2007: Is There a Worse Performance in the NBA Finals from a Healthy Superstar?

[ILLsmak]

I'm not sure. You check those final scores of those games? Every game was pretty much close.

Maybe a few less turnovers from Lebron and it's not a sweep. Maybe shooting at least 75% from the line would've helped.

20% from the 3 point line?

People react differently to knowing they cant win, then knowing it's a series and that they're gonna put you on an island every time, has to be awful. He was pretty young. But I am cool w what Bron did before he quit v the cs in 2010. I think Bron should have made the finals one of those those late 00 years. Maybe he'd lose. Kobe v Bron, we were supposed to see that once.

I really thought 09 or 10 was his year. 07 he was playing an atg, an atg defensive player w an atg defensive mind game scheme. He could have just balled out but yknow it's like I said Reggie Miller was broke as **** his first finals game. Bron got the trial by fire unlike anyone I've ever seen. Can't be mad he got swept.

It's probably how Larry bird felt when he played v Magics msu except he had to do it more than once.

-Smak

[Ne 1]

Then proceeded to shoot 20% in game 5 (4-20) for 8pts

Then he shot 29% (8-27) in game 6

Shaq needed back surgery that Summer from carrying Kobe the entire series.

Eh, considering he came up with a legendary clutch performance in game 4 and also put up 26/10/4/2/1 with only 1 turn over playing excellent defense and coming up big in the 4th quarter in the clinching game, it's not a big deal in terms of his legacy. His defense on Mark Jackson was very impressive throughout the series actually. This is from after Game 1:

Quote:
Kobe's defense -- Kobe Bryant's ball pressure on Pacers point guard Mark Jackson was tremendous. It didn't cause turnovers, but it kept Indiana from getting into its half court offense quickly, and thus disrupted the timing. Kobe also did a good job chasing Miller around screens and denying him the ball when assigned to him.


Quote:
Bryant's ball pressure on Pacers guard Mark Jackson also helped the cause, slowing down the Indiana offense just enough to disrupt Miller's timing as he flew off screens. "It seemed like Reggie never got in any rythym," Pacers center Sam Perkins admitted.

[superduper]

Bran is literally irrelevant without superstars

[RRR3]

Bran is literally irrelevant without superstars

Must be why he’s almost all you talk about.

[SamuraiSWISH]

Plus an OVERTIME Quit job when the game was in the balance.

This

[ImKobe]

They can't use the "single coverage" excuse anymore because I kept a shitload of receipts

Kobe is literally the better player. Better comp, less talented teams.

I remember idiots basing their whole "single coverage" argument on a screenshot of Shaq "dunking over" three Nets players in the 2002 Finals and then I posted the clip of the same play & it was Kobe who was actually being doubled as he passed it to Shaq for the poster

Shaq.

Shaq was worse than Kobe through those 3 rounds and Kobe got just as much defensive attention as James, actually more because Kobe had a reliable mid-range shot and James didn't. Defenders backed off James and always gave him the wide open mid-range shot while Kobe had to shoot it off the dribble with a hand in his face.

[aj1987]

Shaq was worse than Kobe through those 3 rounds and Kobe got just as much defensive attention as James, actually more because Kobe had a reliable mid-range shot and James didn't. Defenders backed off James and always gave him the wide open mid-range shot while Kobe had to shoot it off the dribble with a hand in his face.

Kobe had a Shaq who averaged 29/15/2/1/3 on 55% through the first 3 rounds. LeBron had Boobie Gibson.

[ImKobe]

Kobe had a Shaq who averaged 29/15/2/1/3 on 55% through the first 3 rounds. LeBron had Boobie Gibson.

Big Z & Drew Gooden averaged 25/18 combined and he also had Varejao, Hughes, Pavlovic & Gibson. Cavs went 9-10 deep in the Playoffs while Lakers played 7-8.

So with that in mind + Lebron facing weaker teams in the non-handcheck era, Kobe's Finals run was simply more impressive.. 39/10/4 50%FG in 4 straight road wins while Shaq was putting up 23 ppg in the same stretch.

[superduper]

Shaq is lucky Kobe saved him from the image of being Duncan's bitch his entire career. If it wasn't for Kobe bailing him out year after year in the playoffs who knows what the "MDE's" career would've been like.

[aj1987]

Big Z & Drew Gooden averaged 25/18 combined and he also had Varejao, Hughes, Pavlovic & Gibson. Cavs went 9-10 deep in the Playoffs while Lakers played 7-8.

So with that in mind + Lebron facing weaker teams in the non-handcheck era, Kobe's Finals run was simply more impressive.. 39/10/4 50%FG in 4 straight road wins while Shaq was putting up 23 ppg in the same stretch.

Brick had PEAK shaq, shit for brains. Put rookie LeBron and Shaq together, they win 7 titles in 8 seasons together. Minimum.

[jayfan]

https://www.cleveland.com/ohio-sport...007_nba_f.html

Cleveland Plain Dealer article from 2012 documenting Lebron's Futile 2007 Finals.



.

[ImKobe]

Brick had PEAK shaq, shit for brains. Put rookie LeBron and Shaq together, they win 7 titles in 8 seasons together. Minimum.

Lebron didn't even have a consistent jump shot until his 10th season and have you ever seen Lebron win with a big man who couldn't shoot? And we all know how Lebron fares against Spurs' defenses. Add handchecking to the mix and it's laughable to think that they win more than 1 or 2 titles together.

[aj1987]

Lebron didn't even have a consistent jump shot until his 10th season and have you ever seen Lebron win with a big man who couldn't shoot? And we all know how Lebron fares against Spurs' defenses. Add handchecking to the mix and it's laughable to think that they win more than 1 or 2 titles together.

LeBron won his 3rd with TT as his big.

Going by your logic, when have you ever seen Kobe win a title with an elite guard? He wouldn't with Jack shit with Wade/Kyrie.

[ImKobe]

LeBron won his 3rd with TT as his big.

Going by your logic, when have you ever seen Kobe win a title with an elite guard? He wouldn't with Jack shit with Wade/Kyrie.

If he could win 5 titles in the triangle with non-shooting bigs and playmaking bigs like Gasol, he could have won with anyone since the triangle is all about off-ball movement.

[aj1987]

If he could win 5 titles in the triangle with non-shooting bigs and playmaking bigs like Gasol, he could have won with anyone since the triangle is all about off-ball movement.

Again, you sense idiot. He didn't have the MDE and he was playing against a team with 4 All-NBA players and an FMVP off the bench.