Swap Kawhi and Lebron in the Nuggets series...

[LesGrossman]

You really think LeBron is putting up 14 points on 6/22 in a Game 7?

I dont think he would now (he had his own choke games). The question is, would he have scored so much more to actually change the result? Some guy earlier posted they wouldnt have been crushed like that but likely would have lost by 8-10 points. Also keep in mind hwo Kawhi got double and triple teamed and they really forced the ball out of his hands. The shots he took were poor ones, there was nothing open for him. Bron would have made more for sure but i dont know how much more.

[toodles23]

Very interesting, never thought of it this way. Thats a scary thought. I didnt think he looked physically handicapped though, just mentally outplayed / out of wits on what to do to overcome the adversity.

I thought there was a lack of athletic pop from him in the 2nd half of the last 3 games in that series. I guess it could have been all mental but plays like this at 2:59 seem like a physical problem to me

Watch on YouTube

I think its really hard to compare totally different series and those guys' performaances against each other. LeBron played in a different role than Kawhi and he had his 2011 choke as well; for Kawhi this was the first time that he as the lead guy failed. I cant take any pattern out of this one sample.

Lebron hasn't had a playoff series since then that you can call a "choke" by any reasonable definition. And this was not the first time Kawhi failed as the lead guy, he also had very subpar elimination performances in 2015 and 2016.

No, i cant. What do you think would have happened? Because he could only either try to score more or do more playmaking, both cant happen at the same time. And playmaking would not have worked very well with guys who hit the side of the backboard under pressure of game 7...

Of course you can do both, Lebron's done it his whole career, as have other heliocentric guys like Luka or Harden. Even score first guys like MJ and Kobe did a lot more playmaking/initiating and generally controlling the tempo than Kawhi does. There are plenty of possessions every game where Kawhi basically doesn't anything on offense - if he had better playmaking skills he would be controlling more possessions every game.

[LikeABosh]

Clippers in 5. LeBron is a much better leader and game manager. He's probably not gonna let his team collapse on offense and defense over and over again

[homecourtloss]

Lol @ eventually catching up to LeBron as a passer.

'When you accidentally show your anti-LeBron agenda'

His sig and every other thread/post he has gives it away

[JordansBulls]

Probably as the Clippers would have had more open shots.

[homecourtloss]

Lebron would average a 30 points triple double with that roster around him. His #2 is superior in Davis but the Clippers have so many weapons and LeBron would have gotten the best out of them. Clippers definitely win with LBJ in Nephews place

Top to bottom, this would be by far LeBron’s best roster.

Also, OP and others would be quick to write something to the effect of “LeBrOn TuRnEd GeOrGe iNtO a SpOt uP ShOoTeR.”

What did Kawhi turn him into?

Additionally this: people just assume due to narrative that Kawhi is a different tier of defender when LeBron was a better defender during the regular season and has been much better defender than Kawhi in the playoffs. Clippers have actually been worse defensively with Kawhi on court.

[JoeyLightYears]

LMAO at the poll results. Talk about a thread backfire.

[NyKnicks1714]

LMAO at the poll results. Talk about a thread backfire.

And you can tell he tried to frame the poll options to make people choose the "same" option

[iamworthy]

Im not sure if there's data to prove this, but I think Lebron elevates his teammates better than Kwahi.

[metalinguss]

Clippers would close out in Game 5. LeBron would be a better fit and would address the Clippers' need for a facilitator and floor genera;.

[dautjazz]

Lebron can basically do everything at a similar level in playoffs where he steps up everything about his game including defense and then he really seperates himself from Leonard with his playmaking. Its a no brainer that the Clippers would easily win that series with Lebron instead.

[picko]

My view on LeBron in the playoffs (post 2011 meltdown) is that you are only going to beat him if you have an overwhelming talent / coaching advantage. If the talent levels are similar or if the opponent isn't considerably better then LeBron will find a way to win. In a Clippers vs Nuggets series, with LeBron, I think the Clippers have a clear talent advantage top-to-bottom and therefore it's really difficult to see LeBron not changing that outcome.

[WHITE_HOT_HEAT]

Again theres no question that LeBron is superior playmaker (Kawhi improved this season and will eventually catch up), but my point was that guys got open shots actually! They just continued to choke and miss in the 2nd half of games.

No, he won't. Based on what? Or are you going to list another 15 guys who can be the same level of playmaker LeBron.

It's not just about open shots, it's also about being a floor general and controlling the pace of the game at which LeBron is one of the best in the league and Kawhi just can't do that. No shame in that.

Have you seen OPs post history? It's a blatant troll thread and he survives on LeBron hate..
like that IT movie..

I mean, look at the bolded statement.. Kawhi isn't even in the same stratosphere as LeBron when it comes to playmaking, passing and being a floor general. The Cavs and the Lakers frequently missed open shots yet they win games. How? You'd end up explaining all this like we do to 5-7 yr olds and even then it wouldn't hit home..

[OfficialRef]

Obviously with Lebron they win. Lebron fills a big hole that the clippers lack in playmaking.

It does bring a good questions of whether a Lebron-led clippers team would be better than the current lakers.

[russ00]

I think that besides playmayking Kawhi lacks leadership. Comparing it with football i think Kawhi is more like messi, one of the best if not the best player but lacks leadership and that is something that the Clippers lacked to close the series. LeBron is like Ronaldo,has a different type of mentality and drive that would have help the Clippers to win. For me the Nuggets are not even that strong of a team, thats why they have been losing two series 3-1 in the first place, but they are a cohesive unit with a better mindset than the Clippers.But we will have a better answer after the LA-Nuggets series is over

[Alatan]

The Nuggets played good but the Clippers also choked hard. I would not expect the Clippers under LeBron to choke all 3 games.

[Air Apparent]

if lebrons teammtes were playing as bad as kawhis, we've already seen how quick he distances himself and quits when something like that happens, he would be sitting in the empty stands, let alone the end of the bench

[packforfreedom]

LeBron is a far better playmaker and floor general und also better at getting to the rim. Kawhi relies on his jumper and it killed him in game 7.

But I understand it has been a tough week for the LeBron hate crew and I doubt it's going to get better any time soon.

[UnbelievablyRAW]

Idk what the final number of games would have been but there is no way in hell Lebron would lose 3 games in a row where he was up double digits by the 3rd in all of them

[Dutchball97]

LeBron's playmaking would for sure have helped but I doubt even someone like LeBron could get this mess of a team to work together.