Originally Posted by KC_Connection:
LeBron's ability to create great offense for himself and others remains unmatched by anybody in the league currently (or ever, for that matter). The Raptors won't be able to score as efficiently as those Cavs teams did on the Warriors, but they can defend better. Just how much better will determine how close the series is.
As usual you tend to get carried away with all things Lebron but it sounds like we sort of agree. Does the fact the Leonard.plays defense on key players offset the small offensive advantage Lebron has on him? I say it does and then some. [Reply]
Originally Posted by BigCatDaddy:
Leonard actually plays both ends of the court and isnt afraid to guard a star so he adds more value to a roster than Lebron.
Compared to LeBron now, yes. LeBron was still playing defense back then. That’s why he lead both teams in steals and blocks in that series and made (arguably) the best defensive play in Finals history that year. [Reply]
Originally Posted by smithandrew051:
Compared to LeBron now, yes. LeBron was still playing defense back then. That’s why he lead both teams in steals and blocks in that series and made (arguably) the best defensive play in Finals history that year.
You could be right. I don't recall exactly what point he decided to trade playing D for stat padding on O. [Reply]
Originally Posted by BigCatDaddy:
As usual you tend to get carried away with all things Lebron but it sounds like we sort of agree. Does the fact the Leonard.plays defense on key players offset the small offensive advantage Lebron has on him? I say it does and then some.
#1. It isn't small.
#2. When LeBron actually tries defensively, while not Kawhi, he's still a great defender. Not what he was at his physical peak, though. [Reply]
Originally Posted by smithandrew051:
I think it was fairly gradual, but it became blatantly obvious last year (his last year with the Cavs).
When you're the only source of offense on a team (which was the case in his last year with the awful, post-Irving Cavs and this year with the disgustingly bad Lakers), conserving energy on the defensive end is kind of important. [Reply]
Originally Posted by KC_Connection:
When you're the only source of offense on a team (which was the case in his last year with the awful, post-Irving Cavs and this year with the disgustingly bad Lakers), conserving energy on the defensive end is kind of important.
Oh I don’t blame him for it at all. I think by getting drafted by the Cavs, he was dealt one of the worst hands of any superstar in the history of the league. That franchise is terrible. [Reply]
"There's no player in the NBA I'd rather have than Kawhi Leonard," Barkley told Ernie Johnson and the rest of his "Inside the NBA" colleagues in Toronto's Scotiabank Arena. [Reply]
I really hope Toronto wins. If only because it will be fun to see KCC be happy and still do mental gymnastics of GSW being unbeatable at the same time. [Reply]
I say Warriors in 6. I wish Bucks would have got their shit together because I think they matchup favorably against a KDless warriors team. Oh well [Reply]
Originally Posted by BigCatDaddy:
As usual Chuck is right on the money.
"There's no player in the NBA I'd rather have than Kawhi Leonard," Barkley told Ernie Johnson and the rest of his "Inside the NBA" colleagues in Toronto's Scotiabank Arena.
As usual? Barkley is outspoken and speaks his mind but he is wrong all the time. [Reply]
Originally Posted by BigCatDaddy:
You could be right. I don't recall exactly what point he decided to trade playing D for stat padding on O.
Right about the time he threw Blatt under the bus. The cavs were an average defense team who played their tails off on defense in the playoffs. Lue turned the team into a run and gun offense. Lebron is one hell of a player. But as much as he's responsible for the teams ups, he's also responsible for their downs. And that includes leaving shit show teams behind. If there's any plus to the Lakers being incompetent, it's that they're actually standing up to Lebron. [Reply]