Pablo Novi wrote:In these current, 2017, Play-Offs; in EVERY single series, at the moment that the winning team won it's clinching game - we witnessed all their players celebrating (DESPITE the fact that half of those teams and players were going to lose in the next round - and most of them were going to lose their last series). Why the bleep would they celebrate if losing in the Finals is worse than not making the Finals; and by extension, losing in the Conference Finals is worse than not making the Conf. Finals; and by extension, losing in the Conf. Semi-Finals is worse than not making it to there?
Keep in mind, most of these teams, especially THIS year, pretty much KNEW that had virtually no chance to get past the Warriors in the West and the Cavs in the East. So, again, why "ruin their reputations" by even fighting to move on when it was almost guaranteed to be a big defeat (like 4 games to 0 with most if not all of the games NOT being close)?
In an earlier post by me in this thread I used the examples of Baylor and Jerry West.
Is there anyone in this thread who would dare claim that Baylor would have had a BETTER reputation if he had never made a single Finals instead of making EIGHT and LOSING ALL EIGHT? Or that Jerry West would have had a BETTER reputation if he had only made the one (in NINE) Finals that his team actually won?
The basic problems with this "6-0 is better than 6-2" line of argument are:
1) Way too many people are "invested" in the "MJ=GOAT FOREVER = GOD" line of thinking; and
2) The particularly AMERICAN notion that "Winning Is Everything! And Finishing Second Is The Same As Being A Loser!"
Sorry, finishing 2nd out of 30 some teams is NEVER being a loser; and is ALWAYS quite the achievement!
Great post.
IMHO Lebron is better than Jordan. And I say that as a Celtics fan who put Jordan above Bird/Magic before 95-99% of the media pundits ever did. I put him ahead before his first championship since I had seen enough and I realize the NBA isn't golf or tennis.
Basketball is a team game. Sometimes a players value in a particular series/context is less than an inferior players but overall hard to argue against Lebron James as the GOAT basketball player right now and that who has ever lived.
The only legit argument I could make is the entire 3 point shot is not legit and that may make him a little less valuable and the great centers and elite shooters a bit more valuable. This makes the argument for players like Kareem and even Duncan.
All this being said, IMHO there is a greater chance that Lebron is on PEDs than Jordan was an actual better basketball player than him. Jordan more spectacular and flashier and fun to watch, sure. Better at winning games and carrying a team? No.
This doesn't mean Jordan doesn't have a few advantages over Lebron but overall I start my team with Lebron over anyone that I have ever seen as long as the 3 point shot exists. A few years of Shaq more dominant but that is really it.
Lebron has been an incredible machine and may go on for another 5-12 years at a surprisingly high level as he ages. It is actually a credit to Jordan that it took what looks like the Barry fricken Bonds of basketball to be a better player than him. It is a credit to Lebron that he may be such a freak of nature that he did this all without a bunch of PEDs.
I am certainly not sure that Lebron has juiced or taken HGH since he was obviously an incredible man child even as a 16 year old but I have always been a bit skeptical of Lebron and Wade.
