[RubberMallet]

What LeBron did tonight was one of the best individual performances in NBA Finals history.

I completely disagree. But he did finally hit all those open looks the Spurs were giving him. Considering his tendencies it was impressive. But if not for Shane knocking down all of those treys it likely would have been for naught. Congrats to the Heat fans on the board.

every Jordan championship was dependent upon big things from role players. if paxson/hodges don't hit big shots, his amazing performances in the finals are for naught. kobe was bailed out 4 years ago by ron artest. as far as basically defensively locking down parker for 2 games and hitting big shots for 5 quarters? probably one of the most amazing 5 quarter performances in finals history. if allen didn't bail them out, if shane didn't hit those 3's, if speedy claxton didn't hit big late shots for the spurs, if vernon maxwell doesn't have his big game 7 for the rockets, john paxson, steve kerr, jj barea, blah blah blabh...its the stupidest thing a person can say.

[RubberMallet]

i think for years, lebron has been so ripped that fouls against him don't' move him unless he sells it. the refs last night would not give him or wade a call for anything. There was a point when the spurs were trying to foul and it wasn't getting called.

It makes up for all the missed traveling calls that he should receive

dude, if you haven't noticed, since the early 90's there has been so much leniency regarding traveling in the nba. its not a lebron thing.

[jbock13]

"That's right!!!! My Miami Heat. I've always been a big Miami Heat fan since 1947."

-almost 90% of the Miami Heat fanbase

[thepostman]

I am quite possibly the biggest Lebron hater I know and I think it's comical that people still are trying discredit what he did the past 2 games. He played great and it sickens me to say this but he will now go down as one of the greats and he is still so dang young

[RubberMallet]

a guy in our florida office lived in NM and became a big lakers fan. he moved to florida 5 years ago and is a huge heat fan but also still a laker fan. grew up in ny so he's a big yankee fan. and you guessed it...a huge cowboys fan. NM is so close!!

[Sly Fox]

Please re-read my post. I disagreed that LeBron just gave the best individual performance in NBA history. Other than it just occurred and is fresh in everyone's minds, the greatest ever statement is a tough argument to defend. It also is highly subjective and opinions will vary. LeBron certainly raised his stock significantly in these last two games by stepping up in the clutch.

My addition of the note on Shane's incredible shooting was not part of my dismissal of Shuk's statement. It was meant to show some respect for the only Duke player that I think I have ever liked. Of course role players impact every series. To suggest otherwise would be silly. That was not my intent and I apologize for the confusion. Shane somehow emerged from Durham without too much of the K influence evident. Great guy on every level.

And Mallet, thanks for the Mad Max reference. That made me smile. Crazy dude who never met a shot he didn't KNOW was going in.

[lynchburgwildcats]

You just can't give credit to someone that you dislike. You've proven that over and over before. If it's someone you like, they're the best ever. If you don't like them, it was always because of the help of someone else.

I agree with SLY. Popovich's game plan was perfect. Battier was having a horrible post season and the Spurs isolated Miller on Defense. By Bastier hitting those 3's it allowed the Heat to keep him on the floor because he is a better defender. If Battier doesn't hit those 3's the LeBrons effort, while impressive, wouldn't have amounted to a Championship. Of course Amadeus FT or offensive rebound on Tuesday and we would be having a different conversation.
You can't take away LeBrons physical skill and I agree with SLY that James went away from his past and settled for and knocked down the mid range jumper. I see LeBron as more of a Wilt type player then Magic or Jordan
On a side, we were listening to the game on ESPN on the way home last night and they were using the Heat feed. Holy Cow was that funny. Lets just say the officials and Chris Bosh should not walk around Miami without security people!

So basically a performance isn't legendary unless the player can single handily beat his opponent? Well then I reckon there has never been a legendary performance. Can't beat a team 1-on-5, after all.

Bitter LeBron haters out in force today I see.

"Between 2012 and 2013, James now owns two of the top individual playoff runs of the past three and a half decades, putting him in good company with Jordan and Shaquille O'Neal. Bird also had two top-10 postseasons -- until James knocked the second year out of the top 10, that is.

Of the entire list of 50 playoff runs I ranked, five now belong to James. Only Jordan, with eight top-50 performances in the postseason, has more. That's staggering considering that James is 28.

James is on a frightening trajectory. With this postseason, he moved past Bird into fifth place in career playoff WARP. Dating back to 1978, just Jordan, O'Neal, Magic Johnson and Tim Duncan remain ahead of James in postseason value.

http://m.espn.go.com/nba/story?storyId= ... rc=desktop

[lynchburgwildcats]

Please re-read my post. I disagreed that LeBron just gave the best individual performance in NBA history. Other than it just occurred and is fresh in everyone's minds, the greatest ever statement is a tough argument to defend. It also is highly subjective and opinions will vary. LeBron certainly raised his stock significantly in these last two games by stepping up in the clutch.

My addition of the note on Shane's incredible shooting was not part of my dismissal of Shuk's statement. It was meant to show some respect for the only Duke player that I think I have ever liked. Of course role players impact every series. To suggest otherwise would be silly. That was not my intent and I apologize for the confusion. Shane somehow emerged from Durham without too much of the K influence evident. Great guy on every level.

And Mallet, thanks for the Mad Max reference. That made me smile. Crazy dude who never met a shot he didn't KNOW was going in.

What LeBron did tonight was one of the best individual performances in NBA Finals history.

One of the best does not equal the best. You might want to re-read MY post before going around telling others to re-read something.

[thepostman]

Ouch. Good job sly

[ALUmnus]

That sports has devolved into lists (by and large so espn has something to debate) is really unfortunate. It's like creating false or imagined outrage in order to talk about and denounce something. It's not real.

[jbock13]

That sports has devolved into lists (by and large so espn has something to debate) is really unfortunate. It's like creating false or imagined outrage in order to talk about and denounce something. It's not real.

+1

[adam42381]

"That's right!!!! My Miami Heat. I've always been a big Miami Heat fan since 1947."

-almost 90% of the Miami Heat fanbase

My brother jumped on the Heat bandwagon when Lebron showed up after being a lifelong Bulls fan. His Facebook posts during the Finals referred to the Heat as we, i.e., after Allen's shot in game 6: "That's why we signed Ray Allen." Yeah.

[BJWilliams]

That is the truest definition of a bandwagon fan...I've been a Bulls fan since I was about 6 or 7 years old. LeBron has been a nice story and all but I wouldn't change my favorite basketball team over one player

[adam42381]

That is the truest definition of a bandwagon fan...I've been a Bulls fan since I was about 6 or 7 years old. LeBron has been a nice story and all but I wouldn't change my favorite basketball team over one player

He's also a Patriots and Red Sox fan. Both of those started around 2003.

[jbock13]

Kind of like all the Falcons fans in Roanoke after Michael Vick got drafted. Where are they now? Patriot fans.

[WinthropEagleFan]

Yeah, there seem to be a lot more Heat fans than there used to be. I've been a fan since they started (all of my family lived in South Florida when I was growing up, and I lived in the Miami area for a few years when I was young as well). I was the only person in my high school in Maryland wearing a Heat jersey back in the early/mid 90s...but I'm sure a lot of kids at that school wear them now.

And speaking of bandwagon fans...My first roommate at WU (back in '96) was a fan of the following teams: Duke basketball, Florida State football, Atlanta Braves, Dallas Cowboys, Chicago Bulls, and Pittsburgh Penguins....he's probably a Heat fan now.

[Purple Haize]

I am quite possibly the biggest Lebron hater I know and I think it's comical that people still are trying discredit what he did the past 2 games. He played great and it sickens me to say this but he will now go down as one of the greats and he is still so dang young

He is a tremendous talent. It's why I think comparing him to Wilt is more fitting. He is so strong and over powering on the wing that you have to make adjustments. The Spurs did that by basically putting a power forward on him to negate his penetration and make him hit jumpers. The LeBron of the last 3 years would have either not made those shots or forced the drives. I still think he has a ways to go mentally, as evidenced in earlier posts, but he took a big step from last year to this year.

[lynchburgwildcats]

I am quite possibly the biggest Lebron hater I know and I think it's comical that people still are trying discredit what he did the past 2 games. He played great and it sickens me to say this but he will now go down as one of the greats and he is still so dang young

He is a tremendous talent. It's why I think comparing him to Wilt is more fitting. He is so strong and over powering on the wing that you have to make adjustments. The Spurs did that by basically putting a power forward on him to negate his penetration and make him hit jumpers. The LeBron of the last 3 years would have either not made those shots or forced the drives. I still think he has a ways to go mentally, as evidenced in earlier posts, but he took a big step from last year to this year.

That is true mentally. From time to time he still "checks out" or doesn't understand when he needs to start being selfish instead of keeping all his teammates' egos stroked. I think the taking over the game part actually took a step back when he joined the Heat because he actually had quality talent with him so he couldn't just control the ball all the time like in Cleveland, but the last 5 quarters were progress in that area. I think we'll see more of that type of play from him next year with Wade's increase in missing games and limitations due to injury and Bosh's inability to be a competent offensive player so often.

His jumper from all areas is vastly improved, but he is still a little streaky. If he can get that J more consistent, which I am sure he can, then from a pure skills perspective there is not a whole lot of hope to guarding him if he's got any decent shooting surrounding him.

Question for LeBron's legacy at this point is what the Heat have going to be enough to keep winning championships? I honestly don't think Wade has anymore than maybe two years left in him where he can play at a high level just in spurts. I think it's clear at this point he can't do it game to game anymore. Battier, Allen, and Mike Miller are on their last legs. And the Heat contributors are overall old. Really, really old. Come next year's NBA Finals, only Lebron, Chalmers, and Cole will be under 30 years old, and LeBron will just barely be under that at just six months shy of 30.

[thepostman]

I think it is a disservice to Lebron and the league I even try to compare him to anybody else cause there are some similarities but he is unique.

I do like that sly disappeared realizing how little he knows about the nba

[Sly Fox]

Easy now. I know my way around more NBA locker rooms than the rest of you combined. I admit that I am not a LeBron fan but I do respect his game. Just a couple of years ago many of you were hyping Kobe in the same regard. Incidentally, LeBron needs to lead his team to three more championships in the next five years to stand where Kobe does now. My point remains that emotional reaction immediately following a series is not the best time to place performances in perspective.

[lynchburgwildcats]

Easy now. I know my way around more NBA locker rooms than the rest of you combined. I admit that I am not a LeBron fan but I do respect his game. Just a couple of years ago many of you were hyping Kobe in the same regard. Incidentally, LeBron needs to lead his team to three more championships in the next five years to stand where Kobe does now. My point remains that emotional reaction immediately following a series is not the best time to place performances in perspective.

Doesn't take emotion to put in perspective how good his Game 7 performance was.

[Sly Fox]

It was terrific. But emotion absolutely influences perspective. That's one of the guiding influences in my work these days.

[thepostman]

I absolutely can not stand Lebron, but that was one of the greatest performances I have seen in the NBA finals the last 20 years. Was it the greatest?? That is impossible to even say. I don't think it was, but naming one performance as THE greatest performance ever is completely ridiculous. So that much we agree, but that is not what anybody is saying. Your hate for Lebron allowed you to read what you wanted to read. SJ summed it up pretty well.

So we have the fact that I can not stand Lebron combined with the fact that I am sticking up for a poster who annoys me more then almost anybody on this board, and I still think Lebron's performance was the kind of performance he needed to cement his legacy...

Allow your hate for one player to influence you so you can fit in with the press that either thinks he is the greatest ever or most over rated player ever...there is no room for some middle ground...

Oh wait...you know your way around an NBA locker room...never mind

[Sly Fox]

I can't believe I am even having to defend anything I stated in this thread. Because frankly nothing was as inflammatory as some posters suggest. But if it was interpreted as such then there is little I can do to alter opinions. I am curious where my alleged hate for Lebron was so obvious.

And for the record, I only referenced my experience of covering the NBA on a daily basis for over a decade once my knowledge of the Association was brought into question. I admit that the game bores me these days so that I don't live and breath it like I once did. But I am far from disconnected.

[olldflame]

Shuck typed that it was ONE OF THE BEST performances. This is a statement which is ambiguous and open ended to the point it is almost not debatable. It looks to me like Sly misread him to say it was THE BEST performance, which of course is very much subject to debate, and he responded in kind.