Editor's note: Due to a Turkey-related coma-like condition, this is an abbreviated version of the standard WotW post. Also, Antoine Walker is about to make a comeback. In the D-League. It's like Christmas came on Thanksgiving.
The Milwaukee Bucks: Even though their season has been pretty disappointing so far, the Bucks have been able to boast a defense that ranks 1st in Opponents PPG and 2nd in Defensive Rating. Then the equally disappointing Pistons -- who are in the bottom half of the league in Offensive Rating -- went out and dropped 103 points on them on 56 percent shooting. I guess they were stuck in a 24-hour Turkey Coma.
Said Milwaukee coach Scott Skiles: "We weren't sharp ... right from the beginning. I could see we were a couple of steps slow."
Shane Battier, quote machine: After going 1-for-9 in Houston's 99-89 loss to the Bobcraps in Charlotte, Batty said: "It's a make-or-miss league. By that, when you miss shots, the sky is falling down. When you make shots everything is honky-dory. Sometimes it is as simple as that."
Chris Bosh, quote machine: After the Heat barely managed to beat the 76ers (3-13) in Miami: "We're going to get teams' best. That's how it's going to be all season. ... If we had the answers to the test, believe me, we'd have used them a long time ago."
Dwyane Wade, quote machine: After the Heat barely managed to beat the 76ers (3-13) in Miami: "We've got to get away from worrying about how we get wins. We have to focus on getting wins."
LeBron James, quote machine: After the Heat barely managed to beat the 76ers (3-13) in Miami: "Guys just get up to play us. We just have to treat everybody ... like they're All-Stars."
Doug Collins, emo coach of the year candidate: After the Heat barely managed to beat the 76ers (3-13) in Miami: "They put so much work into this. It just rips at my gut that they can't taste a win. They just fought so hard. So hard."
The San Antonio Spurs: They had their win streak snapped at home by the Dallas Mavericks. Dirk Nowitzki was crazy-hot (12-for-14) and the Mavs shot 52 percent as a team. But the Spurs doomed themselves with a dreadful 2:45 stretch of basketball in the fourth quarter.
After George Hill hit a layup to put San Antonio up 88-86, the Spurs' next five possessions went: Tony Parker missed 9-footer, offensive rebound then turnover, Tim Duncan Turnover, Duncan missed 11-footer, Manu Ginobili turnover, Ginobili missed three-pointer. Nowitzki followed that Manu miss by nailing a 19-footer to put Dallas ahead 95-88 with 1:44 left. Game over.
Delayed Turkey Coma?
Said George Hill: "You can blame it on the little turkey or whatever. But it happens, it's been a good journey so far. The only thing we can do is focus on Sunday."
John Lucas / Tom Thibodeau / Chicago Bulls: On Friday night, the Derrick Rose-less Bulls were this close -- THIS CLOSE -- to knocking off the Nuggets in Denver. Chicago was up 97-96 with 24 seconds left. Knowing the Nuggets had to foul, Thibodeau put in his all-free-throw-shooting lineup, which included Lucas...who had been signed that very day. Lucas inbounded and Denver waited to foul until the ball had been passed back around to him. He stepped up to the line, missed 'em both. Surprise, surprise.
Of course, the Bulls still could've won the game. They forced Carmelo Anthony into a turrible shot, but the ball managed to roll past three Chicago players out of bounds. Denver still had possession with four seconds left. And despite knowing that the ball would probably get passed directly in to 'Melo for a jumper, the Bulls didn't deny the pass to Anthony. Then Luol Deng bit on a stutter dribble and backed up the half a foot 'Melo needed to launch the game-winner. Clutch fail.
Carmelo Anthony, quote machine: "See, I told you. I take that same shot, nine out of 10 times, I'll make it. Whether he contested it or not, whether he got a hand in my face or not, once I get a good look at the rim, I don't really think there's nothing nobody can do."
Free throws in general: From Basketbawful reader LotharBot:
This week has been one of the greatest anti-clutch free throw weeks ever. Bawful could run a "bricked free throws" feature and have plenty of material. I know of five games where bricked FT with under 2 minutes left changed the complexion of the game, and the bricking team went on to lose all five.The City of Los Angels: L.A. went 0-4 this weekend. The Lakers choked away a 19-point lead in a 102-96 loss to the Jazz in Utah before falling into a 15-point hole at home against the Pacers before losing 95-92. Mind you, Indy had lost 11 straight regular-season games to the Lakers on the road since its last win on February 14, 1999, shortly before Staples Center opened.
We had Trevor Ariza for the Hornets against the Clippers on Monday, down 2 with 21 seconds left and clanking both ft.
Then there was Evan Turner for Philly on Tuesday, with a 3 point lead and 8 seconds left against the Wiz, bricking both FT, which left the game close enough for John Wall to send it to OT.
On Wednesday, Jason Richardson hit 1 of 2 with 5 seconds left in the first OT, leaving his Suns with only a 2 point lead. This allowed Derrick Rose to send it to 2OT (with an easy 2 rather than a difficult 3), where the Bulls ran away with it.
Today is Friday, and John Lucas III got 2 FT with 12 seconds left and a 1 point lead against the Nuggets. He bricked both. Then Melo missed a potential go-ahead bucket with 4 seconds left, but 3 Bulls combined to lose the rebound out of bounds, which let Melo hit the game winner at the buzzer.
Also today, Darren Collison and Brandon Rush each bricked a FT with under 2 minutes to go in OT, in a game that was tied at 102 with the Thunder. Those 2 points would've been nice to have when it was 106-103 and the Pacers had possession with under 24 seconds left. A one point game with a chance to win at the buzzer is very different from a 3 point game where you're taking a tough shot just to tie, and a miss and ft at the other end leave you down 5.
As usual, there's going to be a lot of talk about whether Kobe transforming into the Black Mamba and going into Hero Mode helped or hurt the Lakers. We know Kobe gave the Jazz and Pacers his own personal version of Anal Rampage...and we know the Lakers lost both games. Critics say Kobe going "LEEEEEEERRRROOOYYYY JEEENNNKIIIINNSS!!" killed the Lakers' offense. As Karc put it: "I know I'm not the only who saw that 14-point run and immediately said, 'Lakers are losing this game.'"
Defenders will say his teammates were playing like crap and Kobe's scoring outburts were the only think that kept L.A. in these games. Said Adam: "Actually Kobe going 'hero mode' had nothing to do with it. It was everybody else like Barnes, Fisher, Blake, and Brown bricking ill-advised three after ill-advised three and the whole team going cold after the first quarter."
Who was really at fault? Take your pick.
As for the Clippers, well, they fell behind by 25 to the Suns in Phoenix and eventually lost 116-108 and then finished off the weekend with a 109-97 loss at home to the Jazz. Make it 3-15.
After the Clips committed 18 turnovers and let the Jazz shoot 58 percent from the field, Eric Gordon offered: "They ended up playing good defense, but we stopped ourselves."
The Phoenix Suns: Their win against the Clippers was actually a cause for concern. They let a 25-point lead shrink to only four before closing The Other L.A. Team out. But check it: Eric Gordon had a season-high 32 points, Ryan Gomes scored a season-high 20, and Brian Cook added a season-high 16 points and 10 rebounds. That just gives you the defensive shivers, doesn't it?
Sure enough, on Sunday the Suns managed to score 133 points on 51 percent shooting...and lose. That's 'cause the Nuggets dropped 138 points on them. Without Carmelo Anthony. And despite missing 16 free throws.
Mind you, Denver's previous season-high in points had been 120. It was the team's highest point total since scoring 147 in double overtime at Seattle on April 6, 2008.
Said Phoenix coach Alvin Gentry: "You can't win a game where you don't guard anybody. You got to guard one person. Even if we guard George Karl, we got to guard somebody."
The Suns are giving up 111.9 PPG. Yes, that's a league-worst.
Chauncey Billups, dubious compliment machine: "Without him, we're not as predictable. When Melo's in you go to him, let him orchestrate. I'm sure not having him out there made it difficult for [the Suns] to know what we were going to do."
The Portland Frail Blazers: Talk about your rough weekends. The Frail Blazers got Brandon Roy back in time to get dumped on their asses at home 97-78 by the Hornets. Portland shot only 39.5 percent and those 78 points were a season-low.
More Turkey Coma.
Apparently, Portland was still Turkey Coma-ized on Sunday night when they lost 98-96 to the Nyets in New Jersey. The Nyets shot 52 percent from the field. Now the Blazers -- that young, up-and-coming team that's been supposed to take over the league for, what, the last three or four seasons? -- is .500.
Said Wesley Matthews: "We don't feel like we're an 8-8 team."
And I don't feel drunk. But...
Avery Johnson, quote machine: Regarding the extra morning practice session he called between back-to-back games: "DON'T MAKE TOO MUCH OFIT OR IN THE MANNER OF HOW I CALLED IT. THEY KNEW I WAS DISAPPOINTED AND JUST NEEDED TO SEE THEIR FACES THIS MORNING. I COULDN'T SLEEP ANYWAY. I DIDN'T WANT TO RAISE MY VOICE TNIGHT. THEY GOT ENOUGH OF THAT THIS MORNING."
The Minnesota Timberwolves: During his first six seasons in the NBA -- all with the Miami Heat -- Dorell Wright averaged 6.3 PPG. And Pat Riley didn't even consider hanging onto him.
Now Wright is feeling "The Golden State Effect." And on Saturday, he drilled nine three-pointers on his way to a career-high 30 points against the Timberpoops, who apparently forgot the Warriors like to run 'n gun.
Regarding his team's defensive apathy, Minny coach Kurt Rambis said: "You could see that blank look on their face for the majority of the ballgame."
Way to inspire the troops, coach!
By the way, Wright and fellow Heat refugee Michael Beasley combined for 58 points. Riles needed role players to support the Nazgul. Little did he know he was actually sitting right on top of them. Speaking of which...
The Miami Heat: When the Heat played the Mavericks in Dallas on Saturday night, Zydrunas Ilgauskas started at center and scored zero points. Carlos Arroyo started at the point and finished with zero assists. The Miami bench was outscored 39-22. And here are the point totals for the four Heat centers: Big Z (0), Erick Dampier (0), Joel Anthony (0), Jamaal Magloire (DNP-CD).
Huh. I thought great players were supposed to make their teammates better. The Heat have two and a half great players. Something's fishy here, don't you think?
Here's some more Heat-themed vomit from ESPN Stats and Information:
The Heat are 0-4 on the road against opponents with winning records.The bottom line is: Dallas put Miami into a 19-point hole. The Heat almost climbed out, but almost only counts in horseshoes and Stan Van Gundy fitting into his pants.
Miami's Big 3 combined for 67 of the Heat's 95 points as they each scored 20-plus for the second time this season. However, they also combined for 13 of the Heat's 15 turnovers.
The Mavericks outscored the Heat 48-26 in the paint. Coming into the game, the Mavericks were the only team in the NBA averaging fewer points per game in the paint than the Heat.
The Heat are 2-7 against teams with a .500 record or better this season and have dropped four straight road games.
The Heat are now 9-8. Last season, without King Crab or Chris Bosh, they were 10-7 after 17 games. Cue Countdown to Failure.
After the game, Miami held a players-only meeting. Regarding that meeting, D-Wade said: "We felt like we needed it. Sometimes it's a feel. We haven't had a team-only meeting. We're playing like 9-8 and we needed it. This is a new team, a new group of guys. Guys need to understand each other and hear each other talk. We all feel better after the talk we had. It's tough because I know the potential of this team, the vision I had when this team was put together."
Added LeBron: "It was a well-needed team meeting where everybody had a chance to get off whatever they had on their chest or in their head about us figuring things out. Right now we are a 9-8 team and we have to own up to that. Does our record speak of the quality of team we can become? I don't think so. But right now we're 9-8 and we're playing like that."
Speaking of owning up to stuff...
LeBron James: As many of you aleady know, he bumped coach 'Spo.
As Basketbawful Original pointed out, that wasn't exactly a first:
Now, the obvious question is: Did His Supreme Crabbiness do it on purpose? I have to agree with SPORTSbyBROOKS...it didn't happen by accident. Forget just walking off a basketball court. LeBron James walks through crowds just to reach his own bathroom. He knows how to avoid bumping into people when he needs to. And this time he didn't. The reason why he did it is something that's harder to ascertain.
Is he searching for a fall guy to explain away why his presence has actually made the Heat worse than they were without him last season? Maybe. As Adrian Wojnarowski put it a couple weeks ago:
When things don’t go well for the Heat, there's one guarantee: James will never take responsibility. Here’s a man who quit in the middle of Game 5 to the Celtics a season ago, stopped playing in a conference semifinal and still wanted Brown and his supporting cast blamed like in the past. Here's a man who needed Nike to make some kind of half-baked commercial apology that only came within the context of pushing his shoes. James knows only how to be about James, and he'll sacrifice anyone to protect himself.It's true. And now, LeBron doesn't have anywhere to hide. Before, he could hide behind a historically bawful franchise and "bad" teammates. Now he has to explain why he -- last season's ordained Best Basketball Player in the World -- can't win with D-Wade and Chris Bosh backing him up. This isn't the easy way out he had in mind. Which makes this a perfect time to run Michael Jordan's supposed "response" to LeBron (which is in reality just a commercial mashup...but totally on the money):
The Sacramento Kings: Facing a Bulls team that was 1) dealing with various injuries to key players, 2) playing on the second night of back-to-backs, 3) on their fourth game in five nights, and 4) finishing up their seven-game circus trip of horrors, the Purple Paupers built a 57-44 lead after two quarters -- the team's very first halftime lead of the season! -- and then lost 96-85.
Their 28-point second half included a 9-point fourth quarter.
Said Paupers coach Paul Westphal: "I thought that in the second half our defense was good enough for us to win the game, but our offense was something that was out of some horror book. Two turnovers in the first half and 16 in the second half, it's just unbelievable. Running the same plays, only not executing them."
The Kings have now lost four straight and 10 of 11.
Tyreke Evans: The ankles be broken.
The New Orleans Hornets: They went up by 17. They fell behind by 17. They lost 109-95. At home. To the Spurs. Can you say "exposed"?
No offense to the Hornets. They're a great early season story. But after starting the season 8-0, they've gone 4-4, including three losses in their last four games, to the Clippers, Jazz and Spurs. Don't get me wrong. The Hornets are good. Just not as good as everybody was starting to think.
And you know, some of that may be coaching...
Monty Williams: At halftime, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich made adjustments, which included some defensive switching and a small lineup. Then, over the final two quarters, the Spurs shot 60 percent, drilled seven treys, and outscored the Hornets 65-34.
Said New Orleans coach Monty Williams: "The bottom line is I got outcoached. Coach Popovich made a great move, going small, and I didn't make the immediate adjustments to put us in position to hang on. ... It was just an old-school whipping from a coaching standpoint."
Chris's Mega Weekend Lacktion Report:
Rockets-Bobcats: Jared Jeffries jacked apart a treasure chest for a 1.25 trillion (1:15).
For Charlotte, Sherron Collins brought home a Castlevania cartridge to His Airness in just 24 seconds for a Mario, while THE Kwame Brown provided the man who picked him #1 overall with four bricks (twice from the charity stripe) in 6:08 for a +4 suck differential!!!
Raptors-Celtics: Von Wafer can now afford the toll in the Ted Williams Tunnel after a 2.2 trillion (2:13)!
Bucks-Pistons: Yep. KNEE-MAC gave the Motor City a mediocre +1 in 6:09 via brick. I think my work is done here.
...but I can't stop keeping track of lacktivity, so on we go...
Sixers-Heat: Philly's Andres Nocioni notched three bricks in 7:20 (twice from Biscayne Boulevard) and a foul and giveaway each for a +5!
Thunder-Pacers: Nick Collison smashed into the ledger a bit tonight by countering two boards in 9:25 with 3 bricks and 4 fouls for a 4:2 Voskuhl. BJ Mullens mired himself in two fouls and a turnover in 5:03 for a +3 and a 3:0 Voskuhl, and Royal Ivey was declared King Koopa after just 8 seconds in a SUPER MARIO!
Lakers-Jazz: Derrick Caracter once again revealed his true colors with a one-foul +1 and 1:0 Madsen-level Voskuhl in 3:06.
Warriors-Grizzlies: Despite an assist in 7:54, Dan Gadzuric returns to the world of Voskuhl ratios with a 4:0 via two fouls and two giveaways; fellow Warrio Charlie Bell barely rang up a Mario in 59 seconds which included a brick from the Peabody Motel.
Hornets-Blazers: Luke Babbitt bricked once from the US Bancorp Tower in 1:16 for a +1.
Hawks-Knicks: Andy Rautins will now be able to put a deposit on some MSG seats after a 1.85 trillion (1:52).
Warriors-Wolves: Rodney Carney raised up a pair of bricks (once from the Mary Tyler Moore statue) in 6:49 for a +2, while Kosta Koufos lost the rock once and tossed up his own piece of masonry in 1:54 for a +2 and a 1:0 Madsen-level Voskuhl.
Heat-Mavs: In the Highly Unanticipated Rematch of the 2006 Association Finals, Brian Cardinal flew into 8-bit territory with a 2-second Super Mario! Also lacking it up for Dallas was Ian Mahinmi, who fouled and lost the rock once each for a +2 in 3:28, and a 2:0 Voskuhl.
Brendan Haywood put Mark Cuban's team on the ledger a third time (appropriate, as the South Beach Three incurred ANOTHER loss) by countering two boards in 7:58 with four fouls for a 4:2 Voskuhl.
Bobcats-Bucks: Sherron Collins took a rejection as well as a brick (from downtown Milwaukee) in 3:03 for a +2, while fellow Air Jordan purveyor Derrick Brown also bricked once from (downtown) and fouled twice for a +3 in 5:34.
For Wisconsin's team, Earl Boykins turned on his NES for 38 seconds for a Mario.
Bulls-Kings: Omer Asik banished an assist away in 9:04 with two fouls for a 2:1 Voskuhl.
Bobcats-Bucks: Sherron Collins took a rejection as well as a brick from the Pabst Theater in 3:03 for a +2, while fellow Air Jordan purveyor Derrick Brown also bricked once from Schlitz Park and fouled twice for a +3 in 5:34.
Knicks-Pistons: Timofey Mozgov made the most of another appearance for Mike D'Antoni, downing a pair of boards in 8:22 with a brick, three fouls, and three turnovers for a 6:2 Voskuhl. Roger Mason Jr. joined the ledger with a brick from the Ren Center in 8:10 for a +1.
Jazz-Clippers: Jarron Collins constructed a Voskuhl ratio of 5:1 in a 13:35 stint by negating a board with four fouls and a turnover.
Frail Blazers-Nyets: Luke Babbitt bobbled a brick in 2:35 for a +1.
Pacers-Lakers: Derrick Caracter coined 2.4 trillion (2:24) in pure gold!
Labels: Antoine Walker is coming back in the D-League, Worst of the Weekend
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"I DIDN'T WANT TO RAISE MY VOICE TONIGHT."
...really.
And a *sad trombone* for Brandon Roy, who continues to play on a bad knee that cannot be repaired with surgery. I swear Bill Walton sold the soul of the franchise and his own for the 1977 title. Too much has happened to this team to think otherwise.
In the game against the Bull, Westphal didn't play the same lineup in the 4th quarter that built up a big lead against the Bulls in the previous three quarters. After that game Westphal basically blamed Tyreke Evans for basically everything that went wrong in that game.
I hope Westphal has updated his resume, because it's kind of hard to see him lasting past the New Year.
The "anonymous source" is probably James or from James' group of friends, althouh these two not-so-ringing endorsements from Wade on Spo don't help:
"I never would put anything on the coach -- win, lose or draw -- because they can give us the game plan but they're not on the court playing. ... Now it's time to take ownership. This is our team, even though we respect our coaches for what they do." (emphasis added)
"I don't worry about changes. I can't control them. Only thing we can control is our effort and the way we play."
Thank you sir. For the past month I've been trying to pinpoint my "gripe" with Rose and you just pinpointed for me.
http://sports.espn.go.com/chicago/nba/news/story?id=5862624
He only makes game-winning shots against the Kings. Sigh
Luckily, no turnovers or shots, as I touched the ball once.
In this case, I quoted him because he was bang on about LeBron.
According to the Heat tired of Spo article, Lebron's feelings are hurt because his coach told him to get more serious since they're playing like crap. This is probably the first time anyone (as in a coach or other 'authority' figure) anywhere at any time has called him out on anything and he's butthurt. Ugh.. losing more and more respect by the day.
Exactly. I made this point several times last season. Unlike many great players, LeBron has never had a tough-minded coach tell him to get his shit together. LeBron has always been the one running the shoe.
Bill Russell had Red Auerbach. Larry Bird had Bill Fitch early on. Magic had Pat Riley. MJ and Kobe had/have Phil Jackson. Those Bad Boy Pistons teams had Chuck Daily. Tim Duncan has Popovich. So on and so forth.
From his earliest years to now, only LeBron has been allowed to tell LeBron what to do. He sure doesn't want "Coach 'Spo" doing it. Hell, I'm not sure he'd let Riley do it.
Everywhere he's gone and everything he's ever been a part of has been molded to fit his style and suit his needs. By teaming up with the other Nazgul on Wade's team...that's just not going to happen.
So either his attitude has to change, or this Frankenstein experiment ain't gonna work. Hard as that is to believe.
In Cleveland it was always the fault of Mike Brown or the supporting cast. In Miami the line hasn't changed -- coach Spoelstra doesn't know what he's doing, the supporting cast is weak, Wade is chucking, etc. It'll never, ever be LeBron's fault.
Nope. If that dude was capable of personal accountability, well, he'd probably still be in Cleveland.
Westphal changes the lineup around Evans every three games or so, but I don't think he ever made any effort to mold him into a true point guard, rather than just the drive and occasionally kick one dimensional guard that he is.
Not that that'll fix the hodgepodge construction of the paupers, but it's a start.
Sorbo: WOOT. PICKUP LACKTION FTW. I think you also incurred a +4 suck differential in that 4:0 game?
well,
"maybe I made you think that every shoot I took, was a gamewinner."
enough said.
It's nice to see someone be honest about their pickup game here. Based on what I read in these comments, everyone else here tends to , ahem, embellish when describing their exploits and abilities.
Really? Who would that be?
As always, I invite anybody who's interested to come out and play ball with me...or against me.
I guess I didn't mean EVERYONE ELSE, just most people here. You've shown us your game (er, ET did, via Helmet-Cam), so I suppose I wasn't talking about you. I see lots of comments on here that begin with "I'm a good shooter..." or "I am the fucking MAN out there, but I always get my teammates involved because they aren't as good as me, but my benevolent nature drives me to make them better in spite of their own failings..." or "I play defense HARD and REBOUND!"
I'm just trying to say it's admirable that Sorbo reported his own lacktion honestly and without spinning it to make it sound like he is secretly a hard-core-badass baller who just got screwed by a ref or teammates. Fact is, we all get schooled from time to time, but that is seldom reported in the comments section.
Just go back and read comments from your Pickup Diaries section to see examples of puffery and embellishment.
Just get it over with. Follow his Twitter feed. That respect will be gone faster than you can say Easy Button.
No, seriously. It's been going since summer, and literally every tweet he writes makes me despise him more, it's uncanny.
No. I just keep inviting people out and nobody takes me up on it. What, do I smell like fish or something? Where are you Cortez? Why do you keep holding out on me??
Okay, I guess I am defensive. Just not in the way you were thinking.
No, seriously. It's been going since summer, and literally every tweet he writes makes me despise him more, it's uncanny.
It's funny you say that, 'cause I've been meaning to bring it up. I got the feeling 'Bron started his Twitter feed because he wanted to connect with his fanbase and become a more sympathetic character. But all it's done is make him look even douchier, which I didn't think was even medically possible.
Think about this, people. Have you ever done something and only afterward realized you totally fucking ruined your life? Maybe you had a great girlfriend or boyfriend, and you dumped them for somebody more exciting...only that person ended up being a complete abomination. The situation screws your head so much you end up dropping out of school and getting a job at Taco Bell...
...hey, wait, I've heard this story before.
Anyway, that's where LeBron is. He's a dick who lucked into a great situation, then took a huge steaming dump on that situation and has no idea how to get things back to the way they were.
I'm still downloading the Lakers-Utah game and haven't yet seen a torrent for last night's Pacers debacle, so I don't know how much I can really comment on what's gone on with my beloved team this weekend, but I will say the Lakers really need Bynum to hurry back. With Ratliff out as well, LA has had to resort to playing a bunch of small ball this year and/or playing rookie Derrick Caracter minutes at center (neither of which are things Phil Jackson typically would do). On top of that, I read Phil whining a lot about how many minutes Gasol and Odom are playing, and him saying that's contributing to their disappearance at the end of some of these games. I do know that if Bynum is his typical when-healthy self, when he returns in 2-3 weeks it's going to be a major difference maker for the Lakers, just cause it'll settle their rotations and more evenly distribute minutes in the frontcourt. Until then I'm kinda taking anything the Lakers are doing (both good and bad) with a grain of salt.
In the meantime, watching the ongoing LeBron meltdown in Miami has been very entertaining. I think the takes here in these comments are right on the money with him. He's lived in this spoiled, isolated existence where he and he alone calls the shots, and really for the first time ever he's having that challenged. Clearly he's not responding well. I wonder if someone can have that type of mentality reversed at the age he is, or if it's kind of a case of "he's gonna be who he is." Will LeBron be able to see the error of his ways and grow beyond this, or he is doomed to be a douche forever?
btw, I loved Mr. Bawful's typo above in reference to "running the shoe." :)
But there's something very human in my disappointment. I grew up in the 90s in the Jordan era. I see Michael with the same reverence that Bawful sees Larry Legend. I am only now truly appreciating what Michael accomplished. I recently watched a summary of the Flu Game on youtube and remembered the plays, remembered the fairytale narrative -- the Bulls fall behind by a formidable margin in a crucial game in Utah and are faced with a do-or-die moment. Michael wills the Bulls to do, as he always has. It was all so fascinating as a kid and manifested in the hours I spent by myself, shooting around, re-enacting all manner of late-game scenarios on my Huffy hoop with a chain net and a basketball that was perhaps a little too bald.
It wasn't just a turnaround fadeaway that I was re-enacting, it wasn't a through the legs dribble- hesitation-jumpshot. It was determination and sheer triumph of human will. It's something that inspired me beyond the simple act of putting a ball in a hoop. Obviously they weren't all directly responsible for it, but Jordan's feats taught me that believing in something is half the battle. Perhaps it seems contrived, but what I saw watching MJ helped motivate me through family problems in high school, through college while my mother battled with cancer, and will soon do the same for medical school. What I took away from watching MJ was more than just entertainment on Saturday afternoons. It was the idea that I can do what I set my mind to, I just have to understand that it will never be given to me. I have to work for everything, absolutely everything.
Are the kids of today picking this up from Lebron? Probably not. He has the ability to be something so powerful for this generation and he hasn't matured a bit, he hasn't shown any signs of growth; in fact, this season has exposed just how stagnant his personal growth has been. Lebron is still a kid himself and, in being elevated to the stage of the NBA and superstardom, he was physically ready but in no way was he mentally prepared. This is something of a forgotten implication of being propelled to celebrity at the age of 18 or 19, especially in the profit-hungry meat market that the NBA has become. It's always been like that to a degree, I understand that, but it's painful to watch sometimes (which is where Bawful comes in).
It just kills me to think what Lebron could have been, for an entire generation, while I see what he really is -- a kid still finding his own footsteps, but too self-absorbed to realize that he could use some help.
NBA title teams almost always have multiple perinnial all stars, or even multiple hall of famers.
The 2004 Pistons were probably the least talented team in recent memory to win the title, and there were still multiple guys on that squad that were better than LeBron's second best player - Mo Williams.
In what reality is Mo Williams a good enough second option to expect anyone to win a title, Michael Jordan included?
LeBron obviously checked out mentally in game 5 against the Celtics, so he deserves harsh criticism for that. However, performances like that are outnumbered by the number of times that LeBron lost despite a brilliant performance. The series two years ago against the Magic is the ultimate example of this.
After Michael Jordan retired the first time, the Bulls were still a very good team. This years Cavaliers are basically the same team they were last year, minus LeBron and Shaq, and they look like a non-playoff team.
That should tell you everything you need to know about the kind of supporting cast Jordan had and the type of help LeBron had in Cleveland.
LeBron was the one propping that team up. Without him, they're on the playoff bubble in the East.
Does LeBron miss the hometown hero aspect of playing in Cleveland? I'm sure he does. But does he regret leaving Cleveland from a basketball standpoint? I highly doubt it.
If he could do it over again, I bet he'd go someplace other than Miami only because it's obvious that he and Wade replicate eachothers skill sets so closely that it's causing problems.
However, I don't for a second think he'd stay in Cleveland. He was going to become the next KG-in-Minnesota if he stayed there.
Miami: 9-8
Cleveland: 7-9
Neither of them would be a playoff team in the West.
Because you smell like Sea Bass. That's the word on the street.
Seriously though, work, family and my normal pickup/league (mis)adventures.
Plus, I'm not sure they allow mountain lions in your gym.
I thought that was done on purpose!
If Lebron had shown any inclination to being an effective off the ball player with a more well rounded offensive game I'm pretty sure Cleveland would have gotten him more facilitators, perhaps even a post threat. As it stands though, their "ideal" targets, including last season's power forward acquisition, have been jump shooters he can drive and dish to and I can't really blame them.
Anyone can be shut down if they're one dimensional (unless they're just a freak like Shaq). LeBron has enough freakish athletic ability to still get to the rim a great deal, but that's not enough at this point in his career.. Especially when, as a growingly deafening chorus is pointing out, being paired with another ball hawk in D-Wade.
The team's problem wasn't so much the talent, it was the coaching. And the coaching was the result of LeBron's primadonna attitude and and the fact that the front office coddled him.
A shameful ass-whupping of a game, but only one of those.
If you swapped LeBron's childish ass for Kobe or Jordan on the 2009 or 2010 Cavs, is there any doubt that they'd have at least won the east?
lol at d-wade. has the NBA turned into NFL or NHL now? the last time i checked, it's still only W-L column
ps: would you like three great stars on your team? raise your hand if you wouldn't
I'm praying that a Miracle of Bawful happens and Cleveland hands the cHeat the Great Loss. I know, they've got DC and Detroit before then . . . but still . . .
Again, he took over the offense when the rest of the team (especially Pau) was sleepwalking, just like the previous game in Utah. That's the way it's usually been for the past three seasons, but unfortunately he only has two NBA Championships, a third NBA Finals appearance, two Finals MVPs, and one regular season MVP to show for it. If the Laker defense had gotten a couple key rebounds in the final minute of the Utah game and a key stop with 15 seconds left in the Indiana game, the team may have gone 2-0 due to Kobe jump-starting the offense.
Oh, and now can we put to rest the ridiculous notion that Pau Gasol is the best player on the Lakers? Even Pau would not say that, especially when he gets outplayed by the likes of Darko Mlicic and Roy Hibbert at both ends of the court. Pau is a great power forward and a solid center, an all-NBA caliber player, and is the ultimate fit for the Laker triangle offense, which runs best when it goes inside-out through him instead of outside-in through Kobe. But he ain't the best player on the team.
I know I sound like a broken record here, but how can you say the teams problem wasn't talent when they only had one all star?
Again, teams that win NBA titles have multiple all stars or multiple all of famers. I don't know why people expected the equation to be any different for the Cavaliers the last few years. You don't win NBA championships or even advance to the conference finals most of the time if your team has only one all star.
If Cleveland fans should be mad at anyone, they should be mad at Danny Ferry for failing to get another great player on that team.
It's why I turn into an annoying, insufferable whiner around here from time to time :)
My advice to you is to suck it up. If you are in fact a Heat fan, take some comfort in knowing that in all likelihood your team will be hoisting the LOB trophy at some point in the next few years. Although trust me, even if that happens, all the mockery around here won't go away. In the end, it really is all in fun though :)
And et tu, DWade? I don't get why any of this surprises me. Oh, look! Self-absorbed pro athletes!
@Murcy: I don't see it quite that way. I see LeBron and Wade tuning out their coach. I see the LeBron shoulder bump (absofuckinlutely inexcusable). I see the sneaky/snakey "leaking" of complaints to the press. So I can't say that I have much problem with piling on LeBron. What I DO have a problem with is this: it's not LeBron's fault that they didn't win a title in Cleveland. I can't believe people really complain about that. That wasn't a sufficiently deep squad. And no, jordan doesn;t win a championship with that team. Look who he DID win with. Quality guys, another hall-of-famer (maybe two, with Rodman).
So yeah, harshing on LeBron about his Cleveland play isn't fair (except for the last playoff game quit). But harshing on him for the "Decision" and then his conduct in Miami? Oh yeah, pile on. Dude goes less than 15 games before throwing his coach under the bus? On a team with no real center and key roleplayer Haslem hurt? It is indeed time to call BS on LeBron. When I saw the shoulder bump, my response was "oh no he didn't." What an ass. Just a low-down asshole. Gack.
I will say that I think people have long-misread why Kobe goes into "hero mode", saying it's selfishness and he wants all the glory for himself. I think it's more that when the Lakers get desperate, especially if they've been shitting the bed offensively, Kobe begins to think he's the only one who can put any points up. I don't think he does it for the glory, I think he does it out of desperation and fear that if he doesn't do everything he can personally then the team will lose. Ironically, sometimes (hell, maybe even often) these types of thoughts do really lead to the Lakers losing. But I've never seen Kobe as someone who wants to make sure he's the only one who gets any credit. Maybe I'm just naive.
In defense of the Heat players, you have to admit that the offense has looked very simplistic. Fans, beat writers, national media are all noticing that our offense is pretty much repeated pick and rolls with some hero-ball from Wade / James mixed in.
Some of that might be because of the players too. LeBron and Wade have both been accused of breaking off plays to do their own thing in the early going. But I feel like the coaches are accountable too for how simple the offense has been.
But it's also true that Gasol makes his teammates better. He catches passes that Kwame Brown used to drop and makes the easy buckets that Kwame used to miss, and since the turnover on a dropped pass usually gets credited to the passer, then Kobe, Fish, or LO gets credit for the assist and doesn't get a turnover added to his total for those passes. He's also the perfect fit for a triangle big man.
I thought Pau and Kobe could have gotten co-MVPs in 09, with Kobe getting it against the Celtics. Three really bad quarters aside, Kobe was the best player in the 2010 Finals, and he recovered in the 4th quarter of that last game and played like the MVP.
This is only opinion, not a fact but personally I thought Gasol deserved the MVP. Someone check the stats (the computer I'm on sucks balls and I can't websurf without the server crashing) and see if Kobe had a 30-35 point game because I don't remember him having a truly dominant game.
Wild Yams - Did Bynum have the same ACL surgery that Kendrick Perkins have? If so there's no guarantee he'll be in the same form as he was pre-injury (but he'll still be pretty damn good). If not then my argument goes right out the window.
Nope. Wojnarowski lies through his teeth time and again regarding LeBron. It's so blatant that he even contradicts earlier columns every time he concocts a new story. The sad thing is, nobody calls him out. Nobody goes out and say "that is not actually how it happened" or even "that's not what you were telling last week".
LeBron is a quitter because Woj says so. LeBron is throwing his coach under a bus because Woj says so. LeBron is disliked by his teammates because Woj says so. It does not matter that there is no actual proof of anything, or even that sometimes facts contradict his columns: people just want to believe him, and they will.
For instance, there is not a single proof that LeBron wants people to "kowtow to him", other than Woj says so. In fact, I do think that LeBron has a tendency to rely on his teammates too much, all the way back to the time when he hit Donyell Marshall with the pass for the potential game-winner. LeBron is not as assertive as he should be. All too often he wilts under pressure, a very bad trait in a star. The problem with the Heat is not that LeBron is trying to assume command, but rather that he is not.
But that does not fit Woj's narrative, so out it goes. All because LeBron won't give him juicy exclusive quotes (remember his turn-around regarding Kobe when Kobe started providing him with insider info?).
@Yams: both. i am a heat fan (and for years. just before anyone assumes differently) and dislike the lakers. and yeah, i'm starting to understand what you feel around here :)
http://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/NBA_2010.html
It's just as I said, Kobe was the best player in that series except for the first three quarters of Game 7, when he couldn't hit the broad side of a barn. Laker fans are inclined to forgive him, though. He played that series on a knee that badly needed surgery and with a mangled index finger on his shooting hand.
LeBron has literally done something with his actions or character to piss off every other team or fan. Whether it was his backhanded methods, collusion, Decision, promising 8+ championships, whining, stupid crew of friends, hypocrisy, sulking, easy button, you name it. Not even Kobe had that kind of slate, especially in such a compact amount of time.
If you actually are a Heat fan, the simplest way describe this to you is this video inspired by the Heat, and thus explaining why pulling the whole "waaah why does everyone hate me waaaah" angle is pretty much stupid.