The East has had good defenisve teams but weak offensive teams so LeBron has had an easier path to the finals but Spurs 3x-Dallas-OKC-GSW in the finals is not remotely weak, if anything that is stacked as far as finals opponents go (which is a big reason he is 2-3) Those are all high caliber teams with tons of good players.
Shaq/Kobe/Duncan when they were younger played much worse teams in the finals than that. And MJ before them didn't really play tough teams in the finals either. Who is the best team he played? The '93 Suns? They could score but they couldn't stop anyone. Needed like 65 FTs just to get past Seattle.
Shaq/Kobe/Duncan when they were younger played much worse teams in the finals than that. And MJ before them didn't really play tough teams in the finals either. Who is the best team he played? The '93 Suns? They could score but they couldn't stop anyone. Needed like 65 FTs just to get past Seattle.
It is fluid obviously. Some years it is way better, some years just a little better but for about 25 years it has consistently been better.
Just looking at finals isn't the way to judge conferences. That is just 1 team vs 1 team.
The biggest gap was post MJs retirement to when Miami got Shaq. Man the East was awful then.
One thing people tend to do when talking about past vs current is they name every player in like a 10 year window vs just 1 year now.
I mean yeah there were tons of good players back then no doubt but they all weren't at their apex at the exact same time.
If they were then the Pacers wouldn't have made 5 conf finals in 7 years.
I mean yeah there were tons of good players back then no doubt but they all weren't at their apex at the exact same time.
If they were then the Pacers wouldn't have made 5 conf finals in 7 years.
Every guy you listed is a STAR.
Not one is a SUPERSTAR.
This is what ive talked about in the past regarding ppl who don't comprehend the difference in the two.
There are a few tiers of talent.
Each guy you listed rank one tier below the GREATS like Lebron, Kobe Bryant, and Jordan for example...
LeBron is a horrible jump shooter compared to the other players. The only thing with Lebron is his athleticism with the ability to drive to the rim and his willingness to share the ball and create for others. He has the intelligence of a point guard with great athleticism. You can not compare him to Shaq as they play a completely different position. Shaq at his prime was simply unstoppable under the rim and teams simply had no answer for him. In today's game the center position is very different and there really isn't many big man left in the game. If he had played 20-25 years ago Lebron definitely would not have had the success he is having now. Also worth mentioning Lebron really needs to turn it on for 1 series in the playoffs until he gets to the finals as the Eastern Conference is just not competitive enough. Regardless of what happens this year Lebron is a lock to make another 3 straight appearences in the finals after this season.
Make him go right with help waiting he will pass 90% of the time. I know his strengths and weaknesses like the back of my hand. He's great because he is a student of the game and his athletic/size advantage. I think Igudola, Barnes, and Draymond Green can all help in slowing him down.
This is by far lebrons most important finals of his career so far. Can't have a losing record in the finals and be considered the greatest of all time.
What's crazy is cavs were 50-1 to win the title before lebron came back....then it kept dropping. Usually that shit is too good to be true in your first year. I'm sure friends of Lebrons are holding that 50-1 ticket.
This is by far lebrons most important finals of his career so far. Can't have a losing record in the finals and be considered the greatest of all time.
What's crazy is cavs were 50-1 to win the title before lebron came back....then it kept dropping. Usually that shit is too good to be true in your first year. I'm sure friends of Lebrons are holding that 50-1 ticket.
Realistically it would probably be pretty hard to get much volume down on something like that. Not many books taking 5 figures on futures in the middle of July.
A more interesting scenario was back when he was a FA in 2010 and the Knicks were thought to be contenders. Cablevision (owner of the Knicks at the time) wentup like 10% when free agency started on speculation he might sign. If someone knew he was going to sign, they could likely make a quick buck pumping and dumping the stock.
One of the most over hyped & over rated players I've ever seen......the media absolutely blows him up like none other.......then again, that's how the NBA sells tickets & merchandise.
We know why they build him up, because they want people to think of him like Jordan, & I will never see him that way.
I think he's a great NBA player, but certainly not as good as the media builds him up.
Will Lebron ever win a ring at Cleveland? Only time will tell.........
no one besides MJ received the hype back then. I dont remember the Lakers/Boston getting as much attention. Can you imagine how that would be if that rivarly existed now? it would be insane. With the internet, smartphones, 20 different channels dedicated just to sports, talk radio, marketing is everything. They hype up Tebow, Michael Sam, anything they can for any reason. Its a shame what sports media turned into.
I dont dislike any athlete for what or how others talk about them, unless they are purposely feeding it.
I dont dislike any athlete for what or how others talk about them, unless they are purposely feeding it.
2 and 4 with one win having an asterick and in 2007 he got swept and 2014 he lost 5-0 if that's possible - we are all witnesses - dude is a solid top 12 player of all all time great - someone behind Duncan and among Shaq and Kobe - no doubt he's great though - reality is the Cavs lose first round if they meet SA or the Clippers
