The Official Playoffs Thread

[europa]

Like I said, calling him a punk for that was wrong. I shouldn't have said that and that was too extreme. But I do think his actions after the game were immature and showed no class. There's a right way to handle both winning and losing and I think LeBron failed rather badly with the latter after Game 6.

[europa]

I don't agree with Stern on a lot of things but I agree with his take on LeBron:

When further asked about James' storming off the court without postgame handshakes with the Magic -- and whether one action was more troubling than the other -- Stern said both were important. "One goes to rules, another goes to values," he said. "I think both of them should be followed."

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4224350

[Ayt]

Like I said, calling him a punk for that was wrong. I shouldn't have said that and that was too extreme. But I do think his actions after the game were immature and showed no class. There's a right way to handle both winning and losing and I think LeBron failed rather badly with the latter after Game 6.

I agree it was a bad move, but I really can't understand some of the ripping on him that I've seen. It looks like people are just looking for any reason to hate on him because this is very minor. Does this seriously change the way you look at him as a person?

[Stopshere2]

haha

check this out
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=A ... &type=lgns

i bet dude was practically spitting on his monitor as he was pounding that out.

Yep, that looked like a spray where he had lined up LeBron but then thought, "screw it, I'm taking down the organisation, his posse, his mouthy teammate and I'll stick it again into Isiah from last century - not over that yet - while I hang on Michael's jock like everyone does to LeBron now but that's different because MJ's actually a winner!"

Yep, some spray.

[europa]

That was a great column. I agree with all of it.

[Stopshere2]

That was a great column. I agree with all of it.

I agreed right up to the point where he started carving effigies of Saint Joe and Saint Michael. I know that's he just drawing a comparison of what's the classy thing to do in this particular instance but I'm wondering if the reporter is falling into the trap of venerating flawed characters while trying to take down someone who acted impulsively, not thoughtfully.

[europa]

Perhaps but Dumars was all class - that was one of the reasons he was the only "Bad Boy" I didn't dislike. Jordan's image was greater than the reality but I don't recall him snubbing a team after it had beaten him. Again, I like LeBron and I'm a fan but I did think a lot of the stuff the Cavs did this season was way over the top and I thought the way he acted after Game 6 showed no class. Hopefully he learns from both.

[jerrod]

i don't know, i just thought he seemed like he was awfully concerned that some sweaty guys just weren't hugging enough.

[Stopshere2]

i don't know, i just thought he seemed like he was awfully concerned that some sweaty guys just weren't hugging enough.

Trust you to find the deeper intent

and europa, I agree that Dumars was a class act - bad grammar on my part.

[Ayt]

That was a great column. I agree with all of it.

We definitely see this differently. To me that reads like a pathetic gossip column.

[emunney]

Yeah, just an instance of someone acting on emotion and then trying to justify it retroactively. The Wojnarowski column does a good job defining the problem, that LeBron lives in an echo chamber, but the rest of it is a bit melodramatic. The polaroid thing was just helping to keep them loose and together, I don't blame them for having fun. The "campaign" to put Mo in the all-star game only looks silly now because Stern really put Mo in the all-star game instead of someone who would have made sense. I don't blame Mo for wanting to be an all-star, though I think he could use a publicist.

[jerrod]

That was a great column. I agree with all of it.

We definitely see this differently. To me that reads like a pathetic gossip column.

yep, i almost expected the last sentence to be about how lebron doesn't tip well

Trust you to find the deeper intent

i'm just pointing out the absurdity

[europa]

That was a great column. I agree with all of it.

We definitely see this differently. To me that reads like a pathetic gossip column.

I think he nailed all of the pertinent points. Good facts to support his points. I believe the true "winners" are the ones who know how to not only handle winning but losing too. The Cavs were great at being winners but when they lost, LeBron showed he has a lot to learn about how to handle defeat with class. Nobody's expecting him to be happy about it, but you can lose and not come across like a spoiled brat in the process. But as the column points out, this wasn't a big surprise when you consider the way the Cavs behaved all season long.

The Western Conference exec said the same thing I did about karma. This was one of the reasons why I was rooting against them. They were just a little too full of themselves all season long. I'm not the least bit disappointed it all came crashing down on them at the end.

[El Duderino]

haha

check this out
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=A ... &type=lgns

i bet dude was practically spitting on his monitor as he was pounding that out.

The Cavaliers are terrified of James. When you’re around them, it’s sometimes embarrassing to watch the way they tip-toe and grovel with him. In their defense, that’s how James wants it. As a childhood prodigy, that’s all LeBron’s ever known. The Cavs are at his mercy until he becomes a free agent in July of 2010, and that isn’t going to change. There’s no chance that he signs an extension this summer, because that would be the end of the drama, the intrigue and LeBron James(notes) isn’t letting that go away.

That you can see is so true and James almost seems to enjoy torturing the Cavs franchise and fans with his flirting of NY.

[rilamann]

I don't think Lebron not talking to the media is really that big a deal but I agree with you 110% on the karma part Europa and this part of the article was spot on...

''All season, the Cavaliers acted too entitled, too arrogant for a team that’s won nothing. They ran out demanding that Mo Williams(notes) be made an All-Star, when the truth bore itself out in the playoffs: Cleveland has one All-Star. Nevertheless, Williams still embarrassed the Cavs with foolish proclamations and guarantees his middling talent couldn’t deliver''.

“If you believe in karma with that nonsense,” one Western Conference executive said, “then Cleveland got what was coming to them.”

And watching Mo,a guy who has never won anything and never will ride Lebron's coatails while writing checks with his mouth that he couldn't cash was classic,that alone was well worth the price of admission.

[Ayt]

That was a great column. I agree with all of it.

We definitely see this differently. To me that reads like a pathetic gossip column.

I think he nailed all of the pertinent points. Good facts to support his points. I believe the true "winners" are the ones who know how to not only handle winning but losing too. The Cavs were great at being winners but when they lost, LeBron showed he has a lot to learn about how to handle defeat with class. Nobody's expecting him to be happy about it, but you can lose and not come across like a spoiled brat in the process. But as the column points out, this wasn't a big surprise when you consider the way the Cavs behaved all season long.

The Western Conference exec said the same thing I did about karma. This was one of the reasons why I was rooting against them. They were just a little too full of themselves all season long. I'm not the least bit disappointed it all came crashing down on them at the end.

And to me that is as far as it goes. He's 24 and still has some growing up to do. Whoopdy do. Anything beyond that just looks like hating for the sake of hating.

All things considered, I think LeBron has handled being "LeBron James" exceptionally well. He's probably the most hyped athlete ever, and his name was known worldwide by the time he was 18-19. If the worst thing we can say about the guy is that at age 24 he still has some growing up to do, I'd say he's handled the pressure extremely well.

[europa]

I'm not a LeBron Hater. I'm actually a big fan. Perhaps that's why it was disappointing to see him show so little class after the Orlando series. But then, maybe I should have seen it coming given how the Cavs behaved all season long. And we all know that team takes its cue from LeBron.

[Ayt]

I'm not a LeBron Hater. I'm actually a big fan. Perhaps that's why it was disappointing to see him show so little class after the Orlando series. But then, maybe I should have seen it coming given how the Cavs behaved all season long. And we all know that team takes its cue from LeBron.

I blame Mo.

[europa]

I'm not a LeBron Hater. I'm actually a big fan. Perhaps that's why it was disappointing to see him show so little class after the Orlando series. But then, maybe I should have seen it coming given how the Cavs behaved all season long. And we all know that team takes its cue from LeBron.

I blame Mo.

Nice.

[Sigra]

That was a great column. I agree with all of it.

+1