Soca Warriors Online Discussion Forum
Sports => Trinbago, NBA & World Basketball => Topic started by: capodetutticapi on May 17, 2009, 08:38:29 PM
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game one wed. nite.
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game one wed. nite.
Yuh is speedy Gonzales
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ah wuh le bron and dem do a kryptonite sweep...so dey could get good rest to meet the ball hog and he crew....and as a bonus make jack nicholson siddong and hush he ass lil bit
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ah wuh le bron and dem do a kryptonite sweep...so dey could get good rest to meet the ball hog and he crew....and as a bonus make jack nicholson siddong and hush he ass lil bit
You and Capo soundin like twins now ;D
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ah wuh le bron and dem do a kryptonite sweep...so dey could get good rest to meet the ball hog and he crew....and as a bonus make jack nicholson siddong and hush he ass lil bit
You and Capo soundin like twins now ;D
when it come to yuh ballhoggin biatch me and dutty like two peas in ah pod. ;D
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in regular season cavs went dong to magic 1-2.
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in regular season cavs went dong to magic 1-2.
Correck we know regular season eh have nutten 2 do wit playoffs. Tabla Rasa
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game one.cavs 63-48 at de half.
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CLEVELAND (AP) -- Superman did some major damage.
Orlando center Dwight Howard knocked down the 24-second shot clock above the basket with a ferocious dunk the first time he touched the ball in Wednesday night's Eastern Conference final against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
After grabbing a rebound, Howard went up underneath and slammed the ball through with both hands and pulled on the rim for Orlando's first basket. The 24-second stanchion, a 5-foot-tall appendage that has cameras mounted to its top, then fell slowly backward.
A maintenance crew came out with ladders but couldn't fix the clock. The shot clock at the opposite end was turned off and two portable units were placed on both baselines. A tape measure was then brought out to check if Howard had pulled the rim lower than its required 10 feet.
Play was stopped for eight minutes.
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Magic steal game 1 on the road
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107-106 orlando take game 1.
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Magic steal game 1 on the road
Well well it goin 2 b long in d east as well
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Magic steal game 1 on the road
Steal game game 1!!?
This is a team sport Orlando got to many weapons they are gonna wear-out James,
Let see. By the second game we all shall have a better mind frame as to how this series
will go.
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Magic steal game 1 on the road
Steal game game 1!!?
This is a team sport Orlando got to many weapons they are gonna wear-out James,
Let see. By the second game we all shall have a better mind frame as to how this series
will go.
Highly possible, time will tell
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Magic steal game 1 on the road
Steal game game 1!!?
This is a team sport Orlando got to many weapons they are gonna wear-out James,
Let see. By the second game we all shall have a better mind frame as to how this series
will go.
Highly possible, time will tell
And plus i don't think Cleveland's got a good enough Supportin cast to get the job done.like you said.
"time will tell"
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Magic steal game 1 on the road
Steal game game 1!!?
This is a team sport Orlando got to many weapons they are gonna wear-out James,
Let see. By the second game we all shall have a better mind frame as to how this series
will go.
Highly possible, time will tell
And plus i don't think Cleveland's got a good enough Supportin cast to get the job done.like you said.
"time will tell"
Yep d man score 49 and he team loose
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big z too old and varejao is just a mass of hair...james go have to have 40+ points every nite for this team to win this series
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All I have to say, Batman need a Robin and Mo Williams is not even dick grayson.
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nba basketball is really fantastic yes. hedo just put the magic up by 2 with a second left in regulation.
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and now lebron win it with a 3 on the buzzer. too much yes.
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nba basketball is really fantastic yes. hedo just put the magic up by 2 with a second left in regulation.
4 real Cleveland in d last sec my god
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king james is de absolute best.series tied 1-1.
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king james is de absolute best.series tied 1-1.
d man is ah problem! d man step up when it counts & execute like d big player he is...dey gotta be careful troddin back to Orlando tho cuz dey eh look too impressive in both games 1 & 2..dis kinda startin off hot & sweaty den boilin down eh go cut it..cyar be lettin teams come bac in d game like that!
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The CAVS aint all that good and they will have serious problems the rest of this series with Magic. Cavs was 66-16 in the regular season, without Lebron they would have been at best 30-52. He needs help, the fact they are blowing big leads is all about other guys not stepping up (then again they others are simply not good), lebron cant dominate for all 48 mins.
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The CAVS aint all that good and they will have serious problems the rest of this series with Magic. Cavs was 66-16 in the regular season, without Lebron they would have been at best 30-52. He needs help, the fact they are blowing big leads is all about other guys not stepping up (then again they others are simply not good), lebron cant dominate for all 48 mins.
the bench guys will be key to this series. cavs hustlin howard and not giving him easy plays. magic will try to do that to lebron so he will kick it to mo williams and west to hit the big shots. i ent impressed w/ cavs, them men average at best, eastern conference really weak in trute oui.
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Once again, No. 23 reigns in Cleveland
By Adrian Wojnarowski, Yahoo! Sports
May 23, 6:24 am EDT
Cavs absorb first hit of playoffs May 21, 2009 For LeBron, playoffs become fun and games May 20, 2009
CLEVELAND – It was happening again. God, it was happening again here. Another championship season had come crashing down on Cleveland, cruel and criminal. The Cavaliers had unraveled and now there were some fans – speechless and ashen – marching up the stairs and disappearing to the exits. They weren’t thinking about the possibility of LeBron James(notes) getting one final shot for redemption, but Michael Jordan and John Elway and every damn dagger ever delivered to this city’s swollen sporting heart.
One second left, and a Cleveland sports season had come to die in Quicken Loans Arena. Shakespeare should’ve been a columnist for the Cleveland Plain Dealer. No city does sports tragedy like this one.
Yes, somehow it was happening again to Cleveland.
“A second,” LeBron James countered, “is a long time for me.”
The Cavaliers’ Mo Williams(notes) had the job of passing the ball inbounds with the Magic still bursting over a 23-point comeback on Friday night, over a tough, twisting Hedo Turkoglu(notes) basket with one second left in Game 2. The loudest arena in the league had lost its voice, its breath, its bearings. It felt like it had lost this season. The Cleveland fan has been conditioned to believe something precious is destined to perish.
Yes, it was happening again, and suddenly the ball reached the hands of LeBron James and the course of NBA playoff history was transformed. He turned, shot over Turkoglu and a rapidly closing Rashard Lewis(notes). The shot lofted long and high and true across 24 feet, across the years of Cavs angst and anguish.
When everyone expected the sky to fall in Cleveland, something else dropped down: Sweet salvation.
“It was like watching a movie,” Orlando’s Dwight Howard(notes) said. “The ball was just spinning. … It was like watching a real movie. … ”
“He hit the shot.”
He hit the shot?
LeBron James hit the shot.
Cleveland beat the Orlando Magic, 96-95, on James’ 3-pointer at the buzzer, and salvaged itself a 1-1 series tie in the Eastern Conference finals. Truth be told, they salvaged the season, too. The Cavs should’ve lost on Friday night, and they know it. They’re struggling with everything about these Magic, and LeBron will have to do more and more to keep the Cavs alive with the mismatches destroying them everywhere on the floor. They should’ve been on the way to Orlando with the once-unthinkable possibility of a Magic sweep looming like an anvil over this series.
So, yes, they stormed the court and tackled James, and you’ve never, ever heard such a spontaneous, primal scream of 20,000 people in an arena. Never, ever seen such a reaction, such joy and relief and sheer ecstacy. The arena shook, strangers hugged strangers, and yes, the Cavaliers rushed James like high school kids who won a sectional title.
Williams, the passer, collapsed to his knees and pounded the floor over and over and over. He hit it 10 times, maybe 11. He looked like he wanted to cry.
This was one of the greatest shots in NBA history, because of the circumstances and stakes and degree of difficulty. Twenty years ago, it was Jordan over Craig Ehlo to beat the Cavs in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
This time, it was James over Turkoglu. This time, it was James over long odds and the longer reach of NBA history.
“He was born to do that,” Cleveland’s Sasha Pavlovic(notes) marveled.
He was born to do that here.
Across the fourth quarter, on the way to his 35 points, James had deferred to his teammates to take important shots. No more now. As the Cavs went into the timeout after Turkoglu’s shot, James made it clear: This was his shot, his story to finish. No decoys. This wasn’t time to be Magic, but Michael. Witness this
“Whatever happens,” James yelled to Williams in the huddle, “I’m going to come get the ball.” Whatever options fall apart, James insisted to his point guard that he would find a way to get open and promised him, “I’m going to knock down the shot.”
Turkoglu had made an immense shot over Pavlovic to take a 95-93 lead, but he made one grave mistake:
He left a second on the clock.
He left LeBron life.
Lewis, 6-foot-10, covered Williams on the inbounds pass. He’s long and angular and able to make it difficult for the Cavaliers point guard to get a clear-sighted passing lane. As Williams walked past midcourt, where an official waited to hand him the ball, he kept saying to himself, “Please God … please God … something … something.”
After that, Williams told the official: Please give me the five-second count out loud. Cleveland was out of timeouts. Williams had one chance to get the ball to James, where he could catch, turn and shoot. One second, one chance.
Cleveland coach Mike Brown had diagrammed a lob pass for James. He would fake back to the ball and turn hard toward the rim. “When I went to go for the lob, Hedo didn’t bite on it,” James said.
The ref’s count was climbing, “Two … Three … ”
Lewis had his back to the floor, his eyes burned into those of Williams. Everything told him the Magic had this inbounds play defended perfectly, that they had James bottled in the cluster of bodies behind him. “I could see [Williams] face scrunching up,” Lewis said. “He didn’t know who to throw the ball to. He double-pumped two, three times … ”
Finally, James stayed true to his word. He sprinted back beyond the 3-point line, and the referee’s count had reached four – one more second, and it would’ve been a violation – and Williams fired a perfect pass some 15 feet to James.
“Rashard played it perfect,” James said. “He stood tall and got in Mo’s way.”
Lewis turned over his shoulder, saw James catching the ball 25 feet out and used those long, loping strides to make a final, desperate run to contest the shot. Turkoglu was there, rising with LeBron.
“LeBron just jumps so high on his shot, you can’t get to the ball,” Lewis said. “The ball felt like it took forever to come down.”
Once Mo Williams let go of the pass, once he watched James catch and shoot, all he could think was: When will that ball ever come down? Once it dropped through the net, and a blurring, bum rush of Cavs toppled James, Williams’ knees buckled and he collapsed to the floor.
“I was punch drunk,” he said. “I just fell down. I just … fell … down.”
It was a shot, James says, he had made thousands and thousands of times 30 miles down the road in Akron. He was always Jordan, always No. 23. “That’s a shot that you will see for a long time,” James said. “You watch classic games and you see Jordan hit game-winners, and you go back and see Jerry West hitting game-winners and Magic Johnson going across the lane and hitting the hook against Boston.”
Mostly, LeBron James was thinking about Michael Jordan on Friday night. He’s the ghost who always haunted these Cavs, and the inspiration that drove James to basketball genius. He isn’t chasing Kobe Bryant(notes) as much as he’s chasing Michael. What Elway always did to the Browns, Jordan always did to the Cavs.
Past midnight, past one of the great finishes in NBA history, James told everyone: “That guy is not in the league anymore. The other ‘23’ is gone, so we don’t have to worry about that no more.”
“ … Twenty-three is on the good side now.”
James hadn’t had one of these shots in the playoffs, and he understood that history demands you deliver these bigger-than-life moments. Yes, he made this shot thousands of times growing up in Akron, in the shadow of a city going on 45 years without a professional championship. “The Shot” still belongs to No. 23 in Cleveland – just no longer Michael Jordan.
Yes, it was happening again here. But as it turned out, this wasn’t one more Cleveland sporting collapse. Twenty years later, it was “The Shot” reborn on the Cavs’ side, on Jordan’s anniversary.
“We are playing with history in the making,” Wally Szczerbiak(notes) said. “He’s going to be the best basketball player to ever touch a ball.”
Nearby, Mo Williams still wore his uniform, still a face flushed in delirium.
“What just happened out there?” he asked.
Outside his locker, his knees on ice, LeBron James looked up and offered a knowing nod and smile.
“Just say thank you to the basketball gods,” he said.
The basketball god, LeBron James means.
Once more, he wears No. 23.
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Another exciting game.
Orlando should be winning this series easy.
But Like denver, they letting Cleveland hang around.
I have to say, I getting more respect for Hedo Turkoglu. The man was ok in Sacramento, but Orlando suit him and his style, and with all the dwight howard talk, Hedo is the man in the 4th qtr.
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Another exciting game.
Orlando should be winning this series easy.
But Like denver, they letting Cleveland hang around.
I have to say, I getting more respect for Hedo Turkoglu. The man was ok in Sacramento, but Orlando suit him and his style, and with all the dwight howard talk, Hedo is the man in the 4th qtr.
What are those, Cohibas or just plain old cannabis? Big teams find ways to win big games even w/sub-par performances
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nothing like the last few minutes of an NBA playoff game to teach yuh the value of time.
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fear not,cavs in 7.
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fear not,cavs in 7.
I feel u on 2 sumting here.
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if big Z, mo williams and west start to contribute then cavs have a chance. but i real surprised how much pavlovic and gibson pop down, both of them men real lorse confidence ras.
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if big Z, mo williams and west start to contribute then cavs have a chance. but i real surprised how much pavlovic and gibson pop down, both of them men real lorse confidence ras.
Like dey had it 2 easy b4 steupsssssssss
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Magic takin it as de udda team TOO Cavalier :devil:
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magic in 6 and they will be playing denver in de finals.
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I doh know who more annoying. Orlando or Denver.
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I doh know who more annoying. Orlando or Denver.
Denver
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Orlando take any shot in the last 2 minutes that wasn't a 3?
They coulda win this game easy, now they fighting up with the damn 3 point shots.
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nail bitin stuff.
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Barkley I thought yuh was drunk when u gave it 2 Orlando. Even if Cleveland win dis series u talk some sense.
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OT
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OT
Yep
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Sideshow Bob foul out.
Every time Howard get the ball in the paint he roughing up Sideshow bob.
But it also look like he fouling men on that pick and roll too.
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magic very impressive in this series.
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LeBron sick. If he had even 1 more player on his team...
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magic 116-114 lead series 3-1.
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good warmup for champions league.
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magic very impressive in this series.
If dey loose it from here nobody fault but theirs
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Cavs don't match up with the Magic so there is no way they can win this series.
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Cavs don't match up with the Magic so there is no way they can win this series.
Well Van Gundy boi u do what yuh brudder eh do if u reach d final.
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Cavs don't match up with the Magic so there is no way they can win this series.
Well Van Gundy boi u do what yuh brudder eh do if u reach d final.
i hope yuh mean win because jeff reach de final in 99 with NY.
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Cavs don't match up with the Magic so there is no way they can win this series.
Well Van Gundy boi u do what yuh brudder eh do if u reach d final.
i hope yuh mean win because jeff reach de final in 99 with NY.
Here nah, Stan Van Gundy is real kix yes, yuh eva listen to dat man in a timeout? Ah remember in game 1 of this series, he emotion, emphasis, and use of words was killin meh late in de game. Magic is a sleeper team, honestly, they are a tough team to beat in a 7 game series, dominant Howard in the paint and outside shooters on fire, we'll see how this one plays out, IMO Cavs cyar come back, Magic onto de finals
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Cavs don't match up with the Magic so there is no way they can win this series.
Well Van Gundy boi u do what yuh brudder eh do if u reach d final.
i hope yuh mean win because jeff reach de final in 99 with NY.
Here nah, Stan Van Gundy is real kix yes, yuh eva listen to dat man in a timeout? Ah remember in game 1 of this series, he emotion, emphasis, and use of words was killin meh late in de game. Magic is a sleeper team, honestly, they are a tough team to beat in a 7 game series, dominant Howard in the paint and outside shooters on fire, we'll see how this one plays out, IMO Cavs cyar come back, Magic onto de finals
i tink magic is de deadliest perimeter shootin team in de entire league.
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Cavs don't match up with the Magic so there is no way they can win this series.
Well Van Gundy boi u do what yuh brudder eh do if u reach d final.
i hope yuh mean win because jeff reach de final in 99 with NY.
U know I was wonderin if it was he or Uncle Pat by dat time Uncle Pat was wit Miami
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Cavs don't match up with the Magic so there is no way they can win this series.
Well Van Gundy boi u do what yuh brudder eh do if u reach d final.
i hope yuh mean win because jeff reach de final in 99 with NY.
U know I was wonderin if it was he or Uncle Pat by dat time Uncle Pat was wit Miami
yuh makin meh rack meh brain too much.
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Cavs don't match up with the Magic so there is no way they can win this series.
Well Van Gundy boi u do what yuh brudder eh do if u reach d final.
i hope yuh mean win because jeff reach de final in 99 with NY.
U know I was wonderin if it was he or Uncle Pat by dat time Uncle Pat was wit Miami
yuh makin meh rack meh brain too much.
Dat is a good ting
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COULD IT BE??? IS KING JAMES ABOUT TO GO
HOME FISHING?? :D
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Pat Riley had gone Miami long time by 1999.
Knicks had a big makeover when Van Gundy come in: they bring in Allan Houston, Chris Childs and Larry Johnson in a single offseason then they bring in Sprewell and Camby. Patrick and Herb Williams was the only two men on both Knicks teams to make the finals and Patrick was in street clothes by the time they reach the final.
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do or die fuh cavs tonite.
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do or die fuh cavs tonite.
Fixed it for you ;D
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do or die fuh cavs tonite.
Fixed it for you ;D
nah man,they winnin tonite,they mght die saturday
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do or die fuh cavs tonite.
Fixed it for you ;D
nah man,they winnin tonite,they mght die saturday
Yuh wavering in yuh faith dey capo
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:o
arm.....................how dat lead evaporate just so :devil:
Paging Lebron James..........your presence is requested on the court ;D
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Orlando let this one slip away.
Say what, Live by the 3, Die by the 3.
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orrite live to fight annudda day
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orrite live to fight annudda day
Yep saturday we will c if Cleveland have heart
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orrite live to fight annudda day
Yep saturday we will c if Cleveland have heart
Orlando need to put them away. game 7 in cleveland go be a real daunting prospect.
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do or die fuh cavs tonite.
Fixed it for you ;D
nah man,they winnin tonite,they mght die saturday
Yuh wavering in yuh faith dey capo
no is not that ,if it is lakers advance to de finals,i just want the better team between cavs or magic to face them and cut they ass.my victory is kobe agony.
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do or die fuh cavs tonite.
Fixed it for you ;D
nah man,they winnin tonite,they mght die saturday
Yuh wavering in yuh faith dey capo
no is not that ,if it is lakers advance to de finals,i just want the better team between cavs or magic to face them and cut they ass.my victory is kobe agony.
Then u need to strt to deal wit d agony of defeat
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do or die fuh cavs tonite.
Fixed it for you ;D
nah man,they winnin tonite,they mght die saturday
Yuh wavering in yuh faith dey capo
no is not that ,if it is lakers advance to de finals,i just want the better team between cavs or magic to face them and cut they ass.my victory is kobe agony.
Then u need to strt to deal wit d agony of defeat
dealin with it since wednesday. :'(
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do or die fuh cavs tonite.
Fixed it for you ;D
nah man,they winnin tonite,they mght die saturday
Yuh wavering in yuh faith dey capo
no is not that ,if it is lakers advance to de finals,i just want the better team between cavs or magic to face them and cut they ass.my victory is kobe agony.
Then u need to strt to deal wit d agony of defeat
dealin with it since wednesday. :'(
GR888888888888
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i still feel magic taking it. once howard and dem keep attacking big Z and that mook varejao and men like petrus and lewis (he does fret me he so laid back) hit they shots they go be arrite.
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now heading down to the my favourite watering hole to watch the 2nd half as is my custom and according to nba.com the cavs have managed to find themselves down 18 at the half.
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I tired like a dog. I will get d score 2mor
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Owrite, onto de real deal now, well done Magic, end of the road for all yuh once my team bring dey A game
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Owrite, onto de real deal now, well done Magic, end of the road for all yuh once my team bring dey A game
COSIGNNNNNNNN
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cavs wilted like a flower in the hot sun. this off season they have to add some proven talent to their lineup to complement king james. heck even kobe have odom and gasol. i ent care what nobody say, mo williams is not an all-star. cavs need some better bigs, zylgauskas is too old and immobile, vareajao and ben wallace are not good offensively. i glad for howard and my boy 'skip to my lou'. now on to the real deal.
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LeBron happy in Cleveland despite lossAssociated Press
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio (AP) - LeBron James finally talked about not making the NBA Finals, and insists Cleveland's loss to Orlando will not impact his future with the Cavaliers.
James stormed out of Amway Arena without speaking to the media Saturday night after the Cavs were eliminated with a 103-90 loss to the Magic in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals.
James, who averaged 38.5 points, 8.3 rebounds and 8.2 assists against Orlando, said Sunday he hasn't given any thought to signing a contract extension with the Cavs this summer.
Cleveland can offer the extension on July 18 — the three-year anniversary of him signing his previous deal.
"I don't know," James said when asked if he'll sign. "I haven't thought about it just yet. I'm just going to take time off from basketball and not think about contracts or the game period. I'll relax with my family we'll figure out once it comes from them."
The league MVP, who also did not shake hands with Olympic teammate Dwight Howard or congratulate any Orlando players as he left the floor, said that he's happy in Cleveland and feels the Cavs made major progress this season.
"I'm great. I feel great about this situation that's going on," James said. "You want to continue to get better, that's all you can ask. We got better and I feel this team will be better next season. You don't want to take a step backward. I think we went forward from the Boston series (a Game 7 loss in the semis) last year."
The Cavaliers won 66 regular-season games and their second Central Division title this season.
James said he sent an e-mail to Howard following Saturday's game.
"It's hard for me to congratulate somebody after you just lose to them," he said. "I'm a winner. It's not being a poor sport or anything like that. If somebody beats you up, you're not going to congratulate them. That doesn't make sense to me. I'm a competitor. That's what I do. It doesn't make sense for me to go over and shake somebody's hand."
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Where yuh goin?
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http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-media1-2009jun01,0,4168871.story
From the Los Angeles Times
DIANE PUCIN / ON SPORTS MEDIA
Rafael Nadal and LeBron James handle agony of defeat quite differently
The basketball star avoids media after Cleveland's elimination from playoffs, proving he has much to learn from tennis star, who takes his lumps after shocking loss at French Open.
By Diane Pucin
June 1, 2009
There was Rafael Nadal on Sunday after a shockingly disappointing upset loss to Robin Soderling at the French Open answering questions in two languages and manfully owning his disappointment and emotions.
There wasn't LeBron James on Saturday night after his Cleveland Cavaliers exited the NBA playoffs being reminded that having the best regular-season record means, well, not so much after the playoffs start. There wasn't any James at the postgame media podium. That dirty work was left to lesser teammates. There wasn't any James with a headset on talking to the TNT studio show stars. Sideline reporter Craig Sager told us James had slunk out of Orlando's Amway Arena with his mother and without a backward glance.
Hey, LeBron.
You want to be a star and have puppets cavorting in your honor on television commercials? You let talk ebb and flow about how you need the bigger stage that New York might provide in another year when you are a free agent and everyone will beg for your otherworldly basketball talent and indisputable will to win?
Then show up when it hurts too, when the world isn't being operated like a, well, puppet on a string in your favor.
In its way, Nadal's early departure from the tournament in which he had won 31 straight matches was just as big a deal as James' premature exit from an NBA playoffs in which most all the world was hoping for Kobe against LeBron. Nike ads, VitaminWater commercials, the puppets, all humanity seemed to demand a Lakers-Cleveland Finals, and the Cavaliers let them down.
But whatever limelight moments tennis gets in this country right now mostly center on the enthralling rivalry between Nadal and his personality and game-type opposite Roger Federer. And Nadal blew his chance for another week of personal adulation as well as being an ambassador for tennis by losing too early. But, hey, that's sports.
James waited until he got back to Cleveland on Sunday to open his mouth.
Too little, too late. For the next year, as his free-agency drama plays out, James is going to be the biggest story going in the NBA. He's going to face questions most every day about the quality of the team around him, about the quality of coaching, about what might await him in New York, Chicago . . . pick the big-market NBA city of your choice.
And will James just walk away every day?
His teammates and coaches excused his Saturday behavior. Winning meant so much to him, they said. He played so hard, tried so hard, wanted it so much. Maybe he was embarrassed about all that creative advertising brainpower wasted. Not that Nike's LeBron/Kobe puppet ads weren't cute and funny and who wouldn't go out and buy colored VitaminWater (I guess it has vitamins in it) because LeBron and Kobe guzzle it, but shouldn't these companies know a little bit about sports? Such as the winner isn't always who you think it will be?
According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, James addressed a question Sunday about whether he will sign a contract renewal with the Cavaliers this summer with understandable vagueness.
"I don't know," James said. "I haven't thought about it just yet. I'm just going to take time off from basketball and not think about contracts or the game, period, and relax with my family. We'll figure out once it comes from" the Cavaliers.
James could have said that Saturday night and also maybe congratulated the Magic, shook a hand or two, praised a teammate even for helping the Cavaliers achieve 66 regular-season wins.
Even in his sadness over losing his first-ever French Open match, Nadal looked at a camera and said of Soderling, "I congratulate him and I'll keep working hard for the next tournament."
See, it's not that hard.
diane.pucin@latimes.com
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Steups, gih de man ah break, wha de hell, b/c he did not talk to de media and answer questions makes him a sore loser? He is a competitor, not having tasted the highest level of success yet, namely the NBA championship, he is also 24 and growing, in time to come perhaps after never having won a ring (though I can't see that happening in the future) he will gladly talk to the media after being beaten in a 7-game series. Media and dem jus want someting to write about.
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One of the things you have to learn in sport is how to lose graciously.
Check it:
Hey LeBron, it's time to grow up
by Michael Rosenberg
Updated: June 1, 2009, 11:58 AM EDT
http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/9634478/Hey-LeBron,-it's-time-to-grow-up
Can somebody please tell LeBron James that "King" is not an official title?
James and his Cleveland Cavaliers just lost to Orlando in the Eastern Conference finals, and really, that should have been the low point of his week. It was not. LeBron followed up by refusing to shake hands with the Magic, storming out of Amway Arena in Orlando without answering reporters' questions and then defending himself when he was finally cornered Sunday.
"It's hard for me to congratulate somebody after you just lose to them," he said.
I'm with you on that, LeBron. Absolutely, it is hard. Not as hard as, say, putting in 12-hour days at a manufacturing plant, and certainly not as hard as getting laid off from the aforementioned manufacturing plant, but it's hard.
"I'm a winner," James continued, and I'll let that one slide, because he played like a winner even if his team did not. But then he said this:
"It's not being a poor sport or anything like that. If somebody beats you up, you're not going to congratulate them. That doesn't make sense to me."
Well, it does make sense to me. And you know who agrees with me?
Michael Jordan!
"I think Isiah did a heck of a job leading his team," Jordan said in June 1990 after he lost to his least favorite team (the Pistons) and one of his least favorite players (Isiah Thomas) in the Eastern Conference finals. "He initiated things and that's what he needed to do."
LeBron also said "It doesn't make sense for me to go over and shake somebody's hand,"
but actually, it makes plenty of sense. And you know who agrees with me?
Magic Johnson!
"You hear so much talk about him as an individual player," Magic said in 1991, after Jordan's Bulls beat his Lakers, "but he's proved everyone wrong with this championship."
If you gave Jordan the choice between complimenting Isiah and having his tongue removed without an anesthetic, he would have asked you for a pair of pliers. And Magic, one of the most competitive athletes ever, surely did not like Jordan knocking him off his throne.
You're not supposed to like it. But you are supposed to do it.
LeBron needs to understand that.
In 1991, Jordan said the two-time defending champion Pistons had been bad for basketball with their overly physical play. The Pistons took offense, and after the Bulls swept them, several Pistons walked off the floor without shaking the Bulls' hands.
Media across the country ripped the Pistons (and rightfully so). Well, James deserves some heat, too. At least the Pistons had the excuse, however weak, that Jordan had denigrated their championship runs. The Magic did not come close to insulting LeBron.
He wasn't being competitive. He was just being a sore loser. And nobody likes a sore loser.
Look, I'm the same guy who wrote last month that LeBron is clearly the best player of his generation, that nobody else comes close, and that he has a chance to be the best player ever. And he did absolutely nothing in this series to make me think otherwise.
He averaged 38.5 points, 8.3 rebounds and 8.2 assists in the series.
Those are absurd numbers, and for comparison's sake: In the regular season, when he was merely the runaway MVP of the league, James averaged 28.4, 7.6 and 7.2. His supporting cast got exposed by the deeper, more skilled Magic. But James actually elevated his game in this series.
By walking off the floor and refusing to shake hands or answer questions, LeBron just gave his critics fuel. It is counterproductive.
But it was also just plain wrong. The difference between athletes and movie stars is that athletes can't just storm off the set. They are held accountable. When they fail, they're supposed to talk about it.
That is what makes sports so real, so alluring.
And you know who agrees with me?
LeBron James!
"We went up against a better team," James said in 2007, after losing to the San Antonio Spurs in his only Finals appearance so far. "We know the Spurs are definitely the better team in this series."
That was the LeBron I like. That was the guy who seems to combine everything you would want in an NBA star: athleticism, intelligence, skill, class, unselfishness.
This latest disappearing act makes me worry that the best player in the NBA is falling into the same trap as other star athletes. In sports, being in love with yourself means never having to say you're sorry.
LeBron should be better than that. He said he e-mailed Dwight Howard after the game. Howard deserved better than that, Orlando deserved better, and next time, LeBron James should do better.
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Allyuh eh hear wha de man say or what?
The man say he is a champion, and if is one thing champions dont like is to lose. At least the man honest and not trying to pretend or to put on ah face or ah show and that is what I like. De man was blue vex!
Sore losers make the best winners, just ask Jordan.
He did say he called Dwight Howard afterwards to congratulate him.
All dem niceties and pleasantries could come after.
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Allyuh eh hear wha de man say or what?
The man say he is a champion, and if is one thing champions dont like is to lose. At least the man honest and not trying to pretend or to put on ah face or ah show and that is what I like. De man was blue vex!
Sore losers make the best winners, just ask Jordan.
He did say he called Dwight Howard afterwards to congratulate him.
All dem niceties and pleasantries could come after.
Ent, ah bunch ah hoopla over nutten, anyway, onto de real deal, media want sometin to write about, there will be plenty in a few days to come
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Allyuh eh hear wha de man say or what?
The man say he is a champion
A Champion? What he win as a professional?
If that is his logic, he will be vex a long time.
He move like a little boy dey and get called for it.
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Steups, gih de man ah break, wha de hell, b/c he did not talk to de media and answer questions makes him a sore loser? He is a competitor, not having tasted the highest level of success yet, namely the NBA championship, he is also 24 and growing, in time to come perhaps after never having won a ring (though I can't see that happening in the future) he will gladly talk to the media after being beaten in a 7-game series. Media and dem jus want someting to write about.
American sports is different from what we are accustomed to. Interviews are expected and the athletes are required to make themselves available to the media, regardless of their personal feelings at the time. It is considered a part of being a professional athlete. Notice how we get interviews in between quarters, at halftime and even hear what is said during time outs? That's the nature of American sports and to participate in it means that you've accepted this all-access-by-the-media kind of attitude.
At 24 he is old enough to be mature enough to make better decisions, even when disappointed. Guys are playing professional sport as young as 14 (maybe even younger) and they are expected to cope otherwise they do not survive. While 24 is young and mistakes will be made, he is old enough to accept responsibility for his actions. He is also old enough to accept that some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue. Nadal said something in his defeat in that the same way he is calm in victory he will be calm in defeat. That's his personality and I am not suggesting that James be the same way, but the underlining message is he knows that he cannot only be "big" in victory, especially since defeat is inevitable... everyone experiences it.
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Steups, gih de man ah break, wha de hell, b/c he did not talk to de media and answer questions makes him a sore loser? He is a competitor, not having tasted the highest level of success yet, namely the NBA championship, he is also 24 and growing, in time to come perhaps after never having won a ring (though I can't see that happening in the future) he will gladly talk to the media after being beaten in a 7-game series. Media and dem jus want someting to write about.
American sports is different from what we are accustomed to. Interviews are expected and the athletes are required to make themselves available to the media, regardless of their personal feelings at the time. It is considered a part of being a professional athlete. Notice how we get interviews in between quarters, at halftime and even hear what is said during time outs? That's the nature of American sports and to participate in it means that you've accepted this all-access-by-the-media kind of attitude.
At 24 he is old enough to be mature enough to make better decisions, even when disappointed. Guys are playing professional sport as young as 14 (maybe even younger) and they are expected to cope otherwise they do not survive. While 24 is young and mistakes will be made, he is old enough to accept responsibility for his actions. He is also old enough to accept that some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue. Nadal said something in his defeat in that the same way he is calm in victory he will be calm in defeat. That's his personality and I am not suggesting that James be the same way, but the underlining message is he knows that he cannot only be "big" in victory, especially since defeat is inevitable... everyone experiences it.
Dwoflman, I hear and agree w/some of what you state but in the end I think this is American media sensationalism at its very best. Lebron made an emotional response to his team's defeat and a very mild one at that (namely not shaking the hands of the opposition and not speaking to the media), so in the end I think some slack can be cut for a # of reasons already stated. The comparison w/Nadal is poor IMO, Nadal has tasted success at the highest levels and even if he did not Nadal is Nadal and Lebron is Lebron, next year if the Cavs go one step further and get swept by the Lakers in the championship ;D we will know then if he (Lebron) has grown
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tennis does have a tournament every week. yes, some are more important than others but the whole point of the basketball season is to survive to the end. Nadal has a wimbledon title to defend in a few weeks, Lebron will be starting from scratch in November.
Not only that but a tennis player couldn't just walk away even if they wanted to. Is the two participants alone on the court. Not like the NBA where the court does get full up within moments.
Lebron was wrong, but like Barataria say the media just being sensationalist. And hypocritical too: in baseball teams never shake hands. that's just the tradition of the sport. I never noticed that until an incident a few years ago when a member of the media went on a tirade about certain players being soft after seeing some people exchanging handshakes after a game.
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Steups, gih de man ah break, wha de hell, b/c he did not talk to de media and answer questions makes him a sore loser? He is a competitor, not having tasted the highest level of success yet, namely the NBA championship, he is also 24 and growing, in time to come perhaps after never having won a ring (though I can't see that happening in the future) he will gladly talk to the media after being beaten in a 7-game series. Media and dem jus want someting to write about.
American sports is different from what we are accustomed to. Interviews are expected and the athletes are required to make themselves available to the media, regardless of their personal feelings at the time. It is considered a part of being a professional athlete. Notice how we get interviews in between quarters, at halftime and even hear what is said during time outs? That's the nature of American sports and to participate in it means that you've accepted this all-access-by-the-media kind of attitude.
At 24 he is old enough to be mature enough to make better decisions, even when disappointed. Guys are playing professional sport as young as 14 (maybe even younger) and they are expected to cope otherwise they do not survive. While 24 is young and mistakes will be made, he is old enough to accept responsibility for his actions. He is also old enough to accept that some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue. Nadal said something in his defeat in that the same way he is calm in victory he will be calm in defeat. That's his personality and I am not suggesting that James be the same way, but the underlining message is he knows that he cannot only be "big" in victory, especially since defeat is inevitable... everyone experiences it.
Dwoflman, I hear and agree w/some of what you state but in the end I think this is American media sensationalism at its very best. Lebron made an emotional response to his team's defeat and a very mild one at that (namely not shaking the hands of the opposition and not speaking to the media), so in the end I think some slack can be cut for a # of reasons already stated. The comparison w/Nadal is poor IMO, Nadal has tasted success at the highest levels and even if he did not Nadal is Nadal and Lebron is Lebron, next year if the Cavs go one step further and get swept by the Lakers in the championship ;D we will know then if he (Lebron) has grown
4got d defending champions Lakers
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tennis does have a tournament every week. yes, some are more important than others but the whole point of the basketball season is to survive to the end. Nadal has a wimbledon title to defend in a few weeks, Lebron will be starting from scratch in November.
Not only that but a tennis player couldn't just walk away even if they wanted to. Is the two participants alone on the court. Not like the NBA where the court does get full up within moments.
Tennis might have a tournament every week, but there are only 4 Grand Slams. Besides, those guys are at the top of their craft because losing is not something they like to do. It doesn't matter if they play tournaments every week. What say you then about an NBA basketball season being 82 games long? It's far easier to accept a loss as a loss when you have so many games to position yourself for the playoffs than every match you play potentially being your last of the tournament.
At the end of the day any competitor values their sport and their victories. I'm sure Nadal would have difficulty in accepting this as an argument as to why he can handle losing a Grand Slam tournament match and James cannot handle losing a playoff loss.
As for Barataria, you missed my point. I am not advocating the system of media access and subsequent reaction. People tend to use the sensationalism in defence of someone they like, but ignore it daily. What I am saying is that James is aware of the system and has agreed to be a part of it and must accept that his actions will have an impact. That's just the way it is. The measure of the degree of his response is going to differ and clearly it's not that big of a deal to you, but it means a lot more to the culture that expects certain responses from their athletes and they have the apparatus to strongly let him know what they think of his actions. Again, it's not an unfamilar system to him and he's certain to expect it and has probably already moved on from it.
If he weren't such a liked player would your reaction be the same? Would theirs have been the same? With great power comes great responsibility, not apathy.
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tennis does have a tournament every week. yes, some are more important than others but the whole point of the basketball season is to survive to the end. Nadal has a wimbledon title to defend in a few weeks, Lebron will be starting from scratch in November.
Not only that but a tennis player couldn't just walk away even if they wanted to. Is the two participants alone on the court. Not like the NBA where the court does get full up within moments.
Tennis might have a tournament every week, but there are only 4 Grand Slams. Besides, those guys are at the top of their craft because losing is not something they like to do. It doesn't matter if they play tournaments every week. What say you then about an NBA basketball season being 82 games long? It's far easier to accept a loss as a loss when you have so many games to position yourself for the playoffs than every match you play potentially being your last of the tournament.
At the end of the day any competitor values their sport and their victories. I'm sure Nadal would have difficulty in accepting this as an argument as to why he can handle losing a Grand Slam tournament match and James cannot handle losing a playoff loss.
As for Barataria, you missed my point. I am not advocating the system of media access and subsequent reaction. People tend to use the sensationalism in defence of someone they like, but ignore it daily. What I am saying is that James is aware of the system and has agreed to be a part of it and must accept that his actions will have an impact. That's just the way it is. The measure of the degree of his response is going to differ and clearly it's not that big of a deal to you, but it means a lot more to the culture that expects certain responses from their athletes and they have the apparatus to strongly let him know what they think of his actions. Again, it's not an unfamilar system to him and he's certain to expect it and has probably already moved on from it.
If he weren't such a liked player would your reaction be the same? Would theirs have been the same? With great power comes great responsibility, not apathy.
Dread, leh we jus agree to disagree yes, I did not miss your pt but clearly this methodology of comm may not help to clear it up quickly, blessings :beermug: