Lakers: Beating the 73-9 Warriors made me the GOAT

[FrostKing]

It's still mystifying to me that people criticize LeBron for leaving Cleveland the first time. He was there for 7 seasons & they never got him another real star to team up with... meanwhile Boston had KG, Pierce, Ray Allen, James Posey, Rondo, Tony Allen, Leon Powe (before the injuries ruined his career), etc..
Kobe had prime Pau Gasol, Odom, and Artest. Tim had Parker and Ginobili. LeBron had a barely ambulatory Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Larry Hughes, Drew Gooden, Daniel Gibson, Delonte West, Mo Williams, Anderson Varejao... guys that wouldn't even start on most finals teams... Why on earth would he stay?

People criticize him for the manner in how he left "the decision" and then still only managing a .500 Finals record with that Heat roster

[Killakobe81]

Kobe had great passing skills, better than Jordan in that area imo

Yes but his shot selection clouded/ruined it some.
In fact, that's my dude but it's worse when you can pass, know it's the right play but your ego says shoot anyway...
It's the biggest and most accurate knock on Bean his hunger for shots ed up other parts of his game.. '

[Killakobe81]

People criticize him for the manner in how he left "the decision" and then still only managing a .500 Finals record with that Heat roster

But also Dirk is only 5 years older...is a lessor player and half the league isn't all buddy with him they never sign big FA's but he stays and rangs beating LeBron...
I know many see it as lighting in a bottle but Dirk should get similar credit for 2011 that Bron get for 2016 plus he never left...the Heatles were the Super team and Dirk beat them with no suspensions fully healthy

[lefty]

Yes but his shot selection clouded/ruined it some.
In fact, that's my dude but it's worse when you can pass, know it's the right play but your ego says shoot anyway...
It's the biggest and most accurate knock on Bean his hunger for shots ed up other parts of his game.. '

Oh I agree he should have passed it more.

[tenbeersbold]

But also Dirk is only 5 years older...is a lessor player and half the league isn't all buddy with him they never sign big FA's but he stays and rangs beating LeBron...
I know many see it as lighting in a bottle but Dirk should get similar credit for 2011 that Bron get for 2016 plus he never left...the Heatles were the Super team and Dirk beat them with no suspensions fully healthy

That's on Rick Carlisle in a big way,dude gameplayed Lebron completely
I wish he would replace Pop when he retires

[99 Problems]

Since 14’ has same amount of rings as his old CAV mate King Delly and Patty for dat matter. 1 more than CP0, Harden & Rusty. Think he means greatest CAV outside of Kyrie& Blatt.

[Spurtacular]

Great talent that enjoyed playing in a weaker Conference but just piled up loses in the Super Bowl until linking up with another great player resulting in massive upset (Packers) and a nice run to finish out his career. Just like James, Elway had alot of pull in the front office and now is an owner himself.

His accomplishments will diminish in hindsight as time passes

2012, the league had to keep the Spurs out of the finals to finally get LBJ a ring. A shame the team choked in the next season to make him seem extra legit.

[tenbeersbold]

2012, the league had to keep the Spurs out of the finals to finally get LBJ a ring. A shame the team choked in the next season to make him seem extra legit.

True True,the 2012 OKC playoff series was one of the crookedest ever
was downright stolen tbh

[tenbeersbold]

Never forget///
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjxFgXse5oo

[phxspurfan]

True True,the 2012 OKC playoff series was one of the crookedest ever
was downright stolen tbh

I went to game 1 at ATT. We shat all over OKC IIRC


Even though the calls were probably bad, what I also remember was Harden hitting bs step back 3s all over Manu's face all series. And @ OKC brass relegating him to a bench role and ushering him out the door in favor of "me me me all my stats" Chimpbrook and snake ass KD

[Rosewood]

I like Bron but if he played in the 90s he wouldn't even be considered in the top 10. Tbh.

[RsxPiimp]

en route to beating a 73-9 team while being down 3-1

not a reach to call himself the goat after a series like that. dont think jordan could rally that same cavs team to a championship given the cir stances. whats the best team jordan faced in the playoffs? sonics?

[DMC]

en route to beating a 73-9 team while being down 3-1

not a reach to call himself the goat after a series like that. dont think jordan could rally that same cavs team to a championship given the cir stances. whats the best team jordan faced in the playoffs? sonics?

Lebron is soft as baby

though MVPDelly has carried Lebeta's ass for the past 2 games

Let's settle this once and for all. I think Lebron would dominate any era period, but it's always puzzling when some of the best players in that era discredits his dominance.


MJ was on record saying this

When someone on TV compares LeBron to Oscar Robertson, Jordan fumes. He rolls his eyes, stretches his neck, frustrated. "It's absolutely … " he says, catching himself. "The point is, no one is critiquing the personnel that he's playing against. Their knowledge of how to play the game … that's not a fair comparison. That's not right … Could LeBron be successful in our era? Yes. Would he be as successful? No."



That's after Lebron's back to back le IIRC. It's well known that Lebron is criticized for his mental toughness, ridiculous as that may sound. But we can all probably agree, that this generation of players is a bit "soft" in terms of their approach to the game. Not necessarily a bad thing since it is a different era afterall.


Do you agree that Lebron would not be "as successful" in Jordan's era?

He's a mental midget, so no. The Bad Boys would push his in. So would the Knicks. Oakley, Barkley, Laimbeer, Rodman, and many other true thugs would have made his life . He hasn't shown toughness in today's game - what makes you farmers think he could survive in the'80s? Real talk.

He doesn't dominant this era, period. He plays in a much weaker conference. He left his team to chase a ring on a stacked team. He's 2/5 in the finals and went like 2 Finals without reaching his regular season average. I can honestly say that I've seen him afraid during games. Can he put up numbers? Yes. Is he great? No. Jordan smells fear on Lebron... and I see it. MJ could never respect a guy like that. In so many words Jim feels the same way. Do you think Magic would guarantee a win over Bird? Do you think Isaiah would guarantee a win over Magic? Do you think Duncan would guarantee a win over Kobe? Yet, an old ass Duncan guaranteed a win over Lebron. Why? Because he doesn't respect him as an elite compe or. Lebron and his legion of nerds define the game simply by numbers. "Check My Stats" is the shirt Lebron wore. Well... on the biggest stage check his record and his tats. That says it all.

Go back, go back, go back in the woods...

[RsxPiimp]

Go back, go back, go back in the woods...

come on man, everyone trolls in this forum


i did call lebby the GOAT before joining the lakers tho tbh

https://www.spurstalk.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=268097

[LkrFan]

Go back, go back, go back in the woods...

...your team ain't got no spirit and yo coach ain't no good!

You wrong for this shiiiiiiiiiiiiit!

[Mugen]

crofl, RIP Lakerfan

[KobeOwnsDuncan]

Didn’t Bogut get hurt that series and Green suspended?

[Jeremy]

Leading a team to 8 straight finals is pretty damn good. Rings aren't that important given that virtually every team he faced in the finals was better.

It could still be more than 8 straight. We can't know for a few more months.

[basquetbol]

John Elway of the NBA

Who's the Terrell Davis of the NBA, Pippen?

[ambchang]

I think Bird and if course Magic had better vision but the fact remains LeBron can make passes Magic and especially Bird can not physically make tat LeBron makes look easy I'm talking about passes across his body falling to his left cross court dead in the shooting pocket of a team-mate I really did not notice how good he was at those passes until the Heat... Not that he never did those before but because his scoring burden was lessoned and his physical attributes were at his peak LeBron made passes that you needed to actually... Have played or coached at a high level to understand how difficult it it would be to deliver.
The no look or throwing te man open pass magic and Bird did better... But the passing I am describing no human ever did THAT better that I have seen... Period.

Out of SG's hard to think of a better passer tbh
Kobe could when he wasn't chasing shots...
But off the top of my head can't think of to many even close Drexler and Steve Smith were good passer for SG's...McGrady too..
But Manu had better vision than all of those guys...
Harden before he became shot crazy was trending to be Manu 2.0 but he has fallen in love with his handles he still racks up assists but he doesn't see the game like Manu...

When I say passing I generally mean vision and willingness to pass. But you have a good point where physical attributes make the impossible (for others) possible. However, I haven’t seen much of Lebrons passing where I think “damn, that’s a pass that bird or magic couldn’t have possibly made”.

As for the kobe comment, you just had to insert him in every conversation. But you are right, He can do it, he just chose not to and that makes it more infuriating. With the lakers cast and also the name to attract FAs, kobe could have won more than five. He wasted his prime years stat and ego padding

McGrady was an awesome passer. He would have been phenomenal in today’s nba. So would carter.

Hardens game is just so unwatchable now. It’s a shame. But guy is getting accolades and cash so he’s smart in that sense and traded basketball purity (which is Worth exactly nothing) for fame and fortune.

[ambchang]

Those Pistons le teams were seriously deep.

But it doesn’t take anything away from Zeke, he was amazing

Not saying that zeke sucked but he is pretty much unanimously on the top 15 of all time, top 20 at a minimum but when you look at it, is he that much better than say kidd, Stockton, or even iverson? I think he’s benefitted from being the face of a b2b winning franchise while players like dumars and Laimbeer just didn’t get the recognition they deserved.

I would take Robinson, Barkley, Garnett, and dirk over Thomas if I was building a team.

[Killakobe81]

When I say passing I generally mean vision and willingness to pass. But you have a good point where physical attributes make the impossible (for others) possible. However, I haven’t seen much of Lebrons passing where I think “damn, that’s a pass that bird or magic couldn’t have possibly made”.

As for the kobe comment, you just had to insert him in every conversation. But you are right, He can do it, he just chose not to and that makes it more infuriating. With the lakers cast and also the name to attract FAs, kobe could have won more than five. He wasted his prime years stat and ego padding

McGrady was an awesome passer. He would have been phenomenal in today’s nba. So would carter.

Hardens game is just so unwatchable now. It’s a shame. But guy is getting accolades and cash so he’s smart in that sense and traded basketball purity (which is Worth exactly nothing) for fame and fortune.

WTF?!! Amb.
First Pot meet Kettle ... I NEED to insert him?! YOU are telling Me that?! GTFO?!
I rarely mention KB24 since he retired ... In fact i have called him achilles when I do ,,,and have been primarily focused on current Lakers. Fail.
I have Posted no new Kobe threads. I dont engage inthe Kobe/duncan debates etc.
SOMEONE else (a Spurfan ...Lefty?) mentioned Achilles and i made a point of pointing out the negatives, not the positive aspects of his passing.

SO not really sure what your point was for calling me out on it.
Not only is it factually wrong in this context, but I actually was speaking negatively. If you read the thread.
Its so funny that you have such a Kobe obsession that even when I criticize the man you wanna start a dialogue.
IF its an issue ignore it, but you cant ...

[ambchang]

I think Bird and if course Magic had better vision but the fact remains LeBron can make passes Magic and especially Bird can not physically make tat LeBron makes look easy I'm talking about passes across his body falling to his left cross court dead in the shooting pocket of a team-mate I really did not notice how good he was at those passes until the Heat... Not that he never did those before but because his scoring burden was lessoned and his physical attributes were at his peak LeBron made passes that you needed to actually... Have played or coached at a high level to understand how difficult it it would be to deliver.
The no look or throwing te man open pass magic and Bird did better... But the passing I am describing no human ever did THAT better that I have seen... Period.

WTF?!! Amb.
First Pot meet Kettle ... I NEED to insert him?! YOU are telling Me that?! GTFO?!
I rarely mention KB24 since he retired ... In fact i have called him achilles when I do ,,,and have been primarily focused on current Lakers. Fail.
I have Posted no new Kobe threads. I dont engage inthe Kobe/duncan debates etc.
SOMEONE else (a Spurfan ...Lefty?) mentioned Achilles and i made a point of pointing out the negatives, not the positive aspects of his passing.

SO not really sure what your point was for calling me out on it.
Not only is it factually wrong in this context, but I actually was speaking negatively. If you read the thread.
Its so funny that you have such a Kobe obsession that even when I criticize the man you wanna start a dialogue.
IF its an issue ignore it, but you cant ...

Chill buddy. You are not getting a heart attack over this I hope.

I find it hilarious that you’d raise kobe in a discussion about passing and really it read more as an excuse than pointing out he’s bad. Like a teacher talking about a smart but lazy kid who underachieves but is smart none the less.

I don’t necessarily disagree that kobe had the ability to pass but he just chose not to. Part of that is that narcisstic personality that he felt his teammates will screw things up and rob his glory, but also he’s just got that tunnel vision.

[Killakobe81]

Chill buddy. You are not getting a heart attack over this I hope.

I find it hilarious that you’d raise kobe in a discussion about passing and really it read more as an excuse than pointing out he’s bad. Like a teacher talking about a smart but lazy kid who underachieves but is smart none the less.

I don’t necessarily disagree that kobe had the ability to pass but he just chose not to. Part of that is that narcisstic personality that he felt his teammates will screw things up and rob his glory, but also he’s just got that tunnel vision.

again I didnt "raise Kobe" you need to read the thread. Someone brought him up so I mentioned him (negatively) but included him in your question. because he was a very good passer when he wanted to be and SOMEONE else brought him up.
Problem was he was shot hungry and you add that to poor shot selection and I agree he is not thought of (or should be) as agreat passer because despite his talent as passer he was not a willng one.
You asked me an honest question, I gave an honest answer. When you are discussing all-time SG's even passing wise Kobe/Mj are gonna come up. Kobe was a better passer than Jordan but as selfish as MJ was he has more critical plays where he passed than Kobe so if i needed a clutch assist I would take MJ over Kobe in that area as well ...in addition to Manu, McGrady etc.

[ambchang]

again I didnt "raise Kobe" you need to read the thread. Someone brought him up so I mentioned him (negatively) but included him in your question. because he was a very good passer when he wanted to be and SOMEONE else brought him up.
Problem was he was shot hungry and you add that to poor shot selection and I agree he is not thought of (or should be) as agreat passer because despite his talent as passer he was not a willng one.
You asked me an honest question, I gave an honest answer. When you are discussing all-time SG's even passing wise Kobe/Mj are gonna come up. Kobe was a better passer than Jordan but as selfish as MJ was he has more critical plays where he passed than Kobe so if i needed a clutch assist I would take MJ over Kobe in that area as well ...in addition to Manu, McGrady etc.

I would say Jordan was a pretty good passer if he wanted to. The young Jordan had the Same issue kobe had in terms of not trusting his teammates but the presence of KfC and Pippen allows him to change. He became a very good passer later in his career, especially during the first three peat.

There were quite a few really good passing SG. Outside of McGrady Jordan and manu, Drexler, wade, Steve smith, Ron Harper, Brandon Roy, moncrief, carter, Maravich, fat lever and harden were all better or just as good as kobe as a passer. I know you mentioned some of the names but I wouldn’t put kobe in that extraordinary passing SG list. Pretty much only manu, pre-chucker harden, drexler, Maravich and pre injury Roy should be there.