Secondly, his free throw shooting needs to improve -- he struggled this year, shooting only 70%.
Currently, James is a good, but not a great shooter (46% career, Jordan 50%;
3-point shooting for James is .327, coincidentally, Jordan shot the identical percentage.) Up
until the end the regular season last year (spring of 2006), James was not good
at closing out and winning close games. Again, I was "forced" to watch.
If you are a basketball fan, by now you have heard that the NBA playoffs
are "where legends are made." Well, get ready, because it will be shocking if
James does not become a legend in the next 10 or 12 years of the
NBA playoffs and take us on the best sports ride since Jordan.But, before we get
carried away (and it is hard not to with James), Lebron has a lot of
work to do and a lot to accomplish before he will be considered the 1st
or 2nd best basketball player of all time. However, lest we forget, he is
currently only 22 years old. But, the last I checked, "King James" led Cleveland
to 4 straight wins over Detroit, and he positioned himself for a shot at his
first NBA championship and what looks like his place in NBA history as one of
the two greatest players ever. All in one game by one person. I
think you get the point. Now, if only he had better players around to
receive his wonderful, unselfish passes. Oh my God (pun intended)! Although it hardly
seemed possible, the scouts and the media had actually understated his abilities.But, how would he
do against the big boys -- two levels higher? As expected, James went straight
to the pros and his first televised game was hyped to the max. Before
the game, the biggest knock on him was his lack of an outside shot.
Besides, in game 5 against the Pistons, Lebron seemed to have it all figured it
out, scoring 30 of his team's 31 points (his teammates were 0 for 10 shooting
during that stretch) in the Cavaliers' double-overtime win. And those were just his passes.
nike pas cher This sounds like a made-up story: an overhyped athlete who actually, by all
accounts, exceeds his expectations. Not since Jordan hit the game winning jumper as a
freshman against Georgetown in the NCAA Final with 16 seconds left had such a significant
statement been made in the sports world (or, at least, the basketball world). Lebron,
"The Chosen One", "King James", was making a statement: I can handle the pressure,
and any weakness you see in my game will be corrected with hard work and
determination. First and foremost, James needs to become a great defender. The most hyped
high school basketball player ever had very little chance of meeting the expectations of basketball
fans who were drooling over the prospect of another player of Jordanesque proportions. After
the game, I told all my friends and acquaintances who were sports fans that the
only question now is: Will he become the greatest basketball player of all time
or only the 2nd greatest basketball player of all time (after Jordan -- a perfect
basketball player if there was one)? This was a bold statement after witnessing only
one pro game and considering all the great players and careers that had preceded him.
Welcome to his kingdom and his fairy tale like existence.Because of the hype, I
was practically "forced" to watch to watch the McDonald's High School All-star Basketball Game when
Lebron was a senior in high school. James still has a long way to
go, but after Lebron's performances the last week, Jordan's throne is no longer secure.Mark D.
This is the enchanting world of (you guessed it ) Lebron James. He
was letting the world know he had mental toughness to go along with his ridiculous
talent and athletic ability. Michael Jordan with Magic Johnson's passing. (By a high
schooler, no less!) Oh, yes, there were also some great steals, drives, and of
course, a couple of high-flying dunks. It was only one game, however, and it
will be interesting to see how much he contributes in the finals.)James still needs lots
of MVP awards, finals MVPs, and championships to be the greatest player of all time,
air max france however, by leading the not-so-talented Cavaliers to the NBA Finals, he made a big step
in that direction. Lebron has Larry Hughes. A teenager with a body out
of Greek mythology (only taller). What made Jordan the greatest was that he was
the best offensive player ever and probably the second best defensive player ever (after Bill
Russell). Okay, it was only one game of shooting, but that was not the
point. Jordan had Scottie Pippen for all 6 of his championships. (Jordan,
in case you're wondering, shot 84% for his career.) For his career, James has
shot 73% and has shot 77% in the playoffs so far this year. Jordan
was an excellent and probably underrated passer, but James is already one of the 5
best passers (along with Johnson, Larry Bird, Steve Nash, and John Stockton) in the NBA
since 1969 (when I started watching pro basketball). No, this is reality. Yes,
the West was better than the East this year (again) and the Tim Duncan-led San
Antonio Spurs deserve to be favored; however, a week ago the experts on ESPN thought
Detroit would have had a 50/50 chance against the Spurs if they met in the
finals. That is not going to cut it. Unbelievable pressure for a mere
mortal. (And almost blasphemy coming from a huge Jordan fan like myself, but not
really since I said 1st OR 2nd greatest all-time.) Today, June 3rd, 2007, the
day after James has just led "his" Cleveland Cavaliers to the NBA Finals in just
his 4th season, I feel exactly the same way. However, whether James learned this
skill in college or the pros, this skill takes time to learn. The most
obvious cliche came into mind immediately, "a man among boys", and this was a gross
understatement. Think about how much more talent that Russell, Johnson, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Bird,
Wilt Chamberlain (the two times he won), and Oscar Roberston (the one time he won
he had Jabbar) had around them than James has in Cleveland. Tall order for
a human being. Better, but not great, and I have seen him miss a
lot of free throws late in the fourth quarter in his career. They all
had great teams and Hall of Famers around them. Well, "The King" has arrived
and he may be ready for his throne even sooner than expected. (He did
have lots of help last night, as rookie Daniel Gibson scorched the Pistons in game
6 with 31 points, 19 in the fourth quarter including 5 of 5 threes.
How unfair for the basketball scouts and the media to do this to a teenager.
The hype was so out of control he was put on the cover of
Sports Illustrated (talk about hurting someone's chances, i.e., the curse) when he was a senior
in high school with the headline "The Chosen One." It made it sound as
if God had decided to have a second son (it was a little harder finding
a virgin this time), had anointed him to save the basketball world, and that God
had decided he was destined to become the best basketball player ever. James, while
a pretty good defender (and he played some great defense last night ), is nowhere
near that right now. The odds are against the Cavaliers, but with "The Chosen
One" on top of his now remarkable game, they at least have a puncher's chance.
I nearly fell off my couch four times. This is a learned skill
and perhaps a couple of years of college would have helped in this area.
This is like Batman without Robin, the Lone Ranger without Tonto, Hillary without Bill (or
vice versa). Four of the most spectacular passes I had ever seen. Even
Jordan, who turned out to be the master at it, did not have this skill
very early in his career. James was remarkable, and now the only question is:
Can he do it on a consistent basis?Both James and Jordan are excellent rebounders
for guards (6.7 and 6.2 per game, respectively), while James is the better passer (6.4
and 5.3 assists per game, respectively). Like a legend in the making, he rose
to the occasion, and made it look as if it was his strong suit. Hauser
Owner: http://UltimateSportsRankings.com.
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