NBA Season Thread 2013-2014

Dublin Red Devil · 17-02-2014 5:25am

So many MVP contenders after a record breaking All Star game. I voted for Kyrie Irving

PizzamanIRL · 17-02-2014 5:28am

It's decided by fan vote so it will probably go to Kobe.

Dublin Red Devil · 17-02-2014 5:31am

Now isn't that Ironic. The man certain posters on here said wasn't even an All Star starter, Some suggested, undeserving to be there at all. Wins the MVP.

Beautiful

PizzamanIRL · 17-02-2014 5:32am

Ernie: "Kyrie, you're 21. You're still a kid. How does this feel?"

I hate that. 21 is not a kid. You always hear that in the NBA, even 28 year old calling 22 year old's kids.

Nuri Sahin · 17-02-2014 5:44am

Fell asleep and missed everything, huzzah \o/

PizzamanIRL · 17-02-2014 5:48am

Nuri Sahin wrote: »

Fell asleep and missed everything, huzzah \o/

And wake up just as it ends. Terrible timing.

Dublin Red Devil · 17-02-2014 5:50am

PizzamanIRL wrote: »

Ernie: "Kyrie, you're 21. You're still a kid. How does this feel?"

I hate that. 21 is not a kid. You always hear that in the NBA, even 28 year old calling 22 year old's kids.

Just an expression really, Just their way of saying he's a young player

BQQ · 17-02-2014 10:46am

Dublin Red Devil wrote: »

Now isn't that Ironic. The man certain posters on here said wasn't even an All Star starter, Some suggested, undeserving to be there at all. Wins the MVP.

Beautiful

LOL

Selection is based on performance in the regular season not on performance in the actual All Star game.
His regular season to date has not been the performance of an All Star.

Last night suited him down to the ground. He could get up a load of uncontested shots and didn't have to play defense.

Nuri Sahin · 17-02-2014 11:23am

BQQ wrote: »

LOL

Selection is based on performance in the regular season not on performance in the actual All Star game.
His regular season to date has not been the performance of an All Star.

Last night suited him down to the ground. He could get up a load of uncontested shots and didn't have to play defense.

I wanted to say something similar, but saw little point.

As you said, handy for him last night not playing against any defense to expose his high turnover prone game. So bragging or feeling vindicated he was awarded by the fans, the All Star MVP in a season where he's been largely average at best is cuckoo. Heck, even the TNT panel were very much against his selection last week on the show. I don't take the TNT panel seriously, but considering one person here has referenced them as a source to validate his opinion, it's certainly amusing. Lowry and Wall deserved their spots this year, one got it, the other unfortunately didn't.

Kyrie played well last night, but it is what it is. Dirk scored zero points last night, does that mean anything in terms of the season? Nope. Not at all.

ButtersSuki · 17-02-2014 12:31pm

Dublin Red Devil wrote: »

Now isn't that Ironic. The man certain posters on here said wasn't even an All Star starter, Some suggested, undeserving to be there at all. Wins the MVP.

Beautiful

Way
To
Miss
The
Point.

Dublin Red Devil · 17-02-2014 12:34pm

BQQ wrote: »

LOL

Selection is based on performance in the regular season not on performance in the actual All Star game.
His regular season to date has not been the performance of an All Star.

Last night suited him down to the ground. He could get up a load of uncontested shots and didn't have to play defense.

I don't get this singling out of Kyrie for defense. D Lillard and Steph Curry are terrible defenders but I don't hear anything about them.

You say Irving got uncontested All Star game shots. But he's playing under the same condition as James, Durrant, Melo, Griffin etc Yet Kyrie came out on top.

31 pts, 14 ast, 5 reb.

Nuri Sahin · 17-02-2014 1:03pm

I'll just say this once as I think myself and others are talking to a wall (ba dum dum tish) here.

Curry's defensive frailties are mentioned quite a bit in the American basketball press, and myself and others here have mentioned it quite a few times too. Lillard's defensive woes I went into depth last season and he's an appalling defender, but at least he tries every now and again

The difference is between Curry and Lillard vs Irving. One is hyped beyond comprehension amongst casual fans particularly, he's referred to as an elite point guard when not many of them even watch him more than a few times a season at best. He's equally if not more famous for his commercials than his NBA career. He will also be criticised that bit more because he was drafted number 1 overall, that is the burden of being drafted numero uno, though it's incomparable to the amount of casual fan praise he will receive. Throw in the stories of him being a bad egg in the dressing room and looking out for his brand, and what does one expect? Everyone here knows of his potential, but his potential means jack **** if he doesn't continue to improve on all facets of his game

Lillard came in with low expectations, very much under the radar to the majority of basketball fans last season. Curry was known for being simply a great shooter. And again, neither were the number one pick.

If Raymon Felton was playing in the All Star Game last night and put in a fan considered MVP performance, I wouldn't take any notice of it. I've already used Dirk's actual performance last night as a perfect example of the ASG meaning nothing in the grand scheme of things.

There are three elite point guards in the league - Parker, CP3 and Westbrook. They play both ends of the floor to a high level. If Rose and Rondo perform to anywhere near their previous showings, they're in that bracket too. Whether they return to that form, well that's up in the air.

Nuri Sahin · 17-02-2014 2:57pm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mM9gWvLguk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyV5c-Cd4yg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VoQ_kTludA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ahscNUxNzk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muXgI8OASek

17-02-2014 7:20pm

just to weigh in on this mt rushmore thing my 4 would be mj,russell,bird,magic

probably controversial for leaving out wilt but mj will be in everyones and it was between bird,magic,russell and wilt for the last 3 spots

also i think lebron is being very harshly treated (as per usual) with people saying he can never make it on there

ButtersSuki · 17-02-2014 7:31pm

Mt. Rushmore?

Bird, Magic, Kareem and Jordan.

I can never figure why Kareem doesn't get the props he deserves. Never. And I don't want to hear the rings argument - Kurt Rambis has more rings than Bird.

17-02-2014 8:16pm

ButtersSuki wrote: »

Mt. Rushmore?

Bird, Magic, Kareem and Jordan.

I can never figure why Kareem doesn't get the props he deserves. Never. And I don't want to hear the rings argument - Kurt Rambis has more rings than Bird.

i agree its unfair but guys who move teams to win rings dont get the same respect (bar wilt due to his freakish numbers)
look at shaq he won kobe a few of his rings but kobe is the guy
look at lebron now i think he will end up possibly the greatest sf to ever play and he gets endless **** about the decision
look at

ButtersSuki · 17-02-2014 8:21pm

Nevaeh Nervous Lip wrote: »

i agree its unfair but guys who move teams to win rings dont get the same respect (bar wilt due to his freakish numbers)
look at shaq he won kobe a few of his rings but kobe is the guy
look at lebron now i think he will end up possibly the greatest sf to ever play and he gets endless **** about the decision
look at

I see your point, but LeJon deserved the flack he got over "the decision" and how he handled it. It will forever tarnish his legacy whether he likes it or not.

17-02-2014 8:38pm

ButtersSuki wrote: »

I see your point, but LeJon deserved the flack he got over "the decision" and how he handled it. It will forever tarnish his legacy whether he likes it or not.

i think thats unfair the fact that he made it so public was a mistake but it was 1 mistake the guys been scrutinized since he was a child and critics of his career in the end will mostly point to things outside of basketball as there main arguments

ButtersSuki · 17-02-2014 9:37pm

Nevaeh Nervous Lip wrote: »

i think thats unfair the fact that he made it so public was a mistake but it was 1 mistake the guys been scrutinized since he was a child and critics of his career in the end will mostly point to things outside of basketball as there main arguments

I think you're underestimating the impact of "the decision" on his legacy. LeJon not just went to Miami to boost his chances of winning a title, he single-handedly set Cleveland back donkeys years and that is something that's unforgivable in my book. Look at Jordan and how he struggled in his early career with a team that was poorer than the team LeJon left. He choose to stay, LeJon choose to go. And LeJon is from Cleveland, that makes it much, much worse.

LeJon is a smart guy. He left Cleveland to go to Miami knowing the impact it would likely have on his legacy, but still choose to go. He knew that one team career players are always thought of in higher terms than those who move, yet he still left. He knew the consequences.

But above all of that, it was how he did it. He did it with arrogance and hubris and that also taints his legacy. He could have done it humbly and with humility, but again, he chose a different path. You roll the dice, you pay the price. He has no-one to blame for the impact it will have on his career other than himself.

And he didn't stop with the decision, despite all the flak he was getting at the time he followed it up with "not 5, not 6, not 7….". Daft.

He's largely converted me from a playing perspective, though I still have some criticisms of his game. One example would be his shot selection in Game 6 of last year's Finals - plays Magic Johnson described as the worst shot selection he had ever seen in the closing stage of a game at any level, never mind the pros.

Had it not been for Ray Ray' shot, I suspect that Miami team would have been disbanded and the superfriends experiment would largely have been deemed a failure as 1 championship would not have been deemed a good return on the investment they have made.

I'm a big fan of his game and he's without doubt the best player on the planet right now. I've previously posted on here how he lost the MVP to Rose due to a combination of the decision and voter fatigue, but was the best player in the league that year. Does he have flaws? Yes. Are they amplified by the decision? Yes, probably. But again, he has no-one to blame but himself.

Dublin Red Devil · 17-02-2014 9:49pm

Mt Rushmore from my life time. I'm leaving out Bird and Magic because their careers were basically over by 1991.

So I'm going with Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, Lebron James

Honorable mentions to:
Duncan
Olajuwon

Before my Time

Larry Bird. Magic Johnson, Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

17-02-2014 9:59pm

ButtersSuki wrote: »

I think you're underestimating the impact of "the decision" on his legacy. LeJon not just went to Miami to boost his chances of winning a title, he single-handedly set Cleveland back donkeys years and that is something that's unforgivable in my book. Look at Jordan and how he struggled in his early career with a team that was poorer than the team LeJon left. He choose to stay, LeJon choose to go. And LeJon is from Cleveland, that makes it much, much worse.

LeJon is a smart guy. He left Cleveland to go to Miami knowing the impact it would likely have on his legacy, but still choose to go. He knew that one team career players are always thought of in higher terms than those who move, yet he still left. He knew the consequences.

But above all of that, it was how he did it. He did it with arrogance and hubris and that also taints his legacy. He could have done it humbly and with humility, but again, he chose a different path. You roll the dice, you pay the price. He has no-one to blame for the impact it will have on his career other than himself.

And he didn't stop with the decision, despite all the flak he was getting at the time he followed it up with "not 5, not 6, not 7….". Daft.

He's largely converted me from a playing perspective, though I still have some criticisms of his game. One example would be his shot selection in Game 6 of last year's Finals - plays Magic Johnson described as the worst shot selection he had ever seen in the closing stage of a game at any level, never mind the pros.

Had it not been for Ray Ray' shot, I suspect that Miami team would have been disbanded and the superfriends experiment would largely have been deemed a failure as 1 championship would not have been deemed a good return on the investment they have made.

I'm a big fan of his game and he's without doubt the best player on the planet right now. I've previously posted on here how he lost the MVP to Rose due to a combination of the decision and voter fatigue, but was the best player in the league that year. Does he have flaws? Yes. Are they amplified by the decision? Yes, probably. But again, he has no-one to blame but himself.

but why is kobe forgiven for forcing his way out of Charlotte thats just as arrogant as the decision in my opinion
shaq left orlando in bits as did howard and almost any superstar thats left there team in free agency

i think the teams he had in cleveland where just as bad or worse than anything mj had to deal with and he dragged them screaming to the playoffs with a gone past is shaq and mo williams as some of they best guys they brought in to help.

additionally some of the biggest criticisms of him where laughable the highlight for me was magic criticizing him for not being greedy magic of all people.

mj is pretty much the only superstar that did it on his own and even thats arguable with pippen. lebron had a choice stay with the cavs and go ringless and be written in history as a huge bust or move and win rings so people would take him seriously while i wouldn't be a fan of how he did it it should be irrelevant when talking about him as a player just like kobe forcing his way to l.a. is

17-02-2014 10:00pm

Dublin Red Devil wrote: »

Mt Rushmore from my life time. I'm leaving out Bird and Magic because their careers were basically over by 1991.

So I'm going with Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, Lebron James

Honorable mentions to:
Duncan
Olajuwon

Before my Time

Larry Bird. Magic Johnson, Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

bah humbug you cant have two :mad:

ButtersSuki · 17-02-2014 11:42pm

Nevaeh Nervous Lip wrote: »

but why is kobe forgiven for forcing his way out of Charlotte thats just as arrogant as the decision in my opinion
shaq left orlando in bits as did howard and almost any superstar thats left there team in free agency

i think the teams he had in cleveland where just as bad or worse than anything mj had to deal with and he dragged them screaming to the playoffs with a gone past is shaq and mo williams as some of they best guys they brought in to help.

additionally some of the biggest criticisms of him where laughable the highlight for me was magic criticizing him for not being greedy magic of all people.

mj is pretty much the only superstar that did it on his own and even thats arguable with pippen. lebron had a choice stay with the cavs and go ringless and be written in history as a huge bust or move and win rings so people would take him seriously while i wouldn't be a fan of how he did it it should be irrelevant when talking about him as a player just like kobe forcing his way to l.a. is

Ok………

Firstly, I'm not forgiving or excusing Kobe's behaviour - but we were talking about LeJon, not Kobe, so why bring him into it? But if you want to, let's discuss. Firstly, it's not comparable comparing LeJon's situation to Kobe's. Kobe never played for Charlotte and it's not his hometown team (and yes I know LeJon if from Akron but the Cavs are the Cleveland team). Kobe had no ties to Charlotte and didn't build any like LeJon did. LeJon allowed the city of Cleveland to pin their hopes on him and was more than happy to take all that went with that when it suited him. If you know American Sports history there are few cities that have been as starved of success across all sports like Cleveland had been prior to his arrival and he milked that. I don't think you have any idea how big a blow psychologically to the Cavs, to all Cleveland sports teams and to the city itself the stunt he pulled was. It was a no class move and it always will be. I say these things and I'm not even a Cleveland fan!

My point on Jordan was he didn't bail when things were really crap. He didn't bail when he went down injured and missed 60+ (64 from memory) games in one season. He stayed through thick and thin. Of course he had help, no-one can do it all on their own. LeJon had his superfriends, it's not like he was playing with chumps.

Do you know how bad Boston were before Bird arrived? You'll be shocked when you see the impact he had on that team - google it if you don't believe me.

How do you know he'd have gone ringless if he stayed in Cleveland? You don't. They've made some shocking plays as a management team and as a franchise, but LeJon threw the toys out of the pram by leaving. He could have stayed and been part of the solution rather than becoming the problem. You know what - if LeJon won just 1 ring in Cleveland over his entire career vs. let's say 6 in Miami or elsewhere then I'd respect him more for it - and I think many others would too.

Let's flip that the other way? Do you actually think he'd be thought of as a bust if he never won a ring? He wouldn't because he'd have the stats and the game to prove otherwise. Is Barkley a chump then by that logic? Is John Stockton? Is Pistol Pete? Is Artis Gilmore? Is George Gervin? Is Alex English? And most of all, is Elgin Baylor? I realize I've gone old-skool on your a$$ there but it's important to have a deeper appreciation and context for the game. If he'd (LeJon) stayed and won nothing, he'd have huge integrity and loyalty mileage that he'll never have now. And that's the price you pay for decisions like he has made. And maybe he's cool with that, and maybe he's not - but you and I will never know truly how he feels about it.

Dublin Red Devil · 18-02-2014 12:00am

Hardaway looks like he's reeling in a fish.
MCW the only one who has any rhythm
Rick Fox the old guy on the dance floor
Victor having a right giggle
Olynyk the awkward white guy

Paully D · 18-02-2014 1:18am

Bill Russell's response to LeBron leaving him off his Mount Rushmore.

Dublin Red Devil · 18-02-2014 1:25am

Paully D wrote: »

Bill Russell's response to LeBron leaving him off his Mount Rushmore.

18-02-2014 1:30am

ButtersSuki wrote: »

Ok………

Firstly, I'm not forgiving or excusing Kobe's behaviour - but we were talking about LeJon, not Kobe, so why bring him into it? But if you want to, let's discuss. Firstly, it's not comparable comparing LeJon's situation to Kobe's. Kobe never played for Charlotte and it's not his hometown team (and yes I know LeJon if from Akron but the Cavs are the Cleveland team). Kobe had no ties to Charlotte and didn't build any like LeJon did. LeJon allowed the city of Cleveland to pin their hopes on him and was more than happy to take all that went with that when it suited him. If you know American Sports history there are few cities that have been as starved of success across all sports like Cleveland had been prior to his arrival and he milked that. I don't think you have any idea how big a blow psychologically to the Cavs, to all Cleveland sports teams and to the city itself the stunt he pulled was. It was a no class move and it always will be. I say these things and I'm not even a Cleveland fan!
i agree and as more of an nfl fan i see what the browns are and how loyal the fans in Cleveland are and i feel really bad for them and i definitely agree that the decision was a huuuuge dick move but its a mistake he made not to leave in my opinion but to leave in said fashion.

My point on Jordan was he didn't bail when things were really crap. He didn't bail when he went down injured and missed 60+ (64 from memory) games in one season. He stayed through thick and thin. Of course he had help, no-one can do it all on their own. LeJon had his superfriends, it's not like he was playing with chumps.
jordan was unique in who he was (arguably the greatest in any sport) but also he was lucky to be drafted into one of the biggest markets in america. im not saying he would have moved if he was drafted elsewhere (and i think its unlikely given who he was) but he was in a large market and within a few years had a player in pippen who was the perfect compliment to him. lebron was stuck in a relatively small market with as you said not chumps but average at best players he didnt have that second player to take the heat off. taking the decision away it was reasonable should kevin love move on from Minnesota will he be ostracized to the same level?

Do you know how bad Boston were before Bird arrived? You'll be shocked when you see the impact he had on that team - google it if you don't believe me.
i do know how bad they where and i credit bird and magic as saving the nba as stated in the documentary a courtship of friends. bird is one of the greats(i have him on my "mount rushmore") but for much of his career he had a serious team around him so i dont see how its relivant.

he had tiny archibald and pistol pete markovich in his first season and added robert parish and kevin mchale in his second i truly believe cleveland would never have given lebron a good supporting cast (and obviously he felt the same)

How do you know he'd have gone ringless if he stayed in Cleveland? You don't. They've made some shocking plays as a management team and as a franchise, but LeJon threw the toys out of the pram by leaving. He could have stayed and been part of the solution rather than becoming the problem. You know what - if LeJon won just 1 ring in Cleveland over his entire career vs. let's say 6 in Miami or elsewhere then I'd respect him more for it - and I think many others would too.
as stated above if kevin love leaves will he be "throwing his toys out of the pram" did chris bosh "throw his toys out of the pram" why is lebron expected to stay with the team he was drafted by

Let's flip that the other way? Do you actually think he'd be thought of as a bust if he never won a ring? He wouldn't because he'd have the stats and the game to prove otherwise. Is Barkley a chump then by that logic? Is John Stockton? Is Pistol Pete? Is Artis Gilmore? Is George Gervin? Is Alex English? And most of all, is Elgin Baylor? I realize I've gone old-skool on your a$$ there but it's important to have a deeper appreciation and context for the game. If he'd (LeJon) stayed and won nothing, he'd have huge integrity and loyalty mileage that he'll never have now. And that's the price you pay for decisions like he has made. And maybe he's cool with that, and maybe he's not - but you and I will never know truly how he feels about it.
nope i believe there all incredible players but (and its incredibly unfair) when people list off the greats they will name the people with multiple rings pause and then mention them. its massively unfair but if lebron wanted to be one of the greats (and given his high school prowess he would have been regarded as a bust if he was not a great) he had to win multiple rings. even now with two rings people are saying he needs more (to take another sport look at marino-montana montana is always the first great mentioned because marino never got his ring)

i dont think lebron is mj (i dont think he ever will be) and i dont think he can be compared to kobe,magic,bird yet but that is a very achievable level for him. the difference is people loved the rest of them i think lebron is being judged harshly.

Paully D · 18-02-2014 1:49am

Lamar Odom is off to Spain to play with Laboral Vitoria. Good luck to him, hopefully he manages to get his life back on track over there.

Dublin Red Devil · 18-02-2014 2:02am

I agree Lebron will never be Michael Jordan.

Jordan went to 6 NBA finals, Won 6 times, Finals MVP 6 times.

Not only did he lead the bulls to victory every time, He also never allowed a games 7 to happen on his watch

18-02-2014 2:07am

Dublin Red Devil wrote: »

I agree Lebron will never be Michael Jordan.

Jordan went to 6 NBA finals, Won 6 times, Finals MVP 6 times.

Not only did he lead the bulls to victory every time, He also never allowed a games 7 to happen on his watch

i think thats overrated i just think the guy was one of the most driven sports people iv ever seen(if not the most) on top of being a serious athlete and having the confidence to be the best. in todays nba where the "jordan rule" would cause life bans he would be insane.

NBA Season Thread 2013-2014

Comments