Cleveland's 20-4 start is not impressive

[Allanon]

Yes, let's quit with the excuses. If the Lakers lose to bad teams, they are a bad team.

Let's quit with the excuses.

I don't make excuses for losses to bad teams, they're losses regardless. I say they lost to a bad team. I'm not surprised.

Lakers are 19-3, I can live with a few more losses to bad teams as long as they keep beating the good teams. If that makes them a bad team, so be it.

[Armando]

Billups will have to do alot more than 15 points for him to cause the Lakers any problems.



And they still lost. That's the problem with pass-first point guards...it doesn't break down the Lakers D.



The Lakers are 10-1 against good teams. Lakers already beat Denver, Dallas, New Orleans, and Suns on the road. Another good team won't make a difference.

The Lakers play well against good teams, they just play bad against bad teams.

But we can wait until the Lakers play some good teams on the road before I say I told you so. Lakers go see Miami, Orlando, Memphis and Hornets next week. If they lose any of those games, it will be to Memphis.

So wait a minute they will lose to Memphis? Of all those teams Memphis? Orlando,Miami won't be a walk in the park. Of course we know the Hornets.

[KidCongo]

This is precisely why I don't believe the Cavs can beat the Celtics.

When you have to rely on Delonte West and Mo Williams to win games for you it's not a good sign. Lebron needs to nut up and close games out by himself. Everytime he penetrates it's a guaranteed trip to the line, he's just afraid of having to take those F/Ts.

James scored 14 points in the last Q. 7/7 from FT.

Stop saying the same about him every time the Cavs lose close games.

[TheMadHatter]

James scored 14 points in the last Q. 7/7 from FT.

Stop saying the same about him every time the Cavs lose close games.

And yet he still refused to take the lost shot when it mattered most.

Like I said, James doesn't yet have the killer instinct.

[KidCongo]

And yet he still refused to take the lost shot when it mattered most.

Like I said, James doesn't yet have the killer instinct.

So he should take an off-balance 3 pointer with two people on him, or pass it to the open man who has his feet set?

[DrHouse]

Face it Lebron James has always been criticized in his career for deferring to teammates instead of taking the last shot for himself.

Until that changes, he will never be the closer that Kobe and Jordan are/were.

[mystargtr34]

Face it Lebron James has always been criticized in his career for deferring to teammates instead of taking the last shot for himself.

Until that changes, he will never be the closer that Kobe and Jordan are/were.

This seems to be the one thing Kobe fans are clinging too to say Kobe > LeBron.

In the last 2 minutes of a game, last season LeBron averaged 5 more PPG per 48 minutes and shot a better FG% than Kobe.

[KidCongo]

Face it Lebron James has always been criticized in his career for deferring to teammates instead of taking the last shot for himself.

Until that changes, he will never be the closer that Kobe and Jordan are/were.

Kobe is not the closer Jordan was.

[The_Game]

cavs were without big z and gibson and were on a 2nd night of a back to back..thats why they lost to the hawks

lebron is still the best player in the game and they still are the best defensive team IMO

cavs are still a top 3 team...

[The_Game]

This is precisely why I don't believe the Cavs can beat the Celtics.

When you have to rely on Delonte West and Mo Williams to win games for you it's not a good sign. Lebron needs to nut up and close games out by himself. Everytime he penetrates it's a guaranteed trip to the line, he's just afraid of having to take those F/Ts.

what you on about? mo williams is exactly what they need...a great shooter and score...which is what lebron has been so badly needing

this is why i think cavs may well win the le..bron has help now.

[stretch]

it doesnt matter who you play. a 20-4 start is pretty impressive.

[stretch]

And yet he still refused to take the lost shot when it mattered most.

Who was lighting up the Lakers in the final game of the 1991 NBA finals?

Who took the last shot in the 1993 NBA finals?

Who hit a game winner in the 1997 NBA finals?

Hint: None of them were Michael Jordan.

Fact is... if you are getting triple teamed, you gotta pass it and trust your teammates, otherwise you will not win. Even Jordan had to learn that after several tough playoff losses to the Pistons. Lebron is doing exactly what he needs to do. His maturity is ridiculously impressive, especially considering the garbage team he has had all these years, yet still trusted them to take the big shot when he was defended so heavily that it would literally be impossible for him to get a good shot off. And as he shows trust in them, teams will be forced to respect them, thus making things easier for him, so teams can't triple him the way they did the other night. And if they do, then someone else will hit shots. Maybe they missed against Atlanta, but they have succeeded at other times. West hit a huge GW shot in the playoffs last year.

Please pull your head out of your ass, and quit with the Lebron hate/Kobe knobslobbing.

[Thunder Dan]

Face it Lebron James has always been criticized in his career for deferring to teammates instead of taking the last shot for himself.

Until that changes, he will never be the closer that Kobe and Jordan are/were.

[Thunder Dan]

also, if you need a 3 to tie the game, why would you want Lebron taking it anyway? Wouldn't you want someone with a higher 3 point percentage to shoot it? I would...you guys are all bad coaches and just need to compare every single player to Jordan because you lack any other type of intelligence to figure out basketball strategy. I mean, I don't see the Spurs trying to open Tim Duncun up for game tying 3's late in games

[hater]

They remind me of the mavs of 2006

[stretch]

I mean, I don't see the Spurs trying to open Tim Duncun up for game tying 3's late in games

Shouldn't have said that. Dumbass spurs fans now will talk about his 3 against the Suns last year in the playoffs.

[TheMadHatter]

So far the Cavs have lost nearly every game they've played against quality compe ion.

Until that changes I'm not jumping on this bandwagon.

It's going to be BOS and LAL once again if CLE does not get HCA over BOS.

[TheMadHatter]

what you on about? mo williams is exactly what they need...a great shooter and score...which is what lebron has been so badly needing

this is why i think cavs may well win the le..bron has help now.

Mo Williams has never been and will never be a difference maker on any team.

I refuse to believe that Delonte West and Mo Williams are going to be difference makers in the playoffs.

There is a reason why so many people have been saying for years that Lebron needs a legitimate PF/C lowpost scoring option to win a le. They still aren't a balanced team playing Mo, Delonte, and James at the PG/SG/PF spot.

[stretch]

Mo Williams has never been and will never be a difference maker on any team.

Averaging 15+ ppg is a pretty big difference.

I refuse to believe that Delonte West and Mo Williams are going to be difference makers in the playoffs.

No one thought of John Paxson and Steve Kerr as being much of difference makers in the playoffs either. Look how that turned out.

There is a reason why so many people have been saying for years that Lebron needs a legitimate PF/C lowpost scoring option to win a le. They still aren't a balanced team playing Mo, Delonte, and James at the PG/SG/PF spot.

Nope. They don't have that. On the other hand, they actually look quite similar to a team that won 6 championships... a team that didn't have a lowpost scoring threat, that played great defense, and had a combination of several solid shooting and slashing scorers, to complement their ultra-gifted superstar leader.

[Thunder Dan]

So far the Cavs have lost nearly every game they've played against quality compe ion.

Until that changes I'm not jumping on this bandwagon.

It's going to be BOS and LAL once again if CLE does not get HCA over BOS.

I like how they beat Atlanta by 20 2 weeks ago- then lose to them at home, without 2 keys players, and they "can't beat quality teams" ---sounds like a double edge sword, Atlanta is crap when the Cavs beat them, and quality when they beat the Cavs.

So if Cleveland loses to Denver this week, let me guess the Cavs can't beat a quality team like Denver- even though they already beat them by 20 this year

[JamStone]

Hawks were without Josh Smith for that other match-up.

Zydrunas is a key player, but he was replaced by Anderson Varejao who has been playing great basketball lately. And, Daniel Gibson has sucked this year. Josh Smith was replaced by Zaza Pachulia, who gave them 1 point and 2 rebounds in that first match-up.

And, again, it goes back to winning on the road against quality compe ion. That's my criticism of the Cavs so far this year. The Cavs deserve praise for their start so far, but you also have to view it with a perspective that they have had a relatively easy schedule and have yet to have a good quality road win against a good team.

The Cavs are still great, just like the Lakers are still great. Forget the haters who take it to the extreme. But, both of those teams and their respective records are somewhat inflated due to their respective schedules. If either team or both teams continue to play at this level against quality compe ion, including on the road, then they legitimize how good they are. Until then, it's fair to at least "question" if not criticize that their records are at least in part due to their schedules.

[DrHouse]

In the next month we will know just how good the Lakers are.

Their schedule goes from cakewalk to storm.

[Thunder Dan]

Hawks were without Josh Smith for that other match-up.

Zydrunas is a key player, but he was replaced by Anderson Varejao who has been playing great basketball lately. And, Daniel Gibson has sucked this year. Josh Smith was replaced by Zaza Pachulia, who gave them 1 point and 2 rebounds in that first match-up.

And, again, it goes back to winning on the road against quality compe ion. That's my criticism of the Cavs so far this year. The Cavs deserve praise for their start so far, but you also have to view it with a perspective that they have had a relatively easy schedule and have yet to have a good quality road win against a good team.

The Cavs are still great, just like the Lakers are still great. Forget the haters who take it to the extreme. But, both of those teams and their respective records are somewhat inflated due to their respective schedules. If either team or both teams continue to play at this level against quality compe ion, including on the road, then they legitimize how good they are. Until then, it's fair to at least "question" if not criticize that their records are at least in part due to their schedules.

no Z screws up their whole offense- you have Ben and Andy on the court at the same time and have 2 guys that can only score around the hoop- if at all. Z spreads the floor enough to open up the lane. Plus, Andy is better coming off the bench.

Daniel Gibson was averaging 10ppg, and turned his shooting problems around as he was shooting over 50% from 3, and averaging about 14 ppg in December

So your saying that the Cavs wouldn't have won that game without these s guys- guys that are 25 ppg combined

[JoeTait75]

Hawks were without Josh Smith for that other match-up.

Zydrunas is a key player, but he was replaced by Anderson Varejao who has been playing great basketball lately. And, Daniel Gibson has sucked this year. Josh Smith was replaced by Zaza Pachulia, who gave them 1 point and 2 rebounds in that first match-up.

And, again, it goes back to winning on the road against quality compe ion. That's my criticism of the Cavs so far this year. The Cavs deserve praise for their start so far, but you also have to view it with a perspective that they have had a relatively easy schedule and have yet to have a good quality road win against a good team.

The Cavs are still great, just like the Lakers are still great. Forget the haters who take it to the extreme. But, both of those teams and their respective records are somewhat inflated due to their respective schedules. If either team or both teams continue to play at this level against quality compe ion, including on the road, then they legitimize how good they are. Until then, it's fair to at least "question" if not criticize that their records are at least in part due to their schedules.

1.) Andy has been playing great, but Z presents an entirely different sort of matchup, spreading the floor and opening up driving and passing lanes in ways Andy can't do. Plus when we put Andy in the starting lineup, we lose his energy off the bench, when he is IMO most effective.

2.) True, Boobie got off to a slow start, but he was coming around when he got hurt. He's been working on expanding his offensive game beyond just shooting and becoming a more well-rounded player. Even if he isn't playing well, he's someone you have to account for when he's out there. Without Z or Boobie, Atlanta was able to crowd the lane and be more aggressive double-and-triple-teaming LeBron early in the clock.

I understand Josh Smith is important, but I'd be hard-pressed to argue he's any more vital to the Hawks than Z is to the Cavalier, especially as thin as we are up front.

3.) No argument whatsoever with your third paragraph.

Kobe homers: I've watched LeBron James these last five years or so. He's proven to me he knows how to turn it up when it matters. He's won countless games with winning plays all over the floor, he's taken teams further than they had any right to go, he's been tremendous in the clutch. He is not Kobe. He is a different sort of player than Kobe. Just because he is different than Kobe, doesn't make him inferior- just different.

[JoeTait75]

In the next month we will know just how good the Lakers are.

Their schedule goes from cakewalk to storm.

As does Cleveland's. The true tests have yet to come.