Not much (not any) NBA playoff chatter here. Guess I'm the only one interested (or everybody else thinks the same thing; that nobody else cares). Anyway, hearing a lot of LeBron hate on the sports call-in shows...even by some of the hosts. I don't really understand it. Other than the "Taking my Talents to South Beach" announcement fiasco what has the guy ever done to merit so much criticism? (mostly couched as; "yeah, he's a super good player, but..."and then followed by some reason that he can't be compared to so-and-so. Anyway, here is an interesting story; DeLonte West Credits LeBron James for Saving Him
I don't get the hate for LeBron either. I like him a lot, he's a great player and as you said other than a PR goof with the whole going to South Beach he's really never been in the public eye for misbehavior of any kind that I'm aware of, the polar opposite of Johnny Mandel. I'm rooting for GS myself, they really have a great team and since I'm a Western Conference guy unless it's the Lakers I always root for the West Champ. I think his biggest problem is that the media equates Michael Jordan to Babe Ruth, and if you remember there were many people who didn't want to see Ruth's record broken. In Lebrons case he's geting compared to Jordan and they don't want him to be better than Jordan...so they always find a way to say he's great..but.
He has had an exemplary career and has handled himself as a professional in a good light. I'm just not an NBA fan.
I am not a big NBA fan either, but I would love to see Cleveland win the championship. The city needs the exposure. Curry might very well be the difference?
I agree with George. LeBron has avoided many of the pitfalls some players fall into. For someone who didn't even spend a day in college, he made the transition from high school to the pros in an exemplary way. Leaving his home area to head to South Beach rubbed me the wrong way but I admire his decision to return. And I agree with Don, the folks of Cleveland are overdue for a championship. SF has had a couple of World Series lately. I'd like to see the Cavs win it all. but I probably won't watch a minute.)
I don't care who wins either, but I have a point of order. The Golden State Warriors are thee, single, most anonymous pro franchise on planet earth. Not Cleveland, not Timbuktu... For starters, the Warriors don't play in San Francisco, they play in Oakland, where they're only a little less popular than the Skyline High School basketball team. I was up in Frisco a week ago and everyone up there was amazed that there was even a pro team on the other side of the Bay...
I watched the first half last night and was amazed at what Lebron gets away with. He is a bull in a china shop down low and always gets the call. It borders on laughable
Split at Golden State, Lebron was the man. That's puts the Cavs in the drivers seat...unless of course they split in Cleveland!
George, if you watched the second game and still think that LeBron always gets the calls, then you were watching through different glasses than I was. Those refs are gonna be severely constipated. I hope they chewed those whistles before they swallowed them. I agree with you that at the NBA level (and to some extent in college) they allow the offensive post-up player way too much latitude to bump and bull their way in without calling an offensive foul. And LeBron does that stuff...because they don't call it...on anybody. But to those of us who are biased (ahem) it seems that LeBron is so strong and big that many of the hacks and chops and obvious fouls don't get called...either because the refs think he's so strong he should be able to handle them, or maybe because in fact he just plays through them like they weren't there.
Although I was/am upset he left Miami I agree with everything Stu says. LeBron is an amazing player and pretty much a class act.