Cavs: Lebron a product of the east

[R. DeMurre]

In some ways, I'd say LeBron was given a bad hand. The Cleveland team that drafted him was beyond awful, and in the seven years he played there (the first time around), they were never able to get him another truly impactful star/sidekick. Magic joined the league and had Kareem and Jamaal Wilkes. Three years later, he got James Worthy! Duncan had Robinson, MJ got Pippen in his 4th season. This is the main reason I never had an issue with LeBron going to Miami. LeBron was essentially beating loaded Boston and Detroit teams with very little help-- why on earth should he have stayed in Cleveland?

[Thebesteva]

The real story here is that today's Lakers are such a show of an organization that they've managed to be under .500 in February with the GOAT on their team.

That's pretty accurate tbh except for the GOAT stuff. Stop already...Lebron has always been a mental midget. I have him on my top 4 GOAT list and all that but he needs someone with killer instinct because he lacks it. He seems way too ing calm in the 4th quarter no matter the score and plays with 0 urgency and 0 defense.

He's also bent on not having a good coach or GM because he's under the delusion that his mongol IQ can handle these things while being a superstar for the team. Every one is terrified to tell him but he's an awful GM and an even more awful head coach. Even Peyton Manning who was a WR coach on the field actually deferred to the OC for more complex moments.

I still think they can turn this ship around but as of now its not looking too good with these youngsters and Lebron's delusional ego. The real test will be this off season

[Othyus Lalanne]

That's pretty accurate tbh except for the GOAT stuff. Stop already...Lebron has always been a mental midget. I have him on my top 4 GOAT list and all that but he needs someone with killer instinct because he lacks it. He seems way too ing calm in the 4th quarter no matter the score and plays with 0 urgency and 0 defense.

He's also bent on not having a good coach or GM because he's under the delusion that his mongol IQ can handle these things while being a superstar for the team. Every one is terrified to tell him but he's an awful GM and an even more awful head coach. Even Peyton Manning who was a WR coach on the field actually deferred to the OC for more complex moments.

I still think they can turn this ship around but as of now its not looking too good with these youngsters and Lebron's delusional ego. The real test will be this off season

Trade the Brono to some team desperate to sell tickets. In theory the Lakers should have more juice with the media than LeBron.

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

Luck FaBron!

[dontouchmebwo]

*PLAYOFF MODE ACTIVATED*

Misses playoffs entirely


As far as I'm concerned this dude's whole career has been a lie.

[MultiTroll]

*PLAYOFF MODE ACTIVATED*

Misses playoffs entirely


As far as I'm concerned this dude's whole career has been a lie.

along with all the other players who's teams missed the playoffs.

Kream Jabbar

[dontouchmebwo]

LeBron playing in the East has hurt him much more than it has helped, tbh..none of his 3 les were affected by playing in the East, and dumb fans and media wouldn't use the silly "finals record" argument against him..more importantly, he would have been able to rest and extend his career had he been eliminated earlier in the playoffs in years where his team never stood a chance(2007, 2017, 2018)..

It took him 8 tries to get the finals and win just 3 times, he's not winning 3, he'd be lucky to win 1 at that rate.

His last le took GS exhausting themselves, chasing 73 wins, a Curry injury, a Bogut injury, Green suspension, and them only having 3 days rest in between a 7 game series with OKC and the finals where they ultimately collapsed from exhaustion. Meanwhile Lebron had his usual regular season cakewalk, and eastern conference cakewalk against the Lowry-DD Raptors & a week off before playing GS.

His last championship in 2013 was the result of an exhausted Parker's hamstring giving out as well, so already 2/3 championships were the result of him playing in the East.


You talk about rest but there is no rest in the West, you need way more wins to reach the playoffs (Lebron's Lakers this year would be 8th in the East), each loss means more, each loss creates drama in the locker room, each loss puts more pressure on you and Lebron can't handle that. He's been on super teams the past decade, surrounded by really good cores and even role players/vets that took pay cuts to play with him and was still underwhelming.

[dontouchmebwo]

along with all the other players who's teams missed the playoffs.

Kream Jabbar

8 straight Finals appearance in the East

1 season in the West-Misses playoffs

[baseline bum]

98 is the year you can argue they lose. They were injured and Pippen was a tosb at that point along with Rodman. But who do they lose to exactly? It's not the Jazz obviously. Hakeem was done. Barkley was done. The Sonics choked (like all George Karl teams do) and the Lakers wouldn't have matched up well with the Bulls. Maybe the Spurs? That's your best bet, but who can really say since our backcourt really really sucked and Duncan and Robinson weren't in total sync together that year.

So at worst Jordan won 5 out of 6 while at beat he stayed the same.

98 Spurs would have had no chance against the Bulls with Sean Elliott out and Vinny Del Negro in the starting lineup. Del Negro guarding Jordan and Duncan guarding Pippen would have been ugly.

[DPG21920]

This is what Lebron opened himself up to by coming to the West. Right or Wrong, one of the biggest arguments against him in all time GOAT status was that there were su ions he could not cut it in the West.

He makes the jump and what happens? Can’t even make the playoffs.

[Kobe'sAchilles]

98 Spurs would have had no chance against the Bulls with Sean Elliott out and Vinny Del Negro in the starting lineup. Del Negro guarding Jordan and Duncan guarding Pippen would have been ugly.

I agree with you 100%. I just don't see this mythical team that beats Jordan during his championship years. I mean they went 72-10 and 69-13 in 96 & 97. Nobody beat those guys which is why the premise that Jordan benefited from playing in the East was a dumb one to begin with.

I just thought I should give a little history lesson to the idiots who think otherwise tbh.

[Clipper Nation]

8 straight Finals appearance in the East

1 season in the West-Misses playoffs

He could have joined literally any other team in the West and made the playoffs easily. Even the ing Suns. Only today's Lakers are a pathetic enough franchise to pull this off.

[MultiTroll]

8 straight Finals appearance in the East

1 season in the West-Misses playoffs

Kream Alcindor Jabbar

70 Lost Division Finals (Rookie of the Year legit)
71 NBA Finals won
72 Conf Finals lost
73 1st round lost
74 Finals lost 4-3
75 missed playoffs

Using your logic Kream sucked and coat tailed his way to the playoffs til he joined the LA Flamers. Where they missed the playoffs in 75-76.

[spurraider21]

lebron was asking for this narrative by coming to a garbage team in the west

[FrostKing]

Kream Alcindor Jabbar

70 Lost Division Finals (Rookie of the Year legit)
71 NBA Finals won
72 Conf Finals lost
73 1st round lost
74 Finals lost 4-3
75 missed playoffs

Using your logic Kream sucked and coat tailed his way to the playoffs til he joined the LA Flamers. Where they missed the playoffs in 75-76.

I googled

Lakers had 4th best record in Conference but division priority left them out. Lakers were 4 games better than last playoff spot (Pistons in the West lol)

Lakers had a better record than the #2 seed Bucks. What a mess the playoff system was

[baseline bum]

lebron was asking for this narrative by coming to a garbage team in the west

[HarlemHeat37]

It took him 8 tries to get the finals and win just 3 times, he's not winning 3, he'd be lucky to win 1 at that rate.

His last le took GS exhausting themselves, chasing 73 wins, a Curry injury, a Bogut injury, Green suspension, and them only having 3 days rest in between a 7 game series with OKC and the finals where they ultimately collapsed from exhaustion. Meanwhile Lebron had his usual regular season cakewalk, and eastern conference cakewalk against the Lowry-DD Raptors & a week off before playing GS.

His last championship in 2013 was the result of an exhausted Parker's hamstring giving out as well, so already 2/3 championships were the result of him playing in the East.


You talk about rest but there is no rest in the West, you need way more wins to reach the playoffs (Lebron's Lakers this year would be 8th in the East), each loss means more, each loss creates drama in the locker room, each loss puts more pressure on you and Lebron can't handle that. He's been on super teams the past decade, surrounded by really good cores and even role players/vets that took pay cuts to play with him and was still underwhelming.

- There's 0 correlation between path to the Finals to Finals result, this has been proven throughout history..no team has ever lost because of their road to the Finals, the better team virtually always wins..

- Who would have defeated the 2012 Heat or 2013 Heat prior to the Finals?

- So, you believe that just getting to the Finals gives you a real chance to win the le? That's what you're implying, which is not true at all, look at the history of the NBA how many times has an undeserving team won a le?

[FrostKing]

- There's 0 correlation between path to the Finals to Finals result, this has been proven throughout history..no team has ever lost because of their road to the Finals, the better team virtually always wins..

- Who would have defeated the 2012 Heat or 2013 Heat prior to the Finals?

- So, you believe that just getting to the Finals gives you a real chance to win the le? That's what you're implying, which is not true at all, look at the history of the NBA how many times has an undeserving team won a le?

2012: Spurs vs Heat comes to mind

2016 Thunder over Cavs


I'd say -
1991 Lakers because of injury
1994 Knicks having to play 3 straight Game 7 series

[JoeTait75]

2016 Thunder over Cavs

Cavaliers would've won that in six, maybe five.

[AlexJones]

- There's 0 correlation between path to the Finals to Finals result, this has been proven throughout history..no team has ever lost because of their road to the Finals, the better team virtually always wins..

- Who would have defeated the 2012 Heat or 2013 Heat prior to the Finals?

- So, you believe that just getting to the Finals gives you a real chance to win the le? That's what you're implying, which is not true at all, look at the history of the NBA how many times has an undeserving team won a le?

2015 Spurs losing the final game to the Pels might've cost them a le.

[phxspurfan]

As true as this was when the East was really really terrible, this year there are at least 4 teams who would be bukkakeing LeRoids if he stayed with the Cavs:

Toronto with Kawhi
Philly with Embiid, Simmons, Butler and Tobias
Boston with Kyrie
Bucks with Giannis

Granted he would be making the playoffs (as a low seed) and the referee advantage would be much more effective against the lesser bottom rung East teams. But right now if he stayed East, he would be scrapping with teams like the Pacers, Pistons and Nets for 6-8 seed right now.

[FkLA]

[dontouchmebwo]

- There's 0 correlation between path to the Finals to Finals result, this has been proven throughout history..no team has ever lost because of their road to the Finals, the better team virtually always wins..

- Who would have defeated the 2012 Heat or 2013 Heat prior to the Finals?

- So, you believe that just getting to the Finals gives you a real chance to win the le? That's what you're implying, which is not true at all, look at the history of the NBA how many times has an undeserving team won a le?

What do you mean? There are plenty of finals caliber teams that lose in the early rounds out West, and plenty of teams that went all out trying to get good seeding in the regular season that burned themselves out. The Cavs last won because GS burned themselves out in the regular season followed by a 7 game series against OKC, they had 3 days rest, Lebron 7 days after an easy series.

All it takes is 1 bad match up, an injured or fatigued squad, 1 series where a team catches fire like the 8th seed Grizz upsetting the Spurs or the 8th seed Dubs upsetting Dallas. The odds of that happening in the West are increased x8.

The 2012 Heat wouldn't have even beaten a healthy Celtics squad (Ray Allen was injured) I really doubt they get past the Spurs if they were playing in the West as Pop has Lebron's number, even the old Grizzlies teams could've taken them out especially because they had nobody to guard guys like Randolph or Gasol.

[dontouchmebwo]

lebron partying already lol

[lefty]

- There's 0 correlation between path to the Finals to Finals result, this has been proven throughout history..no team has ever lost because of their road to the Finals, the better team virtually always wins..

- Who would have defeated the 2012 Heat or 2013 Heat prior to the Finals?

- So, you believe that just getting to the Finals gives you a real chance to win the le? That's what you're implying, which is not true at all, look at the history of the NBA how many times has an undeserving team won a le?

The 1987 Celtics had tough physical series against compe ive teams in the East

The Lakers best a .500 team in the WCF

By the time the Finals began the Celtics were injured and tired

Riley knew it and the strategy was run run run

So there is a correlation