LABron James Discussion: The Final Year?

I was watching basketball in the 90's where we had Patrick Ewing, Hakeem Olajuwon, Alonzo Mourning, Shaquille O'Neal, and David Robinson. Great era of Centers but between those guys, 3 titles in that decade. 2 were when Jordan was retired or coming from retirement with Hakeem. Hakeem was a tweener. He played PF at the beginning of his career when Ralph Sampson was the Center. And the the other was in a lockout season where the best Power Forward of his era had just arrived and Robinson was a secondary player.

1990 =Isiah (Guard)
1991-93 =Jordan (Guard)
94-95 = Hakeem (Hybrid)
96-98 = Jordan (Guard)
1999 = Tim Duncan (Power Forward)

 

2011 is the one that hits hard but everyone gets one pass: Pistons owned jordan till Pippen and Grant hit their primes and Pistons wore down. Frankly they probably deserved a threepeat that Lakers win over them was as close as you're going to get (Thomas busting his ankle, the questionable foul on Kareem to give the Pistons the lead)

2014 in retrospect that Heat team was overmatched as Kawhii was allowed to grow sneakily on the Spurs team. I don't think anyone beats that Spurs team this year in the NBA: Kawhii hitting his prime, Ginobili/Parker still great, and Duncan just doing Duncan things. Throw in a prime Danny Green, Patty Mills and bunch of other good roleplayers and that is an all time team.

Anyways in terms of GOAT conversation, Duncan is criminally underrated. A guy who could shift between PF/C, DPOY of the year caliber, automatic bucket in the post or off the screen or roll. Able to play in multiple eras of the NBA

 

No, the Lakers deserved the 3-peat. Magic and Byron Scott blew out their hamstrings in 1989 Finals after they went 11-0 in the Western Conference playoffs.

Isiah scored 18 points in the 3rd, in the 88 finals, Game 6, with that bum ankle. Does he score 28 if he isnt injured? likely not. The injury turned him into superman. Still lost.

The "phantom foul" on LAMEbeer was not a phantom call. He rubbed his body on Kareem as he was going into the Sky hook. Plus, (bleep) Bill Laimbeer. It's like James Worthy said, he got that foul called on him for all the talentless hack garbage he used to do, so (bleep) him.

2014 Spurs was Pops best coaching ever. 2014 Spurs were a machine. But Lebron in his prime with 2 hall of famers, if you want to be called the GOAT, you have to win that series. Duncan was out of his prime and Manu and Parker were out as well. Also, cramping out looked bad.

Duncan was the best PF of all time and arguably the 2nd greatest team player behind Magic in any sport. But he had some bad losses. Losing to the Mavericks in Game 7 at home. Losing the Grizzlies in the 1st round as a 1 seed. Up 5, under a minute, in the 2013 Finals in Game 6, and losing. Players are defined by how they win or lose, just as much as losing in general.

 

Lebron has really embraced being in LA

 

It's wild how big Magic was as a PG.

 

Magic looks really good. 30 years later and he is still here. Pretty amazing.

 

That's just what happens when you are very lean and have developed the VMO and VL muscles of your quad - they stick out quite a lot and then it drops into your knee. You can Google quad teardrop to see a lot of similar musculature on athletes/body builders.

 

looks like bron dropped some weight this offseason

 

Right? Hell, dude won us a ring starting at Center for Game 6 in 1980. Scored 42 as well. In his rookie year.

Jesus it’s easy to forget how good this guy was.

 

When you see Lebron and Magic side by side it really hits you. Magic is a big guy and in his heyday he was the equivalent of what Lebron is today.

That showtime team was just amazing - KAJ and Magic - two top 10 players. With Wilkes, Worthy, AC Green, Byron Scott, Rambis and Cooper. What a damn team!

 

i wonder how people around the league/fans reacted to a 6'9 PG 40 years ago

even now it's not something you really see

 

The thing is everyone has bad losses?
Isiah was great in game 6 but he was clearly hobbled in game 7 and the Pistons barely lost: it was a great series and they had the Bulls numbers till they got old.

2014: Wade was all past his prime and it clearly showed (still a great player like the Spurs three)

Duncan's legacy has those losses but what an amazing career! His ability to morph to different teammates as the number one option was amazing. (Robinson was number one, and then the big 3, but then basically it was him in 2003 (Stephen jackson was their second best player? - parker and manu had just started, Robinson was ancient). Most underrated player in the GOAT conversation IMO

 

If I’m not mistaken, a lot the buzz even before the draft also included his size as a PG. Others will know more about this than me though.

 

Should surpass both this season. Scoring might not be as easily reached with the squad we have, but if he's close and we're in the final months of the season... he's gunning for it.

 

New vid from Dr. Brar

 

…. same as I do but with more weight than that.

 

Me too, but I do it on ice

 

Me too. But I do it on GTA San Andreas.