Why Is LeBron Only Averaging 17.5 PPG on 42% Shooting?

[selrahc]

Why does LeBron always play so bad in the NBA finals? What happened to his efficiency during the regular season? Why is he shooting so bad from the field?

What happened?

[Foster5k]

Let's forget the fact that Pop's entire defensive strategy is trying to stop Lebron.

With that said, continue on.

[Magic 32]

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pq51vIwjoKo/UXlWtHIm8tI/AAAAAAAAB6k/56RUKoyz15E/s320/spotlight.jpg

[Mr Exlax]

Why does LeBron always play so bad in the NBA finals? What happened to his efficiency during the regular season? Why is he shooting so bad from the field?

What happened?

Good defensive scheme maybe?

[nathanjizzle]

its a strategy, called the turtle shell

[Le Shaqtus]

He's a wienie.

[BlazersDozen]

Why does LeBron always play so bad in the NBA finals? What happened to his efficiency during the regular season? Why is he shooting so bad from the field?

What happened?

Are you watching the games? its 5 on 1

[Twiens]

"But look how good his screens are!"

[toneloc103]

Let's forget the fact that Pop's entire defensive strategy is trying to stop Lebron.

With that said, continue on.

Wait... wasnt that every teams strategy all year? We heard about this great fg% of his and how he has evolved, and his game is so much better. Why the fade now? Pop is a great coach, but teams have geared up to stop him all year, as he is clearly the best player on the team. No excuses stans.. lets hear a real reason

[TrueRob]

Spurs are packing the paint, so LeBron is forced to try his best Dirk impression. LeBron without inside scoring = 15PPG player. Maybe he'll get hot from outside in the next game, then that will open up his driving game.

[STATUTORY]

Are you watching the games? its 5 on 1

:roll: :roll: :roll:

bron stan claims it's 5 on 1

meanwhile 5 of his teammates had 10+ points in the last game

[Deuce Bigalow]

Looks like Lebron's finals ppg

[ispin69]

Because basketball is a team sport. It takes more than scoring to win a game. It takes defense, penetration and assists. It's not 1 vs 1 or 1 vs 5.

You guys mad there is no one star to stan.

[asdf1990]

combination of him getting double/triple teamed when he goes in the paint/post up and him not trusting his jumper. Pops whole scheme is to stop him from scoring in the paint like the mavs but props to lebron for not disappearing like he did in the mavs series when his jumper wasn't falling shows his growth process mentally, if this was pre 2011 and he was 2-12 from the field in a playoff game he would have stood in a corner playing hot potato

[Ne 1]

Let's forget the fact that Pop's entire defensive strategy is trying to stop Lebron.

With that said, continue on.

His defensive strategy is to force him into shooting jump shots, much like the '07 Finals. Leonard's man defense also deserves a lot of credit.

[jstern]

He's also averaging 13 rebounds per game, and 8.5 assist. I wonder why the OP didn't add those.

You can almost ask the same question about Kobe in the finals OP. Except they weren't playing as much defense on him.

[DuMa]

Still the leading scorer in these NBA Finals.

[selrahc]

Are you watching the games? its 5 on 1

if its 5 on 1 then shouldnt lebron be averaging double digit assists? he isnt averaging anymore assists than usual

[Nick Young]

Le Finals MVP:bowdown: :bowdown: :bowdown:

[selrahc]

Also, if it wasnt for all the points he scored in the last game in garbage time he would probably be averaging like 12 ppg....

[buddha]

Good defensive scheme maybe?

Excuse doesn't work. LeBron played the best defense in the NBA in the Conference Finals, didn't stop him from averaging 29 pts. LeBron has just turned into Passive LeBron.

[Rose'sACL]

are you pretending or are you really this retarded?
pop is trying to put 2 and a lot of times 3 defenders on lebron when he drives to the basket.Pop is hoping that heat might go cold from 3 pt range like they have been in rest of the playoffs and that is a win for spurs if that happens. If Wade was healthy, Pop wouldn't use this approach.
If heat were hitting their open 3s throughout the playoffs, all the series would have been sweeps. They missed a lot of them. They had a lot of open 3s even against pacers who are great at defending 3s but they kept missing. There is a reason battier isn't playing much now as he was missing open shots. Miller is hitting his 3s and heat need that given that Pop is trying to force everyone but lebron to beat spurs.

Excuse doesn't work. LeBron played the best defense in the NBA in the Conference Finals, didn't stop him from averaging 29 pts. LeBron has just turned into Passive LeBron.
Pacers and even bulls didn't double/triple team him on every drive during ECF. Do people here even watch games?

[buddha]

Also, if it wasnt for all the points he scored in the last game in garbage time he would probably be averaging like 12 ppg....

This. The only time I saw LeBron actually move at full speed and look aggressive is when the Heat were up by 20. He was being so timid and passive out there, waiting for someone else to do something. Looked like a shook little girl.

[LikeABosh]

I forgot it's a 2 game series.

[kNicKz]

"But look how good his screens are!"
ESPN :roll:

[BlazersDozen]

if its 5 on 1 then shouldnt lebron be averaging double digit assists? he isnt averaging anymore assists than usual

:wtf::facepalm

He has 17 assists in two games, Tony Parker has 11.

Not every pass leads to an assist. It could lead to a drive, a post move, an extra pass to a score. Non of those are assists but come from the defense collapsing on LeBron.

[Ne 1]

He's also averaging 13 rebounds per game, and 8.5 assist. I wonder why the OP didn't add those.

LeBron's offensive rebounding rate compared to his overall rebounding is actually quite pathetic, and his assist numbers look good on paper, but I have always considered Lebron James "assists" ala Stephon Marbury-esque or Steve Francis-esque. I mean at their peaks they were what? 9 assists type of guys but you would never say that those 9 assists are similar to a Magic, Kidd or a Nash having 9 assists.

[Cone]

"But look how good his screens are!"

kobe fans need to realize scoring isnt everything. there are players, unlike kobe, who can actually have a huge impact when they're not bringing their team down by chucking.

[chosen_wun]

LeBron's offensive rebounding rate compared to his overall rebounding is actually quite pathetic, and his assist numbers look good on paper, but I have always considered Lebron James "assists" ala Stephon Marbury-esque or Steve Francis-esque. I mean at their peaks they were what? 9 assists type of guys but you would never say that those 9 assists are similar to a Magic, Kidd or a Nash having 9 assists.
:oldlol: :facepalm

What the hell are you even trying to say ?

Is this a "fake assists" type argument you're making ?

[tpols]

He's also averaging 13 rebounds per game, and 8.5 assist. I wonder why the OP didn't add those.

You can almost ask the same question about Kobe in the finals OP. Except they weren't playing as much defense on him.
The C's doubled Kobe all game long while Lebron is being left on an island with Kawhi daring him to shoot. What are you smoking?:oldlol:

[Rose'sACL]

LeBron's offensive rebounding rate compared to his overall rebounding is actually quite pathetic, and his assist numbers look good on paper, but I have always considered Lebron James "assists" ala Stephon Marbury-esque or Steve Francis-esque. I mean at their peaks they were what? 9 assists type of guys but you would never say that those 9 assists are similar to a Magic, Kidd or a Nash having 9 assists.
are you crazy? lebron drives to the rim and spurs send 3 defenders to stop him and his assist results in 3 pointers most of the time. His assists are more valuable in most cases because most of them result in open 3 pointers and not 2 pointers. he has also assisted very well when heat were cold from 3 pt range so you can't say that he can't pass well inside. Either way, you just showed that you don't watch the game and if you do, you don't know shit about the game.

[jdm_dc_fan]

Wait... wasnt that every teams strategy all year? We heard about this great fg% of his and how he has evolved, and his game is so much better. Why the fade now? Pop is a great coach, but teams have geared up to stop him all year, as he is clearly the best player on the team. No excuses stans.. lets hear a real reason
comparing regular seasons defense with playoffs defense is your first mistake.

[kuniva_dAMiGhTy]

Fanbois in PURE damage control mode. :roll:

[aj1987]

He's also averaging 13 rebounds per game, and 8.5 assist. I wonder why the OP didn't add those.

You can almost ask the same question about Kobe in the finals OP. Except they weren't playing as much defense on him.
Add to that 1.5 steals and 1.5 blocks. Also, he's averaging only 3 FT's per game. 5.5 FT's less per game, compared to the previous round.

17.5/13/8.5 on 42.4% seems pretty good stats for anyone. Magic won an FMVP putting up ~ 16/11/8. He did shoot 53% from the field though.

[branslowski]

The irony of some of these LeBron stans/kobe haters here....

[Rose'sACL]

Fanbois in PURE damage control mode. :roll:
at least no one has written the word "fanbois" before you in this thread. Do you also use words like swag, SMH, YOLO?

The irony of some of these LeBron stans/kobe haters here....
the irony that every black person you've ever met hates you but you still try to act like a black person is pretty funny.

[Ne 1]

:oldlol: :facepalm

What the hell are you even trying to say ?

Is this a "fake assists" type argument you're making ?

What I mean is Stephon Marbury (a 7.6 career assist guy) could get you 7-8 assists a game, but he can't run a team the way a real PG can.

Compare him to someone like Nash, who constantly sets up his teammates to make shots that wouldn't otherwise be possible without his slick passing. His assists are more meaningful, because those shots wouldn't exist without his passing skill. LeBron sometimes passes the ball hoping for an assist, but the ball doesn't go in because he passed it to a covered teammate 18 feet away from the basket. He's a slashing point-forward who dominates the ball a lot, and sometimes he passes it, and sometimes a teammate makes a jumpshot after receiving a pass from him. Magic got more assists finding cutters than finding shooters, he found easy baskets for his teammate. Magic facilitated baskets...he set people up in the post so much. LeBron gets assists off the dribble, totally different.

[kuniva_dAMiGhTy]

at least no one has written the word "fanbois" before you in this thread. Do you also use words like swag, SMH, YOLO?

http://img.exs.lv/tmp/gif_600x400_e3bf22.gif

[chosen_wun]

The irony of some of these LeBron stans/kobe haters here....
You're a euro fakkit who thinks Lil Wayne is the best rapper alive. You should jump off a cliff.:biggums:

[toneloc103]

comparing regular seasons defense with playoffs defense is your first mistake.

Naw, not a mistake. the defense is the same.. the intensity might be different. but the scheme is the same.

[lpublic_enemyl]

2 bad shooting nights and had to carry his team through the last round, i`ll reserve judgement until the series is over.

[lakerspng]

how hard is it to admit that he's just not playing that well yet in this series. he's not. No one else is really either. Heat were fortunate that a bunch of guys stepped up in the last game to give them the edge cause overall both teams are playing average, not great.

[toneloc103]

comparing regular seasons defense with playoffs defense is your first mistake.

So what happened to Indianas defense when he averaged 29 ppg? What happened to orlando's defense in 2009 when he averaged 36 ppg? Outta here with the playoff defense mess.

[chosen_wun]

What I mean is Stephon Marbury (a 7.6 career assist guy) could get you 7-8 assists a game, but he can't run a team the way a real PG can.

Compare him to someone like Nash, who constantly sets up his teammates to make shots that wouldn't otherwise be possible without his slick passing. His assists are more meaningful, because those shots wouldn't exist without his passing skill. LeBron sometimes passes the ball hoping for an assist, but the ball doesn't go in because he passed it to a covered teammate 18 feet away from the basket. He's a slashing point-forward who dominates the ball a lot, and sometimes he passes it, and sometimes a teammate makes a jumpshot after receiving a pass from him. Magic got more assists finding cutters than finding shooters, he found easy baskets for his teammate. Magic facilitated baskets...he set people up in the post so much. LeBron gets assists off the dribble, totally different.
I don't know what to tell you dude ... he is in the finals playing for Larry O'brien 3 straight post seasons now. Bringing up guys like Marbury and Francis who never sniffed success with their high assist totals is dumb. Even using Nash in comparison is dumb.

If you're still doubting LeBron's passing effectiveness at this stage, then there is nothing more to discuss.:confusedshrug:

[lpublic_enemyl]

Naw, not a mistake. the defense is the same.. the intensity might be different. but the scheme is the same.
so same + different= same? Anyways spurs defense has been really good on lebron

[Rose'sACL]

What I mean is Stephon Marbury (a 7.6 career assist guy) could get you 7-8 assists a game, but he can't run a team the way a real PG can.

Compare that to someone like Nash, who constantly sets up his teammates to make shots that wouldn't otherwise be possible without his slick passing. His assists are more meaningful, because those shots wouldn't exist without his passing skill. LeBron sometimes passes the ball hoping for an assist, but the ball doesn't go in because he passed it to a covered teammate 18 feet away from the basket.

LeBron is a slashing point-forward who dominates the ball a lot, and sometimes he passes it, and sometimes a teammate makes a jumpshot after receiving a pass from him. Magic got more assists finding cutters than finding shooters, he found easy baskets for his teammate
and lebron finds open team mates most of the times. What is your point? Magic got a few assists when team mate hit a tough shot and so does lebron while scoring better than magic just like magic had higher assist numbers. Lebron is a unique player like magic was a unique player. Lebron doesn't have to turn into magic, he can play like whatever is best for his team.If spurs weren't double double/triple teaming him every time he goes to the basket, i am sure he would like to score more.
According to you magic used to get an easy lay-up but used to tell his team mate to jump with him and hand the ball over to his team mate in air near the basket so that his team mate could score an easy basket.

[Ne 1]

The C's doubled Kobe all game long while Lebron is being left on an island with Kawhi daring him to shoot. What are you smoking?:oldlol:

Reminds me so much of the 2007 Finals. Pop stuck Bowen on James alone. All he did was sag off James, and let the dude shoot jumpers.

[STATUTORY]

I don't know what to tell you dude ... he is in the finals playing for Larry O'brien 3 straight post seasons now. Bringing up guys like Marbury and Francis who never sniffed success with their high assist totals is dumb. Even using Nash in comparison is dumb.

If you're still doubting LeBron's passing effectiveness at this stage, then there is nothing more to discuss.:confusedshrug:

after getting himself traded to the most stacked team in the history of the league?

Lebron without BOSH and wade has worse playoff history than AI

[Rose'sACL]

after getting himself traded to the most stacked team in the history of the league?

Lebron without BOSH and wade has worse playoff history than AI
no, he doesn't. You just can't read or understand numbers like W-L record.

[STATUTORY]

Reminds me so much of the 2007 Finals. Pop stuck Bowen on James alone. All he did was sag off James, and let the dude shoot jumpers.

too many dumb ass coaches in this league who buy into the lebron hype and bail him out with a double team. if you single cover this guy with a defender that gives him the jumper, Lebron wouldn't average 26 points in this league.

yea i said it

[Rose'sACL]

too many dumb ass coaches in this league who buy into the lebron hype and bail him out with a double team. if you single cover this guy with a defender that gives him the jumper, Lebron wouldn't average 26 points in this league.

yea i said it
yes, all those triple teams on lebron which left miller and allen open last game must be illusions. You know a lot about basketball.

[Pointguard]

Still the front runner to lead everybody in the finals in points, rebounds and assist while probably winning it all. To do that against a great defensive coach and superb defensive team would definitely be another unique notch in his belt. SA is playing Miami right. Lebron's teammates have played basically bad over the previous 12 games - make them beat you.

I'm thinking he goes crazy scoring tonight in game three and SA spends the rest of the series adjusting to him and not so much the Heat. He's going to have more than 17 shots tonight.

[STATUTORY]

yes, all those triple teams on lebron which left miller and allen open last game must be illusions. You know a lot about basketball.

... no that's exactly what plays into Lebron's hand. double and triple teams. If the coaches just play man defense on LEbron than he can't be bailed out by passing tot he open guy. His Iso game is the worst of any superstar in history of the game.

Lebron feast on double teams, if it don't come he's practically useless.

[toneloc103]

so same + different= same? Anyways spurs defense has been really good on lebron

Another smart guy. Of course cats get ramped up for the playoffs. i am just saying who defensive schemes dont change. Spurs play eastern teams twice a year. To small of a sample to say Spurs always play good defense against lebron. What are you doing, going back to 2007? Show me some numbers or shut up

[ProfessorMurder]

"But look how good his screens are!"

How people can manage to suck his dick by talking about his screens is beyond me...

[Rose'sACL]

Still the front runner to lead everybody in the finals in points, rebounds and assist while probably winning it all. To do that against a great defensive coach and superb defensive team would definitely be another unique notch in his belt. SA is playing Miami right. Lebron's teammates have played basically bad over the previous 12 games - make them beat you.

I'm thinking he goes crazy scoring tonight in game three and SA spends the rest of the series adjusting to him and not so much the Heat. He's going to have more than 17 shots tonight.
I think if spurs keep double-triple teaming him whenver he drives to the basket, he should just keep finding open team mates unless they go cold from 3 pt range again.
Pop is doing great. Heat can't be hot from 3 for too long. Just keep double/triple teaming lebron and make the reast of them beat you.
I think spurs win in 6.

[Heavincent]

How people can manage to suck his dick by talking about his screens is beyond me...

ESPN needed to find some reason to slobber all over him even though he had a sub-par game. I would have thought he dropped a 50 point triple double the way ESPN was talking about him.

[Rose'sACL]

... no that's exactly what plays into Lebron's hand. double and triple teams. If the coaches just play man defense on LEbron than he can't be bailed out by passing tot he open guy. His Iso game is the worst of any superstar in history of the game.

Lebron feast on double teams, if it don't come he's practically useless.
are you watching the games you idiot? he is double/triple teamed when he goes in the paint. Are you blind? You should apply for a coaching job. Unless you have hibbert who is ready to help a guy like paul george in the post, lebron will keep scoring. Spurs have no one like hibbert with them. Duncan isn't that strong or tall so they have to double/triple team lebron every time he is in the paint. All those open 3s were a result of that. Pop is counting on heat not being hot from 3 pt range which is a good strat.

[ProfessorMurder]

He's also averaging 13 rebounds per game, and 8.5 assist. I wonder why the OP didn't add those.

You can almost ask the same question about Kobe in the finals OP. Except they weren't playing as much defense on him.

Yeah, his 13 rpg isn't skewed at all by the 18 rebound anomaly in game 1.

He's gotten 18 rebounds three times in his career, and 19 rebounds twice in his career.

5 times in 898 games.

[STATUTORY]

are you watching the games you idiot? he is double/triple teamed when he goes in the paint. Are you blind? You should apply for a coaching job. Unless you have hibbert who is ready to help a guy like paul george in the post, lebron will keep scoring. Spurs have no one like hibbert with them. Duncan isn't that strong or tall so they have to double/triple team lebron every time he is in the paint. All those open 3s were a result of that. Pop is counting on heat not being hot from 3 pt range which is a good strat.
:wtf: do you know how to read? Im saying he GETS double teamed and triple teamed... and his game thrive off that.

and I'm saying that's not the defense to play against him. The teams that do the best against Lebron always just put one guy on him because than you render him one dimensional and that dimension of his game is pretty wack

[K Xerxes]

He has been very subpar so far, but there is still 3-5 games left in this series.

[dh144498]

:wtf: do you know how to read? Im saying he GETS double teamed and triple teamed... and his game thrive off that.

and I'm saying that's not the defense to play against him. The teams that do the best against Lebron always just put one guy on him because than you render him one dimensional and that dimension of his game is pretty wack

:roll:
that dude is so mad and cannot keep his composure. He can't even read straight. :lol

[Ne 1]

... no that's exactly what plays into Lebron's hand. double and triple teams. If the coaches just play man defense on LEbron than he can't be bailed out by passing tot he open guy. His Iso game is the worst of any superstar in history of the game.

Lebron feast on double teams, if it don't come he's practically useless.

He's never been amazing or creative in a half court iso situation. Even in Cleveland, his go to move was just a strong drive by from way out to gather steam.

[r15mohd]

... no that's exactly what plays into Lebron's hand. double and triple teams. If the coaches just play man defense on LEbron than he can't be bailed out by passing tot he open guy. His Iso game is the worst of any superstar in history of the game.

Lebron feast on double teams, if it don't come he's practically useless.


if this were true, why would the call for a double/triple team in the first place :facepalm

[Rose'sACL]

:wtf: do you know how to read? Im saying he GETS double teamed and triple teamed... and his game thrive off that.

and I'm saying that's not the defense to play against him. The teams that do the best against Lebron always just put one guy on him because than you render him one dimensional and that dimension of his game is pretty wack
yes, because coaches like Pop who have actually coached for a long time don't know what you know about lebron. I am sure you will find a head coaching job if you wanted to but i know that you like the simple life and the joy of posting on insidehoops over coaching an nba team.
I am sure Pop is surprised that lebron plays for the heat and is just making adjustments because he didn't know players on the heat squad.
Pop is doing the right thing by double/triple teaming lebron in paint and making rest of the heat beat the spurs. Spurs will win in 6. Just watch.

[BlazersDozen]

LeBron's ISO game doesn't depend on crossovers or splitting a defense. He knows he's the strongest SF in the NBA so he just bulls through defenders which is why there is a need to double and triple team him on his drives to the basket. If you let Leonard stay on LeBron on an island with no help from anyone & LeBron will finish at the rim or go to the line I'd say 8/10 times. Leonard is quick enough to stay in front of LeBron but he's not strong enough to keep LeBron from going through him or even posting him up. These are professional coaches who have been doing this for decades. Don't you think they have a reason to double and triple team LeBron James besides ESPN praising his existence & the size of his annual salary?

[Crafty]

... no that's exactly what plays into Lebron's hand. double and triple teams. If the coaches just play man defense on LEbron than he can't be bailed out by passing tot he open guy. His Iso game is the worst of any superstar in history of the game.

Lebron feast on double teams, if it don't come he's practically useless.
Then why is he double and triple teamed?

[STATUTORY]

if this were true, why would the call for a double/triple team in the first place :facepalm
herd mentality. most of the nba coaches are barely literate, they get those jobs cause of connections and fraternity of coaching. That's why they are very risk averse and reluctant to deviate from the orthodoxy, such as doubling Lebron.

[Ne 1]

:wtf: do you know how to read? Im saying he GETS double teamed and triple teamed... and his game thrive off that.

and I'm saying that's not the defense to play against him. The teams that do the best against Lebron always just put one guy on him because than you render him one dimensional and that dimension of his game is pretty wack

He's very limited offensively. The only way LeBron scores is through the fastbreak, bulldozing to the paint and making spot up shoots.

No mid-range game, no crossovers, no fadeaways, no catch and shoot off a screen, no jab steps, no fakes, no foot work, his jumper is inconsistent, no post up game. When he can dominate athletically with dunks and layups he's amazing. When he can't he's ordinary.

[LongLiveTheKing]

herd mentality. most of the nba coaches are barely literate, they get those jobs cause of connections and fraternity of coaching. That's why they are very risk averse and reluctant to deviate from the orthodoxy, such as doubling Lebron.
Yeah because Pop is a stupid coach. :biggums:

[Rose'sACL]

LeBron's ISO game doesn't depend on crossovers or splitting a defense. He knows he's the strongest SF in the NBA so he just bulls through defenders which is why there is a need to double and triple team him on his drives to the basket. If you let Leonard stay on LeBron on an island with no help from anyone & LeBron will finish at the rim or go to the line I'd say 8/10 times. Leonard is quick enough to stay in front of LeBron but he's not strong enough to keep LeBron from going through him or even posting him up. These are professional coaches who have been doing this for decades. Don't you think they have a reason to double and triple team LeBron James besides ESPN praising his existence & the size of his annual salary?
these idiots have never been on a basketball court. Pop's strategy is pretty good. If heat still somehow win this series, there is not much that can be done. I think spurs win 2 at home and win in 6.

[jstern]

Yeah, his 13 rpg isn't skewed at all by the 18 rebound anomaly in game 1.

He's gotten 18 rebounds three times in his career, and 19 rebounds twice in his career.

5 times in 898 games.
That's like saying Kobe's FG% was skewed in 2010 because he had an incredible 3rd quarter in game 6 or 5. You can't just say his rebounding don't count because he got 18 rebounds in one game.

[aj1987]

herd mentality. most of the nba coaches are barely literate, they get those jobs cause of connections and fraternity of coaching. That's why they are very risk averse and reluctant to deviate from the orthodoxy, such as doubling Lebron.
:facepalm

[BlazersDozen]

He's very limited offensively. The only way LeBron scores is through the fastbreak, bulldozing to the paint and making spot up shoots.
No mid-range game, no crossovers, no fadeaways, no catch and shoot off a screen, no jab steps, no fakes, no foot work, his jumper is inconsistent, no post up game. When he can dominate athletically with dunks and layups he's amazing. When he can't he's ordinary.

I swear I've seen LeBron do six of those things listed at an above average level.

I mean, John Stockton didn't use cross overs, so he must've been offensively limited too right?

[CavaliersFTW]

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pq51vIwjoKo/UXlWtHIm8tI/AAAAAAAAB6k/56RUKoyz15E/s320/spotlight.jpg
I think I see Lebron's outline hiding in the shadows :lol

[Rose'sACL]

He's very limited offensively. The only way LeBron scores is through the fastbreak, bulldozing to the paint and making spot up shoots.
No mid-range game, no crossovers, no fadeaways, no catch and shoot off a screen, no jab steps, no fakes, no foot work, his jumper is inconsistent, no post up game. When he can dominate athletically with dunks and layups he's amazing. When he can't he's ordinary.
he is a pretty good 3 pt shooter now but he and most intelligent players/coaches know that open 3s are always better unless you are Curry. also, his passing is what makes him dangerous even though he doesn't have the offensive game kobe does but you have to double/triple team him in paint. He scores even if it doesn't look pretty. He scores more than kobe and at better fg% while shooting nearly same amount of 3s as kobe. Right now he is a better 3 pt shooter than kobe and anyone who watches NBA would agree with me.

[BlazersDozen]

these idiots have never been on a basketball court. Pop's strategy is pretty good. If heat still somehow win this series, there is not much that can be done. I think spurs win 2 at home and win in 6.

I think Miami wins in 7. Spurs have to do something to grab back the momentum of this series after that blow out TONIGHT because they can't beat Miami in back to back games.

[STATUTORY]

I swear I've seen LeBron do six of those things listed at an above average level.

I mean, John Stockton didn't use cross overs, so he must've been offensively limited too right?

John Stockton was limited in iso situations, which is what we are discussing pertaining to Lebron.

That's why Stockton relied primarily on PnR to be a factor on offense JUST LIKE LEBROn

[ProfessorMurder]

That's like saying Kobe's FG% was skewed in 2010 because he had an incredible 3rd quarter in game 6 or 5. You can't just say his rebounding don't count because he got 18 rebounds in one game.

I'm not saying it doesn't count, I'm saying you shouldn't be praising an average for something that will never happen again.

Saying, "He got 18 rebounds in game 1, that was great!" is a lot different from, "He's averaging 13.5 in the finals, that's amazing."

The second is totally misleading.

[BlazersDozen]

John Stockton was limited in iso situations, which is what we are discussing pertaining to Lebron.

That's why Stockton relied primarily on PnR to be a factor on offense JUST LIKE LEBROn

& I see no problem with that. Team ball is much more effective than iso. I'm a Blazers fan & had to sit through plenty of Nate McMillian years of Brandon Roy iso plays to win games when he had the perfect pick and roll or pick and pop player, LaMarcus Aldridge playing right with him.

Why would you iso John Stockton when he has Karl Malone? Teams win championships, not individuals.

[aj1987]

& I see no problem with that. Team ball is much more effective than iso. I'm a Blazers fan & had to sit through plenty of Nate McMillian years of Brandon Roy iso plays to win games when he had the perfect pick and roll or pick and pop player, LaMarcus Aldridge playing right with him.

Why would you iso John Stockton when he has Karl Malone? Teams win championships, not individuals.
He's a Kobe stan. He wants to see hero ball more than he wants the Lakers to win. The concept of team play is lost when it comes to Kobe stans. When they do see proper team play, i.e. watching the Heat/Spurs play, they hate it.

[fpliii]

I think LeBron needs to crash the boards hard and look to post up early and often tonight. If he plays like a big, I see Miami stealing G3.

[DMV2]

I don't know why people are saying LeBron is getting double teamed and triple teamed. Maybe I'm watching a different Finals but it looks to me that Leonard is doing a good job on him. Some of that is due to LeBron passiveness and not looking to score.

[jlip]

I never look at any averages with the sample size is just two.

[Pointguard]

I think if spurs keep double-triple teaming him whenver he drives to the basket, he should just keep finding open team mates unless they go cold from 3 pt range again.
Pop is doing great. Heat can't be hot from 3 for too long. Just keep double/triple teaming lebron and make the reast of them beat you.
I think spurs win in 6.
I was thinking the opposite. They have been cold for too long - no champion team stays cold for three weeks. Wade and Bosh are likely to have 1 big game each. Ray Allen and Miller are likely to have 3 between them. That's enough if Lebron is focused. Outside of the Indiana final Miami has been beating everybody while playing a 7/10 at best, and never going to 8/10. They've been jump shooters without confidence. The Miami team that was crushing the league in March would beat this SA team in 5.

If SA was a hungry team, they might actually be hungry but its hard to tell, then this Miami team would be ripe for the taking as this Heat team is in coast mode. I have Miami in six.

[jstern]

I'm not saying it doesn't count, I'm saying you shouldn't be praising an average for something that will never happen again.

Saying, "He got 18 rebounds in game 1, that was great!" is a lot different from, "He's averaging 13.5 in the finals, that's amazing."

The second is totally misleading.
Then do you agree that it's ridiculous for the OP to criticize anyone based on two games?

[DonDadda59]

Advance zone defense. Also players are bigger, stronger, and faster than they were when Shaq was carrying Bean in the finals 11-13 years ago. This is why Lebron has looked so pedestrian in these finals so far. I'm making a youtube video about this very subject. Trying to get my voice to right squeaky, prepubescent boy with a cold octave.

[Trollsmasher]

Lol at this shit about fake-assists:lol

Those are the same guys creating threads about the value of "Kobe assists" and meaning it seriously:roll:

[Papaya Petee]

18\13\9 sounds like Magic Johnson numbers, whose a top 5 GOAT, not bad LeBron, not bad.

[Leftimage]

18/13/9 + all-galaxy defense.

Poor Kobe stans wouldn't know greatness if it hit them in the diick.

[secund2nun]

He's also averaging 13 rebounds per game, and 8.5 assist. I wonder why the OP didn't add those.

You can almost ask the same question about Kobe in the finals OP. Except they weren't playing as much defense on him.

Because the OP sounds like a low IQ fan that is obsessed with scoring.

[secund2nun]

Yeah, his 13 rpg isn't skewed at all by the 18 rebound anomaly in game 1.

He's gotten 18 rebounds three times in his career, and 19 rebounds twice in his career.

5 times in 898 games.

So he doesn't get credit for his 18 rebounds in game one just because he happened to have one of his best rebound games ever in the NBA finals? :roll:

Also he had 8 rebounds in game 2 which is good.

[Magic 32]

18/13/9 + all-galaxy defense.

Poor Kobe stans wouldn't know greatness if it hit them in the diick.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUa8buOmT3I

[9erempiree]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUa8buOmT3I

owned.

I don't expect Lebron kids to remember young Kobe.

[chosen_wun]

Kobetards impressed by single games, LeBron has 2-3 of those in a series to go with 30+ points.

:roll:

19, 10 and 9 ...LOL.

[Ne 1]

18/13/9 + all-galaxy defense.

Poor Kobe stans wouldn't know greatness if it hit them in the diick.
But its always Kobe detractors who harp on FG% and we're always hearing about how LeBron is an efficiency God, but now it doesn't matter?

[2010splash]

2 games =/= Finals stats. When the series is over LeBron will likely approach a triple double while shooting anywhere from 47-51 FG%. I'd say something like 25/11/9 on like 48-50 FG% is easily within reach.

Kobe has only had ONE Finals series out of a total of seven where he shot > 44 FG%. He is one of the most inefficient Finals performers in NBA history. And honestly, Larry Bird had some massive choke jobs in the Finals and yet earns the "clutch" label.

[jlip]

But you see the thing is, is that in approaching athletes especially, that's something I know about. You could never dissect a player into parts. Each player is a package. You can't say, "If he did this..." or "If he thought..." or "If he didn't think..." or "If he tried this..." Invalid and irrelevant! What you got is what you got. There are certain things that you have to know to be an outstanding athlete in any sport. There's offense and defense and there are things that you can do as an individual to impact the game without having your hand or your foot on the ball.

I used to break it down. There are 48 minutes in a game. It takes a second -- a second-and-a-half, maybe two seconds -- for a three point shot. And if you add up all the shots taken in a game -- free throws don't count because the clock stops -- but if you take all the seconds added up shooting and rebounding it comes to about three minutes. Now out of a 48-minute game three minutes are concerned with shooting and rebounding. What is going on the other 45 minutes?

Some of the time you're working your offense. Every play, there is an assignment for every player on the floor. So there are five parts. How well you do your place -- where you're nowhere close to the ball or a shot -- and if you do your job correctly, that makes it an easy shot.When you're freelancing, how well do you set picks? How well do you pass the ball so that the receiver cannot only catch it but can do something with it?

--Bill Russell (http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/rus0int-2)

If only the game was still understood like this...

[branslowski]

But the same ppl defendin Bron bashed Kobe for 2010 finals in game 7 for shootin bad, but still droppin 24pts 15reb and 10 clutch points in the 4th in a close game?

:coleman:

[chazzy]

Lebron averaged 27 ppg on 64 TS% in the regular season and is averaging 17.5 ppg on 48.6 TS% these 2 games.. which is god awful. And that's including his garbage time points. There's no excuse for such a weak scoring start from him.. no doubt he picks it up though.

[tmacattack33]

But the same ppl defendin Bron bashed Kobe for 2010 finals in game 7 for shootin bad, but still droppin 24pts 15reb and 10 clutch points in the 4th in a close game?

:coleman:

In what world is 25% (6 for 24) the same thing or anything close to 42%?

[Mr. Jabbar]

In what world is 25% (6 for 24) the same thing or anything close to 42%?

lebron was 2-12 before garbage time, dont fool yourself, he shot 16% when it mattered.

revising history 2 days after the game usually doesn't work and you get caught in the next post...

[tmacattack33]

lebron was 2-12 before garbage time, dont fool yourself, he shot 16% when it mattered.

revising history 2 days after the game usually doesn't work and you get caught in the next post...


3/13 actually.

Not good, but at least he stopped at 13 and didn't go up to 24.

And I wasn't even talking about game 2, i was talking about the 42% in the thread title.

[Mr. Jabbar]

3/13 actually.

Not good, but at least he stopped at 13 and didn't go up to 24.

And I wasn't even talking about game 2, i was talking about the 42% in the thread title.

just admit hes been shooting badly and playing good def, lets carry on to the next game

[tmacattack33]

just admit hes been shooting badly and playing good def, lets carry on to the next game

ok

:rockon:

[aj1987]

just admit hes been shooting badly and playing good def, lets carry on to the next game
He has been average on the defensive end, the first two games. Not even close to being good or above average.

[G-Funk]

Let's forget the fact that Pop's entire defensive strategy is trying to stop Lebron.

With that said, continue on.
That's been the strategy vs every great player in the Finals, dumb ass.


:oldlol: this idiot wanting the Spurs to let Lebron do his thing.

[ihoopallday]

There's one thing that bothers me about LeBron. The guy has all the skills in the world to score whenever he wants to. However, he's way too passive at times. I just want him to be in 100% attack mode. No one can stop him. It's like everyone BUT LeBron knows this. You're the best basketball player on Earth. It's time to start acting like it the rest of these finals.

[DMV2]

He has been average on the defensive end, the first two games. Not even close to being good or above average.
He's been terrible at boxing Leonard and other Spurs out. Leonard is also shooting .533 so far as well.

[aj1987]

He's been terrible at boxing Leonard and other Spurs out. Leonard is also shooting .533 so far as well.
Exactly. He seems disinterested out there. No energy at all.

[G-Funk]

The irony of some of these LeBron stans/kobe haters here....
Lol this, point is neither player is better than Jordan, but i see Kobe Stans talking shit do to all the shit they heard from the nay Sayers.