Spoelstra and LeBron....

[tzznandrew]

To be honest, I can't think of the last time I watched even 30 minutes of a NBA game. I don't get why everyone claimed this was such a good series.

I don't think you can admit this first point, and then claim that the NBA isn't good, nor say that a series wasn't good.

There's a lot more to the NBA than you're giving it credit for.

I thought the series would go longer, but games 1-4 were all really good and filled with drama. I can't be the only one sitting on the edge of my seat waiting to see if LeBron would miss free throws at the end of Game 2, or waiting to see what plays he and Durant would make, or watching in awe at Westbrook's Game 4.

It wasn't a series for the ages, but it was really good. The NBA has delivered a good and exciting Finals series every year (sans the Lakers-Magic one) since 2008.

 

[JaYnYcE]

DVRing First Take tomorrow. I should just totally ignore him since he's a moron, but I really want to see what he tries to say.

He's picked the Heat since prior to the season of winning it all. You don't have to DVR the show, it's on ESPN's podcast channel at ESPN.com Today's show will most likely be available by 1PM

 

[UConnSwag11]

Adam Morrison has more rings. And scal is tied with lebron

 

[UConnSwag11]

I know that Perkins is a big body but don't know why the Celtics would want him, he's horrible.

And people say Drummond will be a bust. If he can do what Perkins does which I think he will and more. He will be fine

 

[MilliniumPrince]

Skip picked the Heat as part of his act. If they win "see even I picked them". If they lost "LeBron failed again...should have won easily blah, blah, blah." Skip is a fraud and he has been for decades. But his act works for the ratings. I find him un- watchable but the show draws well so Skip will always be Skip.

 

[JaYnYcE]

I don't know how people hate on Skip. I think it's just an act and he and Stephen A play their roles brilliantly.

 

[HuskyBballFan]

Adam Morrison has more rings. And scal is tied with lebron

Which proves how stupid it is to site "number of rings" as the single most important measure of a player's greatness, right?

 

[UCFBfan]

I don't know how people hate on Skip. I think it's just an act and he and Stephen A play their roles brilliantly.

I agree but right now Skip is getting schooled by Mark Cuban

 

[UChusky916]

http://thebiglead.fantasysportsven.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/bosh-celebrate-2.gif

 

[JaYnYcE]

I agree but right now Skip is getting schooled by Mark Cuban

I can't wait until its uploaded online later on. Skip is the only reason why I watch anything on ESPN.

 

[UConn990411]

I can't wait until its uploaded online later on. Skip is the only reason why I watch anything on ESPN.

That explains everything I need to know about you.

Skip Bayless is a self-made caricature. You have to be brain dead to actually enjoy listening to him.

 

[Walker11]

That explains everything I need to know about you.

Skip Bayless is a self-made caricature. You have to be brain dead to actually enjoy listening to him.

I can at least respect this guy saying that he likes Bayless. What is absurd is the amount of people saying "I hate stupid Skip Bayless, I don't get how anyone likes him, but I gotta see how he spins this tomorrow." I can't even watch Sportscenter/First Take or any of those shows unless Uconn did something awesome.

As for the role players, I wouldn't exactly say Harden was exposed because he was great in the other series. I think guarding Lebron took a lot out of him. He has exposed himself as not being a max contract guy even though he will probably get one but he is still probably the 3rd or 4th best SG in the league and is 22 or 23.

Ibaka had played really well the rest of the playoffs as well. He is a great rim protector but when he is stuck playing Bosh he is drawn outside and can be exploited. Again, he is 23 I believe and is an elite rim protector who has went from having no offensive game to a money mid range shot in the course of 2 years. I am still high on him.

I hope this loss just makes the core want to stay together and these guys take a little less money. As for Perkins, he is a great guy to have in some matchups but against other teams like the Heat he really adds nothing.

 

[aceboon]

based on my twitter feed, it sounds like Marc Cuban is destroying Skip & Screaming A

 

[superjohn]

Perkis blows, the Thunder need to sign Ibaka and whatever they do don't give Harden a max deal and yes Cuban made Skip and Stephen A. look like 2nd graders.

 

[JaYnYcE]

That explains everything I need to know about you.

Skip Bayless is a self-made caricature. You have to be brain dead to actually enjoy listening to him.

No, you just have to see things differently than others.

 

[UConn990411]

Perkis blows, the Thunder need to sign Ibaka and whatever they do don't give Harden a max deal and yes Cuban made Skip and Stephen A. look like 2nd graders.

I'm one of the few Celtics fans who didn't hate the Perkins trade, but you and ace are being ridiculous now. He is a really good low-post defender who did a pretty good job shutting Duncan down in the WCF (and limiting Bynum the series before that.

I don't miss Perkins that much because I can count on one hand the guy's he is valuable against these days (Howard, Bynum, Duncan, Hibbert). Plus, the Celtics' best lineups the past five years (including the year they won the ship) were always with KG at the 5 and Perkins on the bench. But he isn't nearly as bad as you and ace (who clearly just hates Perk) are trying to make him out to be.

 

[rman726]

I don't know how people hate on Skip. I think it's just an act and he and Stephen A play their roles brilliantly.

Because I, like most people, turn on ESPN to see highlights, news and rumor (a Adam Schefter type person) and expert analysis. For expert analysis, I want to hear from people who have been part of the sport as a player, coach, or some other meaningful role. Or I would like to hear from people who just know the sport extremely well, and although they may not have had the god-given abilities to play the sport, have loved sports their entire life, and really understand the game at an extremely high level (like a Bill Simmons type person). Hell, it doesn't even need to be that much of an expert. The guys on Around the Horn clearly know their stuff and do a lot of research, and I can appreciate the factoids and whatnot that they use in their arguments. I don't care whatsoever to hear some guy who seemingly is not an expert in any way, and is there entirely to spark controversy. I'll tune into MTV and Jersey Shore if I want scripted drama.

So that's why I hate on Skip. Because I turn on MTV when I want scripted drama, not ESPN. (Not that I would turn on MTV, but you get the point).

 

[sparky]

They left no doubt. They earned it and LBJ was superb. I am not a Heat fan, but they spanked the Thunder. Unfortunately, the Thunder forget that Defense wins championships. With the Defense the Celtics play, if they had younger legs and Bradley they would have won. The Heat will be a magnet for older players looking for a ring. Hey Ray, hey Lamar, hey Nash oh my.

 

[Kitaman]

From what I saw this series it was simple. Lebron plus four is better than any five on every team they played. As for the coach, well its redemption for him, whether he's good or not.

To believe Rodney King just died and we all still can't get along.

 

[JaYnYcE]

Because I, like most people, turn on ESPN to see highlights, news and rumor (a Adam Schefter type person) and expert analysis. For expert analysis, I want to hear from people who have been part of the sport as a player, coach, or some other meaningful role. Or I would like to hear from people who just know the sport extremely well, and although they may not have had the god-given abilities to play the sport, have loved sports their entire life, and really understand the game at an extremely high level (like a Bill Simmons type person). Hell, it doesn't even need to be that much of an expert. The guys on Around the Horn clearly know their stuff and do a lot of research, and I can appreciate the factoids and whatnot that they use in their arguments. I don't care whatsoever to hear some guy who seemingly is not an expert in any way, and is there entirely to spark controversy. I'll tune into MTV and Jersey Shore if I want scripted drama.

So that's why I hate on Skip. Because I turn on MTV when I want scripted drama, not ESPN. (Not that I would turn on MTV, but you get the point).

To each his own. However, Skip has been a journalist for nearly 30 years, that makes him an expert. He has more experience in covering most of the popular sports like basketball, football and boxing than most of the people you mentioned. ESPN wants their viewers to think a certain way and its refreshing to hear someone else say something different.

Try watching sportcenter or listening to ESPN radio on a popular topic and its very rare that you find someone who disagrees with the majority as much as Skip does.

 

[SlicinNDyson11]

I can at least respect this guy saying that he likes Bayless. What is absurd is the amount of people saying "I hate stupid Skip Bayless, I don't get how anyone likes him, but I gotta see how he spins this tomorrow." I can't even watch Sportscenter/First Take or any of those shows unless Uconn did something awesome.

As for the role players, I wouldn't exactly say Harden was exposed because he was great in the other series. I think guarding Lebron took a lot out of him. He has exposed himself as not being a max contract guy even though he will probably get one but he is still probably the 3rd or 4th best SG in the league and is 22 or 23.

Ibaka had played really well the rest of the playoffs as well. He is a great rim protector but when he is stuck playing Bosh he is drawn outside and can be exploited. Again, he is 23 I believe and is an elite rim protector who has went from having no offensive game to a money mid range shot in the course of 2 years. I am still high on him.

I hope this loss just makes the core want to stay together and these guys take a little less money. As for Perkins, he is a great guy to have in some matchups but against other teams like the Heat he really adds nothing.

The Heat did not do anything to expose Harden as some may think, he simply had a very bad series. Game Four is a great example as Harden had atleast 3 wide open looks from three and missed them all. I think some people forget the run he went on in the first half of Game two where he simply took the game over with Westbrook and Durant out. This was just a uncharacteristicly terrible series for Harden as he missed so many shots he usually makes, still worthy of the Max in my eyes and he'll get it if he hits the open market.

 

[boba]

Perkis blows, the Thunder need to sign Ibaka and whatever they do don't give Harden a max deal and yes Cuban made Skip and Stephen A. look like 2nd graders.

So you are saying Cuban made Bayless and Smith look smarter than they really are?

 

[bmayuc]

The Heat did not do anything to expose Harden as some may think, he simply had a very bad series. Game Four is a great example as Harden had atleast 3 wide open looks from three and missed them all. I think some people forget the run he went on in the first half of Game two where he simply took the game over with Westbrook and Durant out. This was just a uncharacteristicly terrible series for Harden as he missed so many shots he usually makes, still worthy of the Max in my eyes and he'll get it if he hits the open market.

Harden was in an impossible spot on the defensive end. He was guarding lebron in the mid-post giving up 50 lbs and 4+ inches. often, he was caught doing that for the entire second half of games. If you are a shooter and constantly getting posted, that is going to affect your shooting stroke bigtime.

With that burden being clear, he had a HORRIBLE offensive series. MIA did a great job of throwing small quick guys at him to negate his driving ability(Chalmers/Cole) and bigger guys to keep him out of the paint on pick n roll(bosh, lebron).

Really it was just a clinic, and it placed a huge burden on the two superstars

 

[superjohn]

Harden is a good player but the more I watch him it's obvious that he isn't a star and only stars should get max money. He has no left hand and is shaky overall with his dribbling. He's good in the open court but his lack of explosiveness can make it difficult for him to finish at the rim, he's a tough guy to figure out if you are young and inexperienced because he's crafty but veterans can figure him out in a long series, he holds the ball out and drives/flops into you trying to draw contact at weird angles. He's a much poorer version of Manu Ginobili.

 

[bmayuc]

Harden is a good player but the more I watch him it's obvious that he isn't a star and only stars should get max money. He has no left hand and is shaky overall with his dribbling. He's good in the open court but his lack of explosiveness can make it difficult for him to finish at the rim, he's a tough guy to figure out if you are young and inexperienced because he's crafty but veterans can figure him out in a long series, he holds the ball out and drives/flops into you trying to draw contact at weird angles. He's a much poorer version of Manu Ginobili.

Has no left hand... lol... I'll assume you mean right since he is LEFT HANDED.

I don't like the Ginobili reference, who is much more finesse. I really think the more apt comparison is a smaller more athletic Paul Pierce. And he's 22, so i think it is fair to say he will only get better.

He's going to be a top 20 offensive player for a long time, people need to not overreact to a 22 year old getting tight in his first finals series. Do you not remember what he did(again, at 22) to the spurs?

C'mon folks, perspective please