Heat: If Lebron repeats, I'll put him in the elite category

[Asif Ali Zardari]

If you want to be compared with Jordan, Magic, Kobe, Hakeem, Shaq and the others, you have to repeat as NBA champion. Its a sign of sustained excellence and consistent dominance. It's the reason I can't include Larry Bird in this group but at least Bird can say he played in an era where there was another superteam against him.

James has no excuse. I hate him but I'll give him credit if he does this. All the elite players in history have have defended their championship.

Agree or disagree?

[Latarian Milton]

agree, tim duncan deserves to be nowhere near the elite category tbh

[Asif Ali Zardari]

agree, tim duncan deserves to be nowhere near the elite category tbh

Duncan is really good, but I never feared him. He's a top 20 player in history but he's not a guy you could just give the ball to and let him carry you to a win.

[Calispursfan11]

Who is this new Jihadist sounding troll tbh

[Clipper Nation]

Who is this new Jihadist sounding troll tbh

http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/member.php?u=11493

[Leetonidas]

0/10

naruto

[Pelicans78]

Who is this new Jihadist sounding troll tbh

President of Pakistan.

[Asif Ali Zardari]

0/10

naruto

Are you mad about never repeating?

[midnightpulp]

Repeats are team accomplishments. Now that you've been educated, you can leave Spurstalk and resume your job making IEDs.

[Asif Ali Zardari]

Repeats are team accomplishments. Now that you've been educated, you can leave Spurstalk and resume your job making IEDs.

Team accomplishments are a reflection of the best player on the team.

[Relevancy]

How many trolls do you have Lakaluva?

[Brunodf]

0,0000000001/10

[irishock]

Relevancy

Believe.My TeamLos Angeles ClippersPost Count435

[midnightpulp]

Team accomplishments are a reflection of the best player on the team.

Nope.

James was the best player in the world in '09, and had one of the most impressive runs in post-season history, but it was all for naught since the second best player on that team was Mo Williams.

But if you want hump that line of logic, then Kirby gets full blame for the failure to make the playoffs in '05 (elite players don't miss the playoffs in their prime), the 3-1 chokejob to the Suns, the blown 24 point lead in the '08 Finals (I don't think a team led by an "elite player" has ever blown a 20 point lead at home on the biggest stage in basketball), and the trainwreck of this season, which just might result in another missed post-season.

Again, now that you've been educated, you can leave Spurstalk and resume your duties bombing embassies and stoning women.

[dunkman]

Cyber taliban tbh . . .

[Thebesteva]

Nope.

James was the best player in the world in '09, and had one of the most impressive runs in post-season history, but it was all for naught since the second best player on that team was Mo Williams.

But if you want hump that line of logic, then Kirby gets full blame for the failure to make the playoffs in '05 (elite players don't miss the playoffs in their prime), the 3-1 chokejob to the Suns, the blown 24 point lead in the '08 Finals (I don't think a team led by an "elite player" has ever blown a 20 point lead at home on the biggest stage in basketball), and the trainwreck of this season, which just might result in another missed post-season.

Again, now that you've been educated, you can leave Spurstalk and resume your duties bombing embassies and stoning women.

90% of Laker fans act like this about Kobe when you attack him TBH

[Asif Ali Zardari]

James didn't show up for the last few games of the Orlando series. Jordan and Kobe wouldn't have went out like that.

The 2005 Lakers were depleted by injuries, Kobe included. I don't see how you can hold that against him, Kobe would only be willing to miss games with a serious injury.

I don't care about the 3-1 against Phoenix. The Lakers were the 7 seed and big underdogs, the fact that Kobe had them at 3-1 is impressive enough.

Kobe deserves some blame for the game 4 against Boston, one of the few blemishes of his career.

He has 5 rings, including a 3peat and a repeat. Other than Jordan, Kobe is the best in history at sustaining winning and dominance.

[midnightpulp]

90% of Laker fans act like this about Kobe when you attack him TBH

I'm not really even attacking Kobe. Just illustrating how 'ships are team accomplishments above all. For example, Kobe arguably played the best basketball of his career during '08, posting one of the more impressive statistical runs of the past decade, but "history" will remember that season as a "failure" for him because it didn't result in a championship. Sure, he had a rough series against the Celts, but their entire defense was focused on him, and Gasol turning into a bleeding vagina in that series didn't help much, either.

[midnightpulp]

James didn't show up for the last few games of the Orlando series. Jordan and Kobe wouldn't have went out like that.

The 2005 Lakers were depleted by injuries, Kobe included. I don't see how you can hold that against him, Kobe would only be willing to miss games with a serious injury.

I don't care about the 3-1 against Phoenix. The Lakers were the 7 seed and big underdogs, the fact that Kobe had them at 3-1 is impressive enough.

Kobe deserves some blame for the game 4 against Boston, one of the few blemishes of his career.

He has 5 rings, including a 3peat and a repeat. Other than Jordan, Kobe is the best in history at sustaining winning and dominance.

I gave you the benefit of the doubt that you're not a troll (I don't think this is luva), but after that comment, I know you're a Kobe-hater masquerading as a Laker fan.

"Kobe would never go out like that."

http://www.basketball-reference.com/...605060PHO.html

http://www.basketball-reference.com/...806170BOS.html

http://www.basketball-reference.com/...105080DAL.html

[Thebesteva]

I'm not really even attacking Kobe. Just illustrating how 'ships are team accomplishments above all. For example, Kobe arguably played the best basketball of his career during '08, posting one of the more impressive statistical runs of the past decade, but "history" will remember that season as a "failure" for him because it didn't result in a championship. Sure, he had a rough series against the Celts, but their entire defense was focused on him, and Gasol turning into a bleeding vagina in that series didn't help much, either.

Honestly, alot of Kobe's legacy for some odd reason comes down to how well Lebron does in the championship department when all is said and done. If Lebron surpasses both Kobe and MJ I'm going to be ing furious because it definitely becomes Lebron V MJ and Kobe as a 3rd place argument with only die hard Laker fans believing he was better. At the moment, its easy to forget how damn good Kobe was 08-2010, but you put this guy along side several players and he could win a championship. Lebron didn't have that in him...he seemed to have lost that magic after the 07 Pistons series. I think he is going to look amazing in the playoffs this year and silence alot of doubters...but at the end of the day Lebron went to a RIVAL player and asked him to help. I understand winning silences all criticism, but to me I dont mind if Lebron teamed up with Dwight Howard+D. Rose and won 10 rings....something really irks me about a guy who teams up with a rival. It's like Jordan asking Clyde Drexler for help.

[midnightpulp]

Honestly, alot of Kobe's legacy for some odd reason comes down to how well Lebron does in the championship department when all is said and done. If Lebron surpasses both Kobe and MJ I'm going to be ing furious because it definitely becomes Lebron V MJ and Kobe as a 3rd place argument with only die hard Laker fans believing he was better. At the moment, its easy to forget how damn good Kobe was 08-2010, but you put this guy along side several players and he could win a championship. Lebron didn't have that in him...he seemed to have lost that magic after the 07 Pistons series. I think he is going to look amazing in the playoffs this year and silence alot of doubters...but at the end of the day Lebron went to a RIVAL player and asked him to help. I understand winning silences all criticism, but to me I dont mind if Lebron teamed up with Dwight Howard+D. Rose and won 10 rings....something really irks me about a guy who teams up with a rival. It's like Jordan asking Clyde Drexler for help.

I disagree with that because, above all, basketball is a team game. If a player's ultimate goal is to win championships, why wouldn't you maximize your chances of doing so? This isn't golf. Individual players don't play each other one-on-one for the le. If the Lakers were to ever face the Heat, it wouldn't be Lebron vs. Kobe. It would be the Heat vs. the Lakers.

I understand all these players have massive egos and want to define their individual legacies, especially considering how the NBA markets its players in the post-Jordan era, but I think a top player who is willing to sacrifice some of the individual (whether that be statistical or how his legacy might be perceived for having to "join forces" with another top player) in favor of the team is something that should be celebrated rather than derided.

[Latarian Milton]

kobe's 5 rings are overrated. lakers won the first 3 in the post-jordan era when the league was pretty weak overall, spurs dominated the middle of 00s but began to decline starting from 07, which allowed the lakers to win another 2 during the post-spur era, but the papertigers eventually got exposed in the hands of them mavs in 2011, with a crisp 4-0 sweep. lakers have never been really that good since the end of magic era imho.

[Bynumite]

Lebron is so classy for finally giving San Antonio the coveted championship repeat Lebron = Class

[DMC]

Honestly, alot of Kobe's legacy for some odd reason comes down to how well Lebron does in the championship department when all is said and done. If Lebron surpasses both Kobe and MJ I'm going to be ing furious because it definitely becomes Lebron V MJ and Kobe as a 3rd place argument with only die hard Laker fans believing he was better. At the moment, its easy to forget how damn good Kobe was 08-2010, but you put this guy along side several players and he could win a championship. Lebron didn't have that in him...he seemed to have lost that magic after the 07 Pistons series. I think he is going to look amazing in the playoffs this year and silence alot of doubters...but at the end of the day Lebron went to a RIVAL player and asked him to help. I understand winning silences all criticism, but to me I dont mind if Lebron teamed up with Dwight Howard+D. Rose and won 10 rings....something really irks me about a guy who teams up with a rival. It's like Jordan asking Clyde Drexler for help.

Lebron has already surpassed Kobe. He's taken a team to the Finals 3 times. Kobe was taken to the Finals. You don't get sorties for being a passenger.

[Asif Ali Zardari]

I gave you the benefit of the doubt that you're not a troll (I don't think this is luva), but after that comment, I know you're a Kobe-hater masquerading as a Laker fan.

"Kobe would never go out like that."

http://www.basketball-reference.com/...605060PHO.html

http://www.basketball-reference.com/...806170BOS.html

http://www.basketball-reference.com/...105080DAL.html

The Lakers were underdogs in every series you referenced, they were expected to lose in all of those series's.

Lebron's Cavs were the number 1 seed and heavy favorite against Orlando. They won 66 games that year, his supporting cast was clearly sufficient.

Kobe would have never went out like that in a series in which his team was favored to win.