***The Official Boston Celtics *2022 Eastern Conference Champs* thread***

Originally posted by LA9erFan:

Originally posted by SanDiego49er:

Originally posted by LA9erFan:

Originally posted by SanDiego49er:

Originally posted by LA9erFan:

Originally posted by SanDiego49er:

Originally posted by LA9erFan:

Originally posted by SanDiego49er:

Originally posted by LA9erFan:

Originally posted by SanDiego49er:
But he is nowhere near the same guy for steals, blocked shots, rebounds and passing that Lebron is

LOL, yes he is.

Playoffs

Wade...26.2 PPG, 5.0 APG, 7.6 RPG, 1.7 SPG, 1.3 BPG
James..26.1 PPG, 4.9 APG, 9.4 RPG, 1.3 SPG, 1.3 BPG

Look at the regular season over time. Lebron is better. Playoffs is a small sample size so far. I know Wade is great. That's obvious.

BTW Lebron had the last 10 points on a 16 - 0 run. So I'd call that "finishing" and closing out the Celtics...

LeBron has better numbers in scoring, rebounding, and assists, while Wade's better in the steals and shot blocking categories over the course of their regular season careers...and they were virtually identical in assists before Wade gave LeBron the PG role for much of the season in Miami.

LeBron's also gotten more minutes than Wade has. When adjusted for that, the only category where LeBron has a discernable advantage is in the rebounding department.

You said Wade is "nowhere near" LeBron in those categories, and that's simply untrue. Ultimately the regular season is pretty meaningless and this was Miami's first test. LeBron deserves props too, but let's not act like he carried this team to victory here. He wasn't even the best player on his team in this series.

Regular season:

James..26.7 PPG, 7.0 APG, 7.5 RPG, 1.57 SPG, .63 BPG
Wade...25.5 PPG, 4.6 APG, 6.4 RPG, 1.46 SPG, 1.14 BPG

Lebron clearly better on a larger sample size over time

******

How you simply ignore that he scored the last 10 points on a 16 - 0 run to close out the celtics is amazing. It shows your biased hate towards Lebron. Rediculous.

The sample size that I was referring to was even larger than the one that you are...and I hate to break it to you...but what LeBron & Wade did in some game in January has absolutely nothing to do with the playoffs. Who the hell cares about "larger sample sizes" in a playoff series? It's not like what LeBron did against Sacramento in January has anything to do with anything.

I did recognize LeBron a couple of pages back. He had a great close to the game. Wade dominated the entire game, and was the best player on the court in 4 out of 5 games. So I chuckled when I saw all of the love being heaped on LeBron with NO mention of Wade at all.

You said that Wade is "nowhere near" LeBron in the categories of rebounding, assists, steals, & blocks. It's provably untrue over the course of each of their careers, especially when accounting for minutes played. There isn't a single category where Wade is "nowhere near" LeBron.

Again Lebron scoring the final 10 points on a 16 - 0 run to close out the Celtics. What of it? You say he can't play good in the 4th quarter. He can't play good in the clutch...

What the hell are you talking about.

Keep ignoring it. That's what you usually do when facts don't fit your argument...

Yes, the facts are that I said "he can't play good in the 4th quarter and I he can't play good in the clutch." Yep, that's what I said.

You shouldn't venture too far from your normal, painfully obvious observations too often.

That's always your argument with Lebron.

Just remember the guy who took over the game late in the 4th quarter and closed out the Celtics was Lebron James...

Originally posted by SanDiego49er:
That's always your argument with Lebron.

Just remember the guy who took over the game late in the 4th quarter and closed out the Celtics was Lebron James...

LOL. No it isn't. Not if your comprehension level extends beyond that of a 4th grader.

You should probably leave this one in 4ML's hands. He disagrees with me about most everything, but at least he's capable of cogent conversation.

Lebron was clutch at the end of this game and closed out the Celtics? Yes or No?

Simply pointing out you have said for years it's all Kobe. He plays with Shannon Brown and Fisher...blah...blah. Lebron can't do it. He needs a super team. You deny suggesting these things on the WZ ever in any thread?...

Lebron contributed huge to that win, the clutch performance at the end, and the series. I know Wade is a great player. Easily top 5. On some nights better than Lebron. He's always been great. He was great at Marquette.

Originally posted by LA9erFan:

Originally posted by SanDiego49er:
That's always your argument with Lebron.

Just remember the guy who took over the game late in the 4th quarter and closed out the Celtics was Lebron James...

LOL. No it isn't. Not if your comprehension level extends beyond that of a 4th grader.

You should probably leave this one in 4ML's hands. He disagrees with me about most everything, but at least he's capable of cogent conversation.

Not true, I agree with you on whole host of issues...but we disagree mostly when it comes to Lebron and Kobe.

...and I hope you know that I really respect your views, even when I disagree with them. I don't dismiss or take your comments lightly.

I love Wade, so I'm not gonna argue against Wade. Wade was special today (and as you pointed out - in this whole series) and kept the Heat in the game, and Lebron was spectacular in the last few minutes.

Many (including you and I) were concerned if Lebron and Wade can play together. I'm not concerned one bit about that anymore. I'm really really happy to see them get past Celtics - but if they fail against the Bulls in conf. finals - all this means nothing.

Originally posted by BobS:

Originally posted by LA9erFan:

Originally posted by SanDiego49er:

Originally posted by 49ersMyLife:

Originally posted by LA9erFan:

Originally posted by 49ersMyLife:
Lebron Motherf**king James...took it to another level.

He definitely did at the end, but he certainly has the luxury of not being the best player on the court half of the time.

Just like with any team with great players, you don't have to be great all the time - which is what he had to be with Cavs.

Exactly...

Kind of like Kobe rode Shaq's coat tails to the first 3.

Ya, and Shaq got the shine for it too.

That's what makes this funny. D-Wade was the best player on the court in 4 out of the 5 games in this series, and yet it's just folks fawning over LeBron with almost no mention of Wade at all.

If I could pick one guy to build an NBA team around he would be it. He never seems to have an off night when it matters. On top of his stats he does a lot of great things that don't even show up on the stat sheet. He should have been MVP, not Rose. Pull him off that Miami team and they would be lucky to win 45 games and be swept in the first round.

I would bet you 1 zillion dollars that lebron, bosh and wades sal cap space could make it out of the first round.

I no longer hate LeBron James.


I thought it was funny how they were celebrating like the won the NBA Finals last night.

LeBron and his Father in law had a nice embrace last night after the game which was unexpected

Sorry Lebron, but Wade was the best player almost every game. Lebron did close out 2 games, but Wade put the team in that position.

Originally posted by SanDiego49er:
Lebron was clutch at the end of this game and closed out the Celtics? Yes or No?

I'm not the biggest basketball junkie, but doesn't it take 4 wins to close out a team in the playoffs?

James
140 pts, 18 ast, 9 steals, 41 rebounds

Wade
151 pts, 24 ast, 10 steals, 34 rebounds

Doesn't look like there is any comparison to me, Lebron clearly did it all by himself. Those last 10 points in ONE run in a basketball were definitely the difference.

NBA basketball, every team goes on a run. truth.

Haters gonna hate!

It can be argued that Lebron is the best player in the game but his game is different than that of Wade or Kobe but extends further in terms of capabilities than Wade or Kobe.

Take for example Magic Johnson and Kareem. Many could argue it was Kareem's team and Magic had his moments but Magic was also one of the greatest players.

Out of these 3 guys, I can only imagine Lebron going to any team and immediately making a huge difference but can't see Kobe or Wade do that unless more talent is built around them.

Don't Lebron and the heat have their own thread?

Originally posted by LundyLove:
Don't Lebron and the heat have their own thread?

Don't know, any Heat thread gets populated by Lakers fans.

Originally posted by epdavis:
I did not notice but a friend told me that quite a few Celtics (Garnett, Pierce, & Rondo) did not shake hands. If that's true will they get KILLED like LeBron did a few yrs. ago?

That's because Wade and Lebron were hugging and groping each other on the floor like they had just won Game 7 of the Finals. The Celtic players finally just walked off. No need for them to have to wait on Miami's home court till they were done.

Lebron is a great player. But his personality in these postgame interviews is awful. Awesome on the court....but sucks as a person.

Originally posted by 49ersMyLife:

Originally posted by LA9erFan:

Originally posted by SanDiego49er:
That's always your argument with Lebron.

Just remember the guy who took over the game late in the 4th quarter and closed out the Celtics was Lebron James...

LOL. No it isn't. Not if your comprehension level extends beyond that of a 4th grader.

You should probably leave this one in 4ML's hands. He disagrees with me about most everything, but at least he's capable of cogent conversation.

Not true, I agree with you on whole host of issues...but we disagree mostly when it comes to Lebron and Kobe.

...and I hope you know that I really respect your views, even when I disagree with them. I don't dismiss or take your comments lightly.

I love Wade, so I'm not gonna argue against Wade. Wade was special today (and as you pointed out - in this whole series) and kept the Heat in the game, and Lebron was spectacular in the last few minutes.

Many (including you and I) were concerned if Lebron and Wade can play together. I'm not concerned one bit about that anymore. I'm really really happy to see them get past Celtics - but if they fail against the Bulls in conf. finals - all this means nothing.

Ya, I very much respect your opinion as well.

The thing about LeBron & Wade playing together though is that Miami's offense really hasn't been anything special. They're good, but considering that they have two of the best individual offensive players in their era, an all-star level 3rd option + spot up shooters, they don't produce at a high level on that end of the court. I think both guys dribble way too much when they have the ball, and it's led to a team that's really only so-so on the offensive end.

But good God, I can't think of a faster defensive team than this one in my lifetime. LeBron & Wade are the biggest part of that, being that they're probably the fastest SF & SG in the league, respectively. Plus, you have a legit rim-protector in Anthony, and one of the better defensive PGs in the league in Chalmers. That's really where their bread has been buttered.

I'd love to see a Finals matchup of OKC vs. Miami, because OKC is one of the only teams in the league where Miami doesn't have a HUGE speed/athleticism advantage over their opponent. Dallas would be interesting too, because they're the best passing team left in the playoffs.

Originally posted by LA9erFan:

Originally posted by 49ersMyLife:

Originally posted by LA9erFan:

Originally posted by SanDiego49er:
That's always your argument with Lebron.

Just remember the guy who took over the game late in the 4th quarter and closed out the Celtics was Lebron James...

LOL. No it isn't. Not if your comprehension level extends beyond that of a 4th grader.

You should probably leave this one in 4ML's hands. He disagrees with me about most everything, but at least he's capable of cogent conversation.

Not true, I agree with you on whole host of issues...but we disagree mostly when it comes to Lebron and Kobe.

...and I hope you know that I really respect your views, even when I disagree with them. I don't dismiss or take your comments lightly.

I love Wade, so I'm not gonna argue against Wade. Wade was special today (and as you pointed out - in this whole series) and kept the Heat in the game, and Lebron was spectacular in the last few minutes.

Many (including you and I) were concerned if Lebron and Wade can play together. I'm not concerned one bit about that anymore. I'm really really happy to see them get past Celtics - but if they fail against the Bulls in conf. finals - all this means nothing.

Ya, I very much respect your opinion as well.

The thing about LeBron & Wade playing together though is that Miami's offense really hasn't been anything special. They're good, but considering that they have two of the best individual offensive players in their era, an all-star level 3rd option + spot up shooters, they don't produce at a high level on that end of the court. I think both guys dribble way too much when they have the ball, and it's led to a team that's really only so-so on the offensive end.

But good God, I can't think of a faster defensive team than this one in my lifetime. LeBron & Wade are the biggest part of that, being that they're probably the fastest SF & SG in the league, respectively. Plus, you have a legit rim-protector in Anthony, and one of the better defensive PGs in the league in Chalmers. That's really where their bread has been buttered.

I'd love to see a Finals matchup of OKC vs. Miami, because OKC is one of the only teams in the league where Miami doesn't have a HUGE speed/athleticism advantage over their opponent. Dallas would be interesting too, because they're the best passing team left in the playoffs.

Definitely OKC will be able to match Miami's athleticism. I do agree that offense isn't at it's best...but I personally don't like their spot up shooters. They are highly inconsistent. But, both Lebron and Wade can excel together, and in the beginning of the season - both of their numbers were significantly down.

If Mike Miller played like the Mike Miller we've all come to know, things on the offensive end could be different. Chalmers and Anthony flat out suck on the offensive side, and Bibby and Jones have gotten a LOT of open looks - and have been so-so. I do agree, Anthony has been a pleasant surprise on the defensive end.

Yes - both Lebron and Wade dribble too much, that was the case with Lebron in Cleveland too. To me, it's still work in progress, but I can see now that these two can play well together. I'm starting to see some post play from both of them (although not nearly as often as I would like to see).

On defense, both are great, especially Wade with ridiculous ability to block shots.