Lebron a couple years ago was SCARY fast

[che guevara]

that was a better example

Still nowhere near some of the fast breaks I've seen from his Cleveland days though. Compare it to a dunk like this and it looks like he's laboring:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyBT7xEdnAw

Also his speed on chasedowns from his Cavs days was clearly superior, look how easily he gets up the court here:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=5od9O8kPtEc#t=0m38s

[Rake2204]

Still nowhere near some of the fast breaks I've seen from his Cleveland days though. Compare it to a dunk like this and it looks like he's laboring:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyBT7xEdnAw

Also his speed on chasedowns from his Cavs days was clearly superior, look how easily he gets up the court here:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=5od9O8kPtEc#t=0m38s

Both of those were good examples but I do have some off topic beef with the second clip. When they show replays of chasedown blocks, there's always announcers who say, "He has no business being in those plays, look how far away he is." They said the same thing for Tayshaun Prince (and I love the Pistons and that Prince block). But I just don't find it that amazing to know they made up that space. To me, that's how chasedown blocks work. A speeding defender is trailing an offensive player either slightly slowed by having to dribble, accelerating while the defender is in a sprint, or dealing with a separate defender besides the trailer.

I mean, it's an awesome play regardless, but I just never found the "distance" between one player and another to be the spectacular thing.

[RoseCity07]

There's a highlight mix of Wade where Wade looks like he was shot out of a cannon. That doesn't even look real either. Looks like fast forward.

[Ai2death]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62sVb...e_gdata_player

[Money 23]

There is two examples from the same game of LeBron's speed and quickness.

Both come in game 3, 1st round v.s. the Bulls (2010)

One's a head of steam transition dunk where he blows past Deng and throws it down on the entire Bulls roster.

The other is where out of a triple threat he ZOOMS past Kirk Hinrich, one of the best and quickest on ball defenders in the game.

Shame he doesn't have those 2008, 2009, and 2010 abilities now. Miami would be down right frightening if LeBron had the physical abilities to score whenever he wanted to again in the half court.

[Eric Cartman]

There is two examples from the same game of LeBron's speed and quickness.

Both come in game 3, 1st round v.s. the Bulls (2010)

One's a head of steam transition dunk where he blows past Deng and throws it down on the entire Bulls roster.

The other is where out of a triple threat he ZOOMS past Kirk Hinrich, one of the best and quickest on ball defenders in the game.

Shame he doesn't have those 2008, 2009, and 2010 abilities now. Miami would be down right frightening if LeBron had the physical abilities to score whenever he wanted to again in the half court.

Yeah except he does. He hasn't lost anything he is 27 for f*cks sake. Add in the fact that he is a better post player now than he ever was.

[Money 23]

Yeah except he does. He hasn't lost anything he is 27 for f*cks sake. Add in the fact that he is a better post player now than he ever was.

He's lost a lot of physical abilities. He's not near this quick and explosive.

He's 27, but he has ten years of NBA mileage on his body. That isn't a regular 27 year old.

He scores most of his buckets off transition baskets and free throws.

[Pointguard]

Seeing Lebron live makes you blink to adjust your reality scans.

He and Derrick Rose seem distinguishably different from anybody else in real time. You would think Lebron could run into a brick house with his speed and power.

[eliteballer]

There's a highlight mix of Wade where Wade looks like he was shot out of a cannon. That doesn't even look real either. Looks like fast forward.

People don't understand the difference between "real time" and video frame rates.

[che guevara]

There is two examples from the same game of LeBron's speed and quickness.

Both come in game 3, 1st round v.s. the Bulls (2010)

One's a head of steam transition dunk where he blows past Deng and throws it down on the entire Bulls roster.

The other is where out of a triple threat he ZOOMS past Kirk Hinrich, one of the best and quickest on ball defenders in the game.

Shame he doesn't have those 2008, 2009, and 2010 abilities now. Miami would be down right frightening if LeBron had the physical abilities to score whenever he wanted to again in the half court.

Yeah, he was looking as explosive as he ever had in the '10 playoffs, but it's like he used it up or something because his athleticism evaporated after the 2010 playoffs were over. Usually it's a gradual decline over a few years, but with Lebron it happened in 3-4 months during the offseason.

[Money 23]

Yeah, he was looking as explosive as he ever had in the '10 playoffs, but it's like he used it up or something because his athleticism evaporated after the 2010 playoffs were over. Usually it's a gradual decline over a few years, but with Lebron it happened in 3-4 months during the offseason.

I know, it was so weird.

Actually his athleticism and quickness was still there for his preseason games as a member of the Heat v.s. Detroit and Atlanta ... then it just disappeared.

Obviously he's still really athletic, but his quickness and first step is no where NEAR where it used to be.

In 2011 it was atrocious, in 2012 it started to get a little bit better. I don't know if that first year he was partying a lot down on South Beach? Gained weight? Maybe had some lingering annoyances in his legs or knees that we weren't privy about as fans?

Either way, the decline was noticeable. And it came sudden, and quick.

[Pointguard]

Both of those were good examples but I do have some off topic beef with the second clip. When they show replays of chasedown blocks, there's always announcers who say, "He has no business being in those plays, look how far away he is." They said the same thing for Tayshaun Prince (and I love the Pistons and that Prince block). But I just don't find it that amazing to know they made up that space. To me, that's how chasedown blocks work. A speeding defender is trailing an offensive player either slightly slowed by having to dribble, accelerating while the defender is in a sprint, or dealing with a separate defender besides the trailer.

I mean, it's an awesome play regardless, but I just never found the "distance" between one player and another to be the spectacular thing.

Tayshaun caught a retiring Reggie Miller (Reggie wasn't fast 15 years before Tay cuaght him), And it got a lot of play. It was never a habit of anybody else I could recall because its a hard thing to catch somebody from behind. Lebron was catching guards and these guys have great gauge of what they can get away with and they are usually totally stunned that he caught them. There's another thread here of a poster talking about how fast these guys are that can barely score 2 ppg in the league. Pippen, Jordan, Barkley and Hakeem were super freaks and they weren't catching people from behind in the fast break era, I'm sure they did but it was infrequently at best. And Lebron was doing it with regularity for like three years. Its real freaky stuff. And Lebron has caught Road Runners like Chris Paul and Westbrook.

[Money 23]

Pippen, Jordan, Barkley and Hakeem were super freaks and they weren't catching people from behind in the fast break era, I'm sure they did but it was infrequently at best.

You missed it when MJ as a 39 year old in 2002, ran down Ron Mercer and pinned his ish on the glass?

[che guevara]

You missed it when MJ as a 39 year old in 2002, ran down Ron Mercer and pinned his ish on the glass?

Pippen, Jordan, Barkley and Hakeem were super freaks and they weren't catching people from behind in the fast break era, I'm sure they did but it was infrequently at best.

The same way you missed the key word.

[Meticode]

Damn I didn't know Lee posterized him

That's not a posterize. LeBron came from behind by like 20 feet and caught up and almost got hte block and was behind him. I think for a poster you have to be at least to the side of the dunker.