Nitro

Very nice work, although I'm not a huge fan of the text. Can I use it?

I can't believe this has gotten 2 pages of replies and has been so overblown by the media...it's a non-issue. He made a big shot to put his team up 15pts in THE NBA FINALS, held the follow through, then walked backed slowly to his bench. It's not a big deal. It happens all the [expletive]ing time, and the only time it ever really crosses the line IMO is when they actually taunt the opposing team's bench directly; Wade didn't even look their way and didn't even appear to say a word. Also, what often goes largely unnoticed in these situations is how the bench will scream, throw towels and other things when an opposing player takes a shot in front of their bench. I couldn't tell if any of the Mavs players were screaming or anything on Wade's shot, but it happens all the time (specifically with the Celtics), and IMO is a lot worse then what Wade did because it directly impacts the game. Yet, that occurance never even gets noticed, let alone blown way out of proportion like this did.

With his contract and awful playoff performance, the only trade possibility I see would be similar to the Arenas-Lewis deal where they get an equally crappy return.

1) LeBron shot better from 3 each of the last 2 seasons, and shot better each of the last 2 post-seasons. Ever since Kobe's knees started deteriorating he hasn't been able to get the same lift that he used to be able to get, thus effecting his jumper significantly. Even if you believe he's a better 3pt shooter than LeBron, it hasn't translated the last few seasons, including the playoffs. 2) Fine, let's throw away stats and I'll give you an analysis... Scoring- LeBron is a much better finisher at the rim; with his strength and athleticism he is better at finishing with contact and contorting his body to hit all kinds of difficult shots in traffic. Meanwhile, Kobe has lost a step when it comes to being able to take player's off the dribble, and only on a few rare explosions does he explode around the rim. Kobe still has a wider arsenal of ways to score the basketball; whether it be in the post, in iso situations, off the PnR, in the post, or in the open court, Kobe still is a more polished offensive player. However, ever since LeBron became a consistent threat as a jumpshooter 2-3 years ago, and since Kobe started to lose his touch due to less lift, the versatility area hasn't mattered much because now LeBron can kill you from both inside and outside. When the defense is tight, he can still get to the rim very often, and when all driving lanes are cut off he can simply rise up and consistently hit jumpers in the defender's face...that's what used to be missing a few years ago. The only time versatility as a scorer means much is when the defense is able to deny you of your comfort zones and you are forced to beat the defense in other ways...now LeBron can do that (see- the Bulls and Celtics series'), and with greater efficiency than Kobe can. Playmaking/passing- This is an area LeBron has always been better in. He's a more careful ballhandler, has a PG's anticipation of reading plays and knowing where to pass the ball before the play even develops, he has better vision due to his 2-3" height advantage over Kobe, and he's more on-point with his passing. The one aspect of passing/playmaking where Kobe has an advantage is when he dominates the ball, he will tend to get the ball out of his hands a little sooner than LeBron, which makes him less likely to stall the offense. Rebounding- Once again, an area that LeBron has pretty much always been better in. Every year he grabs between 7-8 boards, and the last few post-seasons he has been up around 9 boards a game. Kobe is a very good rebounder for a SG, but LeBron is better, whether you want to see how he compares to Kobe or other SF's. LeBron's strength, athleticism and hands are once again the advantage. Defense- At this point, LeBron is a much better defensive player than Kobe. I still might give Kobe a slightly edge in man-to-man defense, because he's less flat footed than LeBron and when he's locked-in he is more aggressive and cut-throat. However, man-to-man defense is just a small part of defense, and LeBron beats Kobe out in every other area. LeBron's help defense is far better; from being able to defend dribble-drives and then rotating onto 3pt shooters, to helping defend pick and rolls, to being able to switch off onto the 1-4 positions (and sometimes 5), to playing the passing lanes for steals, to blocking shots on the weakside or on the fastbreak...LeBron is just way more versatile and impactful of a defender than Kobe is. Clutch ability- I still give this to Kobe, even though every stat says otherwise. Also, keep in mind the major advantage LeBron has in being able to play the 1-4 positions, and sometimes all 5. That has allowed the Heat to plug up the holes they have at PG and C, and experiment with a bunch of different lineups most other teams can't get away with.

Id my dad loved me then in 8th grade he wouldn't have brought me to a psychiotrist instead of Blockbuster like he promised.

Team success doesn't equal individual ability. If the Heat win, LeBron will still be the same player he was in the Bulls series, during the regular season and even last year, just like Kobe would have been the same player regardless if the Lakers won or lost against the Mavs in the semi's. Individually, LeBron is clearly a better player than Kobe at this moment. He's a better and more efficient scorer (from both 2 and 3), better passer who quantifies it by averaging about 3 more assists (with a better assist:turnover ration), much better rebounder, and at this point is a much better defensive player. I can give you an in-depth analysis on each area, but I doubt you will bother to even refute it so I won't bother. All of that applied to the LeBron vs. Wade arguement as well, and that is hard to admit for me since Wade is my favorite player. And who cares if Dirk means more to his team? LeBron's Cavs teams were FAR worse than Dirk's Mavs, and unless you believe LeBron has significantly declined since last season, then you'd see how stupid of an arguement that is to use as anti-LeBron propoganda.

I've heard a lot of great things about the city of Dallas, and heard Texas (the more metro areas) is pretty awesome. It's also a place that I've never been to, as opposed to Miami where I'd been staying near for the past 4 months.

Wow... So, my dad just called me, asking, "What is the one thing that would get you the most jealous in the entire world." Now, my dad's boss is based out of Ft. Lauderdale in Florida, and has box seats to Heat games for business purposed (also at Sixers games, which is how I got those tickets back in November). So, I figured he was going to get tickets to Game 6 of the Finals in Miami, so I told him that. He said, "Nope, after Game 2, my boss got so pissed that he bought out a luxory box in Dallas for Game 3, and he gave me a free ticket." Can you believe that shit?!? If getting to go to the NBA [expletive]ing Finals (with my favorite player, D-Wade playing in it) wasn't a big enough kick in the balls, he's getting to go to [expletive]ing Texas, a place I've always wanted to visit, to see it. God [expletive]ing dammit. My dad told his boss that if anyone can't go to give the extra ticket to me, but I highly doubt that'll happen.

Yeah, I'm not a fan of this song either...

You're a genius.

WOWWWW what a play that got Chalmers the 3, terrible communication defensively for the Mavs.

WOW what a collapse by Miami...they need to go to Wade here.

I think you're mis-interpretating what equal opportunity is. Of course a fat, deformed person should be able to have the same opportunity to be a model as a Tyra Banks...however, just because she has an equal opportunity doesn't mean that company should hire her. There is a difference. For example, a nice restaurant should take applications from everyone, but that doesn't mean they have to hire a ghetto black thug over a preppy white kid. EDIT: To answer your question, no, I don't think it'll happen. I don't think she would be able to relate to the players that well, wouldn't command the utmost respect and communication would be difficult.

Congrats on graduating HS although, trust me, you will miss it. College is really tough and a whole lot different, even though there's way more freedom and choices that you make as opposed to guidance counselors, teachers, etc...

I don't really like him for either team except as a 6th man. He's basically a poor man's Rose with worse decision making ability and efficiency, and the Grizzlies will have a hard enough time already getting Gay to adjust to the gameplan that succeeded in the playoffs, which was work through the post. Adding Ellis would make that even harder.

Top 10 player of all-time, and when he was in his prime he was the most dominant player I've ever seen. I will definitely miss all his crazy antics and soundbites, although I do see him joining TNT or ESPN at some point in the next year or two.

Hahahahahahahahahahaha that's going on my ipod asap... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSuwBHp_4gk

LINK

Considering everything else he did those games, including shutting down Pierce, I think doing what he did those games against what was then the league's best defense was pretty damn good. Anyway, good game for Miami. They made adjustments after the first 2 quarters or so and started limiting 2nd chance points and open 3pt attempts for guys like Kidd and Terry. Once that happened, they basically suffocated Dallas' offense, and Dirk was never able to really get it going and reel off consecutive baskets late in the game. The one very bright spot for Dallas was Marion...he was fantastic on both ends. Wade FINALLY picked it up after a few really, really lackluster games (besides the last few minutes of the Chicago elimination game) and had a great all-around performance.

I'd stay single until my late 20's, and eventually settle down with a wife and kids in my early 30's.

Wade really has to get it going. He's forcing too much and consistently getting the ball tipped and deflected...he needs to be more decisive on his moves, and not be afraid to take squared up, balanced jumpers.

That's the main issue. Arenas is on probably the worst contract in NBA history when you factor in his injuries, Hedo's on a bad contract, I believe Richardson is a FA, Jameer is an average starting PG who isn' a great playmaker, and the rest of the team doesn't have any value besides maybe Reddick and Anderson. The team is cap-locked with bad contracts and average talent. If Dwight wants to take the noble, non-LeBron/Melo route, then cool, but it'll be the worst decision of his career unless Otis Smith works a miracle before next year's trade deadline.

Yeah, because having a great game through the entire game isn't clutch, right? Contrary to popular belief, 2pts in quarters 1-3 does hold as much weight as 2pts in the 4th quarter. And ESPN also overlooked Kobe refusing to shoot in the 2nd half of Game 7 against the Suns in 2006 (or his 6-24 shooting in Game 7 against Boston, or his duds against the Mavs this year) when talking about how he may be the most clutch player in NBA history. Bottom line is when you make up for a bad performance with mutliple elite performances, people tend to overlook the bad stuff.

Game 4 vs. Boston: 22/9/8/2/1 Game 6 vs. Boston: 27/19/10/3/1 Even though his shooting percentages and turnovers weren't spectacular in either of those games, those are still two really, really solid games. If that's "quitting", then that's even more proof he's easily the best player in the NBA. BTW, check what Wade did vs. Chicago this post-season, or Kobe against Dallas, or Rose vs. Miami, or Dwight vs. Boston last season. LeBron's series against Boston was better than what those players' did, and either way one series shouldn't discount a player's entire career.