[bostonsports1]

This coming from a Celtics fan....

Lebron is hands down one of the best to ever play and I feel like now he is getting into his prime. Do I think he has better pieces around him than MJ? Yes. Do I think MJ was more clutch and a better defender? Yes. But MJ was not the force that is lebron, he is a different player in a different era of the game, tough to hate on his ability. He's not MJ for many reasons, but to hate on him is dumb, you gotta give him all the respect in the world for the season he is having.

[nickm1123]

This coming from a Celtics fan....

Lebron is hands down one of the best to ever play and I feel like now he is getting into his prime. Do I think he has better pieces around him than MJ? Yes. Do I think MJ was more clutch and a better defender? Yes. But MJ was not the force that is lebron, he is a different player in a different era of the game, tough to hate on his ability. He's not MJ for many reasons, but to hate on him is dumb, you gotta give him all the respect in the world for the season he is having.

+1. Extremely well said and I agree with pretty much everything you said. To be a true basketball fan you have to appreciate greatness regardless of who the player is off the court. To hate on him is dumb. And this is coming from someone that has over 3000 different MJ cards and has been collecting for 15+ years now....

[jacobystealshome]

look, this is simple:

the most dominant pro player of all-time: shaq (keep reading before you get your panties in a wad)
the most dynamic player: magic johnson
the best defensive player of all-time: bill russell
the most clutch player of all-time: jordan
the best athlete: wilt chamberlain
the best all-around player of all-time: lebron


now that lebron has learned to play in the paint, post up, and has turned his passing skills from that area into artwork...i give him the nod. He can play all 5 positions in today's NBA, and it's players like him that are evolving the game from the whole pg-sg-sf-pf-c structure

[MRHARPER]

Let me start off by saying that I am not a Heat/LeBron hater. LeBron is by FAR the BEST all around player in today's game and quite possibly of all-time (still to be determined). His numbers speak for themselves as to what he is capable of doing on the court when he puts his mind to it. For some reason though, there are still a few things that irk me about LeBron as a player. For one, I feel as though he lets other players get into his head too easily, and he loses focus out on the court. As the great Billy Hoyle once said, "Most people don't play good pissed off.", well LeBron falls into that category 9 out of 10 times. Although, that one time out of 10, he will get really pissed off and embarass you by slamming the ball down your throat and the it will be shown to eveyone on ESPN.The other thing that gets on my nerves about LeBron is that he has a tendency to complain (whine) about how other teams defend him. The Bulls took the strategy(and have had this gameplan since Thibs started coaching) of not giving him easy buckets when he drives to the hole. For LeBron to complain about hard fouls just doesn't sit well with me. I mean this is the same guy who was a star TE in high school and one of few players in the NBA who wear a mouthpiece out on the floor. I'm not questioning his toughness or anything, but c'mon man!

The 27-game win streak the Heat had is absolutely amazing, and I applaud them for it. Granted a lot of people will be saying that the Heat's main competition in the East (Bulls, Celtics, Nets and Knicks) all had injury plagued rosters at the time of the streak, I still think the streak was awesome. I highly doubt any team will beat the Lakers record of 33 in a row though. It's just one of those streaks/records that I believe will not be broken. The same goes with the 1995-96 Bulls record of 72-10. The Heat's win streak brought fan base back to basketball and made basketball games exciting to watch, just to see if the streak would continue/or end.

On to the main reason why I started this thread...DA BULLS!! It was great to see them come out and play the way they did against the Heat. Besides the fact that they didn't have Rose or Noah, quite possibly their two best players, they still outplayed the Heat. It'd be nice to see Rose come back this season, but I highly doubt it's going to happen. People will question his toughness and his competitive drive because he has not come back yet, but I'm sure he's being swayed by the organization to take his time rehabbing his knee. I'd much rather have him sit this season out and come back next year at 100%, as opposed to him coming back too soon and not being the same player he was prior to the injury. Coach Thibs knows what he's doing out there, and the rest of the team has shown they can still win without Rose. Can they win in the playoffs without Rose? It will be difficult, but I believe it can be done. Since LeBron took his talents to South Beach the Bulls are 7-3 against the Heat in the regular season, so the Bulls have their number in that aspect, playoff wise that record is much different. I love the way this team has transformed since Thibs took over a couple years ago, and I hope they keep the guys are their current roster together and the Bulls/Heat have years of games to come like the one they played last night.

[bengu]

nickm no need to be Lebron's online agent & defend him 24/7 lol...

We get it.. He's "The Chosen One" and anyone who disagrees that's he's an "all time great" is ignorant lmao... Never mind the facts like these...

* He didn't win any championships on his own as the main star during the Cavalier days
* He disappeared in the 2011 Finals like no other "all time great" ever has
* He staged a publicity stunt with "The Decision" to make up for the publicity he WASN'T getting about being a winner
* He claimed they'd win "not 3, not 4, not 5, not 6, not 7" ... Yet currently is at ONE with the help of a SUPER team... Mean while Kobe has 5, Duncan has 4, and Dirk/KG/Billups and others all have just as many or more then him as it stands... Sorry but one in 11 years doesn't make him a "king" to me...


I can go on forever about how overrated he is... But no need to feed the nickm troll machine any further.



Have a blessed day everyone. I'm out

[arod1973]

I was so glad to see the Bulls play hard and end the streak..I was prob one of the few who was sick and tired of hearing about it and how great the Heat are..

As for LeBron, I think he makes it real tough to like him...When they are winning he is all smiles but as soon as the streak ends, he is whining about how hard he gets fouled and its not fair...Did he not see how hard the Pistons and Knicks used to foul MJ who was physical smaller than him?

I would have had a lot more respect if I would have heard him simply give the Bulls props and let that be it..

and yes..i am probably classified as a hater..LOL

[MRHARPER]

Talent wise, LeBron is hands down in a class of his own. He has the talent to do things NOBODY else has ever done before with a basketball. His character is what makes it hard for me to like him. The way he presents himself and the way he acts when things don't go his way are two things I don't like about the guy.

[briankort]

* He didn't win any championships on his own as the main star during the Cavalier days
* He disappeared in the 2011 Finals like no other "all time great" ever has
* He staged a publicity stunt with "The Decision" to make up for the publicity he WASN'T getting about being a winner
* He claimed they'd win "not 3, not 4, not 5, not 6, not 7" ... Yet currently is at ONE with the help of a SUPER team... Mean while Kobe has 5, Duncan has 4, and Dirk/KG/Billups and others all have just as many or more then him as it stands... Sorry but one in 11 years doesn't make him a "king" to me...

You want to sway all the information and facts in a way that suits your obvious hate for LeBron. Your probably a Cleveland fan that still hates him for leaving that crappy city and team.

Anyway, lets cross examine your unfounded "MYTHS" and clear up some obvious misconceptions.

He didn't win any championships in Cleveland. True Fact. Why? Because he had no other talent there. One great player on a team can not win a championship. You can go back every year and analyze the teams that have won and every team has had at least two great players.

He had a bad 2011 Finals you say. Ok sure. He didn't play his best, but neither did his team mates. They didn't defend well and they didn't shoot well. Has every All-Time great won every finals they went to? NO! When the Lakers and the Celtics used to go at it every year and the Bulls and Pistons. Great Players won and Great players lost in those rivalries. That doesn't mean the players weren't then and aren't now still great. (Magic, Bird, Isaiah Thomas, etc....) Someone has to win and someone has to lose. And what did LeBron do the very next year? He came out with a new purpose and they won it all.

The "Publicity Stunt" has nothing to do with basketball and his ability on the floor. To bring it up in a conversation about his skill and ability as a basketball player is just a weak attempt to find something to try and bring the man down. He made over $200,000 for the Boys and girls club doing that. What have you done for somebody lately?

You bring up the number of rings players have as if they got them all by themselves. How ignorant you are about the game. How many rings does Kobe have all by himself? He has always had someone there to help him win. Maybe you need a reminder that future HOFers like Shaq & Gasol were there to help him along the way not to mention a great supporting cast. Duncan didn't do it alone, KG didn't do it alone. NOBODY does it alone. If Cleveland could have brought in 1 star player to help LeBron out and they would have won just 1 championship, LeBron stays there for life. I don't think he would have ever left.

Also, buy a calculator. LeBron is playing in his 10th season. Not 11th.

When it is all said and done LeBron may not be considered the best player ever, but he will surpass Kobe and Jordan in the stat sheet. He will have more points, rebounds and assists than both of those guys when he finally decides to retire. In fact taking those 3 categories in =to account, he might average higher than anyone who has ever played the game. After just 10 seasons Lebron is only about 400 assists away from breaking Jordans 14 year assist total and less than 600 away from passing Kobe's 16 year totals. He is also right around 1000 rebounds away from passing both of them. LeBron is averaging about 2200 points per season and should pass Jordan's point total in about 5-6 years. Kobe will probably pass Jordan next year.

He may not be the best in each stat category, but his ability to do all 3 well, puts him near the top of the list of NBA greats. This isn't even considering his steals, blocks and shooting percentage. The only things I would like to see LeBron improve on are his free throw shooting (they win last night if he makes them all) and his turnovers. Funny thing though, his AST/TO ratio is 2.1:1 which isn't too bad.

[quavis]

The streak was good for the fans, the NBA and Sports all around. It reminds people that athletes still want to accomplish goals other than championships. No reason to hate on Lebron or the league or media. Humans have selective memories and remember the great. My point is, the league right now is not as weak as being stated. The east is dominated by the Heat, the other teams are not horrible, they just are not as good. The west is loaded with great teams. This league is in better shape than you may realize.

[MRHARPER]

I agree that the streak was great for the NBA. It brought attention back to the sport, which was well needed. It'll be interesting to see how the Heat perform the rest of the season and through the playoffs. The east is definitely dominated by the Heat this year. If Rondo were with the Celtics and Rose was with the Bulls the east would be MUCH more competitve. The Knicks and Nets have also had their fare share of injuries too which are keeping them from being full strength.