Zach Lowe on Game 7 and LeBron

[ArbitraryWater]

From the final Podcast

"LeBron being LeBron, he's never had two consecutive games like that in his life, I thought he was better in game 6 even than he was in game 5, and I just feel like, you know I remember after the Heat won their first title, you had posted immediately after the final buzzer a piece called 'The End of all that', which was just like 'I'm so glad that he won, because I just don't wanna hear about it anymore'. I don't wanna hear about he's not clutch, he's not this he's not that, and yet we've just kept hearing about it.

He's 2 of 4 in the finals, and blah blah blah... what was Jerry West's record? And what was Wilt's record? And what was Jordan's record?

Like this to me, this would be, this would really be the end of all that. If he leads the greatest comeback in finals history, and has another game thats even 80% of what he just did, in laying waste to the Warriors by himself, well I guess not in game 5 when Kyrie matched him scoring wise, but just, Kyrie can't match the blocks, he can't match the rebounds, he can't match the assists, if he does that, and he does it on the road in game 7 where teams never ever win, to me, it's the greatest, one of the greatest all-time championship series performances ever. It ends all the noise about him, that has driven us crazy for 10 years, its over. At that point, if you are barking about LeBron's mental fortitude, you are on the margins of life."

[NBAGOAT]

I don't care even if you hate Lebron. I think it's a pretty big consensus Lowe's one of the best basketball guys at ESPN. Nice use of stats and his gif analysis is on point and he's usually pretty objective.

[lilteapot]

Spot on. Tonight's THE opportunity to shut a lot of people up. I just don't think Lebron can capitalize on it.

[T_L_P]

You staying up to watch the game, AW?

[ArbitraryWater]

You staying up to watch the game, AW?

Is that even a question??


HELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL Yea.... just 3 hrs away anyway. Plus took a nap. My plan until then goes: Dinner, Workout... then we already there bro.

[Sarcastic]

And what happens if he doesn't?

[ArbitraryWater]

And what happens if he doesn't?

depends on how he plays. This is mainly for the majority and the eye of the casuals, for them the winning/losing thing matters more, easier to remember.

[SamuraiSWISH]

depends on how he plays. This is mainly for the majority and the eye of the casuals, for them the winning/losing thing matters more, easier to remember.

That's the ONLY way to be remembered. That's all that matters.

That's the reason people play sports. To compete and win. Not to accumulate good stats and lose. Or else, you're a stat stuffing but shrinking loser ala Big O or Wilt. Good stats are just fluffy icing on a cake as a means to the end goal. Winning. That's the difference between empty stat padding and true will asserting dominance when the game is on the line.

Box score doesn't read that to you in numerical values. That's the true beauty of the art form that is basketball.

I swear sometimes you talk like such a newbie to the game. You actually sound like a money ball esque baseball fan who only sees numbers. Not context and eye test.

Winning isn't just for casuals to remember. That's all that matters to peers to be respected and admired by fans. Both hardcover knowledgeable and casual.

SMH @ down playing winning the championship is not the means to define greatness but only for people who aren't "true" fans. Spoken like someone who just started watching basketball and/or is a baseball fan, but also someone who has never played a competitive sport in his life.

[CTbasketball92]

I agree with Lowe, but damn, it feels sort of like he's underplaying Kyrie's contribution. He was every bit as important to wins in Game 3 and Game 4 as LeBron was, and before he knicked his foot up, he'd scored 20 points in the first half of game 6 to give the cavs a huge lead. Lol, it just feels like ESPN is acting as if Kyrie is just a jamal crawford who'll get hot sometimes and has been mostly unreliable.

He's averaging 27 points on 47% shooting and 40% from 3 to go along with 2 steals and almost five assists. This hasn't been "single handed" at all.

[G-train]

If you are still doubted Lebron, even before this season started, you are a basketball dolt.

100%.

[bdonovan]

It's one thing to root against a top player because you don't like him. It's another thing to misrepresent that player as not being great. IE: claiming that player isn't good, to cherrypick statistics to distort their performance, etc. That's true whether we're talking about LeBron/Kobe/Curry etc. I can accept "LeBron is cocky; he's going to lose"; it's a little harder to accept someone implying LeBron is not a great player. Denying the greatness of a player who is obviously great just seems like casual fan stuff; and just invalidates the person saying it.

I remember in the Jordan era; fans of other teams may have resented him, but no one called him a btch or a "beta" or anything like that; it was always couched in some kind of respect - a critique of some aspect of his game but not outright contempt because his game didn't warrant that.