***Official NBA Playoffs Thread***

[LetsGoPeay]

I just saw this tweet from Mark Cuban

this will sound weird. Im laying in bed. with the trophy next to me. #dreamcometrue

[ReignOnU]

LoL @ all of those pics.

And seriously, I'm all for dropping a few tears after a crushing defeat, but collapsing on the floor and balling your eyes out? This isn't American Idol (well, that could be the problem, the Threetles haven't figured that out yet). I still think my comments are far from bashing someone. Now Lebron, we're bashing him. As we should.

For those that watched the James/Wade (kind of funny that Bosh had to do his own) conference, did you get a kick out of Lebron passing off the question about choking to Wade. Perfect.

[shel311]

So lebron sent out a tweet a while after the game, basically saying the man upstairs knew when his time would be and now wasn't his time.


And yep you guessed it, wilbon, Jon Barry, and Magic crush him for saying that, basically saying he was passing theblame to god or something. LOL


The "it's just not my time" line has been used countless times in sports.

[The_Niddler]

What is the difference between LeBron James and a porn star?
Porn stars don't choke on the big ones!!!

Saw it on facebook, figured I would share.

[DRiccio21]

how did LeBron become the most hated person on Earth? like, what did he do?

its mind boggling and a true sign of how much social media changes the world. there are people who i know that have never watched a game of hoops in their life with status' like 'soooo happy, LeBron finally got what he deserves, asshole'

lot of people living perfect lives out there and alot of people who enjoy kicking others when they are down.

i haven't heard one person say 'ya know, LeBron didn't play his best but the Heat still scored 95 points and shot 47%... maybe it wasn't the offenses fault' or any type of real analysis on what happened.

[dakshdar]

Why I was somewhat happy that Dirk won and Lebron lost was that Lebron (and his associates) have acted rather arrogant the last year. They've been dismissive of the rest of the league with their little post-decision celebration thing. Their comments have been whiny (yes Charles has said it all post-season but that doesn't make it cliche) and self-serving.

They're like this girl I knew from High School. She was friends with a friend of mine but I had no interest in being friends with her because I found her somewhat annoying. She became convinced I hated her because I wouldn't be friends with her, so every time we might be hanging out the same place she'd pester me and ask me why I hated her and complain that I hated her and whine in general. This is the Heat. Their "us vs the world" and "everyone hates the Heat and they're happy when we lose."

Well you know what, they got their wish. The hate and annoyance grew as the season went on, and I think they only have themselves to blame.

[DRiccio21]

Why I was somewhat happy that Dirk won and Lebron lost was that Lebron (and his associates) have acted rather arrogant the last year. They've been dismissive of the rest of the league with their little post-decision celebration thing. Their comments have been whiny (yes Charles has said it all post-season but that doesn't make it cliche) and self-serving.

They're like this girl I knew from High School. She was friends with a friend of mine but I had no interest in being friends with her because I found her somewhat annoying. She became convinced I hated her because I wouldn't be friends with her, so every time we might be hanging out the same place she'd pester me and ask me why I hated her and complain that I hated her and whine in general. This is the Heat. Their "us vs the world" and "everyone hates the Heat and they're happy when we lose."

Well you know what, they got their wish. The hate and annoyance grew as the season went on, and I think they only have themselves to blame.

fair enough.

living down here and with the constant media attention they get i don't see the same 'whiny bunch' that i guess everyone else sees. Wade and LeBron are certainly arrogant/confident, as are 95% of pro athletes (Jason Terry had a freakin trophy tat'd on him, lol). This next comment is going to probably get me a lot of 'you just love LeBron' comments but i find him to be well spoken and sort of uncomfortably awkward/shy when he speaks. My point being, he doesn't come across to me like TO or a guy like that who is just a complete ass... LeBron knows his craft and knows the game as well as anyone and normally says the right things when asked questions. I find all that other nonsense is forced marketing by his crew/team and he seemed really awkward doing all those shows and promotions. He's certainly confident and driven, but i don't see that same villain everyone else sees for some reason.

i definitely don't think he deserves 1/100th of the bashing he is getting by joe public. Jason Kidd beat his wife to a pulp and you'll see comments all over the place saying 'good for Jason Kidd, he deserves it'

[VeniVediV1ci]

how did LeBron become the most hated person on Earth? like, what did he do?

its mind boggling and a true sign of how much social media changes the world. there are people who i know that have never watched a game of hoops in their life with status' like 'soooo happy, LeBron finally got what he deserves, asshole'

lot of people living perfect lives out there and alot of people who enjoy kicking others when they are down.

i haven't heard one person say 'ya know, LeBron didn't play his best but the Heat still scored 95 points and shot 47%... maybe it wasn't the offenses fault' or any type of real analysis on what happened.

i feel bad for the guy, but let's not pretend he's taken the high road at any point in his professional life.

The insults about people having to go back to their own problems when they wake up today while he gets to live in his mansions with his cars (not said but he wanted to) represented who LeBron is

[DRiccio21]

i feel bad for the guy, but let's not pretend he's taken the high road at any point in his professional life.

The insults about people having to go back to their own problems when they wake up today while he gets to live in his mansions with his cars (not said but he wanted to) represented who LeBron is

i didn't take it like that at all.

i think he is saying the exact same shit i'm saying. People feel better about themselves when they bash people when they are down. It shows their lack of class when they are ripping into a guy personally with such hate and venom and i took his comments to mean that while they feel better now, they still have to live their lives just like he has to live his and they aren't miraculously going to not have the same issues they had yesterday because they ripped into LeBron James on twitter.

i can understand how you took it tho, i just didn't think he was saying... haha go fuckyourselves normal class as i go ride on my yacht tomorrow. If he was saying that then i take back anything i've ever said in defense of him, but i highly doubt he meant it that way.

[ReignOnU]

I think you're spot on here Dave. He is a well spoken guy and does tend to say a lot of the right things in the press conferences. But his actions and 'decisions' speak louder than his words. Whether they be intentionally done or just poor choices that weren't meant in the manner they were received, they are still not good for his image.

Just some examples:
- He tells the Cleveland fans that he loves being in his hometown and he's going to win them a title, no matter what (big words, sounds great). Then he leaves for Miami when he doesn't do it. (doh)
- He says I want to be a global icon (great concept, builds the hype as being the greatest ever). Then he leaves to join 2 other superstars because it's not about being an individual, it's about winning titles.
- He goes on national television to hold 'the Decision,' which was likely something that he thought was for the good of his charity, etc. But he comes off as throwing his hometown under the bus.
- The big event at AA was an excellent way to get the Miami fans hype and probably seemed like a great idea to him. Most people outside of Miami saw it as showboating.
- The comments about winning not 3, not 4, blah blah blah were also good hype to get the fans going, but it comes off as arrogant to non-Miami fans. (People think Namath was cocky for guaranteeing victory in 1 game, this dude guaranteed tons of titles)

Seriously, most of this stuff might have been great on the local level and in his mind, but the actions he takes and the way things are perceived beyond the local area just don't look good.

[ReignOnU]

i feel bad for the guy, but let's not pretend he's taken the high road at any point in his professional life.

The insults about people having to go back to their own problems when they wake up today while he gets to live in his mansions with his cars (not said but he wanted to) represented who LeBron is

i didn't take it like that at all.

i think he is saying the exact same shit i'm saying. People feel better about themselves when they bash people when they are down. It shows their lack of class when they are ripping into a guy personally with such hate and venom and i took his comments to mean that while they feel better now, they still have to live their lives just like he has to live his and they aren't miraculously going to not have the same issues they had yesterday because they ripped into LeBron James on twitter.

i can understand how you took it tho, i just didn't think he was saying... haha go fuckyourselves normal class as i go ride on my yacht tomorrow. If he was saying that then i take back anything i've ever said in defense of him, but i highly doubt he meant it that way.

I took it as a veiled arrogant statement as well. And from the 2 different shows I've listened to this morning, so did they.

[VeniVediV1ci]

as for the game, i think Spoelstra's defensive designs weren't good enough.

Often when they tried to double Dirk it would lead to two easy passes and an uncontested flush at the rim and in a game like that with a team shooting so well you couldn't give them easy ones too.

Eddie House was a great substitution who hit a bunch of shots to keep them in it, but he stayed with him too long considering how he hadn't played at all in the playoffs really. And the Heat were certainly passive at the end making extra passes too often leading to turnovers. It's funny because the team that supposedly has all the selfish guys on it wouldn't be selfish enough to take a shot

[DRiccio21]

I think you're spot on here Dave. He is a well spoken guy and does tend to say a lot of the right things in the press conferences. But his actions and 'decisions' speak louder than his words. Whether they be intentionally done or just poor choices that weren't meant in the manner they were received, they are still not good for his image.

Just some examples:
- He tells the Cleveland fans that he loves being in his hometown and he's going to win them a title, no matter what (big words, sounds great). Then he leaves for Miami when he doesn't do it. (doh)
- He says I want to be a global icon (great concept, builds the hype as being the greatest ever). Then he leaves to join 2 other superstars because it's not about being an individual, it's about winning titles.
- He goes on national television to hold 'the Decision,' which was likely something that he thought was for the good of his charity, etc. But he comes off as throwing his hometown under the bus.
- The big event at AA was an excellent way to get the Miami fans hype and probably seemed like a great idea to him. Most people outside of Miami saw it as showboating.
- The comments about winning not 3, not 4, blah blah blah were also good hype to get the fans going, but it comes off as arrogant to non-Miami fans. (People think Namath was cocky for guaranteeing victory in 1 game, this dude guaranteed tons of titles)

Seriously, most of this stuff might have been great on the local level and in his mind, but the actions he takes and the way things are perceived beyond the local area just don't look good.

i think you hit them all on the head perfectly.

i look at LeBron like a prized race horse. he just goes around and does what his handlers tell him to do. he doesn't have a true grip on reality as he's been coddled since he was bouncing a ball.

Was the decision stupid and degrading to Cleveland... absofuckinglutely... do you think LeBron thought out to himself that he's going to rip the hearts out of Cleveland when he did that? no, he thought, 'i'm a global icon, i want to make this about me, i'm an egomaniac and my handlers are telling me this is what i should do for my brand'. Cleveland's emotions probably never crossed his mind. While that says alot about him, its basically the mentality of all of our modern athletes.

Was the show in the arena stupid .... absofuckinglutely... he had nothing to do with that. Miami was going bananas when they got all 3 and the Heat were trying to capitalize on it so they put their prize pony out on a stage for everyone to ooohhh and awww at.

Was him guaranteeing rings stupid... probably, but its not any different than Jason Terry getting a trophy on his arm or the Lakers proclaiming they are coming back to win another ring. You're supposed to think you're going to win it, especially when you have a good team.

as for leaving Cleveland, that i'll never understand. He wanted to win, he didn't think he could win in Cleveland. If that makes him a bad person then i live in a crazy world. not one of us would turn down an offer where we felt we could be in a better position to achieve the pinnacle of our professional careers.

[DRiccio21]

Eddie House was a great substitution who hit a bunch of shots to keep them in it, but he stayed with him too long considering how he hadn't played at all in the playoffs really. And the Heat were certainly passive at the end making extra passes too often leading to turnovers. It's funny because the team that supposedly has all the selfish guys on it wouldn't be selfish enough to take a shot

Miami's guys are selfish now? damn, i'm confused. i don't see any of them as being as selfish players.

as for your Houst point, you hit the fuckin nail on the head there. i don't blame coaches so i'm not going to say it was Spo's fault or anything like that but Eddie House literally hijacked the game at one point. He was so late on rotations and so out of position that he alone led to Dallas getting great looks 5 or 6 straight possessions, including Jason Terry sticking a few 3's in his face.

[VeniVediV1ci]

i understand what you're saying, dave, and i think he's extremely well-spoken for guy with nothing more than a high school diploma.

But I think he went down the path and was ready to come back with the same venom then thought about it and didn't do it. Kudos for holding off, but it was clear to me he was heading down that path.

Reign-- I think he's a guy who talks without thinking a lot and he's always been young and you never know with his "handlers" if he really had an idea of what to say and when to say it. You're right he's been somewhat hypocritical throughout his career but I'm sure we would all be too if we were in the spotlight at that age. I'm sure he has an expensive PR team, but he needs some help there.

...and in all this villain stuff I don't think he really wants the role but he has to take it at this point because he doesn't want to seem weak. I'm not sure how I feel about it but I said it in the beginning of the playoffs, I'm starting to root for him

[Ghost of UCLA]

Great posts fellas....I have enjoyed reading them....

[DRiccio21]

They bought 100 bottles of Ace of Spades last night... hilarious

[LetsGoPeay]

i understand what you're saying, dave, and i think he's extremely well-spoken for guy with nothing more than a high school diploma.

You criticize him for sounding arrogant and then you post this. You realize that quite a few people in this league have "nothing more than a high school diploma" right?

[VeniVediV1ci]

i understand what you're saying, dave, and i think he's extremely well-spoken for guy with nothing more than a high school diploma.

You criticize him for sounding arrogant and then you post this. You realize that quite a few people in this league have "nothing more than a high school diploma" right?

how'd I know that would come up...

Never did I use the word arrogance, and how many people with only a high school diploma are a world icon like him where every word/face/action he makes is criticized to the same degree?

[packsyD22]

There are a few things to dislike about Lebron since he left Cleveland because before this year I wouldn't say he was hated much at all. When you don't tell your owner in Cleveland who has done SOOO much for you that your leaving, it is a sham. The Decision was silly but I understand the money aspect and why he did the things he did.

The one thing I have an issue with was the lil song and dance at the arena. Why was it just those three? Why not the whole fucking team? Clearly these guys need some role players to win a title.

I am in the minority when I say I think LBJ is a good dude who like Dave had mentioned too earlier does a lot of good things in his community and stats out of trouble with the law. Like he said as well, Jason Kidd beat the shit out of his woman. You do not hear that stuff coming from Lebron's camp, but confidence can be confused with arrogance which is what happened to this team. In the local media all of it may have seemed great but to the rest of the people in the U.S. it looked arrogant and useless, especially for a guy who hasn't proved shit as far as championships go.

The real problem with the Heat it looks as though no one knows who the ball handler is, no one knows who should take shots. If your open or think you can knock a shot down fucking shoot it. These guys seemed way too concerned making one another looking better instead of one of them taking over. I think if the Heat play the way they id against Chicago they win in 5 games. Instead they are the first losers.

The one thing about Lebron that I will also say I am not too fond of is guys like Dirk, Kobe, etc will go out and go do two a days in a month or two to perfect their game and LBJ will just continue to build his name up instead of work his fucking nuts off to be the best and win a title. Thats the difference between im and the greats. Anyway thats my two cents about what I saw, but I don't know shit from apple butter about hoops so do not slam me too hard!