NBA Basketball

Be like Mike!

I have seen Jordan and James play live in Chicago. There is no comparison. James plays like the mailman who was a big man with good passing skill, a soft shooting shot, and strong to the basket. I have never heard anybody compare the mailman to the goat. It would be absurd yet the mailman had better stats than Jordan in regard to total points. Wilt had more points in a game. Russell had more rings, but never has there been a Michael Jordan who if he wanted to could have won 10 straight championship rings......nobody could have done that and when he walked away from the game, it was because as the ultimate competitive basketball player, he just got tired of winning every ring he attempted. So he played baseball for two years. So he retired early.

The sad truth is that James can stack his team some more, and he will NOT win any more rings. Last year's fluke was remarkable as to how such an improbable cold streak would hit three players and the NBA had to get Green suspended to allow a series, but if that series was played 10 more times, the Cavs would not win one of those series. Total Fluke. The current make up and ball movement on this TEAM there is zero chance that they can be stopped offensively. The idea of James and his horrible defense stopping this team, as if you can flip a switch is more fan hysteria. You flip the switch and you get nothing. James has nothing to give on defense. People are leaving him flopping on the floor like a tuna being landed......sorry charlie.

With Jordan it was always the tenacity of his defense. I saw him do things live which I have NEVER seen another human being do. All of the current five all time players could play defense. Other than Bill Russell there was nobody better on defense than Jordan. The idea of talking about a guy who cannot play defense and is a turnover machine as the goat is fan love, not basketball intelligence. James does a great job playing basketball, he is an exceptional talent, he is a better human being than Jordan because Jordan was ruthless and would do just about anything to win. James has been a gentleman his entire career and has done an excellent job transforming some of the stereotypes about NBA players. If the Warriors lose a game, it will be a fluke game. James just cannot play defense, and when you get to the championship series, defense ultimately wins. What is not discussed much concerning last year was the injury to bogut and the absence of toughness in the middle. This year the two bigs are just playing with James and Durant who will finish higher than James on the all time list owns James.

I love Sir Charles....and Mike.

The round mound of rebound... lol. He really was great tho... and i still get a kick out of him.

James is not playing a lick of defense, and he is on the same path as last game with turnovers. Sit him down and give the cavs a chance. This is humiliating. Maybe that is what the Warriors want to do to the Cavs, but the cavs cannot play defense.

I went on any internet walkabout reading about Barkley... he really was something else.

Personality wise too... lol

Barkley was a prolific scorer who averaged 22.1 points-per-game during the regular season for his career and 23.0 points-per-game in the playoffs for his career. Barkley was an incredibly efficient offensive force, leading the NBA in 2-point field goal percentage every season from the 1986–87 season to the 1990–91 season. He led the league in effective field goal percentage in both the 1986–87 and 1987–88 seasons as well, and also led the league in offensive rating in both the 1988–89 and 1989–90 seasons.[16] He was one of the NBA's most versatile players and accurate scorers capable of scoring from anywhere on the court and established himself as one of the NBA's premier clutch players.[1] During his NBA career, Barkley was a constant mismatch because he possessed a set of very uncommon skills and could play in a variety of positions. He would use all facets of his game in a single play; as a scorer, he had the ability to score from the perimeter and the post, using an array of spin moves and fadeaways, or finishing a fast break with a powerful dunk. He was one of the most efficient scorers of all-time, scoring at 54.13% total field goal percentage for his season career and 51.34% total field goal shooting for his playoff career (including a career-high season average of 60% during the 1989–90 NBA season).[16]

Barkley is the shortest player in NBA history to lead the league in rebounding when he averaged a career high 14.6 rebounds per game during the 1986–87 season.[56] His tenacious and aggressive form of play built into an undersized frame that fluctuated between 284 pounds (129 kg) and 252 pounds (114 kg) helped cement his legacy as one of the greatest rebounders in NBA history, averaging 11.7 rebounds per game in the regular season for his career and 12.9 rebounds per game in his playoff career and totaling 12,546 rebounds for his season career.[16] Barkley topped the NBA in offensive rebounding for three straight years[6] and was most famous among very few power forwards who could control a defensive rebound, dribble the length of the court and finish at the rim with a powerful dunk.[56]

Barkley also possessed considerable defensive talents led by an aggressive demeanor, foot speed and his capacity to read the floor to anticipate for steals, a reason why he established his career as the second All-Time leader in steals for the power forward position[57] and leader of the highest all-time steal per game average for the power forward position.[57] Despite being undersized for both the small forward and power forward positions, he also finished among the all-time leaders in blocked shots.[58] His speed and leaping ability made him one of the few power forwards capable of running down court to block a faster player with a chase-down block.[56]

In a SLAM magazine issue ranking NBA greats, Barkley was ranked among the top 20 players of All-Time. In the magazine, NBA Hall-of-Famer Bill Walton commented on Barkley's ability. Walton stated, "Barkley is like Magic [Johnson] and Larry [Bird] in that they don't really play a position. He plays everything; he plays basketball. There is nobody who does what Barkley does. He's a dominant rebounder, a dominant defensive player, a three-point shooter, a dribbler, a playmaker."[6]

Wow....you are going to stare down a ref and not play defense, and then honestly want to say James is the best player on the court....no way....he is not the second best player on the floor. This is on him.

Too funny James trying to guard Curry. He made James look foolish. This is on James.

James is not playing defense, but his turnovers are special. I am waiting for the announcers to finally call this game for what it is.......a gift wrapped present from James to the Warriors. I mean they were within four, and he makes another terrible pass.

They post the stat that James has tied Magic in triple doubles at 8, and if there has ever been a more clear argument that stats in and of themselves do not mean a thing. Hell, James on defense and turnovers would be better not getting a triple double and maybe playing a lick of defense and now for the second game in a row throwing the ball away. I mean the announcers said what a great bounce pass he made but Clay almost stole the same as he knocked it out of bound. I guess they have to keep the illusion up. The Cavs cannot win with James on the floor.

What do offensive stats mean if you let the man you are suppose to be guarding score over you like you are not even in the game. James cannot guard Curry, and he sure as hell cannot guard Durant. Magic never played this type of horrible defense. Does James have any pride, or is he exhausted?

He just let Durant blow by him with a simple head fake. This is really really bad, and as much as I think James is terrible on defense, that looked like fatigue.

Paul Pierce after the game finally someone speaking the truth....Durant is the best player in the world. James cannot guard him. Never has it been more obvious that James will never crack the top five. Stats on offensive mean nothing when you are turning over the ball and cannot play a lick of defense. James looked tired tonight. I think the precursor to exhaustion is the reality that you cannot guard or beat this team.

2seaoat wrote:Wow....you are going to stare down a ref and not play defense, and then honestly want to say James is the best player on the court....no way....he is not the second best player on the floor.  This is on him.

I knew you would enjoy that one....nice dunk by Clay.

2seaoat wrote:Paul Pierce after the game finally someone speaking the truth....Durant is the best player in the world.  James cannot guard him.  Never has it been more obvious that James will never crack the top five.  Stats on offensive mean nothing when you are turning over the ball and cannot play a lick of defense.  James looked tired tonight.  I think the precursor to exhaustion is the reality that you cannot guard or beat this team.

He and Love were worn out.

The Cavs were pushing Green....glad he kept his cool.

The announcer also said in the 4th quarter....it was about time they call a foul on James away from the ball.

Do not get me wrong. James is a great player, but to talk about his stats and not look at what he gives away on the floor is absurd. There is a reason he does not have the rings. At the championship level, you are seeing the best players and the thought that Bill Russell, Kareem, Magic, Kobe, and Michael would play this type of defense and make all the turn overs is just fan fantasy. The James era of mediocrity in the East is over. His stats are basically meaningless in the sense he is simply the mailman and Jim Thome. A new generation of better players will never allow this flawed player to rise on the list. Curry and Durant will end up higher on the all time list than James. I simply cannot see why this group cannot win five rings, which should have been six rings, but for the fluke last year. During James career he was dominated by Kobe, dominated by Duncan, and now dominated by Curry and Durant as in his own era he has never really been the best in any given year, but for longevity and offensive stat piling, there would never even be a discussion if his defensive skills were truly scrutinized, and his bridesmaid status on championships. Sorry, but I have never been more right about anything, his ship has sailed and Durant and Curry continue to rise.

Curry's flaw is the same as James. He's improving on d... which James is not... but it's still a weakness.

Durant is a perfect fit with the Warriors....team ball.

Here is a question for the baby boomers.

Let's say LeBron decides to join the Warriors next year and play out the rest of his career there. So it's LeBron, Durant, Curry, Thompson, Green, and whoever. They all agree to take less money and the bench is effectively gutted. With that unbelievable squad, the Warriors win five additional rings - putting LeBron at 8 rings.

Would you count those rings as legit? Would that make you say "Well I've seen enough. Since LeBron has 8 rings now, there is no question that he is better than Jordan."

LeBron is a very good player...when determined he hits the basket and hits it hard. However, I do not think he is a team player all the time.

He would not be on a Warrior team. The Warriors have a strong coach and team players....Curry, Durant, and James in that order last night.

They're better off without LeBron. I hate to say it... but LeBron could replace green and improve the team. But... LeBron would have to accept that role... which is highly unlikely. Green is the glue... even w Durant.