Lebron, MVP and DPOY? Finest season ever?

[redzero]

Shaq couldn't win a ring without a top 5 player. Kobe won with Gasol who will never sniff an all-NBA first team.

Who performed better in the playoffs last year: Kobe or LeBron?

[mavs>spurs2]

If I remember correctly, he ranked 2nd in DPOY rankings to Dwight Howard last season and his opponent PER was probably in single digits (LeBron James). He kept his opposing player to many unproductive nights. He slacked off this season but is still a top defensive player.

But enough to warrant DPOY? I mean he's a better perimeter defender than guys like Battier? I just don't buy it. No one has enough energy to expend to play that kind of lockdown defense on one end, and be a 30ppg and 8 assist distributor on the other. In no way am I knocking Lebron, but I don't think he deserves DPOY. MVP + DPOY would just be another ESPN dream sucking fest.

[namlook]

Who performed better in the playoffs last year: Kobe or LeBron?

The player that led his team to a championship. Numbers don't mean anything if wins are not attached to them. Lebron's team won 66 games in the regular season. He had the talent around him to win more regular season games than any other team, so there are no "I didn't have enough good players" excuses when you lose in the playoffs.

[TheMACHINE]

If we gave Lebron teammates like Wade and Carmelo Anthony how would you think he would do?

Bronze medal maybe? LOL

[redzero]

The player that led his team to a championship. Numbers don't mean anything if wins are not attached to them. Lebron's team won 66 games in the regular season. He had the talent around him to win more regular season games than anyone else so there are no "I didn't have enough good players" excuses when you lose in the playoffs.

I love when people say this as if LeBron's teammates actually showed up in the playoffs.

LeBron obviously play better than Kobe did in the playoffs, but Kobe homers think that having Gasol and Bynum to stop Howard makes Bryant a better player.

[TheMACHINE]

I love when people say this as if LeBron's teammates actually showed up in the playoffs.

LeBron obviously play better than Kobe did in the playoffs, but Kobe homers think that having Gasol and Bynum to stop Howard makes Bryant a better player.

hmm...so if Lebron had better teammates, he would get a championship right? Then after the championship, Lebron haters can say "Lebron coudnt win without better teammates"....see what i did there?

[Chieflion]

If we gave Lebron teammates like Wade and Carmelo Anthony how would you think he would do?

Bronze medal maybe? LOL

Revisionist history at its best. They never got enough minutes to make their impact felt. And they were just players who just finished their 1st season in the NBA. Plus, it was not the only time the USA team failed to get gold in international games before the Olympic games.

[redzero]

hmm...so if Lebron had better teammates, he would get a championship right? Then after the championship, Lebron haters can say "Lebron coudnt win without better teammates"....see what i did there?

I'm not hating on Kobe. The fact is that Kobe's team matched with Orlando better than LeBron's did, regardless of how well either of them played. Kobe didn't do anything in that Orlando series better than LeBron did, outside of putting whoever was guarding him in foul trouble.

[TheMACHINE]

Revisionist history at its best. They never got enough minutes to make their impact felt. And they were just players who just finished their 1st season in the NBA. Plus, it was not the only time the USA team failed to get gold in international games before the Olympic games.

Whats your excuses for the 2006 Fiba team?

[TheMACHINE]

I'm not hating on Kobe. The fact is that Kobe's team matched with Orlando better than LeBron's did, regardless of how well either of them played. Kobe didn't do anything in that Orlando series better than LeBron did, outside of putting whoever was guarding him in foul trouble.

im not hating on Lebron either...thats why i wasnt going to post on this thread until i see someone downgrading Kobes accomplishments because "he has better teamates"...which is dumb cuz thats what you need to win a championship.

YES, Lebron needs better teammates, but in NO WAY is his teamates a bunch of scrubs either.

[redzero]

im not hating on Lebron either...thats why i wasnt going to post on this thread until i see someone downgrading Kobes accomplishments because "he has better teamates"...which is dumb cuz thats what you need to win a championship.

YES, Lebron needs better teammates, but in NO WAY is his teamates a bunch of scrubs either.

Kobe and LeBron both did what they had to do in the playoffs. I just take exception to the people who put Kobe higher or brag about championships when the situation was completely out of LeBron's hands. LeBron's teammates did play well in the regular season, but it was all LeBron, all the time in the playoffs.

[namlook]

Lebron needs better teammates to win a championship because he's not good enough to win without having a lot of good players around him. This is no different than all the other great players in NBA history.

[mavs>spurs2]

Kobe and LeBron both did what they had to do in the playoffs. I just take exception to the people who put Kobe higher or brag about championships when the situation was completely out of LeBron's hands. LeBron's teammates did play well in the regular season, but it was all LeBron, all the time in the playoffs.

Pretty much this. Lebron is a better overall player than Kobe IMO today. His presence brings much more of an influence to the game than Kobe's does overall. The Lakers we're starting to look pretty mediocre at one point back when Pao was out.

[namlook]

Kobe and LeBron both did what they had to do in the playoffs. I just take exception to the people who put Kobe higher or brag about championships when the situation was completely out of LeBron's hands. LeBron's teammates did play well in the regular season, but it was all LeBron, all the time in the playoffs.

And maybe that was part of the problem!

Maybe Lebron was trying to do too much in the playoffs vs the regular season. If you are dominating the ball too much your teammates end up sitting around watching and it's no longer a team game.

You need to play a team game to win and that means allowing your teammates to have the ball and make plays too. And that doesn't mean just passing to them when they have an open shot. Being a team player is not just passing to guys when you draw a double team, it's passing to them when you don't have one too. It means letting them control the ball and the pace of the game at times.

The ball always seemed to be in Lebron's hands each time down the floor. Let some of those guys make some plays while you draw a defender away from them. So what if it means your stats go down a little. Kobe has learned this. He put up 35 PPG one year and was doing too much. Some players need to establish a rhythm to play well and that means getting touches and moving the ball around to them, not just Lebron making plays on his own and not just passing to them when Lebron draws a double team.

[Killakobe81]

Now I'll admit I haven't watched too many Cavs games this year, but unless his defense has improved EXPONENTIALLY in the past year, he's just an above average defensive player with some nice highlight reel plays. No where near a lock down defender, sorry. Great complete overall player though. A future top 10 all time.

A great PER doesnt mean squat and I do think he has the potential to someday pass MJ but finest season ever?
You youngsters dont know ...

[Killakobe81]

And maybe that was part of the problem!

Maybe Lebron was trying to do too much in the playoffs vs the regular season. If you are dominating the ball too much your teammates end up sitting around watching and it's no longer a team game.

You need to play a team game to win and that means allowing your teammates to have the ball and make plays too. And that doesn't mean just passing to them when they have an open shot. Being a team player is not just passing to guys when you draw a double team, it's passing to them when you don't have one too. It means letting them control the ball and the pace of the game at times.

The ball always seemed to be in Lebron's hands each time down the floor. Let some of those guys make some plays while you draw a defender away from them. So what if it means your stats go down a little. Kobe has learned this. He put up 35 PPG one year and was doing too much. Some players need to establish a rhythm to play well and that means getting touches and moving the ball around to them, not just Lebron making plays on his own and not just passing to them when Lebron draws a double team.

Efficent or not if Kobe did this ^ yall would crucify him ... or just say it is mike Brown's fault ...

[DAF86]

Lebron needs better teammates to win a championship because he's not good enough to win without having a lot of good players around him. This is no different than all the other great players in NBA history.

True, but he probably needs less talent around him to win it all than most great players.

[DAF86]

And maybe that was part of the problem!

Maybe Lebron was trying to do too much in the playoffs vs the regular season. If you are dominating the ball too much your teammates end up sitting around watching and it's no longer a team game.

You need to play a team game to win and that means allowing your teammates to have the ball and make plays too. And that doesn't mean just passing to them when they have an open shot. Being a team player is not just passing to guys when you draw a double team, it's passing to them when you don't have one too. It means letting them control the ball and the pace of the game at times.

The ball always seemed to be in Lebron's hands each time down the floor. Let some of those guys make some plays while you draw a defender away from them. So what if it means your stats go down a little. Kobe has learned this. He put up 35 PPG one year and was doing too much. Some players need to establish a rhythm to play well and that means getting touches and moving the ball around to them, not just Lebron making plays on his own and not just passing to them when Lebron draws a double team.

Lebron does that more than most superstars, a lot more than Kobe for sure.

[Ghazi]

damn I didntknow Bron was shooting 50.9% on the year

and a ridiculous 1.49 PPS

[rhyputa]

I say stop the madness

[Sportstudi]

Lebron is having the best season in the history of basketball now?

He's having a great season, no doubt about that. But greatest season ever? For instance I remember Jordan putting up 32.5 ppg/8 rpg/8 apg and 2.9 SPG in 1988/89.

[BRHornet45]

son this IS an overreaction ... please stop taking everything those tools on ESPN tell you so serious.

there are AT LEAST 6-8 other players WAY MORE deserving than Lebron.

[DxB]

Let LJ be more efficient while Kobe keeps collecting and polishing his rings.

Rings? Like plural? We'll see when he wins his second.

[rhyputa]

son this IS an overreaction ... please stop taking everything those tools on ESPN tell you so serious.

there are AT LEAST 6-8 other players WAY MORE deserving than Lebron.

Son you're reasonable this time, but you shall name those 6-8 guys then you'll be more reasonable

[Cane]

Lebron's easily the best player in the league for at least the past two seasons now so he's got a lock for the MVP.

As for DPOY he's probably got a decent chance especially if he finished second last year. The defending DPOY, Dwight Howard, has been having a pretty lackluster season compared to last year. James is also a pretty good help defender and can make highlight reel blocks as seen last night and throughout the season. However the DPOY, more than almost any other NBA award, can be seen as a a joke since Duncan's never won one.