LABron James Discussion: The Final Year?

Elite 1sr Q, very strong first half. But that's back to back games where he wasn't there in the second half. We didn't need him in the second half of game 1. Tonight, could've used more from him down the stretch.

Just glad Rondo looked him off and went to AD. Most players don't have those stones and with how he was playing offensively, I don't think Bron hits that game winner.

Hopefully he's just pacing himself for probably Miami.

 

Even the greats have stinkers occasionally. He'll be back next next game.

 

Spoiler: Warning : NSFW Language

 

He played very well in the 1st half, and very bad in the 2nd half.

That's the scary part for Denver - LeBron has yet to put up a signature game.

And trust me...it's coming.

LeBron knows how to close out teams that's for sure.

 

This has been our weakness all season long . Poor offense in the 4th Q in games we are leading , the reason : Lebron shouldn't operate from the "above the break 3 area" but from the wing and in the post .

 

26/11/4 on 50% shooting is a bad night. This dude is held to the ultimate of expectations. I get it though, didn't play his best, but his overall level of consistency is so great that a game like that is something we can reasonably harp on.

 

i actually thought him settling for the long threes and such during the regular season was his version of load management. but maybe i was wrong.

 

So far in the playoffs he's averaging 26/10/9 on 55fg% and 36 3pt% in his 17th year.

Luka was the second coming of Jesus this postseason averaging virtually the same numbers on worse percentages and 5 more shots a game.

Flat out, LeBron is the most consistent player we may have ever seen. His numbers with all that mileage would be career bests for 99.9% of players in their prime.

 

He's maybe the best help off/ball defender from the SF position I've ever seen when he wants to do it

Maybe play him off the ball more with Rondo if AD is in the game. He's really good off the ball as well like in the 4th tonight

In the 4th he was doing the same thing as rim protector like vs Houston. Just needed KCP 3 to drop oh well

 

Of course Bron is held to higher expectations. Nobody cares when Curry chokes in the Finals. Nobody cares when players like George, Westbrook, Harden etc disappear in big moments. Nobody cares that Kawhi and Giannis have been bounced from the playoffs (excluding talk of where Giannis could take his talents).

In terms of expectation it is Bron then daylight then Durant then daylight.

The next player who will get the Bron treatment from the media is Luka. There's already a schism in the media about how great, or not great, he will be. His race/colour will also lead to people arguing 'that's why he gets all the credit/ adoration/ love,' when if anything, his road has been ten times harder growing up in Slovenia.

 

Bron to me might be a modern day Wilt Chamberlain. He statistically is a beast, and is physically, a freak of nature. In spite of being clearly the best player of his era, he didn't win as many titles as he should have won.

People sleep on Wilt as if he didn't routinely destroy all his rivals one on one. The same might happen to Bron in the future (barring winning a few more rings).

 

Escaped with our 3rd win, but something has been off with him since his stellar 1st quarter in Game 2. His jumper is shot and he looks lethargic and old.

 

Bron, IMO, is the smartest player in NBA history. But this series has been God-awful for him. His midrange is flat and he has no confidence at all. Jokic gave him a couple of feet and LeBron hesitated on that shot. Dribbling the ball for 18-20 seconds and then passing it to the corner expecting a good shot has not done well for the Lakers. I'm sure he knows that he is playing poorly or below his average game but it's got to simply be better considering the Lakers are not getting anything from Danny Green and other players.

 

He was good in the q4 last game but otherwise I think the issue is the packed paint defense Denver is playing.
The Lakers and Lebron haven't been able to figure it out. Part of it the jumper doesn't look great.
They really need to start posting him up - this will make it easier for the whole team including Lebron but they seem reluctant to do it.
Cavs used this all the time his last playoff run with them


That being said what has made Lebron special is the jack of all trades ability to morph what the team needs: his defense down the stretch on Murray was the reason the Lakers were able to grind out the win

I suspect he'll come out stronger in game 5 as I think that ankle injury may have messed with him a bit and the more he can heal up the better his offensive game will go

 

His triple double watch is on point. He has to drive more though. His J from anywhere above the FT line is off.

Big props for taking on the Murray matchup down the stretch in the 4th.

Tied AD with a game high 14 FTs, so I guess the league got our memo.

 

I’m encouraged that we’ve been able to win without his best efforts. I think he will snap out of his funk and seal the deal on these guys.

 

Near triple double in a victory to put us one win away from the Finals. On paper you’d think there shouldn’t be much to complain about.

But man, something is wrong. I don’t know if it’s the emotions with the Breonna Taylor case, if he has some nagging injuries he’s keeping under wraps, or what. But this entire postseason I’ve had supreme confidence that Lebron would will us to a title. I still think he will, but that confidence has wavered slightly. You can just see that he’s in some sort of funk. Lack of aggression, sometimes a step slow, no confidence in his jumpers.

We’d need him on his A game for Miami

 

I still have faith in Bron. It will be different in a Finals when there is a championship and Finals MVP on the line.