| Apr 21, 2008 @ 9:14 PM |
The NBA playoffs
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alivenwell351
Posts: 3,035
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I admit, I don't follow basketball much at all any more until the playoffs...this playground, run & gun, slamdunk thing they play today is not the same game I grew up playing...
That being said, is there any question that LeBron isn't the best all around team player in the game today??
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| Apr 21, 2008 @ 9:59 PM |
The NBA playoffs |
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lj450
Posts: 9,551
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There sure is. You need to watch Chris Paul (New Orleans Hornets) play sometime.  He destroyed Jason Kidd and the Mavs. From what I hear, he's been doing it all year.
A strong case could be made for Kobe Bryant also (although he didnt have such a great game in their opener against Denver).
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| Apr 22, 2008 @ 3:37 PM |
The NBA playoffs
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alivenwell351
Posts: 3,035
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I didn't say best one on one, run and gun player, though I'll vote for LeBron any time on that too.
I said best TEAM player. In the mold of Magic. Someone who has taken what would be a pretty normal team with little or no playoff hopes and elevating them to contenders. There is no one in the league more valuable to his team than Lebron...
Not even close...
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| Apr 22, 2008 @ 4:18 PM |
The NBA playoffs |
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lj450
Posts: 9,551
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You could be right.
If the experts agree with you, then he will win the NBA player of the year award. Here are some stats you might have missed from the 07-08 regular season.
Assists per game........................ Chris Paul # 1 with 11.6 per game
Lebron James #10 with 7.2 per game
Steals per game........................ Chris Paul # 1 with 2.71 steals per game
Lebron James #10 with 1.84 steals per game
Double-Double games................ Chris Paul # 2 with 56 games
Lebron James #19 with 31 games
Turnovers (not the good kind) ..... Chris Paul #36 with 2.5 turnovers per game
Lebron James # 5 with 3.4 turnovers per game
Field goal percentage ................Chris Paul .488
Lebron James .484
Fantasy Rating .................Chris Paul #1 5.85 Fantasy Rating
Kobe Bryant #2 5.71 Fantasy Rating
Lebron James #3 5.68 Fantasy Rating
Courtesy of NBA.com
I would say, most definitely, a case could be made that "others" are more deserving of this praise.
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| Apr 22, 2008 @ 4:49 PM |
The NBA playoffs
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lj450
Posts: 9,551
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Someone who has taken what would be a pretty normal team with little or no playoff hopes and elevating them to contenders.
That describes EXACTLY what Chris Paul has done with the New Orleans Hornets this year. Im not even sure if they made the playoffs last year or not (Cleveland made it to the finals before being swept under the rug by the mighty Spurs last year)
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| Apr 22, 2008 @ 5:03 PM |
The NBA playoffs |
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JenRNinOhio
Posts: 4,161
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Got the first two in the bag ...
Cleveland Cavs
oh
yeah
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| Apr 22, 2008 @ 9:36 PM |
The NBA playoffs
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alivenwell351
Posts: 3,035
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Chris Paul is a very nice POINT GUARD..but he will NEVER, EVER, take over and completely dominate a game the way LeBron can and has done.
It's apples and oranges.
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| Apr 23, 2008 @ 12:18 AM |
The NBA playoffs |
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lj450
Posts: 9,551
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Fantasy Rating .................Chris Paul #1 5.85 Fantasy Rating
Kobe Bryant #2 5.71 Fantasy Rating
Lebron James #3 5.68 Fantasy Rating
Courtesy of NBA.com
How can you argue THAT???
The NBA's own fantasy rating. Position played has no bearing on this. I understand you love Lebron....and he is a great player, but he has not dominated the league this year. Stats dont lie.
I admit, I don't follow basketball much at all any more 
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| Apr 23, 2008 @ 12:33 AM |
The NBA playoffs
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lj450
Posts: 9,551
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Alive says.... Chris Paul is a very nice POINT GUARD..but he will NEVER, EVER, take over and completely dominate a game the way LeBron can and has done.
From the game tonight.....
As brilliant as Paul was in his playoff debut last weekend, his encore was better.
After Paul's dazzling 35-point, 10-assist performance in Game 1, Johnson said the Mavs would throw more double-teams at Paul, hoping to get the ball out of the star point guard's hands.
The strategy backfired badly from the start. Paul easily split or dribbled around double-teams, scoring six points and assisting on eight baskets in the first quarter.
His crossover, between-the-legs and behind-the-back dribbles set up an array of running floaters, fades and jumpers. He found West for several open jumpers and a dunk. He twice found Chandler for alley-oop dunks. The Hornets shot a whopping 71 percent and set a franchise playoff record with 39 first-quarter points.
He finished with 32 pts and 17 assists tonight as the Hornets won 127-103.
http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/recap?gameId=2008042203
You need to watch more basketball. Magic was a point guard, by the way.
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| Apr 23, 2008 @ 8:26 AM |
The NBA playoffs |
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MetryTechie
Posts: 1,442
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Thanks for posting all the good stuff, LJ.....GO HORNETS!!!
CP3...MVP!!!
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| Apr 23, 2008 @ 8:56 AM |
The NBA playoffs
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lj450
Posts: 9,551
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It looks like the former pros/experts agree with you metry.....
There is no consensus among TNT analysts Charles Barkley, Reggie Miller and Kenny Smith on the major NBA awards, except for Sixth Man of the Year - the San Antonio Spurs' Manu Ginobili. For Most Valuable Player, Barkley goes with the New Orleans Hornets' Chris Paul and Miller with the Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant. Smith wimps out and names them co-MVPs.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/basketball/bal-sp.frager18apr18,0,1529458.column?track=rss
None of them selected Lebron. Anyone who will argue that these guys dont know the NBA should be locked up. haha
I will be the first to admit, I have never even heard of Chris Paul until the all star game this year. After watching him play against a really good Mavs team, and destroying them both games.....I am a believer.....this kid is for real.
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| Apr 24, 2008 @ 9:09 AM |
The NBA playoffs |
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lj450
Posts: 9,551
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There is no one in the league more valuable to his team than Lebron...
Not even close...
I dont suppose you watched Kobe Bryant last night either, did ya? 
Bryant finished with 49 points and 10 assists—one shy of his career playoff high in both categories.
“Tonight, the way he was going, we probably could have put 10 people on the court and probably wouldn’t have been able to stop him,” said Nuggets star Allen Iverson, who wasn’t bad himself, getting 31 points and six assists
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/recap?gid=2008042313
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| Apr 24, 2008 @ 5:36 PM |
The NBA playoffs
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alivenwell351
Posts: 3,035
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I dont suppose you watched Kobe Bryant last night either, did ya?
Actually, yeah, I did...And watched Chris Paul the other night too.
NBA players are sort of like NASCAR drivers...any one of them can DRIVE real fast, but only a few of them can actually RACE real fast.
Kobe is probably the best one on one player in the league...and last night was an awesome show of 4 guys pretty much standing around watching Kobe do his thing. We'll see if the Lakers go any farther in the playoffs this year than they have the past few years since Shaq left and it's just been the Kobe show. Yep, Kobe can drive REAL fast.
LeBron took what would be a very ordinary team without him last year to the NBA finals. He did it by getting everyone as involved as he could while still carrying the load. LeBron could put on a Kobe show every night if he wanted to...instead he understands the team aspect of the game and plays that way. Lebron RACES real fast.
Admittedly I've only seen Chris Paul play a few times this year and I've been impressed, especially the other night. One hell of a point guard. But you take him away from the Hornets, and you take LeBron away from the Cavs...and the Hornets win 4 out of 5 every time. It looks like Paul will be a racer too, but time will tell.
Stats never tell the whole story. There were always guys with better this stat or that stat than Magic, but Magic made his TEAM a winner with a presence that can't be categorized or have some ranking number attached to it. This is what's happening with LeBron and the Cavs. LeBron has that same undefinable, unequatable presence that Magic had. The Cavs are a year or two and a big time point guard away from being consistently at the top of the heap. But they're getting there. We'll see who went how far in the playoffs when it's all said and done after the season's over.
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| Apr 25, 2008 @ 8:38 AM |
The NBA playoffs |
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lj450
Posts: 9,551
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Your attempt at relating the game of basketball to something you are obviously more knowledgable of (nascar racing), is admirable.
Comical......but admirable.
One question......what happened to your "racer driver" or whatever you call him, last night?
Is it merely coincidence that Lebron is the ONLY player in the NBA who faces chants of "Overrated" all game?
10 of 19 from the field and 22 pts (not to mention a ton of turnovers).
I stand by my previous claim.....you really need to watch more basketball.
Alivenwells boy has a stellar performance
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| Apr 25, 2008 @ 11:26 AM |
The NBA playoffs
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alivenwell351
Posts: 3,035
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We all have our opinions...
[Edited on 4/25/2008 11:53 AM]
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| Apr 25, 2008 @ 4:36 PM |
The NBA playoffs |
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lj450
Posts: 9,551
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Well, we do at least.
I have about 5 Lebron rookie cards, by the way (only 1 Kobe, and no Chris Pauls).
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| Apr 26, 2008 @ 8:42 AM |
The NBA playoffs
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alivenwell351
Posts: 3,035
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Paul finished 4-of-18 ...from Yahoo Sports on last night's Mavs-Hornets game
Happens to the best of em....particularly going on the road...
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| Apr 26, 2008 @ 9:39 AM |
The NBA playoffs |
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lj450
Posts: 9,551
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Yeah, he played like shit. I think he went in for a pit stop, needed new tires, and just decided to take the rest of the race off.
I was glad to see the Mavs bounce back.
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| Apr 27, 2008 @ 10:13 PM |
The NBA playoffs
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whatagal
Posts: 1,130
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Hangs her head in shame. I have NOT kept up with the NBA as in previous years. And I have the GALL to call myself a Spurs fan...SHAME ON ME!! 
Did any of you catch the Spurs/Suns game today? Just don't understand why the pick n roll didn't work for us today. The Suns completely dominated us! 
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| Apr 27, 2008 @ 10:34 PM |
The NBA playoffs |
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lj450
Posts: 9,551
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I think its a scam. You see it with all the apparently dominant teams, taking a game or two off. They want to stretch the series out, to increase the economies of the cities involved.
Where would you rather end (win) a series.....on the road, or at home? 
Now, all of these series will travel back to the dominant teams home court. It helped with revenues, sold more tickets, sold more shirts, etc, and got more tv air time. Clever, huh.
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