MSU Red Cedar Message Board

Wade was huge today as well. They both looked unstoppable in the second half.

Lebron has a long way to go before he can ever be thought of in those terms, but Durant is very close to being a candidate. Lebron has great talent, but he lacks leadership and is a detriment to team chemistry. If he can improve in those areas, he should improve as a great player.

Unfortunately for Lebron, Wade is the best player on the Heat and as Wade goes, so goes the Heat. So, if the Heat wins the championship this year, the credit will go to Wade primarily.

The Heat don't have Chris Bosh. If they had him the series would either already be over or would be over in game 5.

So because they don't have their third best player, this series is really hard?

By general observation, I would say very few people would list Granger as a top 20 player in the league, yet most people would list LeBron #1 and Wade top 10. So, how exactly does your statement help your LeBron argument?

And for the record, I think most people would consider LeBron one of the best regular season players ever. It's the playoffs where people will drop him down the list.

While they can and do show support, stats can be misleading, and can tell a variety of different stories.

An example of that: In his last game for Cleveland, I think LeBron had something like 40 pts, 12 boards, and 10 assists (I think, if I'm wrong, it's not by a lot) in a series clinching loss at Boston. Now, looking at his stat line, one would think that LeBron was in rare form, putting on a show. However, it was apparent to everyone that LeBron mailed it in, and was criticized heavily for giving up, and the announcers were constantly commenting on how lethargic, out of it, etc. LeBron looked and acted during that final game.

It may be the Heat's third best player but Bosh is a perrenial all star power forward and in this series the Heat missed a third option on offense and a presence in the glass. With Bosh 18 points and 9 rebounds a game he would compliment both of those requirements. Also, the Heat have the best two players in the series but the Pacers bench is better by far. Finally, when you consider the fact that no one on the Heat bench has done anything in offense until Udonis Haslem tonight and that they have beeb dominated on the boards this series, Bosh's loss has been a significant one.

I think it was more of the fact that LeBron was getting really frustrated at his teammates for not playing up to par for not only that game, but for pretty much his entire playoff career. Also, I agree that he may have looked lethargic, but I don't think he mailed it in. If averaging 40-10-10 in a game is mailing it in, then everyone in the history of the NBA wishes they could mail it in like LeBron did that game.

How many superstars do the Heat need to win? The Lakers were great with Shaq and Kobe, Chicago with Jordan and Pippen, Utah with Stockton and Malone...I could go on. You only need two superstars to be a force in the NBA.

I'll have to check that particular game for myself, but for now I'll take you at your word. And LeBron didn't blame his role players like Kobe. I was just saying his role players didn't play like they needed to in that particular series and others. But each his own I guess.

Part of the reason that the heat have no bench (actually much of it) is because of the big 3. If they really want to win they may want to renegotiate the contracts.

The other reason they have no bench IMO is that James and wade don't really make the players around them better like Jordan and even Kobe do.

In Boston the big 3 pretty well had to trade all of their MVP hopes for a championship. I don't think that James or wade have done that.

When wade only gets 5 points in a game it is a big deal. Why? Because they still want their points.

They are never going to develop a bench if they don't invest in them and try to make them better and give them shots and confidence.

First part I agree with.
Second part no. LeBron for his career averages 7 assists per game (highest all time for a small forward), and took a team in Clevland with a bunch of cast offs to a NBA finals without another star. Meanwhile, when Wade and KoBe didn't have Shaq or any other all star players they couldn't get past the first round.
Third part true, but KG, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen were not the players LeBron and Wade were at their primes. LeBron is regarded as the best player on the planet while Wade is in most people top three and top five NBA players. Meanwhile I don't remember a time where Ray Allen, Paul Pierce or Kevin Garnett were even top ten players in the league (maybe KG).
Fourth part; Dwayne didn't complain about not only scoring five points, he was more concerned that he didn't do enough for his team to win (since all the scoring load goes to LeBron since Bosh was injured).
Final part I agree with the first part that the Heat management should invest in more bigs for the Heat, but players like Mike Miller, Udonis Haslem, and Battier are proven bench players. It is just that they are playing horrible on offense (sans Haslem since he played well on offense tonight). Finally, LeBron and Wade do give the role players chances to score repeatedly. It's just that they are not hitting wide open threes and jumpshots in the playoffs like they were in the regular season. (The team as a whole is shooting under 30 percent from three for the series.)

As a Celts fan I never thought it was game 6 in that series that was the issue. His game 5 no show in a 2-2 series was truly one of the most pathetic performances I've ever seen.

He scored 15 points on 3-14 shooting in what turned out to be his last home game as a Cav. His indifferent body language in that game told a huge story. That game was the beginning of his downfall in the eyes of the public.

AJ Granger got injured, saved the heats season.