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The first time I saw LeBron James play was on the nationally televised high school game against Oak Hill Academy. Before the game, then-announcer Bill Walton came right out and said that James was 'the best high school player he had ever seen.'

In that game, James scored 31, with 13 rebounds and 6 assists; yet, only went 12-25 from the field. There were moments of greatness, but the incredible pressure of national TV had clearly compromised his performance.

No longer.

"History! LeBron Nets 61, Heat Top Bobcats, 124-107" by Tim Reynolds on abcnews.com

In a career-high scoring effort, James shot 22-33 from the field, including his first *eight* 3-point attempts. He scored 25 points in the 3rd quarter alone.

James makes greatness look easy - he dominates without looking like he's dominating. Who do you go with right now, James or Durant? It's so nice having both to see, to witness.

Career stats

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LeBron is still the better all-around player (although he admittedly slacked off defensively earlier this season).  But KD has the narrative and I think MVP voters prefer a first time winner.

Do you think he's the better all-around player today, as in, this season? There's no question James has superior career achievements, but right now, I'm not sure who I'd pick to start a team with.

I actually think that in some ways, James is underrated (this gets back to my "dominating without looking like he's dominating" comment). He's pretty complete, that's for sure, but there's something intangible about him that just doesn't "get my GOAT," so to speak. I suspect that to fully appreciate James, I'd need to see him play in person, and I never have. It also may be that there isn't any one thing that he's "the absolute greatest" at - his greatest strength may be that he has few, if any, weaknesses.

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I would go with KD to start a team with because he's four years younger.  In terms of being an all-around player right now though, I think LeBron definitely has the edge.  I believe this for two reasons.

1.  LeBron is ridiculously efficient.  He's shooting 58% compared to KD's 51%.

2.  Defense.  It hasn't been as clear this season, but when LeBron wants to he is a shut down defender who defends every position on the court.  KD is not there and never will be.

In terms of the GOAT comment, I think LeBron will never have MJ's (pathological) competitiveness and killer instinct.  And it was quite late his career (after the loss to Dallas in the Finals) that he figured out the balance between being a team player and when it's on him to take over.  It's just not something that comes as naturally to him as others.  For that reason, I don't think he'll ever get to six titles and for some people that's a dealbreaker in the GOAT conversation.

In terms of physicality and athleticism paired with b-ball skills and finesse, I think LeBron is unmatched.  If he had MJ's psychology, we'd not be having this conversation.

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In terms of physicality and athleticism paired with b-ball skills and finesse, I think LeBron is unmatched.  If he had MJ's psychology, we'd not be having this conversation.

He's with some pretty scary company on the NBA's Top-5 list of PPG career averages:

1. 30.12 Michael Jordan

2. 30.07 Wilt Chamberlain

3. 27.64 LeBron James

4. 27.36 Elgin Baylor

5. 27.03 Jerry West

Damn, talk about legends.

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I wish I had seen that game.  He described it as his best game ever.  In the zone.  How else does one explain that?

Don:  The verbose Bill Walton, who announced that high school game was one of my favorite players ever.  During a pro career in which he was injured far too much, he had a brief 1.5 years while playing for Portland, during which they were the best team in the NBA.  They won one championship and had the league's best record in the next year before Walton suffered one more devastating injury.  After Walton got hurt that team's record became instantly mediocre.  He transformed a so so team into the best in the NBA.

In that regard Walton was somewhat like the legendary Bill Russell, the best winning pro athlete ever.

I enjoyed watching Magic, and Bird during their careers.  Neither was as athletically talented as Lebron or MJ or Kobe.  Both were great winners and made the teammates better.  Likewise there have been other players with that incredible magical talent to improve teammates.  Jason Kidd at his best comes to mind.

In terms of astonishing athletic skills...MJ, Kobe, Lebron all stick out with some others.  MJ had a ferocious competitive spirit, was a winner and engaged in team play.  I think there is a lot of controversy about Kobe as a team player.

Lebron is truly a magnificent athlete and in playing with Miami he has lifted his game, combined his individual talents with better team players and won some championships.  More power to him.  I hope he has some more games like the above referenced one and keeps winning them.

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We are in the "final 4" of pro basketball playoffs this year.  Miami is up 3-1 on Indiana.  Miami pretty much cruised through the first 2 rounds, albeit with some competitive games.  I believe they were 8-1 in the first two rounds.  Danged good.

Dwayne Wade, the fragile star and teammate of Lebron has picked up his game through the last several games.  Bosch had a good game in the last contest.

But really Lebron James carries his team.  He scores, he plays defense, he rebounds he is a great passer.  He does everything.

Based on last year I came into this season believing Indiana had a good shot to beat Miami.  But the Pacers started having problems in the last 1/3 of the season...and Miami is simply beating them.  Solidly.

And its pretty much all Lebron. with a cast of extras and one fragile superstar partner.

He is in that all time class.  A once in a generation player.

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In my opinion Bill Simmons combines excellent writing skills, a love of basketball, unique perspectives, and is an accomplished humorist.  I loved this piece on Lebron James' decision to return to Cleveland.

In it he ties Lebron James to Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and places them all at a level above and beyond other all time  stars of basketball.  All of the aforementioned are players Simmons saw play.  Simmons is an unabashed Celtic and Larry Bird fan, which he will quickly acknowledge.

I loved reading the piece.  I've seen them all play.  I agree with Simmons.  They all play(ed) the game at a higher level.  The references to Michael Jordan and to the commentary of one of his former coaches were new to me and fascinating.  Its a terrific analysis...and good luck to Lebron.  He elevates the game and any team he is on.

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That was a fantastic article.

I remember watching LeBron James' first nationally televised game against Oak Hill High School. He was definitely feeling the pressure early on, and was completely unremarkable at first (I remember thinking to myself, 'What's the big deal?'). Towards the end of the first period, he loosened up a little bit, and started showing some glimpses of what was to come.

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Lost in all this feel good "back to Cleveland 'cause I care" story is that LeBron bailed as soon as Wade showed age/injury & that he no longer would be part of a superstar trio.  He does not want to carry a team alone"¦ I don't think he thinks that he can do it.  And Cleveland has the better team going into this year, with better young legs and even the potential to trade their #1 for someone in his prime.  I recognize LeBron's immense talent but give him little respect. 

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Steve, I'm not moved by the "feel good" part of the story.  Its part of the player's mentality....and then all the scribes can write endlessly about it.

I was fascinated that his move is the key to all the activity in free agency, though.  Once he made his move all the dominoes start falling into place.   That is astonishing.  I doubt any other athlete in any other team sport has such singular impact.

Its too bad about Wade.  At his peak he was a spectacular talented superstar.  It appears that injury and age have taken their toll.      Really don't care abt all those other teams.  I'm a Wizards fan first, have a residual "love" of the Knicks   and was truly astonished by the Spurs this year with a phenominal team wide passing attack.   Totally team wide.  Lots of players --playing smart.

Wasn't that Spurs attack like the Knicks at their best?   Recall how the Knicks dropped to mediocrity as soon as the entire front line retired and left the team w/ Clyde and Earl and a bunch of replacements.  They lost 60% of their passing smarts and skills and just became so-so.   Clyde and Earl were still good but the rest of the team dragged them down.

Meanwhile I wish Anthony left the Knicks.  I don't like watching his game.  He holds the ball too much, IMHO.  He shouldda gone to the Lakers.  Then he and Kobe could have had a fist fight as to who gets the ball more.

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Cleveland is now the rising star city in America.  (Edited to add this comment:  for at least two years.)

With all due respect to the players of the last thirty or forty years I would make a serious argument that Wilt Chamberlain (Philly's Overbrook high school), Lou Alcindor (Jabbar-Power Memorial and arguably the biggest hs reputation of all to this day), Bill Russell (somewhere in San Francisco) and Elgin Baylor (Spingarn) were the equal of any of them.  I think I'm back to the early or mid '50's but Russell and the Boston Celtics were incredible.  So was UCLA under Wooden with Alcindor and later Walton (interesting comment from him).

Cole Field House's first sellout (12,500+) was DeMatha vs. Power Memorial in '64.  Until '65 Alcindor had never lost a game-his reputation helped sell it out.  Red Auerbach's Celtics with Russell won the NBA title 9 ot 10 times.  Chamberlain was the first (and only) player to score a 100 points and he did it in Hershey. Elgin Baylor could even be reading this-he's almost 80.  Many would argue that he was the greatest player of all time.

LeBron has a few more years to go.  Huge applause to him for "going home."

BUT...it was just reported that he has a TWO YEAR deal.

Would he really consider leaving Cleveland a second time?  I understand this will allow him to renegotiate and there is no real intention of leaving...a second time.  But somehow it would seem that if he is really "going home" he should have signed a bit longer of a contract.

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Steve, I'm not moved by the "feel good" part of the story.  Its part of the player's mentality....and then all the scribes can write endlessly about it.

I was fascinated that his move is the key to all the activity in free agency, though.  Once he made his move all the dominoes start falling into place.   That is astonishing.  I doubt any other athlete in any other team sport has such singular impact.

Its too bad about Wade.  At his peak he was a spectacular talented superstar.  It appears that injury and age have taken their toll.      Really don't care abt all those other teams.  I'm a Wizards fan first, have a residual "love" of the Knicks   and was truly astonished by the Spurs this year with a phenominal team wide passing attack.   Totally team wide.  Lots of players --playing smart.

Wasn't that Spurs attack like the Knicks at their best?   Recall how the Knicks dropped to mediocrity as soon as the entire front line retired and left the team w/ Clyde and Earl and a bunch of replacements.  They lost 60% of their passing smarts and skills and just became so-so.   Clyde and Earl were still good but the rest of the team dragged them down.

Meanwhile I wish Anthony left the Knicks.  I don't like watching his game.  He holds the ball too much, IMHO.  He shouldda gone to the Lakers.  Then he and Kobe could have had a fist fight as to who gets the ball more.

We're pretty much in agreement.  Except I'm not too sure about how the dominoes wound up falling (at least so far).  Bosh re-signed with the Heat?  Didn't see that coming.  He might've underestimated his own game and the impact he'd have on some major players.  And Carmelo back to the Knicks?  I don't know what they said to him but I just don't get how this fits into his goal of being on a championship team in the next year or two.  I can't wait to see him try to learn and utilize the triangle offense.  Personally, I think the world of his ability &, if he buys into it, I think he'll be a great part of the rebuilding Knicks.  So, we apparently disagree on him.  Cant wait to see if Jackson pulls in another solid player or two"¦ the current bunch is under-rated and Hardaway's gonna develop.  They need some help this year to make sure of that.

And, yes, the Spurs game reminded me of the old Knicks.  Only better.  They surprised me"¦ in a good way.  As much as folks give it lip service, Duncan is woefully under-rated in his ability, his ongoing intensity/desire and his leadership skills.

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I'm curious to see what's going to happen with Anthony Bennett. I guarantee this guy is peeing his pants right now, and he's either going to wake up and smell the coffee, or he's going to be traded (maybe both). It's amazing what being backed into a corner can do to someone - he's going to need to get into the best shape of his life, and stay that way for a long time - maybe he can become a role player if he beefs up, but I have my doubts: he's overweight, he's not aggressive, he can't shoot, and I'm not even sure he can palm a basketball. To say "his future is in jeopardy" is something of an understatement.

Cleveland has had *three* of the past four NBA #1 draft picks - I suspect that's the first time in history that has happened. Granted, some of these drafts were weak, but if James doesn't have good, young talent to work with, then there is some boneheaded management working for the Cavaliers - the combination of three #1 picks (I don't care how bad the draft quality is) and Lebron James should be more than enough to win multiple NBA titles.

I just thought of Kwame Brown and shuddered.

However, if it wasn't for Jordan, I don't think Pippen would be in the Hall Of Fame, and I doubt Dennis Rodman would be flying to North Korea.

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We're pretty much in agreement.  Except I'm not too sure about how the dominoes wound up falling (at least so far).  Bosh re-signed with the Heat?  Didn't see that coming.  He might've underestimated his own game and the impact he'd have on some major players.  And Carmelo back to the Knicks?  I don't know what they said to him but I just don't get how this fits into his goal of being on a championship team in the next year or two.  I can't wait to see him try to learn and utilize the triangle offense.  Personally, I think the world of his ability &, if he buys into it, I think he'll be a great part of the rebuilding Knicks.  So, we apparently disagree on him.  Cant wait to see if Jackson pulls in another solid player or two"¦ the current bunch is under-rated and Hardaway's gonna develop.  They need some help this year to make sure of that.

And, yes, the Spurs game reminded me of the old Knicks.  Only better.  They surprised me"¦ in a good way.  As much as folks give it lip service, Duncan is woefully under-rated in his ability, his ongoing intensity/desire and his leadership skills.

As far as dominoes, I didn't mean they would fall where you or I expect or want them, I simply meant that a lot of players and teams are making deals subsequent to Lebron James signing w/ Cleveland.  In some cases they are falling very far from my expectations...but they are falling.  The Wiz lost their starting small forward and #1 big guy sub and replaced both of them very quickly.

Those two dominoes fell, but very far from where I would have expected...and then two other dominoes fell with them.

As to the Spurs.  I've watched them over the years off and on since Duncan joined them.  They really changed.  First it was dump it into Duncan and let him shoot.  Then Parker joined them; a great penetrator.  Parker developed an outside shot and learned how to pass.  Then Ginobili with his skills and Eurostep stuff and drives.  Now this passing attack developed.  I think it was there last year, just not so pronounced.

It sort of grabbed me while watching the other Center, Splitter.  When I first noticed him a couple of years ago, I thought he was a "stiff".  I think last year I noticed him making and receiving touch passes.  He kept it up this year.   Maybe he had that skill earlier and I missed it.

When a whole team is making touch passes, besides and on top of a few great passers like a Magic or a Kidd, you know there is something special going on.

Now as far as Carmelo goes, I don't doubt his skills.  Its just that I don't enjoy watching him as he holds the ball a lot.  Maybe its because his teammates were weak.  I don't know.

BTW, Steve:   Do you have any affection for the Nets.  They are Brooklyn!!!  I learned some "family lore" pretty recently including:

A.  My uncle got tickets and saw the Don Larson perfect game in the WS.  He was going to get his eldest son, take him out of school, and take him to the game, but we all lived in Jersey at the time and it was too much of a drive and time was tight.  Too bad for my cous.   ;)  Good deal for my unc.

B.  I saw a little thing from some other relative of mine recently  (2nd cousin/ same last name)   He recently wrote that he STILL hates seeing LA on the Dodgers hats.  That guy grew up in Manhattan Beach, Brooklyn.  Now that is a long memory...and a long grudge.   ;)

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Re: the Brooklyn Nets question.  I want to be a fan.  I live walking distance from the arena.  And I haven't been in love with the Knicks since Isiah was hired.  But I grew up a Knick fan and, with Jackson in the front office, I'd find it hard to walk away now.  Also, it would've been pretty hard for me to couple my respect for Kidd with rooting for a team with Garnett and Pierce.  I mean, I had trouble integrating Boggs, Clemons & Damon into the Yankee fold and that's baseball, where its less grating.  Boston is the enemy"¦ period.

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Re: the Brooklyn Nets question.  I want to be a fan.  I live walking distance from the arena.  And I haven't been in love with the Knicks since Isiah was hired.  But I grew up a Knick fan and, with Jackson in the front office, I'd find it hard to walk away now.  Also, it would've been pretty hard for me to couple my respect for Kidd with rooting for a team with Garnett and Pierce.  I mean, I had trouble integrating Boggs, Clemons & Damon into the Yankee fold and that's baseball, where its less grating.  Boston is the enemy"¦ period.

I double like the above comments!!!!!!   :D   moving away from the ny area during periods long before the web and cable tv is the thing that ultimately got me to lose the love for those teams.

I bet you'd love this.  At the Las Vegas league games Jackson is seen sitting with Clyde.  Now that is what its all about.   ;)

Kidd turned out to be a jerk.  Good riddance.  Isiah was a disaster and Dolan has had to be one of the worst owners over time.  ....but Jackson/Clyde...now you can't beat that.   ;)   That was my all time favorite pro team,

....and  I gotta admit the best pro jock comment I ever saw was by the "enemy", Ortiz in Boston, after the terrorist attack. He was Great.

and here is one last one for you, Steve....Its a story with one of the best iconoclastic NYC "sports pics" of all times--http://espn.go.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/11214487/hall-fame-quarterback-ya-tittle-takes-final-trip-home-espn-magazine

I was too young  to really "follow that team"   but I recall that pic and I can probably today reference by name many of the members of those Giant teams...that kept going to the championship and losing.

Its a moving story.

.....and lastly, in terms of "dominios" falling, the Wiz picked up DeJuan Blair in a "sign and trade"   Per the comments in that article the Dallas fans really appreciated Blair.

Hmmm.  I recall Blair from the Big East.  He was a "man among boys"  So tough.  He has evidently kept that ability in the pros.  I hope he uses that in DC.  Every team benefits from having a Charles Oakley kind of dude on their roster.

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Cleveland is willing to trade both Andrew Wiggins (1st overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft) and Anthony Bennett (1st overall pick in the 2013 NBA draft), and possibly even their 2015 1st-round pick (!) for Kevin Love.

Granted, Love has superstar statistics (#4 in the league in scoring last year, #3 in the league in rebounding last year), but this demonstrates what a total bust Anthony Bennett has been, and what a waste of draft picks these two Canadian ballplayers were.

(Cleveland has had 3 out of the last 4 #1 draft picks in the NBA, Kyrie Irving (born in Australia) being the 1st overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft.)

A James-Love-Irving combination might be the strongest threesome in the league, but what will this do to their depth chart?

Regardless, Cleveland *must* be willing to unload Bennett - he has been terrible, at least thus far. It took him 33 NBA games to score 10 points!

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A lot of guys struggle their first year, Don!

Jason, Anthony Bennett is 6'8", was the NBA's #1 pick overall, and made $5.3 million dollars this year.

This season, he averaged 4.2 points per game and 3.0 rebounds per game MORE THAN *I* DID.

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And Otto Porter is lighting the world on fire?

It was a historically weak draft class and the book isn't closed on Bennett.  It takes many guys longer to adjust to the pro game.  Look at Kyle Lowry - he JUST figured it out.

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A lot of guys struggle their first year, Don!

For a great rundown on the pros and cons of trading a package containing Wiggins for Love, see this.

I'm in the camp of trading of Wiggins, for reasons similar to Sharp's.

Man, that potential trade is a HUGE question mark.  Part w/ a player with incredible potential at one of the "highest potential's" over many years versus getting one of today's current stars?   Big risk and potential big reward.  Pair Love w/ Lebron and Irving and you have the makings of a star studded dangerous team. I wouldn't care about throwing in Bennett.  He evidently showed nothing last year, let alone motivation.  I suppose if I were the Cleveland GM I'd take the risk and try and make that trade.  Of course if the team doesn't win championships the GM becomes a bum..especially if Wiggins and Bennett develop into excellent players.    If Cleveland didn't have Lebron, but some other star...I wouldn't make the trade.  I'd bet and hope on Wiggins over the long haul.

But I'm not either GM.  So its just a topic for basketball junkie chatter accompanied by a few brewskis.

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And 18 months later, the Golden State Warriors have completely usurped the discussion.

"LeBron James Passes Tim Duncan for 14th on Career Scoring List" by Dave McMenamin on espn.go.com

This season, I believe James will also pass Havlicek, Wilkins, Robertson, and Olajuwon to crack the Top 10 All-Time Scoring List.

Assuming he stays healthy, next season he should also pass Hayes, Moses Malone, and O'Neal to reach number 7. If he has a great season, Nowitzki to reach number 6.

Then, things start to get a lot tougher.

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We've seen that LeBron James can win championships when surrounded with players like Dwayne Wade (who just became one of only 20 players ever to score 20,000 points with one team) and Chris Bosh.

Three years ago, the NBA was LeBron James, and nothing but LeBron James. Then came Kevin Durant, then came Stephen Curry, and now it seems like the media doesn't pay attention to anyone except Curry.

Why is Cleveland faltering? They're a good team, with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, but they aren't winning - is Irving too young? Is Love turning into a bust?

My guess is that they need strong, stable leadership from their coach, Tyronn Lue, who came in mid-season and who is one year *younger* than Tim Duncan. This team is not meshing, and LeBron - who is compared with Magic Johnson more than any other player I've heard, due to his ability to play nearly every position - is not leading.

"Will LeBron James' Relationship with Dwayne Wade Stand in the Way of the Cleveland Cavaliers Beating the Miami Heat?" by Chris Haynes on cleveland.com

Right now, Cleveland is 49-20, which is not a bad record, but for The Prodigal Son to live up to his billing, something is going to need to change, and fast.

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"Emotional LeBron James Says 6th Straight Trip to Finals 'Means Everything'" by Ohm Misuk on espn.go.com

Reading my previous post (written Mar 20, 2016), I completely ignored the fact that James was without Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love in last year's final series; this year, both players are healthy - it's going to be a different situation going in:

Jun 14, 2015 - "NBA Finals: What If Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love Had Played?" by Matt Moore on cbssports.com

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Yeah, but let's see who they're playing first.  Against Oklahoma, Love & Irving's presence is a game changer.  I'm not too sure that it changes much against Golden State.  That being said, I would favor Cleveland vs Oklahoma (maybe in 5 or 6) but think that Golden State would be favored (in 6 or 7). 

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On 5/29/2016 at 5:34 PM, Steve R. said:

I would favor Cleveland vs Oklahoma (maybe in 5 or 6) but think that Golden State would be favored (in 6 or 7). 

Well ... you've been pretty accurate so far!

"Despite Record, LeBron James's Greatness Unmatched in NBA Finals" by Michael Rosenburg on si.com

This is pretty much what I've been thinking - as a parallel, the best football team in the early 1990's was the Buffalo Bills, who went 0-4 in four consecutive Super Bowls (1991-1994). I also think you can make a very strong case for the Bills being a Top 3 team for the entire decade of the 1990's. Everyone places so much emphasis on "winning it all," but I think "getting there," on a consistent basis, is every bit as important. I'm not going to say the Bills were better than the Cowboys in the 1990's (who went 3-0 in Super Bowls), but the Bills, Cowboys, and 49ers were the Top 3 teams.

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29 minutes ago, Steve R. said:

Or... maybe not.  Great series & great game by Cleveland.

I have family from Cleveland, including my late, beloved Aunt Joan (pronounced Joanne) and Uncle Bill, who lived in Cleveland Heights (E. 234th St). She worked as a cashier in Wal-Mart when she was in her 80's to help support the family, and *always* sent Matt $5 or $10 for his birthday - even though they both left us a couple of years ago, I can't help but think of them, and all those like them in Cleveland who are joyous beyond words this evening.

Jul 11, 2014 - "LeBron: I'm Coming Back To Cleveland" by LeBron James as Told to Lee Jenkins on si.com

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4 minutes ago, farmer john said:

...and Lebron should've won it each time one of the Warriors players did. Westbrook and Harden this year are the first 2 players to be even close to as deserving of the MVP award as Lebron in eons.

It's hard to believe LeBron James might be "underrated," but he might be.

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Lebron James is up in the air from well behind the free throw line, and the three Golden State players between him and the basket are - from top to bottom - Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and Klay Thompson.

Screenshot 2017-06-11 at 7.18.08 PM.png

And we all know what happened next. AlleyOop.jpg

Screenshot 2017-06-11 at 7.17.35 PM.png

That just isn't fair.

Even if Golden State wins in 5 (which I suspect they will), it isn't outlandish to think of James as Series MVP.

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1 hour ago, farmer john said:

It will be Cleveland/GS (barring Lebron injury or injury to 2 of Golden State's big 4) until Lebron packs up and moves to LA to play for the Clippers where he and Chris Paul try to figure out how to each have a basketball when there is only one available. (Jerry West to the Clippers and Steve Ballmer's commitment to building his own digs instead of staying in Staples Center had me thinking about this earlier today on deliveries.)

I was talking about this *exact* issue today with my taxi driver in LA.

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As befits a food forum Lebron James is like a fine wine:  He improves with age.  In the history of the NBA there have been only two seasons where a player over age 30 averaged over 26 pts, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists. Lebron has both of them; last season and this. He dominates games and produces wins.  

His team just won the 7th game of a tough playoff series, Lebron completely carried his team and he is leading the playoffs in points and scoring average.

At some point his skills will diminish.  Father Time will win again.  We might see it in the next decade or ..... longer????

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1 hour ago, Mark Slater said:

Lebron. Is also a wine connoisseur.  Check out his Instagram.  

Meh ... we need to differentiate between a "connoisseur," and "someone who spends a lot on wine."

I do believe James has enough intelligence to say, "Find me someone who knows a ton about wine, and have them buy it for me," as opposed to, "Get me the most expensive wines you can find."

That's certainly a level above most mega-rich people, and in fact, that's exactly how I got started ("Hey, I know absolutely nothing about wine, but I trust you - I'm willing to spend "$x" per month, and do my homework.")

(In James' case, "x" is a geometric multiple of my "x.") 🙂

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I think the ESPN feature linked upthread dispels the notion that LeBron is merely throwing money at wine.  Seems like anyone who spends their free time tasting grapes at vineyards and displaying curiosity about terroir is trying to walk the walk too.

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