Will people shut up about Dirk choking?

[endrity]

I don't know if Dirk wouldn't be as criticized if he was black, I think anybody who had the failures Dirk has experienced will have to suffer that type of criticism. And generally if a guy is going to get roasted by the media, a black athlete will get it alot worse than a white one.

Black players don't get 'roasted' for lacking heart while playing or that other B.S. They get roasted anytime something goes bad in their life, they become 'thugs' and 'gangsters' and so on.

But how often do you see a black player called heartless or soft. Anytime someone says something like this, than the answer to him is "Say it to his face than" as if that means that a black player is going to retaliate.

Whether you like it or not, the teams that are most often considered soft in the league are the ones that have more white players, especially led by white players, i.e Mavs, Suns, Raptors, Jazz.

[DaDakota]

Anyone that thinks KG has not gotten as much criticism as Dirk are just flat out nuts...

KG was getting KILLED for years for never getting out of the first round...something like 6 years in a row.

Even Magic Johnson was saying he was just a great complimentary player but not a superstar.

Now, the worm has turned, KG is getting too much love....He is a great player, but IMHO, he is NOT a superstar either....

Superstars lead their teams and make everyone else better, and when the game is on the line they are the go to guys....KG has never been that way...ever......

Dirk is more of a go to guy at the end of games than KG....heck Tmac is too....KG doesn't have that signature move...

KG to me is like a better version of Pippen.....an awesome Robin to someone else's Batman.

Right now, he is succeeding because of Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, they take the pressure off of KG to succeed or lead.

Which means everything...

DD

[mavsfan1000]

I think KG is rejuvenated some though. I think he is having a slightly better year than his last 2 or 3 years in Minnesota. He is the ultimate role player if you got scorers around him but he does lack the ability to take over games on the offense.

[DazedAndConfused]

I agree KG deserves the label of choker FAR more than anyone we've mentioned so far. That guy can't even deliver in regular season games, just about every jumpshot he takes in the clutch is a guaranteed brick. What's worse is you can see the fear in his eyes when the ball comes to him and he has to make a decision. He gets rid of that thing like he's playing hot potato.

The fact that he runs his mouth and talks so much trash during meaningless regular season games only makes it worse.

[endrity]

If the Celtics win a le you know Pierce is gonna take all those end-of-the-game shots, cause KG is not gonna hit those.

[MrChug]

..,and Avery couldn't play bigball because Dampier had a torn rotator cuff.

Most teams that have won a championship/been successful in the playoffs have dealt with "roleplayers" having injuries. You had Diop too.

[MrChug]

And for that you call him 'de able"?

I think he called the performance "de able"

[MrChug]

...but I would contend that the majority of criticism leveled against him is unfair.

I agree, however the thread was referring to his choking...not the entire scope of what he gets for. He has cowered in the face of responsibility (forgive me for thinking that a Superstar should carry his team thru the biggest games ) on the biggest stages (i.e. playoffs).

With that said, I think Dirk continues to be one of the premier players the league has, EASILY. As a player (and from what I can tell, as a person) he's sterling a vast majority of the time. He's one of the diamond elite. He will, however need to have a major showing in these playoffs-or at least have the appearance of it to get the enormous sweaty hairy stinking gorilla off his back. It won't happen until then. I think Dirk has proven he's as "clutch" as anyone, but it's going to take some work from him to prove he's a superstar to lead a team and go down as one of the greats.