**The Miami HEAT - 2011-2012 NBA CHAMPIONS**

Originally posted by susweel:

Everyone knows 82 game schedule is harder. I mean don't get me wrong they still won the title but it will have an asterisk by it.

I think many players acknowledged this compressed schedule offered no breaks and was brutal. Opinion Invalrod.

Congrats Lebron. Liked him in Cleveland...like many were disappointed by the decision. But he changed my thoughts of him in game 6 vs Boston and the second game of the finals.

He earned it. I'm excited to see next year how he progresses more and plays without that huge monkey on his back.

Originally posted by marshniners24:
Congrats Lebron. Liked him in Cleveland...like many were disappointed by the decision. But he changed my thoughts of him in game 6 vs Boston and the second game of the finals.

He earned it. I'm excited to see next year how he progresses more and plays without that huge money on his back.

To London now...

Originally posted by 49ersMyLife:

To London now...

You better root for the Kings now

Originally posted by Rubberneck36:

Originally posted by susweel:
Everyone knows 82 game schedule is harder. I mean don't get me wrong they still won the title but it will have an asterisk by it.

I think many players acknowledged this compressed schedule offered no breaks and was brutal. Opinion Invalrod.

Skip Bayless didn't make that sort of an excuse...because even he knows how ridiculous that is. Some people are upset that Lebron won the title and especially the way he won the title. I don't have any problems with haters, but don't have a sore loser type mentality.

Originally posted by marshniners24:

Originally posted by 49ersMyLife:


To London now...

You better root for the Kings now

I've been to many of their games since I live in Tahoe and they are the closest team...just haven't been there last 3 years. I don't dislike them at all - nor do I root against them when I go to their games. I go to watch good basketball...and I've a feeling I'll be going to some of their games in 2013 - because they have couple of players who are fun to watch.

No one would be talking asterisk if the Thunder won.

Originally posted by marshniners24:

Originally posted by TX9R:
Why can they never make a decent looking "champions" hat for pretty much any sport these days? I can't remember a decent looking one since 1994.

Spolstra looked like he was a kid. It was hilarious. Dat backwards snap back doe

Originally posted by LA9erFan:

Originally posted by coeliyian:

Originally posted by susweel:
It was a shortened season so clearly their title means less.

This kinda, plus D.Rose was injured, and the nba blocked the chris paul to the lakers trade, and shaq retired, and so they had an easy walkthrough.

I hate these excuses. Everyone played under the same framework. A lesser Miami team kicked the crap out of D. Rose and Co. last year. Miami's the rightful champ with no qualification.

I was being sarcastic in reply to his lame excuse for why their championship doesnt count.

Originally posted by blizzuntz:
No one would be talking asterisk if the Thunder won.

I know it's tough to win one, but I believe they will do it again next season...I've no doubt that Lebron will keep getting better and continue grinding...that's what I want from him - continue to get BETTER!!!

Originally posted by susweel:
Everyone knows 82 game schedule is harder. I mean don't get me wrong they still won the title but it will have an asterisk by it.

I think a season that's as compacted as this one was is harder. Tons of back-to-backs, and even some back-to-back-to backs. To put it in perspective, you know how many full practices Ramon Sessions had with the Lakers before the playoffs? One. That's all there was time for.

Part of the reason that I picked Miami to win it all this year was because the compacted schedule would lessen the importance of strategy & game planning, and that would mean that the most talented team (Miami) would have a greater advantage. Just very little time to game plan. Mark Cuban made some interesting comments in the video below about how Dallas helped take LeBron out of his comfort zone last year. This year, teams didn't have the time to develop secondary defenses throughout the season, like the zones with different wrinkles that Cuban's talking about here. Everything was really meat & potatoes this year on both sides of the ball.

Everyone played under the same framework though, and Miami won fair and square. The only thing I would say is that coaching mattered less this year and both talent & continuity mattered more. The latter being what explains San Antonio's success IMO, and the fact that each of the Final Four teams made no major changes from last year to this year. Same core, same coach.

^I watched that episode of first take yesterday and was so happy to finally see somebody call out these "analysts" for all the meaningless rhetoric that comes out of their mouths. What I found most interesting was how he talked about Dallas' gameplan vs Lebron last season and how James made the right play more often than not during last years finals...something I thought at the time when watching the games. I think the biggest mistake Lebron made in last years finals was that he played within the offense and didn't play "hero ball" as Cuban calls it.

That's what pisses me off the most about these guys...they fail to realize that basketball is, and always will be, a team game.

Originally posted by susweel:

Originally posted by Rubberneck36:

Originally posted by susweel:

Originally posted by SanDiego49er:

Originally posted by LA9erFan:

Originally posted by coeliyian:

Originally posted by susweel:
It was a shortened season so clearly their title means less.

This kinda, plus D.Rose was injured, and the nba blocked the chris paul to the lakers trade, and shaq retired, and so they had an easy walkthrough.

I hate these excuses. Everyone played under the same framework. A lesser Miami team kicked the crap out of D. Rose and Co. last year. Miami's the rightful champ with no qualification.

LA is 100% correct. I agree. And he's no lover of Lebron. He in fact hates Lebron. But at least LA is fair. And not being rediculous.

~ First it's Lebron can't win.
~ Then it's he gets there but he chokes.
~ Then he wins and is completely dominant all playoffs long including the finals and close out game. Then it's "well, but, but, but it was a short season!"

Everybody had the same # of games. Lebron is the best. The Heat are the best.

don't care Im still gonna hate.

LA is absolutely correct.

Hey, let's all go back in time and see how many times a team had a injury and another team won, then let's say they didn't deserve it.

And you guys act like the difference in 66 games vice 82 drops miami to an 8 seed or something. Get out with that wack stuff.

Everyone knows 82 game schedule is harder. I mean don't get me wrong they still won the title but it will have an asterisk by it.

An 82 game regular season would have obviously benefited the Lakers, and they would have won the chip

Originally posted by JerryRice1848:

Originally posted by susweel:

Originally posted by Rubberneck36:

Originally posted by susweel:

Originally posted by SanDiego49er:

Originally posted by LA9erFan:

Originally posted by coeliyian:

Originally posted by susweel:

It was a shortened season so clearly their title means less.

This kinda, plus D.Rose was injured, and the nba blocked the chris paul to the lakers trade, and shaq retired, and so they had an easy walkthrough.

I hate these excuses. Everyone played under the same framework. A lesser Miami team kicked the crap out of D. Rose and Co. last year. Miami's the rightful champ with no qualification.

LA is 100% correct. I agree. And he's no lover of Lebron. He in fact hates Lebron. But at least LA is fair. And not being rediculous.

~ First it's Lebron can't win.
~ Then it's he gets there but he chokes.
~ Then he wins and is completely dominant all playoffs long including the finals and close out game. Then it's "well, but, but, but it was a short season!"

Everybody had the same # of games. Lebron is the best. The Heat are the best.

don't care Im still gonna hate.

LA is absolutely correct.

Hey, let's all go back in time and see how many times a team had a injury and another team won, then let's say they didn't deserve it.

And you guys act like the difference in 66 games vice 82 drops miami to an 8 seed or something. Get out with that wack stuff.

Everyone knows 82 game schedule is harder. I mean don't get me wrong they still won the title but it will have an asterisk by it.

An 82 game regular season would have obviously benefited the Lakers, and they would have won the chip

Originally posted by Leathaface:
^I watched that episode of first take yesterday and was so happy to finally see somebody call out these "analysts" for all the meaningless rhetoric that comes out of their mouths. What I found most interesting was how he talked about Dallas' gameplan vs Lebron last season and how James made the right play more often than not during last years finals...something I thought at the time when watching the games. I think the biggest mistake Lebron made in last years finals was that he played within the offense and didn't play "hero ball" as Cuban calls it.

That's what pisses me off the most about these guys...they fail to realize that basketball is, and always will be, a team game.

True, but I believe if Lebron had a post-game last season and played attacking basketball...Mark Cuban wouldn't be sitting there saying those things. I don't think Lebron put his team-mates in position to be successful against Mavs. He did this post-season because he went back to playing like he did in Cleveland.