2013-2014 NBA Season

[stlouie_lipp]

Definitely not LeBron's fault his hand-picked superteam didn't give him enough support.

[Socnorb11]

You guys can frame it how you want, but there is a lot of garbage on this heat roster. I'm impressed LeBron carried them this far.

As one of the commentators mentioned earlier........... the Heat have turned into the Cleveland Cavaliers, fittingly enough.

Lebron should have known what he was signing up for. Miami had an unproven coach and an aging superstar when Lebron went there. Lebron climbing on board left them without much space to build around "the big three".

Everything that Lebron does is impressive, on an individual level, but I'd much rather watch the Spurs than Lebron.

He made four straight finals and won two of them. But keep taking shots at him because he doesn't meet your ridiculous notion of what it takes to earn being called a champion.

What?? Did you miss the part where I said "everything Lebron does is impressive on a personal level"??

[thrill]

Definitely not LeBron's fault his hand-picked superteam didn't give him enough support.

It did twice. You're over-stating his role in the machinations of assembling the team, but even if you're not, any de-facto GM that builds back-to-back champions has done an objectively amazing job.

[Socnorb11]

Definitely not LeBron's fault his hand-picked superteam didn't give him enough support.

It did twice. You're over-stating his role in the machinations of assembling the team, but even if you're not, any de-facto GM that builds back-to-back champions has done and objectively amazing job.

Twice is nice............ but considering the way they went about it, I believe the expectations were higher than that. The core of team was mostly hand-picked by Lebron.

Lebron could go to virtually any team in the NBA and make them an instant contender. Lebron is THAT good. I think you're giving the GM too much credit here.

[stlouie_lipp]

IMO two championships for that team will be looked at as a failure. Hell, they threw a celebration for 7 championships before they ever played a game together. They are the one who set those expectations and any criticism levied their way is warranted.

[thrill]

I guess I just think people should stop viewing LeBron from the lens of Jordan or the lens of whatever stupid off-court stuff he did when he left the Cavs and just appreciate him more as a player and ambassador for the game. He is objectively impressive as hell on and off the court. Every loss is an indictment of his heart and character. Every win dismissed as not a real accomplishment.

[Jocephus]

i think "they" do/can "deserve" some flack for the way they handled their coming together and what not because it does come off bad (and its easy to make fun of now) but at the same time, its really nothing more than guys talking big and having to eat a bit of crow. even guys with quiet confidence fail. not a huge deal and i agree, that winning a championship is hard mixed with some luck and at the end of the day im willing to tip my cap towards their rings. that said, other than lebron, i do find the spurs a much better team to watch overall.

[stlouie_lipp]

I guess I just think people should stop viewing LeBron from the lens of Jordan or the lens of whatever stupid off-court stuff he did when he left the Cavs and just appreciate him more as a player and ambassador for the game. He is objectively impressive as hell on and off the court. Every loss is an indictment of his heart and character. Every win dismissed as not a real accomplishment.

I think most people can appreciate him as a player. He is one of the most polarizing figures in professional sports, and it seems to me that the Lebron "defenders" think hating Lebron and appreciating his greatness are mutually exclusive. The "haters" just can't/won't get past "the decision" and celebration and I'm sure it does cloud their views of Lebron.

[Socnorb11]

I guess I just think people should stop viewing LeBron from the lens of Jordan or the lens of whatever stupid off-court stuff he did when he left the Cavs and just appreciate him more as a player and ambassador for the game. He is objectively impressive as hell on and off the court. Every loss is an indictment of his heart and character. Every win dismissed as not a real accomplishment.

I appreciate him as a player, for sure.

However, when you go out of your way to bring attention to yourself, you're going to get that attention when you fall short, also. You can't create a sandstorm and then complain when you get sand in your eyes.

I also think the way the Spurs go about their business just accentuates the uneasiness that people have toward the way the Heat were assembled.

[cardsfansince82]

I'm sure ESPN and all of the people around Lebron played no role in The Decision whatsoever. It was all him.

I also think the way the Spurs go about their business just accentuates the uneasiness that people have toward the way the Heat were assembled.

Yeah, why doesn't every team just bring in a great GM and top 5 all time coach? I don't get it. Boy that Kawhi Leonard sure is a breath of fresh air. It's a real testament to his character that he got drafted onto a team with three hall of famers already there. No decision needed for that guy.