OFFICIAL CLEVELAND CAVALIERS V LA LAKERS 2/8/09 GAME THREAD! Vol: 23 V 24

[shuges]

Originally Posted by iNiNe5

you see, this is the kind of flaw there exists in the MVP debates...... people talk about how lebron has the better numbers but yet was less effective for his team than say kobe (who plays on the better team). thus, lebron doesn;t deserve MVP...... but then, 3 years ago, when the lakers were missing the playoffs, laker fans were crying that kobe that had the better stats wasn't MVP over someone like steve nash (better for his team than kobe was).... can;'t have it both ways....

then on top of that, if stats is not that important and contribution to the team is, then why worry about MVP anyways??? let espn give it to lebron........ last year, kobe won the MVP, celtics won the title....what would you rather have? sometimes i think laker fans get so offended when lebron is perceived to be better than kobe....

Cue the applause gif.

Or the PREACH pic.

Well said.... Every single word.

 

[bigmike23]

Originally Posted by SHUGES

Originally Posted by Kidskillz858

Damn was I the only one who noticed today that 3 different colorways of the ZKIV were being rocked today by 3 Laker players:

Kobe: ZKIV Venoms
Odom: ZKIV Del Sols
Ariza: ZKIV Carpe Diems

And with the winning streak, you can bet that none of them will change to a different model until they lose.

Speaking of kicks....


CLEVELAND - FEBRUARY 8: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers wears autographed shoes which will be auctioned off after the game against the Los Angeles Lakers

so thats y dude took them off and handed them to someone on the bench as the game ended

 

[mco85]

Originally Posted by iNiNe5

Originally Posted by Mamba MVP

Kidskillz858 wrote:

---

ESPN and the rest of the media, Cavs fans , and Lebron lovers seriously need to get off the "Lebron is the MVP this season". It's like these
people seriously think it should be handed to him like it's due to him. Same goes whenever debates pop up between who the best player in the league is
right now.




Seriously if the Lakers end up with the best record in the NBA this year, Kobe ends up second or 3rd in scoring, makes 1st team all team defense, and does
this with Bynum out 8 to 12 weeks, and is playing with a dislocated ring finger and a messed up pinkeye on his other hand. How are they going to deny Kobe
his 2nd MVP award ? He's also doing this while averaging less minutes and fewer shots this season.

They really wouldn't logically have a reason to, but it is their self-proclaimed "King" so you know how it is. LeBron has better
stats, but as today showed stats don't tell the entire story, LeBron had better overall numbers, but his impact on the game wasn't felt as much.
Anyway, I'm thinking that more of the writers have stopped hating on Kobe so much that he will get a fair shake at it, I mean it really could be a CP3/Kobe
situation all over again. I think whoever finishes with the better team record should win the MVP since their both playing equally as well indidvidually at the
least.

you see, this is the kind of flaw there exists in the MVP debates...... people talk about how lebron has the better numbers but yet was less effective for his team than say kobe (who plays on the better team). thus, lebron doesn;t deserve MVP...... but then, 3 years ago, when the lakers were missing the playoffs, laker fans were crying that kobe that had the better stats wasn't MVP over someone like steve nash (better for his team than kobe was).... can;'t have it both ways....

then on top of that, if stats is not that important and contribution to the team is, then why worry about MVP anyways??? let espn give it to lebron........ last year, kobe won the MVP, celtics won the title....what would you rather have? sometimes i think laker fans get so offended when lebron is perceived to be better than kobe....



Lebron is the MVP, he deserves the award this year. IMO Kobe is the better player but he is coasting until playoff time so he is second to lebron

 

[roc boy jada]

Originally Posted by DOWNTOWN43

Lebron's "triple-doubles" have been exposed in this game... he will still probably rack up another triple-double this game, but anyone who actually watched the game will see that he basically played like @%+@, and wasn't really a reliable option for his team throughout the game (4-15 from the field, missed a lot of FTs).

but i guess he got a triple-double, right?

Originally Posted by DOWNTOWN43

Originally Posted by SoHi 23

BRON with 16, 12, and 8.

LOL, Kobe wasn't even close to a triple-double like that

Kobe only had 19, 2, and 3.

yes, but Kobe clearly had the better game.

Lebron's "triple-doubles" were exposed today. he dominates the ball every possession, and all he has to do is drive and kick it out to Wally, Z, Mo, or any of the other jump shooters and that's 10 assists a game EASY. and the Cavs play so spread out on offense that its easy for Lebron to track down long rebounds. he basically has a legit shot at a triple-double every game because of the Cavaliers system.

Lebron is a great athlete, but if he played in the triangle, his stats wouldn't be anywhere near what they are. and if the Lakers ran their offense through Kobe and had a few more solid jumpshooters, Kobe would definitely put up similar numbers to Lebron.


numbers aside, you just have to watch them play. Kobe is clearly on another level from Lebron right now. Lebron is only 24. people should stop rushing to call him better than Kobe. this is a guy who is probably the 2nd best at his position of all-time. Lebron is not just going to come in and be better than him within 5-7 years, it's going to take him time.

His triple-doubles were "exposed"? How?

 

[iwhohavenothing]

but props to the lakers....gotta give credit where credit is due....they have been VERY impressive the last few games...

His triple-doubles were "exposed
i dont get that one fam

 

[kidskillz858]

Originally Posted by Roc Boy Jada

Originally Posted by Mamba MVP

Not to be combative or anything, but I don't remember anyone saying the Spurs were the best team in the league at any point last year, but they were defending champs, just saying. It's a new year and we are playing the best out of anyone in the Association right now. No need to be bashful about it. I'm not going to crown us champs because we'll have an opportunity to do that, but right now LA is no. 1.

True. I think Garnett and Allen heading to Boston was one of the main reasons for this.

It was a big trade, they played great throughout the season and most expected them to run away with the championship because of this.

Originally Posted by Kidskillz858

ESPN and the rest of the media, Cavs fans , and Lebron lovers seriously need to get off the "Lebron is the MVP this season". It's like these people seriously think it should be handed to him like it's due to him. Same goes whenever debates pop up between who the best player in the league is right now.

Seriously if the Lakers end up with the best record in the NBA this year, Kobe ends up second or 3rd in scoring, makes 1st team all team defense, and does this with Bynum out 8 to 12 weeks, and is playing with a dislocated ring finger and a messed up pinkeye on his other hand. How are they going to deny Kobe his 2nd MVP award ? He's also doing this while averaging less minutes and fewer shots this season.

Aren't you a Lakers fan? You should be happy for the win and the best record in the league more than anything.

I'll agree that the coverage can be better. But then again, it is ESPN who's responsible for most of this.

Trust me I am extremly happy with today's win, the 6-0 road trip, and the win @ Boston .

It just gets annoying with the whole Lebron MVP hype thing. Dude has been getting treated like this ever since he was a junior in high school. You flip on theTV watch sportscenter or NBATV and you see analyst like Tim Legler, Chris Sheridan, and Rick Kamla slurping on him like crazy the whole time saying Lebron isMVP but give a weak comparison or make an idiotic agruement why Lebron will be MVP this season.

Yeah like you said ESPN, NIKE, David Stern, and the rest of the media is responseible for why Lebron gets so much hype.

 

[xtapolapacetl]

Originally Posted by Mamba MVP

LeBron has better stats, but as today showed stats don't tell the entire story, LeBron had better overall numbers, but his impact on the game wasn't felt as much.

I know that you would really like this to be true and use this game as an argument in the broader Kobe Vs LeBron battle, but it's not, since LeBron had ahorrible statline tonight. He shot 5-20. 50% from the line. Not a single block or steal. He had a much worse game from a purely statistical point of view thanhe usually has. Other than some great passes he made, which is the only good thing he had tonight, and something that can be seen on the box score.

This game has proven that the Lakers are a great team, but it definitely hasn't proven that Kobe is the MVP. You can clearly see from replies in thisthread who is a true Lakers fan and who is nothing but a Kobe fanboy.

LeBron is definitely still the MVP. Take Kobe from the Lakers and they're still a great team. This was proven tonight. Take LeBron away from the Cavs andthey're hot garbage.

 

[belle155]

just got back, I was at the last 2 Cavs home losses which happened to be about 9 months apart, pretty nice streak. Awesome seats center ct front clubs, prob$500 a seat on ebay. Took prob a few hundred quick pics. gotta go thru em later

Anyway, good game by LA. The difference was the points in the paint. Couldnt believe how easy they scored inside. If you don't watch Cavs games, tonightwas not a typical Ben game. 2 missed dunks? gross. We are undersized tho and will definitely have to look at whats out there this week. It doesnt matter ifKobe scores 19 or 61 if you give up almost 70 pts in the paint, you arent gonna win. Postgame Mike Brown was asked if this showed an interior weakness, he said"No" and went to the next question. It definitely does show a weakness that needs to be addressed.

Props, LA is the best in the league FOR NOW. Still a lot of ballin left in the year. 39-10 is not bad Cavs fans, dont walk out of the arena like you left afuneral. It wasnt like we lost to the other team from LA.

The biggest thing is that LA has tiebreakers over Boston and CLE now so as tight as the race has been, unless boston or CLE goes on a tear and overcomes LA,Game 7 of the Finals will be at Staples.

I'm still optimistic. Like I said before, let the west beat up the west. Its going to be either us or Boston outta the east and I dont think Boston wouldbe too tough to beat in 7.

 

[kidskillz858]

Originally Posted by SHUGES

Originally Posted by iNiNe5

you see, this is the kind of flaw there exists in the MVP debates...... people talk about how lebron has the better numbers but yet was less effective for his team than say kobe (who plays on the better team). thus, lebron doesn;t deserve MVP...... but then, 3 years ago, when the lakers were missing the playoffs, laker fans were crying that kobe that had the better stats wasn't MVP over someone like steve nash (better for his team than kobe was).... can;'t have it both ways....

then on top of that, if stats is not that important and contribution to the team is, then why worry about MVP anyways??? let espn give it to lebron........ last year, kobe won the MVP, celtics won the title....what would you rather have? sometimes i think laker fans get so offended when lebron is perceived to be better than kobe....

Cue the applause gif.

Or the PREACH pic.

Well said.... Every single word.

Lakers didnt miss the playoffs 3 years ago when Steve Nash won his 2nd MVP award. Heck they nearly knocked the suns out of the playoffs that yearin the 1st round.

Get your facts straight before you come on here and start preaching.

 

[Hijo Del Promo]

Originally Posted by SHUGES

Originally Posted by iNiNe5

you see, this is the kind of flaw there exists in the MVP debates...... people talk about how lebron has the better numbers but yet was less effective for his team than say kobe (who plays on the better team). thus, lebron doesn;t deserve MVP...... but then, 3 years ago, when the lakers were missing the playoffs, laker fans were crying that kobe that had the better stats wasn't MVP over someone like steve nash (better for his team than kobe was).... can;'t have it both ways....

then on top of that, if stats is not that important and contribution to the team is, then why worry about MVP anyways??? let espn give it to lebron........ last year, kobe won the MVP, celtics won the title....what would you rather have? sometimes i think laker fans get so offended when lebron is perceived to be better than kobe....

Cue the applause gif.

Or the PREACH pic.

Well said.... Every single word.

double preach!

as a laker fan i could care less if kobe wins mvp or is considered the best in the league, its about that trophy at the end of the year that matters! like lastyear, i rather we won the chip then kobe getting mvp...

 

[jdb1523]

I'm still optimistic. Like I said before, let the west beat up the west. Its going to be either us or Boston outta the east and I dont think Boston would be too tough to beat in 7.


I dunno man, BOS, CLE, ORL, and DET (yes, I said it because I think they can take any of these teams to 6) are going to beat the hell out of each other also.Beyond SA for the Lakers, I think the Eastern Conference has a tougher time getting to the Finals. A few years back? No. In 2009? Yes.

 

[purplerelgn]

 

[anygivensunday]

Good game for the lakers... They are the best team in the league right now.

 

[belle155]

Originally Posted by JDB1523

I'm still optimistic. Like I said before, let the west beat up the west. Its going to be either us or Boston outta the east and I dont think Boston would be too tough to beat in 7.

I dunno man, BOS, CLE, ORL, and DET (yes, I said it because I think they can take any of these teams to 6) are going to beat the hell out of each other also. Beyond SA for the Lakers, I think the Eastern Conference has a tougher time getting to the Finals. A few years back? No. In 2009? Yes.

yeah i never said Detroit was a pushover but like you said, they could take it to 6. I agree, they COULD take it to 6 but they wont take it in 6overall. No one said Cavs were going to put orlando and detroit away in 4 game sweeps. The road to the finals is not going to be an easy one but I would betanything its either going to be boston or cleveland

 

[japs24]

Originally Posted by PRETTYPLAYA

I could bet 1grand of maybe some more that LBJ will outscore Kobe.

I bet this idiot is mad salty today..

Did you make some cash? ...oh wait..

 

[downtown43]

His triple-doubles were "exposed"? How?

i don't mean "exposed" as in "haha lebron sucks!"

what it means is that this game showed us a breakdown of how Lebron can easily get so many triple-doubles in the Cavaliers system. and also made us think abouthow much weight we should really give to those triple-doubles, as opposed to say, what Kobe or Wade do for their teams.

prior to this game, a lot of people would have said "Lebron is almost averaging a triple-double! automatic MVP!" now, i hope people were able to takea look and see that Lebron's triple double one night doesn't necessarily mean more to the Cavs than Kobe's 20 points & 5 assists does for theLakers on another night. they are both asked to do differet things in their team systems, and they both excel to fairly comparable levels.



and is it just me, or does the Lakers offense play BETTER without Bynum? Pau is better at creating scoring opportunities for other players. he also played somepretty decent defense today. he altered a LOT of interior shots from the Cavs. of course, Bynum is the better rebounder and shot-blocker/alterer in the longrun. but if Pau keeps playing like this, the Lakers will definitely continue to roll.

 

[roc boy jada]

Originally Posted by iwhohavenothing

but props to the lakers....gotta give credit where credit is due....they have been VERY impressive the last few games...

His triple-doubles were "exposed

i dont get that one fam

His reasoning consists of the word "if" and makes it sound like this is NBA 2K9, so I need a real explanation as to how LeBron'striple-doubles were "exposed".

39-10 is not bad Cavs fans, dont walk out of the arena like you left a funeral. It wasnt like we lost to the other team from LA.
As the game was ending, I thought most of the crowd was going to stay and applaud the Cavs on their streak.

 

[inine5]

Originally Posted by belle155

Originally Posted by JDB1523

I'm still optimistic. Like I said before, let the west beat up the west. Its going to be either us or Boston outta the east and I dont think Boston would be too tough to beat in 7.

I dunno man, BOS, CLE, ORL, and DET (yes, I said it because I think they can take any of these teams to 6) are going to beat the hell out of each other also. Beyond SA for the Lakers, I think the Eastern Conference has a tougher time getting to the Finals. A few years back? No. In 2009? Yes.

yeah i never said Detroit was a pushover but like you said, they could take it to 6. I agree, they COULD take it to 6 but they wont take it in 6 overall. No one said Cavs were going to put orlando and detroit away in 4 game sweeps. The road to the finals is not going to be an easy one but I would bet anything its either going to be boston or cleveland


the whole beat up on each other argument doesn;t really work. if anything, i think competetive playoffs keep you going, allows you ot work outissues...look at boston last season compared to LA. LA had it easy, then were exposed in the finals. Boston had their issues exposed early in the playoffs.they worked things out, corrected them and were the dominant team in the final. just have to be good enuff to weather the early storm, and then hot andclicking at the right time in june.....

 

[tupac003]

Originally Posted by Xtapolapacetl

Originally Posted by Mamba MVP

LeBron has better stats, but as today showed stats don't tell the entire story, LeBron had better overall numbers, but his impact on the game wasn't felt as much.

I know that you would really like this to be true and use this game as an argument in the broader Kobe Vs LeBron battle, but it's not, since LeBron had a horrible statline tonight. He shot 5-20. 50% from the line. Not a single block or steal. He had a much worse game from a purely statistical point of view than he usually has. Other than some great passes he made, which is the only good thing he had tonight, and something that can be seen on the box score.

This game has proven that the Lakers are a great team, but it definitely hasn't proven that Kobe is the MVP. You can clearly see from replies in this thread who is a true Lakers fan and who is nothing but a Kobe fanboy.

LeBron is definitely still the MVP. Take Kobe from the Lakers and they're still a great team. This was proven tonight. Take LeBron away from the Cavs and they're hot garbage.

I don't know about that.

As I do agree that Lebron is the MVP this year, If you take Kobe away from us we might be .500. He has come up big for us so many times. Clutch shots. He maynot have to get the stats that Lebron does but the leadership he brings is just as valuable as the stats.

I have also heard people (not you Xtapolapacetl) talk about Lebron doesn't have help. I think his supporting cast is great. He couldn't get all thedimes he has if his supporting cast wasn't hitting thier shots. I don't watch a lo of cavs games but from what I have seen the supporting cast ispretty good.

Like I said great game. We look like the best team in the NBA right now and I am happy.

 

[roc boy jada]

Originally Posted by DOWNTOWN43

His triple-doubles were "exposed"? How?

i don't mean "exposed" as in "haha lebron sucks!"

what it means is that this game showed us a breakdown of how Lebron can easily get so many triple-doubles in the Cavaliers system. and also made us think about how much weight we should really give to those triple-doubles, as opposed to say, what Kobe or Wade do for their teams.

prior to this game, a lot of people would have said "Lebron is almost averaging a triple-double! automatic MVP!" now, i hope people were able to take a look and see that Lebron's triple double one night doesn't necessarily mean more to the Cavs than Kobe's 20 points & 5 assists does for the Lakers on another night. they are both asked to do differet things in their team systems, and they both excel to fairly comparable levels.

We shouldn't look at his triple-doubles for what they are because he obtains them easily?

You make it sound as if any average player can get them.

and all he has to do is drive and kick it out to Wally, Z, Mo, or any of the other jump shooters and that's 10 assists a game EASY.
Seriously?

 

[nt og]

Cavs fan taking it better than I thought...

lakers haters still the same

Lebron with a j kidd type game.

but he's got to do better because he can

 

[youngtriz]

Originally Posted by tupac003

Originally Posted by Xtapolapacetl

Originally Posted by Mamba MVP

LeBron has better stats, but as today showed stats don't tell the entire story, LeBron had better overall numbers, but his impact on the game wasn't felt as much.

I know that you would really like this to be true and use this game as an argument in the broader Kobe Vs LeBron battle, but it's not, since LeBron had a horrible statline tonight. He shot 5-20. 50% from the line. Not a single block or steal. He had a much worse game from a purely statistical point of view than he usually has. Other than some great passes he made, which is the only good thing he had tonight, and something that can be seen on the box score.

This game has proven that the Lakers are a great team, but it definitely hasn't proven that Kobe is the MVP. You can clearly see from replies in this thread who is a true Lakers fan and who is nothing but a Kobe fanboy.

LeBron is definitely still the MVP. Take Kobe from the Lakers and they're still a great team. This was proven tonight. Take LeBron away from the Cavs and they're hot garbage.

I don't know about that.

As I do agree that Lebron is the MVP this year, If you take Kobe away from us we might be .500. He has come up big for us so many times. Clutch shots. He may not have to get the stats that Lebron does but the leadership he brings is just as valuable as the stats.

I have also heard people (not you Xtapolapacetl) talk about Lebron doesn't have help. I think his supporting cast is great. He couldn't get all the dimes he has if his supporting cast wasn't hitting thier shots. I don't watch a lo of cavs games but from what I have seen the supporting cast is pretty good.

Like I said great game. We look like the best team in the NBA right now and I am happy.

Xtapolapacetl

this guy doesntquit... take wade away from the heat...and they would be much worse then if you took lebron away from the cavs....

 

[carlos tevez]

This game has proven what a lot of us already know...

-Take Kobe out of the Lakers line-up and they still have a good team. Obviously not good enough to be the best team in the league, but with Odom, Gasol andBynum (when he's healthy), the Lakers have multiple options.

-Take LeBron out of the Cavs line-up, or if LeBron has a poor offensive game and the Cavs are NOTHING. I seriously doubt this team would even make the playoffsin the East if you took LeBron out of the line-up for 82 games.

-Top 4 teams in the league are Celtics/Cavs/Lakers/Spurs...Magic are pretenders. For the Cavs to make the finals, LeBron will need to play nearly perfect andget some timely scoring from their 2nd and 3rd options. Celtics are going to finish 1st in the East and will likely have homecourt against the LeBr...excuseme...the Cavs, and I think that they are still better than the LeBrons.

-The only team that can beat the Lakers in the West are the Spurs. The Spurs are a different team this year...they are much healthier and have improved scoringfrom their 3rd options (Bonner, Mason, etc.). I think that the series with the Hornets last year took a ton out of the Spurs, while the Lakers got to restafter an easy Utah series. This time around, they'll go to 6-7 games.

 

[lalakerfan213]

??When did this happen.

 

[ericberry14]

Originally Posted by LALAKERFAN213




??When did this happen.