[JoeWolf1]

Let me start off by saying I’m not the biggest Lebron fan in the world.  I liked him for years, until…no, not the big decision, but when he started to dance taunt the Chicago Bulls last season when he was with Cleveland (I’m a Bulls fan).  The "big decision" didn’t help his cause in my book, but I have recently grown very tired of the media scrutany he’s been under.

Last night the Dallas Mavericks pulled even in the series while a fever ridden Dirk hit big shots and free throws down the stretch, but is that the story?  No! It’s Lebron’s 8 point game.  Lebron is, in my opinion, the best player in the league, but the guy is at the center of every basketball related story in the playoffs.  After the game 3 win he was getting all sorts of praise for having a 9 assist game and all sorts of heat for not shooting enough.  He’s really in a damned if you do damned if you don’t situation.  

Maybe he’s not playing up to his potential, maybe it’s because Scottie Pippen opened his mouth (smh),maybe he’s had a couple bad games because he’s human and has played 40 minutes a game for 100 or so games, but regardless I’m just getting really tired of the micro analysis.  If Dallas ends up winning the series, it’s gonna be percieved by the media as Lebron losing the series and if they win he’ll have his name thrown in the hat with Jordan and Magic, but it’s laughable and I’m pretty damn tired of it.

[mgreener_34Participant]

 My brother started that stuff as well at the end of the game, and all I said was 9 rebounds and 7 assists. Thats still a productive game in my book. And LeBron isn’t the first option right now. I rather have Wade take the game over this series because it’s been working, hasn’t it?

[KayjayParticipant]

A solid all around game I guess you could say. But he is playing out of character. And doing it at the wrong time. He should just come out and play his normal game. Its killing his team, and I think he knows that. As far as all the scrutany, even an ant will try to kick an elephant when its down. Kobe has dealt with it for years, Lebron just has to put up with it as well.

All in all, no one wants to see him get his first ring. And if he does, lol they are going to say it doesn’t mean anything. I think thats my only beef with the whole media situation and the way people think. Since when does an NBA championship, mean absolutely nothing? Absurd.

[Tongue-Out-Like-23Participant]

It’s simple.  When you were compared to the greatest player of all time but can’t muster a 26pt game in 8 games in the NBA Finals, you’re going to make the news.

[JoeWolf1]

 I’m just tired of the Lebron media parade, it’s not just game 4.  Game 3 when they won, it was "why isn’t Lebron scoring more?" "He had 9 assists, but why didn’t he have 35 points?" 

[Scottoant93Participant]

Lebron had a bad game last night points wise, but he contributed other ways, I thought he was gonna struggle and Just catch fire all of a sudden, but it didnt happen. Mavs won that game, and at the end the defense was too much for the heat, It will be interesting to see if the mavs continue using the zone, and if the heat have a response for it. Game 5 is critical and will be maybe the most important game. Great Finals so far.

[Tongue-Out-Like-23Participant]

Everybody wants LBJ to take on the Michael Jordan mindset but he’s taking a back seat and playing the Scottie Pippen role.  I mean, take a look at their stats in the NBA Finals

Scottie Pippen (NBA Finals)

• 18.9 PPG
• 8.2 RPG
• 5.9 APG

LeBron James (NBA Finals)

• 19.6 PPG
• 7.1 RPG
• 6.5 APG

Eerily similar, right?  Those aren’t MJ numbers.. those are MJ’s sidekick’s numbers. 

I understand what you mean about the 9 assists, but for a guy that’s a walking triple double, 17-9-3 are extremely pedestrian.  We’re so used to seeing him drop 25 points, get 9 dimes, and snatch 8 boards on a daily basis.  Now that he’s averaging under 17 PPG on the biggest stage and under more scrutiny than any other player, fans and the media alike are waiting for him to shed off all the critiscm and come through.  He hasn’t… yet.

[JoeWolf1]

 Yeah, I never bought the MJ comparisons and to be honest I thought Scottie Pippen really disrespected MJ by saying Lebron may be a better player now.  You’re right, everybody is waiting for it to happen, but I don’t think James has the killer instict.  Yeah, he’s confident, says he wants to win, plays unselfish, speaks up to his teammates, and plays both ends of the floor, but he’s not a killer.  When he’s feeling it he wants the ball at the end of the game, but when he isn’t he seems indifferent.  He never was, and thats not something you can just become.  MJ would be a killer playing ping pong against his kid, I never saw that in Lebron.

The media has been searching for the next MJ for 13 years and Lebron is a great player, but MJ had the mental toughness and drive that Lebron doesn’t have.  

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

The micro analysis is getting ridiculously old, but I guess anything LeBron does draws scrutiny. Imagine if they had won the game and he scored 8 points? We would be hearing everything about how much better Dwyane Wade is, not that we are already not getting that. Dirk’s play was impressive and all, but he was 6/19, so it was not exactly like he was Michael Jordan putting up 38 on the Jazz. Still, Dallas should be given complete credit for winning, and LeBron came up short, so of course they go after the story about the guy who everyone thinks should be better than Jordan being nothing like Jordan. LeBron has always made the story go in a different direction, and he is really damned if he does, damned if he doesn’t. Even if he were playing well, people would find some reason why he was less than Michael, there are many of them. For instance:

• Michael never played with Magic and Bird (Chris Bosh looks like a bird, and Dwyane Wade is awesome, that is what I gather from this commonly used put down)
• Dallas sucks and they should beat them (I think we all know this is not true, but would be used)
• Michael Jordan would have beat them better
• LeBron knocked over my sand castle
• Dwyane Wade bought me ice cream and LeBron only bought me sprinkles and chocolate sauce……

The list goes on and on. It is annoying, and ridiculous, no one has ever been under this much scrutiny for not having won a title. Ever. I seriously do not think Michael, Shaq, Hakeem, even guys who never won one like Patrick Ewing, Charles Barkley, Karl Malone/John Stockton, Reggie Miller, no one has ever been scrutinized as much as LeBron. Because, mind you, that everyone expects him to eventually do incredible amazing things, and as of late he has tanked a couple key games big time (Game 5 of last year and Game 4 of last night were these games, others he may not have played well, but I do not see them as exactly tank jobs). Honestly, I have been saying this for a long time, LeBron is not Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant. He is a different player, and while many see this as a bad thing, at least it is different. Why would someone want a persons career to be exactly mirroring that of someone elses? Well, people seem too, and when it hasn’t, people seem to start finger pointing and name calling.

LeBron James is an incredible individual talent, but has been micro analyzed and put under the magnifying glass to the point where it almost seems like people want to say otherwise. They want him to be Michael Jordan or some basketball devinity to the point where anything less than winning and putting up huge numbers is ostracized. It is unfair for any player, but it is probably honestly more fair LeBron than most, since he more than about anyone has the potential to do this. Kevin Durant losing in the conference finals was nowhere near as criticized as LeBron in the NBA Finals at the exact same stage in his career. Until someone truly separates themselves from LeBron as an individual player, than maybe this will happen less, but as of right now, anything less than LeBron putting up monster numbers and being seen as the one carrying the Heat to the championship will be blasted by the media and others. Might not be fair, but is going to happen and even than I feel that someone will have something negative to say. Hey, at least he is getting compared to these guys as an NBA Finalist rather than as a top notch young player or a high schooler.

[doubledribblerParticipant]

Everyone has bad games. That’s just life, but I think SOME of the problem that people see is that when you watch the game he shrunk. I saw a lot of guys shrink in the playoffs, but you don’t see guys shrink to that degree that are as great as Lebron. I don’t want to say it’s as bad as Boston last year, because you could tell he was done and ready to leave. When I watched Lebron last night it almost felt like he was thinking "D Wade, here’s the ball go win us a game." I’m fine with him playing the role of all star number 2, but in the biggest game in his life he has to step it up. If you have a bad game on offense, then you step it up on the other side. There was no intensity from him and defense which is primarily effort which he didn’t seem to bring. They needed him badly and I don’t care how good people feel Kidd has played on defense…he is 6’4, 38 years old and with tons of miles on him and going against the most physically gifted basketball player ever. I hate to say it, but I think Lebron was terrified of messing up last night. Which I could understand if maybe this was his first finals, but this is number 2 and he has help. Dirk and anyone else in the NBA would probably trade you teammates just to play with Wade, let alone another All Star in Bosh.

[aamir543Participant]

For the last 20 hours, I have been searching for a reason. A reason for why the hell Lebron doesn’t wnat to drive the ball against the defensive great…………..Peja Stojakovich? It is obvious that fatigue is a factor with every single player right now, but it makes you think whether Lebron is being overly hesitant? Is he trying to defer to wade, or is he hurting? Is he just so physically juiced, that he is thinking, "Yay Peja is on me!…. But wait, Haywood is in the paint, he’s gonna clober me! I’ll just take a fadeaway 35 footer instead."

[boxn1Participant]

Its the NBA finals, Miami looses by 2 pts, and LBJ scores 8. I can’t speak for some of the other stuff,but everything thats being said should be. For as great as he is,and he is great, I ask anyone to tell me what is LBJ’s go to move??? What spot on the floor(besides under the rim) can he go to and you say thats a good bucket if LBJ has the ball??? He doesn’t have the polished offensive game that other guys have. Every guy good or great has bad games(6-24 anyone???) but you still have to know that you can get to your spot and make a bucket.

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