How many free passes to the finals are Lebron's teams going to get?

[QUOTE]How many free passes to the finals are Lebron's [B]teammates[/B] going to get?[/QUOTE]

You made a typo.

[QUOTE=tpols]Ever since you had Joel Anthony the number one need always talked about was getting a center. You guys tried for years and actually came up with one who played amazing in 2013.. Birdman was talked as being the second best heat player out east. But There's not much Riley could've gotten to combat the west centers.. He tried desperately to get one to combat hibbert Noah west and Boozer but centers were in extremely short supply back then.. and he couldn't find one.[/QUOTE]
Come on dude you can't compare Birdman to the elite centers. Birdman was a roleplayer on the Heat, not a starter. And come on, nobody credible thinks Birdman was better than Wade or Bosh. Riley didn't have as big of a desperation to get a center as you make it out because he was in the East. If they played in the West, he probably would have pushed harder to get a center. Even a guy like Mozgov or Koufos would have done the trick. Riley didn't lobby as hard as you claim he did for a center, even though ESPN constantly talked about the Heat needing a center. Riley stuck to his guns with small ball because he could afford to in the east

Derrick Rose wasn't playing that well this season and is a choker in the playoffs so it doesn't really matter

[QUOTE=christian1923]After the Drose injury there is no other serious competition in the east.

Lets be real, Wizards, Hawks and Raps are all pretender

He's at 5 in a row now, he may get to 10 of the culture of the east doesnt change.[/QUOTE]

So the 3rd best player on the 4th best team in the conference gets hurt, and you think this means Lebron gets a free pass to the finals ?

:banghead:

Many... he is Lebron afterall... no matter what team you put him on thats an instant "free pass" to going deep in playoffs againts anybody....

Nice try with the east/west agenda there, but see... that the West is better is only factual in the regular season in the form of West having 15 teams who are overall better than the 15 in the East (but that doesnt matter, they still have to play against eachother)....

But in the playoffs the 8 playoff teams in the East will be as competitive as anything in the West, only 2 playoff teams in the West will have a better record and who knows who will rise up... Playoffs is a different beast....

I think the deeper it goes the tougher the East matchups will get (tougher than West).... Cavs vs Atlanta in ECF for example i think will be a tougher matchup than any WCF matchup...

The only difference Lebron playing in the West would make is perhaps a better 1st round competition, but nowhere close to be tough enough to risk him/his team any loss..... then it is the same great teams in east/west deep in the playoffs....

Even IF Lebron got a "free pass" to the Finals.... he still has to beat the Western team that killed everybody else to get there...... IF he wins against them, then rest assured he would have killed those other teams aswell considering they were worse than that Finals team.... When you win the championship then you have truly literally beaten anybody....

[QUOTE=christian1923]There's NOOOOO WAY your girl is at all satisfied with your Filipino fun size weewee. She'll be more excited to see me then Cleveland fans were in July 2014.[/QUOTE]
:roll: :roll:

Have to admit Louie got Ether'd hard here

Those race statistics ain't doin Lebron23 no favors!!!!

anyone ever play fall out? that ***** put all his points in luck, strength and endurance.

[QUOTE=christian1923]There's NOOOOO WAY your girl is at all satisfied with your Filipino fun size weewee. She'll be more excited to see me then Cleveland fans were in July 2014.[/QUOTE]

[url="http://tinyurl.com/m574gjd"]Lebron23 sextape[/url]

Bulls are better w/o Rose. Stupid thread

[QUOTE=christian1923]Why you so pissed?

Its a serious question? i dont dislike lebron that much, i have his shoes.[/QUOTE]
:oldlol:

I tend to get lost as to whether or not this is a players league or an owners league due to questions like these

[QUOTE=SpaceJammeR]lol everything is lebron to these fools.[/QUOTE]

Exactly. You could have figured that out when the Heat traded for Dragic which has nothing to do with Lebron/Cleveland per se, and ISH explodes with 25 threads about how this affects Lebron/Cleveland.

It is like these morons literally think about Lebron 24/7.

[QUOTE=BigTicket]So the 3rd best player on the 4th best team in the conference gets hurt, and you think this means Lebron gets a free pass to the finals ?

:banghead:[/QUOTE]
They were the biggest contender to come out of the east IMO

[QUOTE=christian1923]They were the biggest contender to come out of the east IMO[/QUOTE]
Based on what? I still don't understand why people were so high on the Bulls. :durantunimpressed:

team full of "ifs x happens, when y happens, z needs to do this, etc"

How is any of this his fault though? Maybe he's just the luckiest player in the world... :confusedshrug:

[QUOTE=jzek]How is any of this his fault though? Maybe he's just the luckiest player in the world... :confusedshrug:[/QUOTE]
Wrong, it's all his fault. Scheming bastard.

[QUOTE=Taller than CP3]5 Finals Appearances and only 2 rings, rofl what a joke[/QUOTE]
The great Kobe is only 2-2 as the alpha.

Its karma for being stuck on a chitty Cleveland team for 7 years at the start of his career

[QUOTE=buddha]anyone ever play fall out? that ***** put all his points in luck, strength and endurance.[/QUOTE]

dude probably got all the mid- game New Vegas implants as well:(

[QUOTE=SugarHill]Based on what? I still don't understand why people were so high on the Bulls. :durantunimpressed:

team full of "ifs x happens, when y happens, z needs to do this, etc"[/QUOTE]
36-21
Great bigs
Jimmy butler
Rose
Great bench
Thibs.

They had the recipe.

[QUOTE=SugarHill]Based on what? I still don't understand why people were so high on the Bulls. :durantunimpressed:

team full of "ifs x happens, when y happens, z needs to do this, etc"[/QUOTE]
Because it's THE BULLS. They gotta be contenders right I mean come on they're THE BULLS. It doesn't matter how many teams are clearly outplaying them on the years they are THE BULLS. They gotta good, right?

[QUOTE=tpols][B]Heat didn't face one 50 win team in 2013[/B].. the east won 39% of games vs the west in 2014 and the best team Indy imploded right before the playoffs. [B]It was all time bad[/B].Heat could've had Brandon Jennings as the second option and they still would be been at an advantage lol..

magic had a winning record in the finals.. and was a ruthless competitor and alpha.. lmao at comparing him to LeBron James.[/QUOTE]
No, this is in the running for all time bad.

1987 Champion Lakers
1st round 3-0 > 8th seed 37-45 Nuggets
2nd round 4-1 > 5th seed 42-40 Golden St.
WCF 4-0 > 7th seed 39-43 Seattle

118W-128L the combined record of the 3 teams Magic / Lakers faced before the Finals. ZERO 50 win teams and a team BARELY over .500 was their toughest competition.

[url]http://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/NBA_1987.html[/url]
[url]http://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_1987.html[/url]

1982 Champion Lakers
1st round bye
2nd round 4-0 > 5th seed 46-36 Suns
WCF 4-0 > 2nd seed 48-34 Spurs

ZERO 50 win teams faced before the Finals plus getting a first round bye!!

[url]http://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_1982.html[/url]

I guess that means Magic only has 3 rings, right?

[QUOTE=Hey Yo]No, this is in the running for all time bad.

1987 Champion Lakers
1st round 3-0 > 8th seed 37-45 Nuggets
2nd round 4-1 > 5th seed 42-40 Golden St.
WCF 4-0 > 7th seed 39-43 Seattle

118W-128L the combined record of the 3 teams Magic / Lakers faced before the Finals. ZERO 50 win teams and a team BARELY over .500 was their toughest competition.

[url]http://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/NBA_1987.html[/url]
[url]http://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_1987.html[/url]

1982 Champion Lakers
1st round bye
2nd round 4-0 > 5th seed 46-36 Suns
WCF 4-0 > 2nd seed 48-34 Spurs

ZERO 50 win teams faced before the Finals plus getting a first round bye!!

[url]http://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_1982.html[/url]

I guess that means Magic only has 3 rings, right?[/QUOTE]
.

The poster who replied to me said something about wade/supporting cast being shit.. to which I replied that the Heat faced really poor competition in the time period that wade was underperforming.. so it evens out. Case in point.. you had to go back 3 decades to find similarly bad competition. That's pretty bad.

Magic also led his teams to victory against the tougher east majority of the time.. Bron has a losing record against t he west in the playoffs and is one shot away from being an embarrassing 1-4. To act like he wouldn't have won less playing in the west his whole career is truly absurd.

[QUOTE=pauk]Many... he is Lebron afterall... no matter what team you put him on thats an instant "free pass" to going deep in playoffs againts anybody....

Nice try with the east/west agenda there, but see... that the West is better is only factual in the regular season in the form of West having 15 teams who are overall better than the 15 in the East (but that doesnt matter, they still have to play against eachother)....

But in the playoffs the 8 playoff teams in the East will be as competitive as anything in the West, only 2 playoff teams in the West will have a better record and who knows who will rise up... Playoffs is a different beast....

I think the deeper it goes the tougher the East matchups will get (tougher than West).... Cavs vs Atlanta in ECF for example i think will be a tougher matchup than any WCF matchup...

The only difference Lebron playing in the West would make is perhaps a better 1st round competition, but nowhere close to be tough enough to risk him/his team any loss..... then it is the same great teams in east/west deep in the playoffs....

[B]Even IF Lebron got a "free pass" to the Finals.... he still has to beat the Western team that killed everybody else to get there...... IF he wins against them, then rest assured he would have killed those other teams aswell considering they were worse than that Finals team.... When you win the championship then you have truly literally beaten anybody.[/B]...[/QUOTE]

:biggums: Not true at all. It's all about matchups. Instead of having to defeat 4 tough teams Bran only has to defeat one.

[QUOTE=tpols]To act like he wouldn't have won less playing in the west his whole career is truly absurd.[/QUOTE]
Put Kobe in the East and he'd be lucky to make the Finals in his career. Dude historically struggles against the East. Oh, and Kobe was lucky to have 2 HOF bigs. Dude would be ringless without them.

Goes both ways, buddy.

[QUOTE=aj1987]Put Kobe in the East and he'd be lucky to make the Finals in his career. Dude historically struggles against the East. Oh, and Kobe was lucky to have 2 HOF bigs. Dude would be ringless without them.

Goes both ways, buddy.[/QUOTE]

Without Kobe Gasol wouldn't sniff the hall of fame. He would be an empty stats loser like shareef abdur-rahim.

[QUOTE=Ca$H]Without Kobe Gasol wouldn't sniff the hall of fame. He would be an empty stats loser like shareef abdur-rahim.[/QUOTE]
And what does that have to do with Kobe not being able to win without Gasol?

[QUOTE=aj1987]And what does that have to do with Kobe not being able to win without Gasol?[/QUOTE]

Your so stupid it makes 0 sense...... Lebron had a stacked squad in all his chips and hes still 2/5

Kobe would get to the Finals in the East with no doubt in my mind. He did it against better competition.

He also wouldnt go from averaging 30 PPG to 17 PPG on 36FG% and choke like Lebron did against Dallas. Kobe destroys dallas

your just a hater who dont give credit to players that are comparable to Lebron

[QUOTE=aj1987]Put Kobe in the East and he'd be lucky to make the Finals in his career. Dude historically struggles against the East. Oh, and Kobe was lucky to have 2 HOF bigs. Dude would be ringless without them.

Goes both ways, buddy.[/QUOTE]

I wish kobe was in the east in the mid 2000s.. facing wizards instead of the contending loaded suns.. would've been easiest first couple rounds ever especially after the rule changes didnt allow Detroit to play as physical anymore and their top defenders were exiting their prime. Would've been a very probable finals run right there.. Then you add pau and their best competition in 09 and 10 would've been two teams they beat in Orlando and celtics.. two rings..

Then in 2011 they'd get to face chicago as their toughest opponent.. a team they were built to beat with Bynum emerging as one of the best centers in the league plus still having pau and odom.. even if they declined Chicago wouldn't have had the big man advantage they relied on to win. That's another finals trip right there.

2012 was peak Bynum Gasol and kobe getting to play a young indy team.. and then an ancient boston team instead of harden Durant Westbrook thunder who all went off on LA.. they couldn't deal with that perimeter explosion but we're built to play slower bogged down teams like indy and the Celtics with the la front count they had. Another finals.

And all that isn't even counting prime shaq kobe in the early 2000 east.. which they very well could've made the finals 6 or 7 years in a row.

If kobe was in the east he would've broke the record for finals appearances..:lol probably would've had a few more finals losses though.. not on some 2/5 shit though

[QUOTE=Ca$H]:biggums: Not true at all. It's all about matchups. Instead of having to defeat 4 tough teams Bran only has to defeat one.[/QUOTE]

Exactly.

[QUOTE=Jlamb47]Your so stupid it makes 0 sense...... Lebron had a stacked squad in all his chips and hes still 2/5

Kobe would get to the Finals in the East with no doubt in my mind. He did it against better competition.

He also wouldnt go from averaging 30 PPG to 17 PPG on 36FG% and choke like Lebron did against Dallas. Kobe destroys dallas

your just a hater who dont give credit to players that are comparable to Lebron[/QUOTE]
Salty ******. Your reading comprehension is on par with that of a 4 year old.

[QUOTE=aj1987]Salty ******. Your reading comprehension is on par with that of a 4 year old.[/QUOTE]

I forgot were in English class

[QUOTE=tpols]I wish kobe was in the east in the mid 2000s.. facing wizards instead of the contending loaded suns.. would've been easiest first couple rounds ever especially after the rule changes didnt allow Detroit to play as physical anymore and their top defenders were exiting their prime. Would've been a very probable finals run right there.. Then you add pau and their best competition in 09 and 10 would've been two teams they beat in Orlando and celtics.. two rings..[/quote]
Yeah, because he would beat the '05 and '06 Pistons and Heat with ease. :oldlol:

[QUOTE=tpols]Then in 2011 they'd get to face chicago as their toughest opponent.. a team they were built to beat with Bynum emerging as one of the best centers in the league plus still having pau and odom.. even if they declined Chicago wouldn't have had the big man advantage they relied on to win. That's another finals trip right there.[/quote]
Why are Bynum and Pau in the East? Even if they are, they are not getting past the Bulls in '11. Who's locking down Rose like Wade and LeBron did? Kobe in '11? :oldlol:

[QUOTE=tpols]2012 was peak Bynum Gasol and kobe getting to play a young indy team.. and then an ancient boston team instead of harden Durant Westbrook thunder who all went off on LA.. they couldn't deal with that perimeter explosion but we're built to play slower bogged down teams like indy and the Celtics with the la front count they had. Another finals.[/quote]
Durant, Westbrook, and Harden would literally rape the Lakers. Imagine Kobe getting past the physical East defenses (which he historically struggles against) and going to meet the Thunder. Do they have a good enough backcourt to shutdown Harden and slowdown WB? Nope.

[QUOTE=tpols]And all that isn't even counting prime shaq kobe in the early 2000 east.. which they very well could've made the finals 6 or 7 years in a row.[/quote]
Yeah, they probably could've. Give '05-'11 Wade '98-'04 Shaq, and he's probably win 6 rings in that span. Heck give '07-'13 LeBron the same Shaq and he'd probably win all the rings.

[QUOTE=tpols]If kobe was in the east he would've broke the record for finals appearances..:lol probably would've had a few more finals losses though.. not on some 2/5 shit though[/QUOTE]
He probably would. Considering the FACT that he got carried by HOF bigs almost his ENTIRE career. :roll:

[QUOTE=Jlamb47]I forgot were in English class[/QUOTE]
:roll:

I just cannot... :oldlol:

[QUOTE=aj1987]Yeah, because he would beat the '05 and '06 Pistons and Heat with ease. :oldlol:
[/QUOTE]

Who said anything about beating those teams with ease? I'm referring to 2007.. which was a joke of a finals run. Competition was either trash or old and washed up. Then facing San Antonio in the finals a team kobe notoriously beats up on.. shit that could've been a hakeem level ring.:eek:


[QUOTE=aj1987]Why are Bynum and Pau in the East? Even if they are, they are not getting past the Bulls in '11. Who's locking down Rose like Wade and LeBron did? Kobe in '11? :oldlol:
[/QUOTE]


Uh because those were kobes teammates? You want to give him prime Dwayne wade and Chris Bosh instead lol? either way that was another weak year. Whose locking up rose? .. he shot poor in every round that year and would have to try and finish at the rim over twin towers.. his jumper was broke in those playoffs. One man army's are rarely successful unless we're talking top 10 or 20 players of all time and even then it's tough..


[QUOTE=aj1987]
Durant, Westbrook, and Harden would literally rape the Lakers. Imagine Kobe getting past the physical East defenses (which he historically struggles against) and going to meet the Thunder. Do they have a good enough backcourt to shutdown Harden and slowdown WB? Nope.
[/QUOTE]


Thats exacty why I said they would've lost in the finals a few more times.. you were asserting they would "never make it".. youre flip floppin and trolling hard as hell. And not even being smart about it.


[QUOTE=aj1987]
Yeah, they probably could've. Give '05-'11 Wade '98-'04 Shaq, and he's probably win 6 rings in that span. Heck give '07-'13 LeBron the same Shaq and he'd probably win all the rings.
[/QUOTE]

with wade health dropping off for years at a time your scenarios are just.. mind blowingly stupid. They would have had great success but obviously couldn't match what you're saying.

Lebron would've struggled with shaq.. playing with a guy who clogs the paint and attracts many defenders towards it.. would be a disaster for Lebron's driving game. And young lebron was not a shooter.. they relied on kobes midrange game to give the team proper spacing. It would've been all our of whack with lebron. That's not even counting the fact that lEbron ball would not be compatible with the triangle at all.


[QUOTE=aj1987]
He probably would. Considering the FACT that he got carried by HOF bigs almost his ENTIRE career. :roll:
:[/QUOTE]

So you go from "kobe would never make the finals playing in the east" to agreeing with me that he would break the all time finals appearances record.....

:lol

[QUOTE=tpols]Who said anything about beating those teams with ease? I'm referring to 2007.. which was a joke of a finals run. Competition was either trash or old and washed up. Then facing San Antonio in the finals a team kobe notoriously beats up on.. shit that could've been a hakeem level ring.:eek: [/quote]
Lol @ Kobe beating the '07 Spurs with either the '09/'10 Lakers or the '07 Cav's. Just laughable. Dude would've folded worse than LeBron and we're talking about peak Kobe.

[QUOTE=tpols]Uh because those were kobes teammates? You want to give him prime Dwayne wade and Chris Bosh instead lol? either way that was another weak year. Whose locking up rose? .. he shot poor in every round that year and would have to try and finish at the rim over twin towers.. his jumper was broke in those playoffs. One man army's are rarely successful unless we're talking top 10 or 20 players of all time and even then it's tough..[/quote]
Are you ****ing stupid? Miami went through the 56 win Celtics and the 62 win Bulls (#1, #2, and #7 ranked defensive teams). Yeah, Rose would destroy Kobe and his overrated defense. The Lakers would probably lose in 5 or 6, considering the FACT that Wade was pretty average-bad that series.

[QUOTE=tpols]Thats exacty why I said they would've lost in the finals a few more times.. you were asserting they would "never make it".. youre flip floppin and trolling hard as hell. And not even being smart about it.[/quote]
I was just using that as an example. "Imagine Kobe getting past the...". He wouldn't, but imagine. Again, reading comprehension.

[QUOTE=tpols] with wade health dropping off for years at a time your scenarios are just.. mind blowingly stupid. They would have had great success but obviously couldn't match what you're saying.[/quote]
:oldlol:

Shaq... If he can carry '00 Kobe to a Ring, he'd sure as **** be able to take '05-'11 Wade to several. Are you seriously this stupid? Wade was injured, but he never missed the PO's. He missed 2 Playoff games dude to injuries in his ENTIRE career. He was injured in '07 and '08, but I don't remember his health dropping in '09, '10, and '11. In fact, he has his best seasons after his injuries. You must be living in some alternate universe.

[QUOTE=tpols]Lebron would've struggled with shaq.. playing with a guy who clogs the paint and attracts many defenders towards it.. would be a disaster for Lebron's driving game. And young lebron was not a shooter.. they relied on kobes midrange game to give the team proper spacing. It would've been all our of whack with lebron. That's not even counting the fact that lEbron ball would not be compatible with the triangle at all.[/quote]
Didn't people also say that LeBron would struggle to play with Wade? How did that work out for the league. All I remember is tears from idiots like you who were crying how it was unfair and shit. LeBron actually feeding the ball to Shaq instead if jacking up garbage ass fadeaway would be more beneficial to the team.

[QUOTE=tpols]So 6 of go from "kobe would never make the finals playing in the east" to agreeing with me that he would break the all time finals appearances record.....

:lol[/QUOTE]
If he was playing with Shaq and Pau, sure. Not if he was playing on the teams that LeBron was playing on.

This shit is stupid. In what universe does it make sense to transplant another player into another conference and then bring his teammates?

So if Lebron is drafted by a Western Conference team, he doesnt get a Western Conference organization? His first few years in the draft, his team doesnt get a higher draft picks and better players?

The entire Miami team just goes straight to the West and literally the entire team stays the same, nothing different happens? Do you realize how many variable you are throwing in play?

Quit being a retard. What if nonsense. I can play that game too. Kobe would have zero rings if he stayed in Charlotte. Garbage franchise. Oh wow, that was easy.

Cut out the what if nonsense because your butthurt that Derek Rose's chucking ass is gone. Dude wasnt going to do shit in the playoffs anyways.

[QUOTE=aj1987]Lol @ Kobe beating the '07 Spurs with either the '09/'10 Lakers or the '07 Cav's. Just laughable. Dude would've folded worse than LeBron and we're talking about peak Kobe. [/QUOTE]


Why would kobe have the 09 or 10 Lakers supporting cast in 2007 Finals against the spurs? He would have.. what he had in 2007. Which was a scottie pippen light in lamar odom and a bunch of scrubs. But weve seen Kobe absolutely torch the spurs.. even the very next year.. so of course its not out of the realm of possibility he couldve done it at his absolute peak in 2007.

Comparing lebron against the spurs to Kobe? The guy who chokes vs pop and gets dismantled against a team that is elite at protecting the rim and likes to concede the midrange shot? Styles make fights.. and one happens to have a very favorable matchup while the other doesnt at all.


[QUOTE=aj1987]
Are you ****ing stupid? Miami went through the 56 win Celtics and the 62 win Bulls (#1, #2, and #7 ranked defensive teams). Yeah, Rose would destroy Kobe and his overrated defense. The Lakers would probably lose in 5 or 6, considering the FACT that Wade was pretty average-bad that series.
[/QUOTE]

Lakers played an ancient boston team that they beat the very previous year and a one man army bulls team that struggled in the first few rounds mightily. The competition was a joke. Do you know what you sound like?

BUT THE 56 WINZ CELTICS!

Like what?

LA beat them the previous year when they were all still prime.. the next year they were basically geriatrics.


[QUOTE=aj1987]
Shaq... If he can carry '00 Kobe to a Ring, he'd sure as **** be able to take '05-'11 Wade to several. Are you seriously this stupid? Wade was injured, but he never missed the PO's. He missed 2 Playoff games dude to injuries in his ENTIRE career. He was injured in '07 and '08, but I don't remember his health dropping in '09, '10, and '11. In fact, he has his best seasons after his injuries. You must be living in some alternate universe.[/QUOTE]

Wade was hurt in 2007 and 2008 you moron.. Shaq still needed kobe to be a 20+ppg scorer and close games. Wade could not do that from a wheelchair. So your 6 rings scenario flies right out the window.


[QUOTE=aj1987]
Didn't people also say that LeBron would struggle to play with Wade? How did that work out for the league. All I remember is tears from idiots like you who were crying how it was unfair and shit. LeBron actually feeding the ball to Shaq instead if jacking up garbage ass fadeaway would be more beneficial to the team.
[/QUOTE]

Wade doesnt clog the paint like shaq.. he played on the perimeter. Shaq was the most doubled player of all time parked 5-8 feet from the basket. Put your gdamn helmet on.

[QUOTE=Lebron23]I have a bigger dick than you. I'll pm it to you later.[/QUOTE]
Yo Lebron23 I got your PM by accident. Can I just say that getting a semi and pretending that its on the flop doesn't count. Fully soft or fully hard or don't bother.

[QUOTE=tpols].

The poster who replied to me said something about wade/supporting cast being shit.. to which I replied that the Heat faced really poor competition in the time period that wade was underperforming.. so it evens out. Case in point.. you had to go back 3 decades to find similarly bad competition. That's pretty bad.

Magic also led his teams to victory against the tougher east majority of the time.. Bron has a losing record against t he west in the playoffs and is one shot away from being an embarrassing 1-4. To act like he wouldn't have won less playing in the west his whole career is truly absurd.[/QUOTE]
You're the one who stressed "50 win teams" as if that's the tell all win # when it comes to the quality of playoff opponents.

Wade underperforming doesn't even it out when the combined W-L record of the Heat 2013 playoff opponents (Bucks, Bulls, Pacers) was 132-113. That's not even close to being similar to the pathetic 118-128 W-L record which the 87 Lakers faced.

[url]http://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_2013_standings.html[/url]

If James' title teams got a first round bye and or a 5 game first round series and Magic faced the James titles format, you guys would be crying about how James had it easy with the bye and 5 game 1st round series. How he got to rest up.

Magic is 5-4 in the Finals which yes, is a winning record but hardly dominant. Replace LeBron with Magic those first 7yrs in Cleveland and see how many titles or even Finals appearances he gets to when having to actually face teams who play defense while having mediocre bigs as teammates.

2013 Finals Game 7. Both Bosh (28min) and Mike Miller (19mins) started that game. 47mins played, combined for ZERO points. Game 6 savior Ray Allen (20mins) off the bench, ZERO points. How many must win Finals games did Magic win, when 2 starters and a key bench player go scoreless for 67mins and still get the victory? Think it's safe to say he's never been in that scenario.

[url]http://espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?id=400467339[/url]

Bottom line is, when people talk about easiest path to the Finals, Magic and those 2 Lakers teams should be mentioned first every time. Not 2013 LeBron and Miami.

[QUOTE=Hey Yo]You're the one who stressed "50 win teams" as if that's the tell all win # when it comes to the quality of playoff opponents.

Wade underperforming doesn't even it out when the combined W-L record of the Heat 2013 playoff opponents (Bucks, Bulls, Pacers) was 132-113. That's not even close to being similar to the pathetic 118-128 W-L record which the 87 Lakers faced.

[url]http://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_2013_standings.html[/url]

If James' title teams got a first round bye and or a 5 game first round series and Magic faced the James titles format, you guys would be crying about how James had it easy with the bye and 5 game 1st round series. How he got to rest up.[/QUOTE]

I've never denied magic had it easy on his way to the finals.. it's a fact just like lebron has. But magic has had a signifigantly better record against the tougher conference opponents in the playoffs than James has. LeBron even has a losing record against the West in the playoffs after joining prime Wade and bosh so team strength is no excuse.


[QUOTE=Hey Yo]Magic is 5-4 in the Finals which yes, is a winning record but hardly dominant. Replace LeBron with Magic those first 7yrs in Cleveland and see how many titles or even Finals appearances he gets to when having to actually face teams who play defense while having mediocre bigs as teammates.

2013 Finals Game 7. Both Bosh (28min) and Mike Miller (19mins) started that game. 47mins played, combined for ZERO points. Game 6 savior Ray Allen (20mins) off the bench, ZERO points. How many must win Finals games did Magic win, when 2 starters and a key bench player go scoreless for 67mins and still get the victory? Think it's safe to say he's never been in that scenario.

[url]http://espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?id=400467339[/url]

Bottom line is, when people talk about easiest path to the Finals, Magic and those 2 Lakers teams should be mentioned first every time. Not 2013 LeBron and Miami.[/QUOTE]

huge myth that Cleveland bigs were mediocre.. they were a top rebounding and defensive frontcourt.. they took 08 boston to 7 games despite lebron shooting like 35% and playing awful. And especially in the late 2000s they were always top ranked in rebounding and defense. And it clearly wasn't lebron boosting that ranking since Miami was one of the worst rebounding teams in the league even after lebron joined them. it wasn't some great supporting cast but it was passable.. and the Cavs were favored in especially the 2010 series they lost..

And prime magic may not have done any better with Cleveland than lebron did but he sure as hell would've done better with wade and bosh.. they would've three peated with ease with showtime running the show.


To your last point about game 7 Shane batter stepped up and hit like 7/7 threes.. everytime the guy shot he broke the Spurs back. And it can be easily argued that magic wouldn't have reduced bosh role like lebron did that year as he's one of the greatest facilitators of all time and knows how to orchestrate a free flowing offense that doesn't consist of holding the ball for long periods of time and being indecisive.

He also knew his teammates strengths in and out and would work within their games.. Where as players often have to do the reverse with lebron and fit [I]his[/I] style.