Where does LeBron's 2012 postseason rank among all-time great performances?

[RoadRage]

Yeah, Willis Reed, Nate Thurmond, Walt Bellamy, Wayne Embry, Bob Pettit, Lew Alcindor, Jerry Lucas, Elvin Hayes & Wes Unseld....all scrubs
Not to mention all the scrubby teams they played on that never played team defense
btw....Wilt 30ppg 25rpg owned?? Not hardly. Maybe his teams but not him

Reed 6'9, Nate Thurmaond 6'11 (Wilt's teammate in 63-65) , Walt Bellamy 6'11, Wayne Embry 6'8, Bob Pettit 6'9, Lew Alcindor (played latter), Jerry Lucas 6'8, Elvin Hayes 6'9, Wes Unseld 6'7. I never said they were scrubs, I said they were undersized in comparison to Wilt and today's standards... Wilt was the first of the super big men, and it took a few years before the rest of the NBA could find a answer to his size around the 67 season where his scoring dropped down dramatically....

 

[largebillsonlyplease]

Tell me about it.

I remember not too long ago getting into an argument with a resident Kobe nutswinger who proclaimed them first three chips were all Kobe's. I mean dude straight minimized Shaq's presence as if he was a role player.

which is crazy as hell to do but people try to do it all the time

 

[RoadRage]

which is crazy as hell to do but people try to do it all the time

​

Its like as soon as Shaq left L.A. and won with the Heat, the Laker fans attributed everything Shaq did as well as most of the stuff Robert Horry did for that club, to Kobe... Actually this is how the legend of Kobe originated.. The younger generation don't know no better while the older kats, know damn well what really went down..

 

[RoadRage]

Side note: notice you never hear a Laker fan talk about their so called dream team, supposedly the best team ever assembled.... Yet they lost to the undersized, underdog, young Piston club.. One of the most biggest upsets in the history of the finals... Yup the great Kobe Bryant team losing to a big underdog, even with a so called dream line-up of a squad..

 

[largebillsonlyplease]

​

Its like as soon as Shaq left L.A. and won with the Heat, the Laker fans attributed everything Shaq did as well as most of the stuff Robert Horry did for that club, to Kobe... Actually this is how the legend of Kobe originated.. The younger generation don't know no better while the older kats, know damn well what really went down..

they look at the numbers, but im a student i go back and look at the tapes...
kobe lived because shaq was something they just couldn't handle those years

just couldn't do it. they went to the finals what 4 times in a 5 years? and the 1 time they went to the finals and shaq couldn't dominate like he had they lost.... what was up with kobe then? he was healthy and on the team to my recollection, how come they didn't pull that one out?

oh yea its on gary payton

 

[largebillsonlyplease]

Side note: notice you never hear a Laker fan talk about their so called dream team, supposedly the best team ever assembled.... Yet they lost to the undersized, underdog, young Piston club.. One of the most biggest upsets in the history of the finals... Yup the great Kobe Bryant team losing to a big underdog, even with a so called dream line-up of a squad..

i posted about that...

i heard everything about how shaq didn't make it up and down the court enough malone this gp that

 

[RoadRage]

they look at the numbers, but im a student i go back and look at the tapes...
kobe lived because shaq was something they just couldn't handle those years

just couldn't do it. they went to the finals what 4 times in a 5 years? and the 1 time they went to the finals and shaq couldn't dominate like he had they lost.... what was up with kobe then? he was healthy and on the team to my recollection, how come they didn't pull that one out?

oh yea its on gary payton

But wait didn't Payton win a championship the following year with the Heat?

 

[RoadRage]

i posted about that...

i heard everything about how shaq didn't make it up and down the court enough malone this gp that

For young folks who can't grasp at the magnitude of that failure, that would be like the LeBron James led team of Wade, Bosh, Howard, Garnet and Nash losing to an upstart team like the Pacers..
Imagine what the press would say about that shit.

 

[largebillsonlyplease]

But wait didn't Payton win a championship the following year with the Heat?

2 years but same difference

 

[largebillsonlyplease]

For young folks who can't grasp at the magnitude of that failure, that would be like the LeBron James led team of Wade, Bosh, Howard, Garnet and Nash losing to an upstart team like the Pacers..
Imagine what the press would say about that shit.

malone absolutely stunk that series

and shaq averaged 26ppg 10 boards and that was a BAD finals for him

 

[Tripster]

Well, here's a question....if he wins 7 titles, will Bron then be considered the GOAT? Or is that a title that will never be given to anyone else but Jordan? No matter what?

 

[mad_bomber]

But he didnt have all-time great postseason performances in 09 and 2010...

True. I never claimed he did.

 

[mad_bomber]

he has 2 finals mvp's yes... when shaq was there he had 0 finals mvp's

and you're saying that the lakers wouldn't have been near contention without kobe which is true
but don't forget that with kobe but without gasol they weren't anywhere near contention as well

I never said he did it alone. I said he was the mvp, which he was. What did Jordan win before Pippen? What did Shaq win before Kobe? BTW, I ain't sayin Kobe is Jordan either.

 

[Spectrum]

I never said he did it alone. I said he was the mvp, which he was. What did Jordan win before Pippen? What did Shaq win before Kobe? BTW, I ain't sayin Kobe is Jordan either.

I dont think anyone is arguing that you dont a need a full team. Typically you need a couple of superstars and a great coach (with a few exceptions like the 2004 Pistons that had no superstar).

I think people are just saying that Shaq clearly lead those teams to titles. Jordan clearly lead those times to titles. Kobe helped Shaq. Pippen helped Jordan. However, Jordan and Shaq (along with Lebron who lead his team in every meaningful statistical category) clearly carried their teams for entire playoff runs.

We are just saying that Kobe has not had a similar run. He has never carried his team like this.. thus the reason for the exclusion.

In this last playoff run, I cant even remember Lebron have ONE bad game.

 

[ron_mexico]

I remember in another thread I stated LBJ would need about 3-4 rings and play like he normally does to be mentioned with MJ. Kobe could get 7 and still wouldn't be on MJ level. This article provides strong evidence for my theory.

 

[ron_mexico]

At cats being mad that Kobe is not on the list. This is not a opinion piece..this is a men lie..women lie..numbers dont piece.

 

[playahaitian]

great read!!!​

 

[lilivo]

What yall think bout A.I. 2000-2001. playoffs? remember, he had to go up against the pacers with Reggie and a good Pacer team (including Artest when he was THAT NIGGA!!!) that went to the finals the year before. Then they had to play the Raptors when niggas was saying that vince was gonna be the next Jordan. This nigga was jumpin over niggas head. Then he had to play the Bucks with the first big three. Ray allen, Sam Cassel, and big dog glen robinson. He had to do this with arguably the worst starting five ever. Aaron McKie, Jurmaine Jones/Eric Snow, Tyrone Hill, and Dikembe Mutumbo. wow!!! and he still managed to pull one out on the most dominant playoff team I had ever seen (Lakers). look at these numbers

G Min Pts PPG FGM FGA FGP FTM FTA FTP 3PM 3PA 3PP ORB DRB TRB RPG AST APG STL BLK TO
22 1016 723 32.9 257 661 .389 161 208 .774 48 142 .338 15 89 104 4.7 134 6.1 52 7 63
AND ALMOST 2 1/2 STEALS PER GAME... SMH, 46 MIN PER GAME! HE DIDNT COME OFF THE COURT!

 

[Spectrum]

What yall think bout A.I. 2000-2001. playoffs? remember,

That has to be an honorable mention because, outside of that team lebron took as a 23 year old to the finals, that was one of the least talented teams to make it to the finals...

 

[cranrab]

it took a few years before the rest of the NBA could find a answer to his size around the 67 season where his scoring dropped down dramatically....

RR,

please just stop talking about wilt chamberlain and that era of players.

wilt chamberlain's scoring average went down in that season BECAUSE HE WANTED IT TO. at 30 years old, and 8 seasons in the NBA, wilt chamberlain was tired of people like you saying that the only reason he was so prolific was due to his size.

so he fucked around, lead the league in FG%, rebounding and finished THIRD in assists. oh, and won a ring to top it off.

 

[HeathCliff]

Boy I'm surprised not a lot of people coming in to advocate for Kobe

 

[cranrab]

and shaq averaged 26ppg 10 boards and that was a BAD finals for him

coach brown pulled one of the greatest coaching maneuvers in NBA history in that finals. (which i just rewatched about 1 week ago)

game 1 was the blueprint.

shaquille o'neal shot 81.3% FG% and tobe went 10-27 FGAs in a loss.

after seeing that, coach brown knew the winning formula was confirmed.

no piston player attempted more than 16 FGAs in G1 (richard hamilton).

simply brilliant game planning letting the chucker sink the ship.

 

[Spectrum]

simply brilliant game planning letting the chucker sink the ship.

we should have gotten swept... thank you Kobe

 

[largebillsonlyplease]

coach brown pulled one of the greatest coaching maneuvers in NBA history in that finals. (which i just rewatched about 1 week ago)

game 1 was the blueprint.

shaquille o'neal shot 81.3% FG% and tobe went 10-27 FGAs in a loss.

after seeing that, coach brown knew the winning formula was confirmed.

no piston player attempted more than 16 FGAs in G1 (richard hamilton).

simply brilliant game planning letting the chucker sink the ship.

funny thing is, the plan still works to this day

 

[largebillsonlyplease]

we should have gotten swept... thank you Kobe

and malone too
almost like every game of the finals was played on sunday

 

[RoadRage]

RR,

please just stop talking about wilt chamberlain and that era of players.

wilt chamberlain's scoring average went down in that season BECAUSE HE WANTED IT TO. at 30 years old, and 8 seasons in the NBA, wilt chamberlain was tired of people like you saying that the only reason he was so prolific was due to his size.

so he fucked around, lead the league in FG%, rebounding and finished THIRD in assists. oh, and won a ring to top it off.

Can't argue because I wasn't there to see the games. However its good to hear it from another perspective other than the common talk that I've heard from sports announcers (who I know often get it wrong).
After hearing why you said, my gut is telling me that the truth may lie in both point of views, sure the league got bigger tougher and more athletic (more black also) but Wilt also adjusted his game to be more than just a scoring machine...

 

[H.Clarke]

One of the best times in Houston sports history... The Dream!!

8. Hakeem Olajuwon, Houston Rockets, 1994
PPG RPG APG SPG BPG TPG FG% 3P% FT% PER DRtg
28.9 11.1 4.3 1.7 4.0 3.6 51.9 50.0 79.5 27.7 97

Considering the downward spiral of the center position, we may never see another postseason like this one. En route to his first title at age 31, Olajuwon totaled a postseason-best 92 blocks -- 13 more than the second most in history, Tim Duncan in 2003, and 16 more than his Finals nemesis that season, Patrick Ewing.

But it was so much more than a block party. Olajuwon dropped a nightly 27-and-9 against Ewing in a matchup of two of the greatest centers in the game at the time. Ewing shot a miserable 36.3 percent in the series, and Olajuwon became the first player to collect Defensive Player of the Year, MVP and Finals MVP awards in the same season.

 

[H.Clarke]

Big ups Lebron, Congrats

and at the Kobe & Wilt talk

 

[RoadRage]

One of the best times in Houston sports history... The Dream!!

8. Hakeem Olajuwon, Houston Rockets, 1994
PPG RPG APG SPG BPG TPG FG% 3P% FT% PER DRtg
28.9 11.1 4.3 1.7 4.0 3.6 51.9 50.0 79.5 27.7 97

Considering the downward spiral of the center position, we may never see another postseason like this one. En route to his first title at age 31, Olajuwon totaled a postseason-best 92 blocks -- 13 more than the second most in history, Tim Duncan in 2003, and 16 more than his Finals nemesis that season, Patrick Ewing.

But it was so much more than a block party. Olajuwon dropped a nightly 27-and-9 against Ewing in a matchup of two of the greatest centers in the game at the time. Ewing shot a miserable 36.3 percent in the series, and Olajuwon became the first player to collect Defensive Player of the Year, MVP and Finals MVP awards in the same season.

The only chink I can think of in the Dream, Dream season, is that most people back then wasn't convinced that he was the best player walking..... Many felt that Jordan not playing allowed Olajuwon to be as great as he was... And to a certain extent him coming back to claim his throne held solidify that belief..

 

[Mt. Yukon]

Bron earned his stripes this post season. He was always a great player. The best overall player in the NBA and has been for years. But any critiques I had on his game were silenced. I said I wanted him to play in the post more, he did. I said I want him to stop settling for Js so much and he did. I said I wanted him to be selfish when the game was on the line he did. I have nothing more to say about Brons game other than hes that dude. And Ive never really liked him as a player, but respect is due. Bron willed that squad to a title, because with out him I cant see a hurt Wade lifting them past Boston.

 

[Blaq]

Bron earned his stripes this post season. He was always a great player. The best overall player in the NBA and has been for years. But any critiques I had on his game were silenced. I said I wanted him to play in the post more, he did. I said I want him to stop settling for Js so much and he did. I said I wanted him to be selfish when the game was on the line he did. I have nothing more to say about Brons game other than hes that dude. And Ive never really liked him as a player, but respect is due. Bron willed that squad to a title, because with out him I cant see a hurt Wade lifting them past Boston.

You've summed up my exact opinion on Lebron in the playoffs this year.