Leaderboard

Charlotte was one of the best defensive teams in the NBA last season, and they lost in the first round. It doesn't matter what round, what game...the point is, stats are distorted when you alter the environment. Kobe had games where he struggled against Boston. If another player dominates Boston, that doesn't mean he's a better player than Bryant...because maybe that same player struggles against more teams. Maybe Boston is built to handle Bryant, but not some other player that plays differently. What if Monta Ellis averages more points per game than LeBron or Wade this upcoming season? Does that make him a better player, or a better scorer? I don't think so. He could average more than Melo, for all we know. How many points will Amare average, now that he's on the Knicks? What if the Heat were to trade Wade to the Kings, for Evans? Wade would average 30+ on that team. It's not that difficult to understand. Statistics don't prove much. And with that said, it relates to the topic because rings do matter, just as much as stats, just as much as visuals, just as much as overall skills you can see just by watching the players. Players win rings without doing anything (Morrison). Players put up big numbers without winning rings (LeBron). Problem is, someone like Bynum is a very good center in the league, top 2-3 offensively, doesn't do much (15-20 minutes per game) and still wins rings. But he's good because we can tell from his post moves and how he challenges shots...things that don't show up in the statsheet. Rings are important to the player. Rings aren't important when we are judging that player's overall abilities. Rings are extremely important to that player's legacy, or greatness.

I am extremely pissed that we have two of the top 3 players in the NBA, and one of the best big men in the NBA today.

Your own two eyes (and my one eye). Go look at Dwight Howard's scoring averages, and field goal percentages. By the numbers, you can say he's a very good offensive player...but we know he has limited offensive skills because we watch him. Doesn't make sense. Players will put up bigger numbers when their teammates are less gifted on offense. Kevin Martin is a great example. If the Lakers had the Kings in the first round, and Martin dropped 30 a game and Bryant was averaging 25 (because LA kept pounding the ball inside), yet the Lakers won...does that mean Martin is the better player? Not even close.

That doesn't always apply. Bryant was averaging 24 PPG in 2004, with Shaq racking up 22 PPG. Kobe was the best player in the league, but his stats didn't necessarily show it (24/6/5). Tyreke Evans put up 20/5/6 last season. That doesn't mean he's already on Bryant's level. Statistics are overrated. Terribly.

If Rings make you the better player then Adam Morrison is better than LeBron James.

Every team has a weakness, you dont know what this team's weaknesses are until you see them step on the court. You also have to see how the players respond to having the trio in the lineup, if Chalmers is having trouble hitting a 3 pointer then yeah you have a weakness there, but you cant really tell until it happens. What excuses were we throwing out Lakers wont win? I think the only excuse people made was Rondo dominating Fisher and the Lakers. But I guess it didnt happen because Phil Jackson put Kobe on Rondo. Lets wait until they play to find their weaknesses.

Not much of a difference when you go into the Lakers forum and post a topic asking us if our team is scared of Boston. http://www.otrbasketball.com/forums/topic/11717-scared-of-the-celtics Or reminding us of the obvious, that Kobe has lost athleticism... http://www.otrbasketball.com/forums/topic/6935-kobes-athleticism Posting a negative topic about Ron, and saying, "Supposedly, he isn't a thug." http://www.otrbasketball.com/forums/topic/7080-artest-throws-arizas-shoe Even though it was funny, the negative topic about Odom and Khloe's marriage... http://www.otrbasketball.com/forums/topic/5806-lamar-odom-and-khloe-getting-married And speaking of bringing up irrelevant players/teams in topics...how about this one? http://www.otrbasketball.com/forums/topic/13154-kobes-finger-may-be-permanently-damaged/page__view__findpost__p__148980 (not about Jordan) And I won't bother searching for others because I'm leaving for lunch, but I'm sure I can find 10-15 more pretty easily. Like how you said Fisher was the real star of the Lakers. Obviously a joke (I hope), but so was Confidence's initial post in this topic. Get over it.

Wouldn't getting Shaq move Josh Smith to starting small forward?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSyRhlGae-M

IQ can factor into instincts, so I said instincts for all of them. You must always trust your instincts.

The lack of basketball knowledge would be displayed by those who think this team has no weaknesses. I wouldn't be so quick to attack others for not stroking themselves over Wade, James and Bosh. Wade and LeBron aren't going to box out someone like Howard, Bynum, Gasol or even Yao. Sorry. And flying in to grab your boards will usually get you an over-the-back call. I rarely see those two jetting from the perimeter to snatch up a board, and playing elite teams, they are going to have to sit on the perimeter. I find this funny. A lot of people were throwing out excuses as to why we would lose the Finals with an injured Drew...how we couldn't take advantage of our size. Two years now, and the reason we lost in 2008 was supposedly because Gasol couldn't man the middle by himself. Suddenly, Bosh can man the middle basically by himself, and a size advantage means nothing? It's all because of the all-star trio and the hype around it. Rebounding is more about positioning than skill? Positioning is a skill, one that great rebounding bigs are good at. LeBron grabbed four and five boards in the two games against the Lakers this season. He has just two games where he grabbed four offensive boards all year long. Howard has 40 games where he grabbed 4+ offensive boards, four where he grabbed seven or more. Gasol has eight games where he grabbed 7+ offensive boards. You can put those numbers together all you want, guys. Bigs boxing out other bigs allow guys like LeBron and Wade to grab those boards.There are a lot of guys that Bosh can't box out. Having Shaq would probably help, but you only get him for 20 minutes a game. You won't have concerns over scoring unless you're playing a lock-down defensive team, and you may be good to go anyway as long as you don't keep throwing out isolation plays for each of those three, expecting them to score 30+ on elite defenders. Your backcourt defense won't be a problem. We don't know about chemistry yet...the team won bronze together, didn't win gold if they weren't led by Bryant and Melo (Bryant beat Spain by himself in the fourth). Low post scoring...don't see much of it yet. Post defense, don't see any of it yet. Once you get to the conference finals, that will be key, no matter what you say in July.

and http://football.realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/17673/20100710/ochocinco_predicts_super_bowl_title_with_bengals_nba_ring_with_heat/

http://www.zwani.com/graphics/welcome/images/1111111.gif

You guys should actually listen to his argument. The Heat don't even have anyone with rebounding potential and even a guy like Erick Dampier would make a load of difference to them. He also says that they can't even compare with Boston from 2008 because Boston had several role players and bench players that provided huge contributions, something the Heat do not have. The Heat also have no draft picks in the coming years.

you beat us by 4 points in game 7 of the nba finals...sorry if its a touchy subject to us.