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Good question. Had to send my main man a tweet. http://twitter.com/#!/brandon_neal/status/25437570036924416 I wonder if he'll reply. I'm sure there will be 500,000 more doing the same thing, though.

because he knows more about the subject than you do?

So, after 40 games, the team is 30-10, winning 21 of the last 23. Statistically, they have been the most dominating team in the league, ranking in the top 3 on both offense and defense, and first in point differential. I've seen almost all of their games this season, and every game since the middle of their 12 game win streak. So, below are my observations so far, both the good and bad... The Good: -LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. They've proven they are the best duo in the league, and in the last 20 games or so have developed a good chemistry. Even though a lot of times they 'take turns' taking over the ballgame, they've gotten a lot better at playing to each other's tendencies. For example, when LeBron drives to the rim now, Wade will make a strong cut to the basket from the 3pt line, which has been a very efficient play the last few weeks. Another play is when Wade will dribble around the screen, hand-off to LeBron at the top of the screen, and that often will open up driving lanes for LeBron, who is not as adept to getting to the rim off isolation as Wade is. They are playing very efficient, effective basketball. They are two of the most consistent superstars in the league, and now that they've finally hit their groove, it is very rare you will see many nights from either player where they shoot like 4-18 from the field. That will make them a handful all season long, and will force the bad/average teams to play out of their minds to beat the Heat. -Chris Bosh. After about 10-15 games he finally started to his his groove, and of the three stars he found the coziest niche in the offense. He's usually automatic when he's got room on his jumper, and his effectiveness off the dribble is impressive as well. The last few games I've noticed him taking players in the post with his back to the basket, which is a little wrinkle I never noticed in his game before. His rebounding is still a little disappointing, and he needs to play tougher defensively against back-to-the-basket post players, but he's doing a real solid job with his team defense. -Team defense. When this team wants to lock you down, they do an awesome job. LeBron and Wade, when they are engaged, are everywhere defensively, cutting off passes, forcing turnovers, making weak-side blocks, cutting off driving lanes; they can be dominant. Joel Anthony, against quicker big men, is phenominal. Defensively, he reminds me of Chuck Hayes, who is aggressive against those type of big men, and has the athleticism and quickness to not be beat easily off the dribble. Z and Dampier are both big bodies that change shots around the rim, James Jones has done a tremenous job drawing charges, Chalmers can create turnovers and generally be a pest (although he goes over screens too often, which often leads to dribble penetration which can be a problem), and overall they have very good team defensive principles. -Ability to close-out games. Forget the last few minutes of ball-games, where the Heat have two of the best finishers in the game. In the 2nd half, the Heat do a great job of wearing out teams, turning up the energy, and really beating a team down. Since the win streak started, it's been very, very rare for the Heat to give up big leads like they were earlier in the year, and if they do they eventually choke you out with their star power and defense. -3pt shooting. The last few games have been a bit of struggle from deep, but for the year they have been very good from beyond the arc. They are currently 6th in the league in 3pt% at 38.1%, and that is without their best 3pt shooter, Mike Miller. Carlos Arroyo and James Jones have been lights-out this season from 3, with Arroyo shooting 48% from deep this season, and Jones netting 73 3PM so far this season. -Transition offense. They don't run often, but when they do they are highly successful. They could really use a good PG to make their fastbreak offense that much better, but as it is LeBron and Wade are nearly impossible to stop in transition, and Jones has been effective The Bad: -Joel Anthony. He hustles, makes quick defensive rotations, is a good weak-side shot blocker, and knows his limitations. However, he has many limitations. First off, he's 6'9'', and 240lbs (and that may be generous), so he's at a major size disadvantage. Underneath the basket against legitimately sized big men he is unable to provide much resistance. That leads me to the second point; he's one of the worst rebounding C's in the league, and probably the worst of those who play significant minutes. He doesn't box out well, doesn't have much jumping abiliy, and against legit C's they either simply reach over his head to grab the rebound, or will tip it over and over until they either get the basket, or tip the ball out to a teammate. What's more, he has tiny hands and no offensive repetoire, so he's completely useless on that end besides setting screens. If you go to 82games.com and look at how the team performs with him on the floor compared to Z and Dampier, and it is crystal clear that he should not be playing the kind of minutes Spo gives him. -Carlos Arroyo. He makes open jumpers at a blistering rate and doesn't turn the ball over. In other words, he generally won't make the kind of mistakes that will lose a game. However, he cannot hit a jumper with a hand in his face, he doesn't take the kind of chances that lead to 'impact plays', and his defense is awful. He has little lateral quickness, and constantly is blown by. He has little strength or size, so bigger PG's absolutely abuse him in the post, and around the rim. He's a really solid backup PG, but like Anthony should NOT be seeing the kind of minutes he gets. Unfortunately, Chalmers isn't way better, and he as well shouldn't be a starting PG, so they don't have many options here. -Erik Spoelstra. I applaud him for keeping it cool when the team was 9-8 and the whole 'LeBron bump' thing was a big story, and I think he's done a very good job with getting the team prepared defensively, but he is awful with rotations, and doesn't have the confidence in himself to make adjustments on the fly. Much like Arroyo, he plays it safe by sticking with robotic rotations and not doing anything that will make a big impact on the game from a coaching standpoint. His love-affair with Anthony really is a detriment to the team, as was his inclination to play the Haslem/Bosh frontcourt for major minutes to make sure Haslem got his burn. Spo seemed to turn a corner when he started to get the team to run and gave Chalmers/Dampier minutes, but he's reverted back to some of his old habits, and still needs to take more chances with such a dynamic roster. -Roster depth. We all knew it going in, but outside of the Big 3, the team lacks depth with talent. Things will be a lot better once Mike Miller gets back into form, and if he returns and is used properly, Udonis Haslem will be a huge addition as well. But as awesome a luxory it is to be able to have 3 players combine for 90% of your points and win the game against a +.500 ballclub, that is walking a dangerously fine line once they meet Boston or Orlando in a 7-game series. -Slow starts. It's pretty amazing to me that, even during the last 23 games, almost EVERY single game they start off slow. It's almost automatic; they come out with little energy, their defense gets burned, and on offense they appear to simply be going through the motions. Wade is really the only one who comes out of the gate with an aggressive attitude, but once again, they are walking a fine line that could cost them in the post-season. I know the Big 3 are rhythm players, which means they are naturally better finishers than starters, but they can't expect to simply blow teams out in the 2nd halves of games. Against the great teams with comparable talent, they will get burned doing this. With that said, I do think come playoff time that Wade and LeBron (and maybe Bosh) will come out of the gates looking to put teams away early, so this trend may or may not be something to be concerned about, but it's worth noting. Overall, this team is great, but they need Miller and Haslem back somewhat healthy and in a rhythm come playoff time for them to knock off the Celtics in a 7-game series IMO. A lot of the things they need to improve on are in Spo's hands. It's a lot of pressure for a 3rd year coach, but he's going to have to learn to make better on-the-fly adjustments, and will have to start working Miller back into the lineup soon.

Karma is a b****

Hopefully LeBron finds out the real meaning of "karma" this postseason.

Lmao, this thread is seriously getting out of hand. Jay Z isn't on the same planet as Pac, and in no way is Pac overrated (not sure if that was a joke or not). Pac is a lock for top 3 all time. 2pac wasn't the first to do a lot of things, and that was well documented in his interviews and lyrics. He was one of the first artist's to pay homage to those before him and is in a lot of cases the sole reasons artist still do so today, and the notion he was simply a "gangsta rapper" is completely false. Me Against the World makes that statement as false as it could be, he was as much of an activist than a gangsta rapper which really was the sole result of putting an innocent man in prison (at least "he" knew/thought he was innocent) The difference between 2pac and alot of other rappers was that the guy was real, and most importantly he knew how to sell. Not many people in his time and even now know that death sells, the entire part of his early career surrounded death. Not only did it sell, but it was reality in the mans life constantly dodging death, you can't beat that in the industry. Pac understood the elements it took to create not only a fierce competitor in the rap industry but understood how to lead people regardless of the color of their skin or upbringing, and he did it through powerful music. His first 2 albums caught the fans attention, not the albums following those, and once the spotlight was on him he knew exactly what to do with it, while making arguably the best music at the time.

Obviously fake, but pretty funny

Royce sucks? LMAo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQNDRrZflBA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ucs1d7YykFk http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgTZMAHB9XM Lyrically he might be top 3-5 in the rap game right now. Royce is so under-rated it's almost ridiculous.

I wanna meet u in person and slap ur thang, not ur face, ur thang. juicy thick thang

OVER-RATED *CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP*

It's only tampering if it doesn't involve a team Stern wants to be successful.

Wow thanx, I was scared u were gonna attack me hard.

Like Erick said, this team doesn't compete. They have no heart. They just plain out don't give a [expletive]. If any player was traded or dropped from this team tomorrow I wouldn't give a [expletive]. I don't care if we have a team of no-name players who couldn't even make a college squad as long as they COMPETE. Play with some HEART and PASSION. Quit going through the damn motions and play the game. Tired of watching this team getting [expletive]ing destroyed every night. I'm done watching this team until some MAJOR roster changes are made, which should have started after the embarrassment against the Heat. And of course LeBron's [expletive][expletive] has something to say. Saying God watches everything. Yeah and he watches your cocky [expletive] every damn day, walk all over people and act like you are some sort of God yourself, karma will come back to bite you too one day, just wait.

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

http://sports.cbsimg.net/images/visual/whatshot/shake-vs-ppg-small2.jpg In case you're interested, here are the full rankings for the top 20 NBA scorers in terms of their consistency: http://sports.cbsimg.net/images/visual/whatshot/shake-table.jpg http://nba-facts-and-rumors.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/22748484/27030243

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3MlzVNZ-pk

I wasn't saying they're 'trying to be' old school hip-hop. Pac and Big are considered the greatest of 90's (and all-time) Wayne is considered the greatest of this hip-hop era (and some are saying greatest of all time lol). How can i not compare two hip-hop artists even if they're not from the same generation? What makes you say Pac's and Big's music gained popularity after their deaths? The only reason why Pac still has a growing fanbase is because his music still remains great and it gets to people.

Their deaths did elevate their music in the view of the masses, but you have to realize that when they were alive they were still ranked among the 5 greatest rappers by most. Biggie was considered the 'King of NY' in the strongest era of rap in the city's history, and Pac was the most famous rapper in the game for the last year or so of his life. People older than us who were a part of the industry at the time, from rappers to producers to DJ's to whoever, commonly place them among the greatest of all-time. Basically, what I'm trying to say is you're ignorant to the situation, as I am for the most part, which is rely on my opinion as well as what people at the time were saying about Pac and BIG.

As they say...legends never die. Pac's and Biggie's music will live forever. Listening to today's mainstream artists like Wayne and Drake just make me sad. Grandmaster Flash, Sugarhill Gang, LL Cool J.... laid the foundation, Pac, Big, Nas, Big L, Eazy E, Snoop Dogg, Jay Z etc built on it and today's rappers are tearing it all apart and making it look like a pile of [expletive].

How old are you? Considering you probably aren't even my age, 20, you have no idea the kind of hype they received when they were alive. 2Pac was a huge star once he signed with Death Row, and had a ton of hit songs, appeared in famous movies, etc... Biggie, just 2 albums in, was considered the 'King of NY' before he died. Think about that. With Nas, a young Jay-Z, Big L, KRS-One, Rakim and many other NY rappers spitting at the time, Biggie had the city on lock with just 2 albums. His funeral where they drove his casket through Brooklyn looked like a funeral for a president: http://listicles.thelmagazine.com/wp-content/upload/biggiefuneral.jpg Think about how many rappers who were spitting at the time acknowledge them as arguably the best rappers of all time. You think they are biased because Pac and Biggie died tragically?

Even if there are a lot of talented PGs in today's game indeed, I certainly do not believe that it's the best it's ever been... I definitely think that the PGs from the Golden Era of Basketball, the 80's/90's, were better than those of today's game. In the 80's there were Magic, John Stockton, Isiah Thomas, Dennis Johnson, Fat Lever, Doc Rivers, Maurice Cheeks, Norm Nixon, Derek Harper, Fat Lever, Tiny Archibald, World B. Free, Sleepy Floyd, Calvin Murphy, John Lucas, Paul Pressey, Michael Ray Richardson, Gus Williams, etc... In the 90's there were Gary Payton, John Stockton, Anfernee Hardaway, Tim Hardaway, Avery Johnson, Rod Strickland, Derek Harper, Kenny Smith, Kenny Anderson, Muggsy Bogues, Nick Van Exel, Howard Eisley, Darrell Armstrong, Jason Kidd, Stephon Marbury, Kevin Johnson, Mark Jackson, Mookie Blaylock, Sam Cassell, Terrell Brandon, Damon Stoudemire, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, Robert Pack, Pooh Richardson, Mark Price, Sherman Douglas, Eric Murdock, Terry Porter, Nate McMillan, Dana Barros, Spud Webb, etc... Honestly today's PGs are very talented but most of them are still very young and still have a lot to prove, I'd pick those two decades PG's before ours any time.

Cromartie and the rest of the Jets should just shut the [expletive] up. http://boston.3432.voxcdn.com/files/2011/01/bradyvcromartie2-480x360.jpg

I tend to stay away from making fun of people with an incurable illness.

He did everything he possibly could in Cleveland. Had he stayed, they would have reached their full potential this year as a top 3 team in the East with a second or third round exit in the playoffs. They were no where near the Celtics IMO. Just for the record, that year, there wasn't a team really with 2 superstars. It was NY with Ewing (Starks wasn't a star or any sort of), Orlando with a young Shaq (and pre-prime Penny), Atlanta (by the time playoff came, they had no superstar), Chicago with Pippen, San Antonio with Robinson, Seattle with pre-prime Kemp and Payton (before Payton's 20 ppg years). Well, technically Malone&Stockton, or Barkley&Johnson (though they both had injuries) could be a classic two superstar combo, but they are also part of the "group of superstars who could never win", not just in that year. What I'm trying to say is, that Olajuwon's single-handed championship came when the league was "in between" the post-Lakers, Celtics, Bulls era and the pre-Bulls, Spurs, Lakers era. And really, those two Rockets teams were designed like the Cavs. Strong defensive team with great role players around their one true star player. And they all had several players that were able to stretch the floor. LeBron is a genuine douche bag, we all know this, but I don't really think that's what at debate here. The real story is the fact that Cleveland has completely forgotten about the past 7 years.

No mention of mbenga? He's like right under popeye jones for first ballot ugly athlete hall of fame. Lol.

And the Griffin spin move on Anthony wasn't an obvious foul that they didn't call? The Heat have maybe 3 plays all game long where they can legitimately complain about a no call (Davis hacking Bosh early in the 1st, a James layup and one other one that I can't remember at the moment). That is hardly a lot this far into the game, and the Clippers have a few no calls that they could complain about. I just think it is pretty wack to complain about the officiating when your team has looked so lifeless and been completely outplayed.

I hate Nolan Smith..

Agreed, he really lifted everyone's spirits with his speech and was so emotional in his delivery. It truly felt like he had lost his own daughter in the killings, and spoke like he was the father of Christina (nine year old who was killed). My favorite part of the speech was when he said, "I believe we can be better. Those who died here, those who saved lives here - they help me believe. We may not be able to stop all evil in the world, but I know that how we treat one another is entirely up to us. I believe that for all our imperfections, we are full of decency and goodness, and that the forces that divide us are not as strong as those that unite us."

Barack Obama is an incredible speaker. He's definitely one of my biggest inspirations. He delivers speeches so well. "We recognize our own mortality, and are reminded that in the fleeting time we have on this earth, what matters is not wealth, or status, or power, or fame - but rather, how well we have loved, and what small part we have played in bettering the lives of others." So true.

Those were the first 2 60 win seasons in franchise history, and in one of those 50 win seasons he got the team to the Finals. He did this in 7 years out of HS, without a 2nd legitimate All-Star. Nowitzki has/had Nash, Finley, Harris, Butler, [young] Jamison, [old] Kidd, Terry (who is on the same level, if not better than Mo), etc... In 10+ years he has been past the 2nd round twice, the same amount as LeBron did in 7 seasons. Bron won one more MVP, earned Cleveland a lot more money and attention than Dirk did Dallas, and had a lot less help over the years. The Rockets were built perfectly around the T-Mac/Yao duo, too...but without TALENT that 'perfect fit' only gets you so far. The Cavs never got a player in 7 seasons that could create his own shot besides LeBron, or at least do so with any kind of efficiency. If they had gotten, say, Ray Allen instead of Mo, who could create his own shot as well as nail spot-up 3's, that would have made a huge difference. I'm just throwing a name out there, but without legitimate talent, it doesn't matter how well you fit together...as seen with the Heat completely dominating teams earlier in the season when they had less chemistry than their opposition. In the post-season, against great teams, putting a bunch of one-dimensional shooter and defenders around a superstar doesn't cut it, and you know that. I'm sorry, but that slap in the face shouldn't outweigh the best 7 years the franchise ever had....the kind of run half the league's franchises have never had. To feel you are entitled to a championship, and to put all the blame on LeBron for their post-season losses rather than what the franchise did to put the other 11 guys around him, is pathetic and IMO offensive to fans of teams like the Nets, Wolves, Raptors, Clippers, etc...

He had two 60-win seasons. Before that, two seasons of just 50 wins, one 45 and one 42, and a 35. You're making it sound like he won them multiple championships and created a dynasty. LeBron hasn't even done as much as Dirk Nowitzki has for Dallas. And, again, the team was built specifically for him, designed in the same way the Sixers were for Iverson. Same exact concept. He was basically the GM, and approved of everything that went down. He wanted Shaq, made a big deal about the acquisition. Him and Daniel Gibson were butt buddies. It's not what he did for the team itself, but for the franchise. It's all negated with what he did TO the franchise. He lets them know he's leaving, exploring FA options and not going to return to Cleveland, fans wouldn't have been embarrassed. I think Cleveland fans had a feeling he wasn't going to stay to begin with, but putting it on national television, making everyone sit on their hands and chew their fingernails, not telling anyone and giving Cleveland (the front office) hope that he'll return so they wouldn't have to go looking for max contracts, OR trying to work out a deal like Denver is doing right now...lol, it's not even up for debate, in my opinion. His jersey deserved to be burned by the fans.

As a 76ers season ticket holder myself, I understand what you are saying and am going through that phase right now. But this LeBron situation is a never-before-seen type of thing. It isn't just a superstar free agent leaving for another team. He disrespected the Cavaliers and held the fanbase hostage for the sake of his self-promoting "Decision". I see no problem with the fans responding the way they have. It's like having a long-time girlfriend/boyfriend dump you in the most embarrassing way possible, ruin your reputation, etc etc. Did you enjoy the time you were together? Sure. But is your first reaction upon being dumped going to be "it's OK, I am so grateful for the time we had together!"? Doubtful.

I don't get why people say that. There are 28 states in the US that don't have an NBA team. The league would cease to exist if you remove those people from their team's fanbase. Some people are born in Los Angeles, and are raised being a Lakers fan. They don't even get to make up their minds. Maybe we should consider some of those fans puppets? They can't decide for themselves, right? There's too much thinking when it comes to this mess. If people are following the team, and have proven to do it through the best and the worst, that's all that matters. It shouldn't matter where you were born, or why you started to follow that team in the first place. There are Lakers fans, born in Los Angeles, with bedrooms that are lined in purple and gold, have been to many games, and they STILL would get swept away in a debate with me, over anything Lakers. They can present themselves as the bigger fan, but there's more to it than that. Kansas doesn't have a pro football, basketball or baseball team. The Chiefs and Royals are in Missouri, and so were the Kings. It takes me five minutes to drive into Oklahoma, from where I'm at...but the state didn't have a professional team to root for until the Sonics were sold just a few years ago. I'm emotionally attached to sports, so I'm naturally going to find teams and players I'm emotionally attached to, whether I live in Kansas, Montana, or Honduras. If I didn't choose to do that, there would be no reason for me to watch professional sports.