and glance at a couple of the marquee games during the season. That's about it. I didn't have a reaction one way or the other after "The Decision." Seemed like any other manufactured media event to me. We're not used to this sort of thing by now? C'mon. It was no big thing. The reaction to it in Cleveland I sort of understood; way over the top but that's the way fans can be sometimes. And I figured the reaction in Cleveland had as much to do with that city's history of sports failures as anything else. But the rest of the country? I don't really get why someone outside of Ohio would really care (other than folks in Miami). It seems like people got caught up in the very media frenzy they claim to dislike. Partly (mostly?) LeBron's fault, but he has since admitted that the way he handled things was a mistake. -- He agrees with you, in other words. Quote
Jim Alfredson Posted June 1, 2011 Report Posted June 1, 2011 Did Jordan ever stage a one-hour primetime TV event to announce his multiple retirements / returns? The whole thing was disgusting. I'll go watch an NBA game live if given comp tickets, but I won't waste my time watching it on TV anymore. And yes, I blame the NBA just as much as LeBron for fostering the current situation where stars are upheld above the game. They are given special treatment by the refs and the league. When I was in Memphis a few weeks ago during the first round of the play-offs, the Heat happened to be on TV at Corky's BBQ in the bar area while we were waiting for our table. I caught some of the game (I don't even know / care who they played) and the funniest part was LeBron mowing down an opponent to get to the basket (a blatant offensive foul) and then taking four steps to the basket to dunk it. And the announcers of course proclaimed excitedly "OOOOOOHHHH, what a sensational move by LeBron!!!" And that just encapsulates my whole boycott against the league. It's all bullshit. On the plus side, it means more time to actually get things done on my end that are much more important. Quote
papsrus Posted June 1, 2011 Report Posted June 1, 2011 Did Jordan ever stage a one-hour primetime TV event to announce his multiple retirements / returns? Well, the dude was just strutting around at the United Center on one of a seemingly endless series of farewell shows for Oprah welcoming her to 'his' house. When it comes to egos, LeBron can't hold a candle to Jordan. LeBron's 'The Decision' was a little unusual, but only a little. You've got high school football players holding news conferences now to announce which college they are going to attend. That's more creepy to me than arguably the best player in the NBA, now a free agent, holding a TV event (to raise $ for charity, btw) to announce where he's going to go play. But, either way I'm basically in the "who cares" camp. Quote
Noj Posted June 1, 2011 Report Posted June 1, 2011 It's all right. The Jordan worshipers will never let LeBron be considered better than MJ, especially now that he went and became Wade's sidekick. Wade's the proven winner. LeBron made himself into Pippen, even if his numbers and ridiculous skills tell a different story. It will forever be, "oh big deal, Jordan would have won ten titles if he had teamed up with two perennial all-stars at the peak of his powers." LeBron has tainted his own legacy. Quote
Jim Alfredson Posted June 1, 2011 Report Posted June 1, 2011 Did Jordan ever stage a one-hour primetime TV event to announce his multiple retirements / returns? Well, the dude was just strutting around at the United Center on one of a seemingly endless series of farewell shows for Oprah welcoming her to 'his' house. When it comes to egos, LeBron can't hold a candle to Jordan. Wait, what team does he play for currently? Quote
papsrus Posted June 1, 2011 Report Posted June 1, 2011 Did Jordan ever stage a one-hour primetime TV event to announce his multiple retirements / returns? Well, the dude was just strutting around at the United Center on one of a seemingly endless series of farewell shows for Oprah welcoming her to 'his' house. When it comes to egos, LeBron can't hold a candle to Jordan. Wait, what team does he play for currently? The point was, LeBron isn't exactly alone in staging self-aggrandizing media stunts. You don't think "I'm back" wasn't crafted by a marketing agency driven by the star-making machine? And his Hall of Fame speech could hardly be described as humble. Quote
_forumlogo.png.a607ef20a6e0c299ab2aa6443aa1f32e.png)
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.