jcdavey

lakers fans are as stupid as the heat fans when they try to say kobe/lebron is better than MJ


morons

BradyManny

I'm not arguing with their talents, at all. Clearly the Heat have two of the probably the top 5 most talented players in the league, and a third in the top 30.

But the style of basketball they play bores me. It's almost all predicated on one-on-one basketball. If I wanted to watch that I could go to the park down the street. I prefer watching teams move the ball and find the open man - like the current incarnation of the Celts when Rondo is playing well.

BradyManny

I think you've gotten too accustomed to the way the Heat play around the hoop on defense. The reason they defend better than anyone in the league is b/c they are more physical than anyone in the league. Are either Joel Anthony or Udonis Haslem suddenly all NBA defense? But suddenly both guys can close out in a hurry because they can get away with more contact due to the team they are on.

I'll agree about Dirk - the guy gets the calls. No doubt, he gets the star preferential treatment that these pathetic refs can't help but making. He got bailed out on several occasions in the first half. But I also thought Marion, Barea, Chandler, etc. were the victims of an awful lot of contact that didn't get called.

It's the old Pistons style of play - be physical every play, they can't call a foul every play. And Miami is playing a different brand of basketball then the rest of the league now b/c they are allowed to. They are far more physical. Watch how they close out on every defensive play - there's always contact. Contact, that on the other end, would sure result in a whistle.

Frankly, I'd rather have the games ref'd that way, no doubt about it. Let these guys play defense. As long as Wade & Lebron don't go the line over a fraction of the contact on the other end.

KontradictioN

They also don't realize that a lot of the things they are railing against with LeBron are the same things that they defend when it comes to the Rapist.

I'm not sure how they bore you. Vicious slam dunks, beautiful alley-oops, tenacious defense, and brutal packs bore you? If the Heat played the way you indicate they should, they would be out of the playoffs by now. They can move the ball with anybody in the league. The problem with the Heat doing that is that they don't have viable options on the offensive end at C and PG when the starters are on the floor. If you watch, the Heat are able to find the open guys a lot when LeBron and Wade are triple teamed. It's just that Mike Bibby and Mike Miller rarely, if ever, hit the big shots.

Once again, you're basically complaining that the Heat are too talented and are playing in a way in which they KNOW can seal them a win.

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CREDIT - Sicilian

Keyser Söze

F Lebron, F The Heat

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KontradictioN

That's the spirit.

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BradyManny

I prefer Kobe and Wade's game to Lebron, by a huge margin. Wade was one of my favorite players in the league not wearing green until the last couple of years. I still like watching him play - when he's not flopping or taking on some of Lebron's irritating arrogance.

I find Lebron's game to be frustrating and not very enjoyable. As you know, I feel it's predicated on a) his size b) his abuse of the rules of basketball.

Outside of Wade, how entertaining a team are the Heat from a basketball standpoint? While it's a fair point that they are creating shots that some of their players are missing, I still wouldn't say they are a great TEAM offensively, but a great collection of talent. Lebron, Wade, Bosh still don't particularly complement each other.

It's a testament that they are on the verge of winning a title in their first year together without a tremendous amount of teamwork or chemistry, offensively. Still most of their success comes down to individual plays by Wade or Lebron.

This isn't the great Celtics & Lakers teams of the 80s whose pieces fit together like a puzzle, or even Jordan-Pippen, in which Scottie was the absolute perfect complement to MJ's game. This is an All-Star team that is overwhelming opponents on pure talent alone.

KontradictioN

I would disagree with the first paragraph and say that most of their success comes down to the lockdown defense they are able to play on their opponents. Sure, the individual plays have gotten it done in crunch time, but the Heat are only in these games because their defense swarms the opponent. Down the stretch last night, they were able to double team Dirk and still be able to get out to the three point line quickly enough to force bad shots. As for the individual match-ups winning games for them, that's the Heat's style. That's their game. We all knew this would be the case coming into the season, so why would anyone expect them to play a style that isn't theirs? Until they get better pieces to surround Wade, LeBron, and Bosh, that's what their style is going to be.

I don't see any problem with the second paragraph.

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KontradictioN

Off topic for this thread, but Outside the Lines just reported that Shaq tweeted that he plans to retire. Not really a surprise and has been expected with the extent of his injuries. What a great career. Congratulations on your accomplishments, Shaq. Thank you for everything you did for the Heat as well as the NBA and good luck in your future endeavors.

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BradyManny

Fair enough re: the defense. The one thing I will say about Miami is that a team predicated on stifling defense, a team that can rotate and close as good as any D I've seen since the 08 Celts, is a good thing.

But that's as far as you'll get me to go. Outside of that, I don't think they are good for the game. The blueprint it sets up is not good for the league. The NBA was a league of haves and have-nots as it is, it's only going to get worse as teams try to emulate them.

They can point to the Celtics big 3 as a Blueprint, but that team made sense from a team-building standpoint. A slasher-scorer 3, a pure-shooter at 2, and a 4 who can play inside or out. Add in a traditional PG and it was tough to beat. The Heat are simply just 3 guys who are tough to defend one-on-one.