If the Kang doesn't ring this year...

[ElNono]

I know this is a topic that makes Lakerfan giddy, but in the unlikely event Lebron doesn't ring this year, what kind of hit does his rep takes?

[Killakobe81]

I know this is a topic that makes Lakerfan giddy, but in the unlikely event Lebron doesn't ring this year, what kind of hit does his rep takes?

It certainly takes a hit ... but that doesnt make me giddy.
And the shot he had at GOAT probably vanishes ...he is still in the running in my book.

[vander]

if he doesn't get one this year, will he ever get another ring with the Heat? or will he have to take his talents to LA or some already loaded team to get more rings?

[Killakobe81]

But he neesds at least one repeat on his resume ... Mj has two 3 peats ...

[Mel_13]

I know this is a topic that makes Lakerfan giddy, but in the unlikely event Lebron doesn't ring this year, what kind of hit does his rep takes?

I would think that Kobefan would rather see LeBron get his 2nd than Duncan get his 5th.

[TDMVPDPOY]

dunno why you clowns comparing him to be GOAT,

his resume looks more like bird/magic to me, with multiple mvps and consecutive finals appearances, win or not is another

[StrengthAndHonor]

He'll be 1-3 in NBA finals, that's tough stain in any great players resume.

[JoeTait75]

Depends, IMO. If he spits the bit like in 2011 his rep will take a hit. If he beasts it and his supporting cast lays down on the job like in 2009 against Orlando it won't, imo.

[StrengthAndHonor]

Even if he wins another one next year a 2-5 record in the biggest stage is aweful.

[Killakobe81]

I would think that Kobefan would rather see LeBron get his 2nd than Duncan get his 5th.

on LG most (Kobe fanbois) grudgingly respect Tim and hate on James tbh ... very insecure about Lebron.

[Clipper Nation]

He'll be 1-3 in NBA finals, that's tough stain in any great players resume.

Jerry West was 1-8 in NBA Finals and was still thought of as "Mr. Clutch" and an all-time great and immortalized forever in the NBA's logo....

[JoeTait75]

I think LeBron gets a mulligan for 2007 in the eyes of most people, imo.

[Killakobe81]

Bird and Magic is not a fair comparison because they had each other ... to battle over the 80's ...
This is Lebron's time and his closest rival lost to the Grizz .. also, No Drose, No Granger .. Lebron should at least make the Finals and should win it.

[Mel_13]

on LG most grudgingly respect Tim and hate on James tbh ... bery insecure about Lebron.

:lol

I'll take your word for it. It must be tough for them to try and calculate the impact of every external event on Kobe's legacy.

[jeebus]

I know this is a topic that makes Lakerfan giddy, but in the unlikely event Lebron doesn't ring this year, what kind of hit does his rep takes?

He'll leave Miami; nothing but washed up fucks on there besides Bosh and Chalmers. He'll either go back to Cleveland, put up with Br:lolwn, and ride Irving or head somewhere a bit more established and try to win there. Boiled down, since joining Miami, his career is now pretty much just riding coattails to rings.

[HarlemHeat37]

On the opposite side of this hypothetical scenario, if Lebron wins again, he'll have done it with the worst supporting cast since 2006 Wade, tbh..

Wade and Bosh have severely under performed, and Miami's role players can't shoot anymore..

[jeebus]

On the opposite side of this hypothetical scenario, if Lebron wins again, he'll have done it with the worst supporting cast since 2006 Wade, tbh..

Agreed.

[StrengthAndHonor]

Jerry West was 1-8 in NBA Finals and was still thought of as "Mr. Clutch" and an all-time great and immortalized forever in the NBA's logo....

True. But Ive always thought West is overrated. Looking at the current Top 10 list, pretty much all have great Finals records except Wilt iirc. Lebron would still be Top 10 tbh but it would be a hard sell to put him ahead anyone if he keeps losing in the Finals.

[HarlemHeat37]

Lebron is also ranked on the same scale as guys like Duncan and Hakeem, players that had to carry their teams on both sides of the floor without getting credit for it, while Aids, ugly-ass Larry Bird and Rapist get the same credit for playing on one side of the court:lol..

Duncan is 37 and still has to anchor a defense, while he doesn't get anywhere near the credit that Magic Johnson's gay ass gets, or even Bird and fucking Kobe:lol..

[TDMVPDPOY]

Jerry West was 1-8 in NBA Finals and was still thought of as "Mr. Clutch" and an all-time great and immortalized forever in the NBA's logo....

jerry is not even top20

[DUNCANownsKOBE]

Acting like 2007 is a stain on lebrons resume is a joke. Getting that team the to finals is an accomplishment regardless of how he did in the finals. The only two big stains I see on lebrons resume are shitting the bed against Dallas in 2011 and quitting on Cleveland in the 2010 Boston series. Every other year he's done more than you can expect based off the supporting cast he had.

[Killakobe81]

On the opposite side of this hypothetical scenario, if Lebron wins again, he'll have done it with the worst supporting cast since 2006 Wade, tbh..

Wade and Bosh have severely under performed, and Miami's role players can't shoot anymore..

Not bad cast they just are not playing well...as a unit ..
Chalmers dropped 20 last night ...
Haslem 17 game before ...

Bosh and wade look like role players not stars ...thats the problem and they are missing open 3's ...and getting killed on the boards.

[HarlemHeat37]

I've already said many times that Lebron's choke against Dallas already eliminated him from talks with Dad Killer, tbh..

I just find it funny that Lebron is carrying an offense while guarding both George and West, while guys like Magic/Bird/Kobe get a pass for rarely guarding opposing stars..we already have this problem when ranking Duncan, Olajuwon and even Kareem/Wilt, hopefully Lebron will change that if he wins again..

[StrengthAndHonor]

Pretty sure Akeem and Tim gets tons of credits for playing on both ends of the court. Truth is and I don't necessarily agree with it, is that rings and FMVP's brings a lot of weight in this type of conversation.

[Killakobe81]

Acting like 2007 is a stain on lebrons resume is a joke. Getting that team the to finals is an accomplishment regardless of how he did in the finals. The only two big stains I see on lebrons resume are shitting the bed against Dallas in 2011 and quitting on Cleveland in the 2010 Boston series. Every other year he's done more than you can expect based off the supporting cast he had.

Agreed. LOsing to Magic especially with how little Dwight has done since ... is also shaky but agree on everything else. in fact he has exceed expectations as a player every year as has his teams more times than not.

[StrengthAndHonor]

Not bad cast they just are not playing well...as a unit ..
Chalmers dropped 20 last night ...
Haslem 17 game before ...

Bosh and wade look like role players not stars ...thats the problem and they are missing open 3's ...and getting killed on the boards.
Wade is underwhelming but I think Bosh is just not utilized. Good thing Birdman has stepped up tremendously.

[Killakobe81]

I've already said many times that Lebron's choke against Dallas already eliminated him from talks with Dad Killer, tbh..

here we disagree. though mj had a perfect Finals record he lost playoffs series too ...
would be tough but if James were to 4 peat or win 4 out of 7 ... he would have a case ..

[JoeTait75]

Agreed. LOsing to Magic especially with how little Dwight has done since ... is also shaky but agree on everything else. in fact he has exceed expectations as a player every year as has his teams more times than not.

Orlando was a horrible, horrible matchup for that Cavaliers team, tbh. LeBron's circus shot at the end of game two is the only reason Cleveland didn't get swept. Cannot put that loss on him at all.

[baseline bum]

Jerry West was 1-8 in NBA Finals and was still thought of as "Mr. Clutch" and an all-time great and immortalized forever in the NBA's logo....

TG4f9zR5yzY

[Killakobe81]

Wade is underwhelming but I think Bosh is just not utilized. Good thing Birdman has stepped up tremendously.

true but 3 rebounds in a playoff game? as a big selected to the ASG?!
Bonner probably can get you 3 boards in less minutes ...
heck ray Allen had 7 ..

[Killakobe81]

Orlando was a horrible, horrible matchup for that Cavaliers team, tbh. LeBron's circus shot at the end of game two is the only reason Cleveland didn't get swept. Cannot put that loss on him at all.

he played well ... and i get your point, and at the time I agreed ..b ut after watching Dwight up close no way should a player of James caliber lose to a team led by Dwight & Turk ...

great coaching by SVG though ...

[whitemamba]

if he doesn't get one this year, will he ever get another ring with the Heat? or will he have to take his talents to LA or some already loaded team to get more rings?


ill never forget that boise state game, it was one of the most epic finished id ever seen :tu

[whitemamba]

if he doesn't get one this year, will he ever get another ring with the Heat? or will he have to take his talents to LA or some already loaded team to get more rings?


ill never forget that boise state game, it was one of the most epic finishes id ever seen :tu

[Mugen]

Definitely a hit on the resume. When people look back on the season and see that LeBron didn't ring, they'll only see the 27 game win streak and the relatively weak level of competition in the league. They'll gloss over the fact that Wade is a shell of himself and Bosh is a glorified Udonis Haslem tbh.

[Mugen]

His "legacy" will take an even bigger hit if he leaves in 2014 for somewhere like the Lakers tbh. The only way he leaves Miami with his legacy intact is if he goes back to Cleveland and gets them a ring.

[spurraider21]

IMO he's got to have a winning record (at least) in the finals if he wants to be in GOAT talks. if he loses in the finals and dips to 1-3, he'd have to win 3 more to be in talks. if he does get 3 more (with 3 finals mvp's) and presumably a couple of MVP's and a DPOY he'd be in the conversation.

[baseline bum]

His legacy takes an enormous hit without a title this season. He had legit reasons in Cleveland considering the horseshit teams put around him, but even with an injured Wade he still has a really stacked supporting cast (other than coach).

[ElNono]

true but 3 rebounds in a playoff game? as a big selected to the ASG?!
Bonner probably can get you 3 boards in less minutes ...
heck ray Allen had 7 ..

This is nitpicking, tbh... career-wise, he's a 8 rpg player in the playoffs... everybody can have a bad game/series, depending on matchups.

[whitemamba]

This is nitpicking, tbh... career-wise, he's a 8 rpg player in the playoffs... everybody can have a bad game/series, depending on matchups.

They are talking about how hes performing now... hes declining fast

[ElNono]

They are talking about how hes performing now... hes declining fast

Bosh is scoring and rebounding about the same as last playoffs (13.5ppg now vs 14ppg last playoffs, 7.8rpg now vs 6.8rpg last playoffs).

It's possible this specific series matchup isn't for him (Hibbert is overrated, but he has been putting work this series), but his overall production isn't much different than last playoffs.

[whitemamba]

Bosh is scoring and rebounding about the same as last playoffs (13.5ppg now vs 14ppg last playoffs, 7.8rpg now vs 6.8rpg last playoffs).

It's possible this specific series matchup isn't for him (Hibbert is overrated, but he has been putting work this series), but his overall production isn't much different than last playoffs.

thats it 14 ppg? and 7 rpg? damn thats pretty shitty imho

[jimbo]

he played well ... and i get your point, and at the time I agreed ..b ut after watching Dwight up close no way should a player of James caliber lose to a team led by Dwight & Turk ...

great coaching by SVG though ...

Nah, Dwight was a whole lot better back then before his back injury. He could actually outmonkey people when he was around the rim. He should be a ton better next year.


Definitely a hit on the resume. When people look back on the season and see that LeBron didn't ring, they'll only see the 27 game win streak and the relatively weak level of competition in the league. They'll gloss over the fact that Wade is a shell of himself and Bosh is a glorified Udonis Haslem tbh.

I think this is closest to the truth unless he somehow ends up with 4-5+ rings. Not a whole lot of people bring up Magic choking in the finals anymore since he has so many other rings.

[AaronY]

Bosh is scoring and rebounding about the same as last playoffs (13.5ppg now vs 14ppg last playoffs, 7.8rpg now vs 6.8rpg last playoffs).

It's possible this specific series matchup isn't for him (Hibbert is overrated, but he has been putting work this series), but his overall production isn't much different than last playoffs.
Bosh has 13 rebounds in four games this series..Hibbert has 26 offensive rebounds so far in the series..

[TDMVPDPOY]

wade and bosh use to be top5 players at their position, so much has change since last ring...

[manufan10]

It depends on how many he ends up winning in his career, tbh. If he goes on to win a few more it won't, imo.

[ElNono]

thats it 14 ppg? and 7 rpg? damn thats pretty shitty imho

That was enough to win a ring last year... if you're looking for a severe drop in production, you have to start looking at Wade, tbh...

[midnightpulp]

he played well ... and i get your point, and at the time I agreed ..b ut after watching Dwight up close no way should a player of James caliber lose to a team led by Dwight & Turk ...

great coaching by SVG though ...

He didn't just play "well," he was historically great in that series.

A player of James's caliber can certainly lose to a team led by Dwight and Hedo if the second best player on his team is Mo Williams.

[ElNono]

Bosh has 13 rebounds in four games this series..Hibbert has 26 offensive rebounds so far in the series..

Yeah, it's possible this particular matchup isn't good to Bosh, but in general his numbers are basically the same as last season...

[AaronY]

I just like mentioning that stat..It's a fun one for sure..

[HarlemHeat37]

2009 Dwight Howard would be the 2nd best player in the NBA today, tbh..

By far the best defensive player in the league, at peak athleticism, one of the 3 most athletic bigs in NBA history..playing in a perfect system with optimal spacing..

Lebron averaged 38-8-8 in that series on great efficiency, not sure what else he could have done:lol..

[TDMVPDPOY]

he needs repeat or 3peat to even touch jordan

non consecutive years winning rings, he be outside top3

[midnightpulp]

2009 Dwight Howard would be the 2nd best player in the NBA today, tbh..

By far the best defensive player in the league, at peak athleticism, one of the 3 most athletic bigs in NBA history..playing in a perfect system with optimal spacing..

Lebron averaged 38-8-8 in that series on great efficiency, not sure what else he could have done:lol..

This game symbolized that series in a nutshell:

http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/200905200CLE.html

5 bench points :lol

[TDMVPDPOY]

2009 Dwight Howard would be the 2nd best player in the NBA today, tbh..

By far the best defensive player in the league, at peak athleticism, one of the 3 most athletic bigs in NBA history..playing in a perfect system with optimal spacing..


lol camping in the lane, and most of his blocks are goaltending anyway

prime d12 will be exposed with the hack a scrub

[Pelicans78]

he played well ... and i get your point, and at the time I agreed ..b ut after watching Dwight up close no way should a player of James caliber lose to a team led by Dwight & Turk ...

great coaching by SVG though ...

Cleveland had no answer for Howard that series. He was a monster in every game. Look at the stats in that series. Howard was unstoppable. Lebron was very good in that series, but not great. But Howard was the best player in that series. That's the reason the Cavs got Shaq the following season.

[Pelicans78]

2009 Dwight Howard would be the 2nd best player in the NBA today, tbh..

By far the best defensive player in the league, at peak athleticism, one of the 3 most athletic bigs in NBA history..playing in a perfect system with optimal spacing..

Lebron averaged 38-8-8 in that series on great efficiency, not sure what else he could have done:lol..

Lebron wasn't as efficient as he normally was in that series. His usage was at an all-time high. Not his fault. He had to be perfect for them to have a chance simply because the Cavs had no answer for Howard who was GOAT like in that series, mainly because Big Z couldn't keep up with him.

[Pelicans78]

But Lebron should ring this season. The competition isn't that tough and his role players have still played well overall even though Bosh and Wade aren't what they're capable of. No way the Pacers or Spurs should beat the Heat in a 7 game series.

[TDMVPDPOY]

losing to TOSB duncan will destroy watever he has achieved so far....

[Pelicans78]

losing to TOSB duncan will destroy watever he has achieved so far....

I think his credibility would take a huge hit losing to the Spurs.

[urunobili]

His "legacy" will take an even bigger hit if he leaves in 2014 for somewhere like the Lakers tbh. The only way he leaves Miami with his legacy intact is if he goes back to Cleveland and gets them a ring.

THIS

[whitemamba]

That was enough to win a ring last year... if you're looking for a severe drop in production, you have to start looking at Wade, tbh...

If Lebron is carrying the load, yeah its enough this year tbh.. but i agree with you on Wade, which is why im baffled when hes considered the best SG in the leage..

[JoeTait75]

Cleveland had no answer for Howard that series. He was a monster in every game. Look at the stats in that series. Howard was unstoppable. Lebron was very good in that series, but not great. But Howard was the best player in that series. That's the reason the Cavs got Shaq the following season.

It wasn't just Dewey. Cleveland had no answer for the squadron of oversized outside shooters Orlando had. They just didn't have the size to deal with Turkeyglue, Rashard Lewis and the rest of them. It was just a bad matchup in every way.

[HI-FI]

His "legacy" will take an even bigger hit if he leaves in 2014 for somewhere like the Lakers tbh. The only way he leaves Miami with his legacy intact is if he goes back to Cleveland and gets them a ring.
this. also, with the way Dan Gilbert keeps "winning" no.1 picks, Stern is setting it up nicely for a prodigal son story. But going to Lakers would fuel so much hatred.

if the Kang doesn't ring this year, his reputation will take a hit. This is mainly his fault though, because of The Decision and the "not one, not two...not three...". Lebron set himself up for ridicule with how ridiculous that whole thing was. Still an amazing player though, and if he doesn't ring this year, he'll still have some more chances.

[hater]

:lol lebron fans sugar coating it

if 27 game winning streak Heat fail to win it all, it would be a bigger collapse than both the 2006 Mavericks and the 2004 Lakers

shit even the 2013 lakers failed season would not even compare to such a big failure of Lebron not ringing. At least Lakers have legit excuses and injuries.

:lmao wade knee, what a load of bullshit

:lol Bosh always been like this. this is nothing new

:lol at their "tough" road to the championship: Bucks, Nate Robinson, Voguel, 37 year old Duncan :lmao

Lebron would once again be the same old Lebronze and 2012 title a fluke

not going to happen in my opinnion. but that's how big a failure it would be. It would be epic fail.

IMO Heat winning this in 6 and will not only be more prepared to face Spurs but will come in as near underdogs which will help Stern extend a hand to carry them to the 2013 title.

Heat title still prety much intact

[LkrFan]

On the opposite side of this hypothetical scenario, if Lebron wins again, he'll have done it with the worst supporting cast since 2006 Wade, tbh..

Wade and Bosh have severely under performed, and Miami's role players can't shoot anymore..
Explain the bolded, sir. The Heattles are stacked son.

[Mugen]

this. also, with the way Dan Gilbert keeps "winning" no.1 picks, Stern is setting it up nicely for a prodigal son story. But going to Lakers would fuel so much hatred.

if the Kang doesn't ring this year, his reputation will take a hit. This is mainly his fault though, because of The Decision and the "not one, not two...not three...". Lebron set himself up for ridicule with how ridiculous that whole thing was. Still an amazing player though, and if he doesn't ring this year, he'll still have some more chances.

He'd be pretty smart to go to Cleveland tbh. Kyrie Irvine + Noel or whatever they get for the #1 is going to be better than a broken down Wade & Bosh by the 2014-2015 season.

It'll be his "I'm Back" moment and I think that would really entice an egomaniac like LeBron to leave Miami.

Agree with HH that his '11 chokejob and The Decision pretty much means he'll never surpass MJ (rightfully so tbh) but he could lose this year and he'll still end up being better than Bird/Magic/Hakeem and second bananas like Pippen & Kirby with a couple more titles later in his career.

[StrengthAndHonor]

I don't understand the worst supporting cast argument tbh. Heat's path were the Bucks, Bulls without Rose, Indiana without Granger. OKC, Clippers and even the Lakers all operated with injuries. The Spurs though good also had some luck along the way so rrally Miami is facing the best team in the West by default. If they can't beat the Spurs while having HCA, they deserve harsh criticisms and will.go down as one of the most disappointing teams in history.

[Kidd K]

I don't think his rep will take a hit unless he doesn't make the Finals. He will have been to the Finals 3 years in a row and this year would've lost to the best team in the NBA not named Heat during their run as the big 3 in Miami.

Duncan's rep if he wins a 5th is the more interesting question imo. I think it becomes impossible even for hating dipshits to not have him extremely high up on the all time greats list (where he already is imo).

[racm]

on LG most (Kobe fanbois) grudgingly respect Tim and hate on James tbh ... very insecure about Lebron.

Only reason they're insecure about the King is because Nike told them to blow their load if a Kirby/LeBron finals ever happened.

At this rate, it likely won't.

[scanry]

Orlando was a horrible, horrible matchup for that Cavaliers team, tbh. LeBron's circus shot at the end of game two is the only reason Cleveland didn't get swept. Cannot put that loss on him at all.

I think you'all would've lost 1-4 without that circus shot.

Magic were unconsious from the range. I wasn't surprised when the Lakers pounded them in the finals.