I know everyone hates Lebron James, but.........................

Maywood

He scored 46 points last night to become the first NBA player in history to score 40 points against every NBA franchise and inched closer to the all-time scoring leader, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. LBJ should pass him sometime in the next two weeks. Love him, hate him or be somewhere between the two, it is still quite an accomplishment. Lebron has been aided by three-point buckets and Kareem by his scoring inside the paint at the rim(how can anyone ever forget the skyhook).

As someone who was born/raised/continues to live about 50 miles from Akron where Lebron played High School BB I still remember all the attention he garnered when he played there as a teenager.

Maywood.

perkdog

LeBron is an amazing basketball talent, I don't have a problem with him until he opens his big mouth

galaxy27

i used to like James, no longer do, but what he's doing at age 38 is nothing short of remarkable

30.2, 8.5, 6.9

8th in PER

craig44

Lebaby needs to shut up and dribble. he would have many more fans if he did just that.

erikthredd

Breaking the career scoring record will be quite an accomplishment when you factor in how few NBA players even come close to Kareem's total and Lebron will end up getting there in roughly 140-150 less games than it took Kareem. I would think that many of Lebron's rookie cards should take a nice sized bump in value once he passes Kareem.

I read a couple articles in the past week about his sons and there chances of making it to the NBA and playing with their dad. Lebron playing with his oldest son,Bronny is almost a lock to happen likely in the 2024-25 season, depending on some team drafting his kid then signing Lebron.
His other son Bryce,if he even makes it to the NBA,would be draft eligible around 2029 when Lebron would roughly be 44-45yrs old. He hasn't come out and said if he intends to play that long but if there was going to be anyone still playing in the NBA in their mid40's it would probably be Lebron.

Alfonz24

46 points in an 18 point loss.

erikthredd

@Alfonz24 said:
46 points in an 18 point loss.

That's not really surprising when the Clippers have owned the Lakers over the past 10ish years. The Clippers have won 10 straight against the Lakers and are 34-7 in the previous 41 games head to head. Lebron & Westbrook aren't enough to beat a pretty loaded Clippers team.

coinkat

Not everyone...

SanctionII

Do you really believe that "everyone hates LeBron James"?

I think that statement is simply not accurate.

There are people who like him, there are people who do not like him and there are people who have never heard of him and do not know who he is.

He is an amazing athlete and basketball player.

doubledragon

I don't hate Lebron, he gets on my nerves with some of the things he does, but I don't hate him. I'll say this for Lebron, I remember how much he was hyped back in 2001, the NIKE "chosen one" commercial, the next big thing, and I remember thinking there's no way he'll live up to that kind of hype, he certainly proved me wrong.

erikthredd

If I hated Lebron I wouldn't have watched his movie House Party over this past weekend. 😎 All kidding aside,what he does or says outside of the basketball world really doesn't bother me, its the oncourt flopping/faking injury that just seems so pointless. You're one of the GOATs so just play your game and you'll get all of the whistles and fan adoration anyways. Then when your playing days are over your resume will speak for itself.

I do think he was being a hypocrit when he stood by "his guy" Shannon Sharpe after he practically threatened half of the Grizzlies roster as well as Ja Morant's father. Had Sharpe just been an ordinary fan Lebron would have made sure that he was tossed from the stadium immediately.

Maywood

@erikthredd said: its the on court flopping/faking injury that just seems so pointless.

That sort of thing bothers me, too, but I wonder why it bothers people so much when Lebron does it?? It is almost a given in the NFL anymore for players to beg for a penalty which bothers me even more than "flopping" in the NBA. Watching players pretend they're throwing a flag from their waist or holding their arm in the air and pretending to throw a flag with the flip of their wrist is over the top for me. All the "histrionics" is unneeded and laughable, especially coming from grown men, but I digress. It's all part of the new NFL and the new NBA.

Back to Lebron and all the great players who are always in the NBA playoffs, they have actually played 1-2 extra season's worth of games. Don't forget iron man Tom Brady: all his playoff games add up to about two extra seasons which is remarkable for a guy who's already 45!!! For Lebron he's playing in his year 40 at 38 already.

Personal dislikes aside for any of these remarkable athletes, I feel blessed to have been able to watch them play.

erikthredd

@Maywood said:
@erikthredd said: its the on court flopping/faking injury that just seems so pointless.

That sort of thing bothers me, too, but I wonder why it bothers people so much when Lebron does it?? It is almost a given in the NFL anymore for players to beg for a penalty which bothers me even more than "flopping" in the NBA. Watching players pretend they're throwing a flag from their waist or holding their arm in the air and pretending to throw a flag with the flip of their wrist is over the top for me. All the "histrionics" is unneeded and laughable, especially coming from grown men, but I digress. It's all part of the new NFL and the new NBA.

Back to Lebron and all the great players who are always in the NBA playoffs, they have actually played 1-2 extra season's worth of games. Don't forget iron man Tom Brady: all his playoff games add up to about two extra seasons which is remarkable for a guy who's already 45!!! For Lebron he's playing in his year 40 at 38 already.

Personal dislikes aside for any of these remarkable athletes, I feel blessed to have been able to watch them play.

My own favorite team has two players,Jayson Tatum & Grant Williams, that honestly drive me nuts hounding the refs for calls. With Tatum,inching closer into the MVP/1st team All-NBA debate he's getting to the point where he's now getting more respect from the refs even though he complains at least a good 50-60% of the time still. Williams is our 8th best player on a very deep team,I doubt he'll ever make an All Star team but he's definitely a future starter/key role player but he argues every single call as if he's a 10x AS. I honestly think this hurts the team at times because the refs are sick of listening to it all night so they just call it one way.

With Lebron,he'll get the call 95% of the time on his name alone but he's doesn't need to fall to the floor and roll around until he hears the whistle, just scream AND ONE as loud as possible and that usually works lol.

I think when he & Tom are finally done playing for good some of their records are going to be so far beyond reach its probably going to take some really special player down the line to pass them.

Lebron's likely next one after the career points will probably be Robert Parish's 1611 career games played record, he's at 1404 games so factoring possible injuries,maybe in the 25/26 or 26/27 seasons.
These are all of the active players behind him that have played over 1K career games,where they're ranked and their ages. Of all of these players I thinks Westbrook could physically hold up to nearing Lebron but his game likely won't. Once he passes the Chief, Lebron should hold this one for awhile.
1. Robert Parish 1611G
10. Lebron 1404G
34. Carmelo Anthony 1260G (38)
42. Andre Iguodala 1226G (38)
53. Chris Paul 1181G (37)
70. Thaddeus Young 1123G (34)
73. Trevor Ariza 1118G (37)
85. Rudy Gay 1099G (36)
96. Jeff Green 1078G (36)
106. Russell Westbrook 1066G (34)
109. Kyle Lowry 1063G (36)
141. Deandre Jordan 1011G (34)
148. Demar DeRozan 1001G (33)

thisistheshow

The best thing I can say about Lebron, and this is quite the compliment, is that he is one of the only athletes who was that hyped in high school and went on to actually have a career that ranks him among the greats.

I cannot forget that earlier in his career (he seems to have changed a bit) he just didn't command the ball in crunch time and particularly on the last shot. This by itself makes him not worthy of GOAT status.

I could comment on his off court comments. But he is not alone in this regard. And it is easy to argue that his off court behavior is significantly better that most...in terms of criminal stuff, etc. I know a lot of people will say he is a great family man. At least he has stuck with his family. I have read rumors that he is just like many of these guys in terms of cheating on his wife. I read that she was the one who pressured him to get out of Miami. Is it true? I don't know. My point is...I don't like his politics or big mouth, but I could say that about most athletes, and probably most people. LOL

Living here i Dallas, I remember well the 2011 Mavs team that beat his Heat in his first year there. I'm sure it was a real slap in the face for him. Does anyone remember him and Wade making fun of Dirk, doing a fake cough and implying that Dirk was not sick? Dirk saw video of this on the plane to Miami before Game 6. He put the tablet down as his teammates looked for his reaction. He just said three words..."I got this". LOL

Lebron will never be better that my favorite, my GOAT, Larry Bird. Bird has skeletons in his personal closet as well. All of these guys do. But Bird, on the court, demanded the ball at the end, but would make the pass it it was the right play.

ANd plus, I hate flopping. It is commonplace. The refs reward it. It could be eliminated from the game if the refs called a technical on floppers. But it won't happen.

Maywood

@thisistheshow said: I cannot forget that earlier in his career (he seems to have changed a bit) he just didn't command the ball in crunch time and particularly on the last shot.

I don't think I agree with this. During his initial contract with the Cavs there was a playoff game with the Pistons where I believe Lebron scored the final 27 points of the game, or something similar. And it wasn't a case of someone else bringing the ball downcourt and passes till it got to Lebron. He brought the ball down off inbound and positioned himself at the arc till the shot developed. It was an inspiring performance. My early memories of him before he left for South Beach are that he could control a game if he wanted/needed to.

Also, it's important to remember that during his first few years he wasn't the "mature NBA player" that the league demands, he was an 18yo being intimidated by grown men.

thisistheshow

@Maywood said:
@thisistheshow said: I cannot forget that earlier in his career (he seems to have changed a bit) he just didn't command the ball in crunch time and particularly on the last shot.

I don't think I agree with this. During his initial contract with the Cavs there was a playoff game with the Pistons where I believe Lebron scored the final 27 points of the game, or something similar. And it wasn't a case of someone else bringing the ball downcourt and passes till it got to Lebron. He brought the ball down off inbound and positioned himself at the arc till the shot developed. It was an inspiring performance. My early memories of him before he left for South Beach are that he could control a game if he wanted/needed to.

Also, it's important to remember that during his first few years he wasn't the "mature NBA player" that the league demands, he was an 18yo being intimidated by grown men.

I am sure you can find examples that go against my point, but as far as I know my point is the consensus opinion on Lebron. I guess I should do some research on this. If I find anything more and I remember I will add it. If anyone else can agree or disagree, let me know.

erikthredd

There was a time when Lebron did get flak for being too passive in crunchtime situations but that was mainly during his first CLE stint and in MIA for a bit. (here's a link to google about this topic https://tinyurl.com/yc4d2vcv )

By the time he returned to CLE that 2nd time he was taking most of the shots with the game on the line and hitting him.
I remember this insane running floater off the backboard for the win.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XWgRpfkxhY

erikthredd

Not gonna lie, I loved seeing this lol and yes he did get fouled.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLsUFOlsRlU

spacehayduke

@perkdog said:
LeBron is an amazing basketball talent, I don't have a problem with him until he opens his big mouth

Yes, it has been said his breath is very bad, gives him an edge on the court..........

galaxy27

@erikthredd

i was literally creating a thread about this at the exact time you were posting about it

merry christmas bro lol

erikthredd

@galaxy27 said:
@erikthredd

i was literally creating a thread about this at the exact time you were posting about it

merry christmas bro lol

As I was commenting in it when I got your notification lol. Having lost three straight before this game,if Boston then lost this one there would have been mass suicides around here today,pun intended, they really needed this win.

galaxy27

@erikthredd

it was the first time i had watched the Celtics play for 4 quarters this season, and after that game ended i immediately knew i was going to message you today. you're not going to like reading this, but these are just my candid observations and i wanted your take on them because i know they're your team.

i was not impressed with them. at all. so much so that the entire game i kept wondering how on earth they have the best record in basketball. i know they were missing Smart and Williams, but the thing that blew me away is the almost complete lack of an inside presence. is Williams him? if guys like Tatum, Brown and occasionally Brodgen weren't slashing to the cup, it was a perimeter show. just jacking up mid-range/3-balls without even thinking about the paint. i kept thinking, how in the world are they going to handle Milwaukee (Giannis) and/or Philly (Embiid) come playoffs time?

i was so freaking perplexed watching them play knowing that they were 35-15

edit: and where was Blake Griffin? dude is no spring chicken but he's still only 33. is the tank truly empty?

erikthredd

They were definitely missing Smart & Williams,their two best defenders as well as two integral pieces on offense. Smart's passing as PG has been so much better this season and he creates so many easier baskets for both Tatum & Brown. With Timelord,he's their vertical spacing guy where someone just needs to throw it up near the basket and he'll go get it to throw down.

Having said all of that,this team is built for their shooting and with games like last night where Rob Williams was out,they'll spend most of the game having 5 players on the floor that can hit a three. Their MO is driving into the paint,kicking out and swinging it until they find the best look and for the most part they've been great doing this for most of the season. When those shots aren't falling their offense looks ugly at times and they usually find other ways to get their points.

I actually got into this topic with a C's fan over on Celticsblog yesterday after he had watched the 76ers/Nuggets game where Embiid & Joker had big scoring games in the paint then wondered how we could counter this. Philly puts up 47points in the paint per game,Boston 45, so its not like this is a glaring hole. Timelord has only played 17 of the 51 games so that number should be higher as he gets more playing time. Embiid averaged 15PIP/g where Tatum & Brown were 11 each. We don't have that one PF/C that can feast in the paint but the team is built around a bunch of players that can get to the basket with ease by driving/slashing. Horford used to be their inside threat but he's morphed into mainly a shooter now ranked 15th overall in 3pt percentage.

One thing that you need to remember is while they may have their hands full matching up with Giannis or Embiid the same can be said for all of the other teams with Tatum & Brown. Their combined scoring is on a historic level and its much harder to stop athletic wings like them in the current NBA than it is stopping that dominant big man.
Tatum & Brown are everything that Kawhi & PG3 were supposed to be minus the experience & injuries and you got a good look last night at what its like having a guy like Malcolm Brogdon coming off the bench who can get you 20-25 at any time. They didn't have that 3rd option like him in the playoffs who could go get his byckets whenever he wanted to.

They started out their season on a historic level shooting the ball but they've pretty much evened out to where they've been top 5-7 on offense & defense since then. This recent 3 game losing streak has probably seen a dip in those rankings though.
They've also seen a huge improvement in their turnover numbers and clutch time stats which have played a huge part in having the league's best record.

Blake has become our "break in case of emergency" guy. With Horford up their in age,36, and not playing 2nd night of B2B's Blake had been starting those games and they were undefeated in them but he doesn't really get much run unless there are multiple bigs missing for some reason. My only real complaint with Joe Mazzulla,the guy that took over for Ime Udoka, has been his player rotations and how he hasn't used the 9th thru 12th players on the roster more. I don't think Blake has it in him to play 25+mins a night anymore but between his rebounding,passing and willingness to take a charge he could do more for this team.

galaxy27

@erikthredd

awesome insight, as i expected. i'm gonna catch them when they have their full complement of players.........i imagine they will have a discernable look to them that is very different from what i witnessed last night

erikthredd

@galaxy27 said:
@erikthredd

awesome insight, as i expected. i'm gonna catch them when they have their full complement of players.........i imagine they will have a discernable look to them that is very different from what i witnessed last night

They're an entirely different team at full health. Smart was DPOY and RWilliams finished 9th in voting just to show what missing them means.

Maywood

Also, an NBA season isn't much different than an NBA game. Teams go on runs where they're hot/cold and things change quite a bit over the season.

erikthredd

He needs 36 to break the record with the Thunder coming to town tonight. I hope for the fans sake he gets it in this game,would suck to see him finish with like 32-33pts and have to break it in their next game. Next game would be thursday at home vs Milwaukee.

GroceryRackPack

thisistheshow

@GroceryRackPack said:

...
I give the plaid 👍👍

I give the rest 🤮🤬

erikthredd

@GroceryRackPack said:

I like cheddar & sour cream ruffles but not sure about making them flaming hot.
And these taste much better than that chex mix especially if you add in some smartfood white cheddar popcorn. 😎

GroceryRackPack

@erikthredd said:

@GroceryRackPack said:

I like cheddar & sour cream ruffles but not sure about making them flaming hot.
And these taste much better than that chex mix especially if you add in some smartfood white cheddar popcorn. 😎

I trust you and take your word on that...I wouldn't have the slightest idea on how they taste or how good they are since I have not opened those packages up...Yes both of those are still unopened material...

thisistheshow

@GroceryRackPack said:

Yes both of those are still unopened material...

...
You are just like LeBron Rack Pack. ...tryin' to collect those chips (before it's too late). 😂

erikthredd

@GroceryRackPack said:

@erikthredd said:

@GroceryRackPack said:

I like cheddar & sour cream ruffles but not sure about making them flaming hot.
And these taste much better than that chex mix especially if you add in some smartfood white cheddar popcorn. 😎

I trust you and take your word on that...I wouldn't have the slightest idea on how they taste or how good they are since I have not opened those packages up...Yes both of those are still unopened material...

I hear ya, I have some still sealed Patriots Wheaties boxes laying around somewhere in my house from the early 00's. I might even have some Jordan Wheaties that are even older.

thisistheshow

@erikthredd said:

@GroceryRackPack said:

@erikthredd said:

@GroceryRackPack said:

I like cheddar & sour cream ruffles but not sure about making them flaming hot.
And these taste much better than that chex mix especially if you add in some smartfood white cheddar popcorn. 😎

I trust you and take your word on that...I wouldn't have the slightest idea on how they taste or how good they are since I have not opened those packages up...Yes both of those are still unopened material...

I hear ya, I have some still sealed Patriots Wheaties boxes laying around somewhere in my house from the early 00's. I might even have some Jordan Wheaties that are even older.

...

erikthredd

@thisistheshow said:

@erikthredd said:

@GroceryRackPack said:

@erikthredd said:

@GroceryRackPack said:

I like cheddar & sour cream ruffles but not sure about making them flaming hot.
And these taste much better than that chex mix especially if you add in some smartfood white cheddar popcorn. 😎

I trust you and take your word on that...I wouldn't have the slightest idea on how they taste or how good they are since I have not opened those packages up...Yes both of those are still unopened material...

I hear ya, I have some still sealed Patriots Wheaties boxes laying around somewhere in my house from the early 00's. I might even have some Jordan Wheaties that are even older.

...

When they're 20+yrs old? Hell no but maybe I'll put them out for breakfast next time my daughter starts seeing another chithead.

thisistheshow

@erikthredd said:

@thisistheshow said:

@erikthredd said:

@GroceryRackPack said:

@erikthredd said:

@GroceryRackPack said:

I like cheddar & sour cream ruffles but not sure about making them flaming hot.
And these taste much better than that chex mix especially if you add in some smartfood white cheddar popcorn. 😎

I trust you and take your word on that...I wouldn't have the slightest idea on how they taste or how good they are since I have not opened those packages up...Yes both of those are still unopened material...

I hear ya, I have some still sealed Patriots Wheaties boxes laying around somewhere in my house from the early 00's. I might even have some Jordan Wheaties that are even older.

...

When they're 20+yrs old? Hell no but maybe I'll put them out for breakfast next time my daughter starts seeing another chithead.

.....
Our (only) daughter is about to turn fourteen. I sometimes have joked with my wife...have you ever seen one of those movies where the father just happens to be cleaning his shotgun...

erikthredd

@thisistheshow said:

@erikthredd said:

@thisistheshow said:

@erikthredd said:

@GroceryRackPack said:

@erikthredd said:

@GroceryRackPack said:

I like cheddar & sour cream ruffles but not sure about making them flaming hot.
And these taste much better than that chex mix especially if you add in some smartfood white cheddar popcorn. 😎

I trust you and take your word on that...I wouldn't have the slightest idea on how they taste or how good they are since I have not opened those packages up...Yes both of those are still unopened material...

I hear ya, I have some still sealed Patriots Wheaties boxes laying around somewhere in my house from the early 00's. I might even have some Jordan Wheaties that are even older.

...

When they're 20+yrs old? Hell no but maybe I'll put them out for breakfast next time my daughter starts seeing another chithead.

.....
Our (only) daughter is about to turn fourteen. I sometimes have joked with my wife...have you ever seen one of those movies where the father just happens to be cleaning his shotgun...

I haven't gone as far as pulling out a gun yet but I have laid out one of her ex's then watched the cops drag him out 10mins later. That was a fun night.
Raising a son is so much easier than a daughter lol.

thisistheshow

@erikthredd said:

@thisistheshow said:

@erikthredd said:

@thisistheshow said:

@erikthredd said:

@GroceryRackPack said:

@erikthredd said:

@GroceryRackPack said:

I like cheddar & sour cream ruffles but not sure about making them flaming hot.
And these taste much better than that chex mix especially if you add in some smartfood white cheddar popcorn. 😎

I trust you and take your word on that...I wouldn't have the slightest idea on how they taste or how good they are since I have not opened those packages up...Yes both of those are still unopened material...

I hear ya, I have some still sealed Patriots Wheaties boxes laying around somewhere in my house from the early 00's. I might even have some Jordan Wheaties that are even older.

...

When they're 20+yrs old? Hell no but maybe I'll put them out for breakfast next time my daughter starts seeing another chithead.

.....
Our (only) daughter is about to turn fourteen. I sometimes have joked with my wife...have you ever seen one of those movies where the father just happens to be cleaning his shotgun...

I haven't gone as far as pulling out a gun yet but I have laid out one of her ex's then watched the cops drag him out 10mins later. That was a fun night.
Raising a son is so much easier than a daughter lol.

....
For us (thus far) the daughter has been the easiest. Sons are 15, almost, and 23, almost.

erikthredd

@thisistheshow said:

@erikthredd said:

@thisistheshow said:

@erikthredd said:

@thisistheshow said:

@erikthredd said:

@GroceryRackPack said:

@erikthredd said:

@GroceryRackPack said:

I like cheddar & sour cream ruffles but not sure about making them flaming hot.
And these taste much better than that chex mix especially if you add in some smartfood white cheddar popcorn. 😎

I trust you and take your word on that...I wouldn't have the slightest idea on how they taste or how good they are since I have not opened those packages up...Yes both of those are still unopened material...

I hear ya, I have some still sealed Patriots Wheaties boxes laying around somewhere in my house from the early 00's. I might even have some Jordan Wheaties that are even older.

...

When they're 20+yrs old? Hell no but maybe I'll put them out for breakfast next time my daughter starts seeing another chithead.

.....
Our (only) daughter is about to turn fourteen. I sometimes have joked with my wife...have you ever seen one of those movies where the father just happens to be cleaning his shotgun...

I haven't gone as far as pulling out a gun yet but I have laid out one of her ex's then watched the cops drag him out 10mins later. That was a fun night.
Raising a son is so much easier than a daughter lol.

....
For us (thus far) the daughter has been the easiest. Sons are 15, almost, and 23, almost.

I hope for your sanity it stays that way lol.

GroceryRackPack

What does this have to do with Lebron James????

erikthredd

@GroceryRackPack said:
What does this have to do with Lebron James????

Everything, Everywhere, all at once connects back to Lebron James. He's the new six degrees of Kevin Bacon. 😎

thisistheshow

@GroceryRackPack said:
What does this have to do with Lebron James????

....
Sorry buddy, I think I just derailed us a bit. lol

erikthredd

@thisistheshow said:

@GroceryRackPack said:
What does this have to do with Lebron James????

....
Sorry buddy, I think I just derailed us a bit. lol

It happens, this is the Sports Talk section where most threads take a detour anyways.. 🤷‍♂️

galaxy27

@erikthredd said:

but I have laid out one of her ex's then watched the cops drag him out 10mins later. That was a fun night.

i would have paid a considerable sum to be a fly on a spoon

erikthredd

@galaxy27 said:

@erikthredd said:

but I have laid out one of her ex's then watched the cops drag him out 10mins later. That was a fun night.

i would have paid a considerable sum to be a fly on a spoon

I should have did it about a year earlier and saved my family alot of headache.