New Album & The Beginning of Basketball Season

Steve Williams said:

Great game Christoph . Too bad you didn't see it as the winner wasn't declared until final. minute of play .

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Thanks again, Steve.
Even though I don't like the outcome

Well tomorrow night could be the close out game and to that extent it was gratifying for me to read this as the season was dedicated to Kobe and IMO what greater accomplishment than for the Lakers to win the championship wearing.......

Lakers to don 'Black Mamba' jerseys for Game 5
From NBA Twitter reports
https://www.nba.com/article/2020/10/07/lakers-black-mamba-jerseys-kobe-bryant-game-5

Overall, the Lakers are 4-0 this playoffs when wearing the "Black Mamba" jerseys.

we might hate the guy but the facts speak for themselves....

Appreciate these absolutely stunning LeBron James playoff stats

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id...bsolutely-stunning-lebron-james-playoff-stats

Maybe you think he's the greatest of all time, maybe you don't. Regardless, his ridiculous playoff stats make one thing crystal clear: Nobody has left a greater mark on postseason basketball for as long as this guy has. And he's not done yet. Just ask his old team.

I only hated him really because of the way he left CLE the first time. Well, also because he kept on bouncing out my Pacers LOL Well, also because he never got called for traveling, but mainly because he was so F*&&^^^% good it was almost unfair.

These days, with age, he's more human so it is easier for me to give him the credit he's due. I do remember thinking to myself while watching a live finals game at Oracle how such a huge person looked as if he was gliding over the hardwood. Pissed me off again LOL! Dubs won that one so I was happy again!

For me this is what I expected based on the diagnosis of torn planter's fascia

Goran Dragic (foot) remains doubtful for Game 5 of The Finals

From NBA Twitter and media reports

https://www.nba.com/article/2020/10/08/goran-dragic-still-doubtful-game-5-finals

JackD201 said:

I only hated him really because of the way he left CLE the first time.

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Well Jack, even the Cavs fans hated him when he left them. Remember those videos of burning his jerseys ? LOL And that real nasty letter of Dan Gilbert? Those times my dislike for James was not much, mainly because he couldn't get over the C's of KG and Pierce. But what started the dislike was the arena promise of not 1, not 2, not 3, not 4, not 5.....That was the start of the 'arrogance'. And I was so happy Dirk beat them in his first year with the Heat.

Just for laughs...My son told me he saw a meme that says that Antetokounmpo is getting a ring - and his first name is KOSTAS.

And I should add, without firing a shot nor stepping into the court.

The latest on LeBron's (G)oat talk.

“This cakewalk of a Finals victory actually hurts LeBron’s far-fetched GOAT case more than it helps it," Bayless said. "This is an epic mismatch. This ring should be made of cubic zirconia. Because this one has a big ol’ asterisk beside it."

https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nba...nals-goat-argument/1azw2p1qlquvk1mebr7dadrsb7

Steve Williams said:

For me this is what I expected based on the diagnosis of torn planter's fascia

Goran Dragic (foot) remains doubtful for Game 5 of The Finals

From NBA Twitter and media reports

https://www.nba.com/article/2020/10/08/goran-dragic-still-doubtful-game-5-finals

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Game over then most probably

jadis said:

And I was so happy Dirk beat them in his first year with the Heat.

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Always loved the German Wunderkind.
What an amicably, humble and down to earth guy he is

christoph said:

Always loved the German Wunderkind.
What an amicably, humble and down to earth guy he is

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Indeed, all of the above. And I rooted for him too in that Miami Finals against Shaq, but unfortunately, it was not his take.

‘Softest era ever’: Stephen A. fires back at NBA legend’s ‘ridiculous’ LeBron call

James says he’s not thinking about his basketball legacy as he closes in on a fourth NBA Finals victory.
“I don’t really think about it too much,” James told reporters ahead of Game 5. “The story will be told how it’s supposed to be told and be written how it’s supposed to be written. But I don’t live my life thinking about legacy.”
For Smith, the debate is made even more “blasphemous” because of the contrast in eras.
“What I find most egregious, most blasphemous about Isiah Thomas’ statement, is that he ignores the era he was playing in, as far as I’m concerned,” he said.
“It was very physical, it was very volatile … I’m talking about banging bodies, ‘Jordan Rules’, people getting assaulted and only getting a foul called against the person who assaulted them, as opposed to today where you can get ejected for having bad breath.
“LeBron James at 6’9”, 260-pounds is playing in the softest era we have ever seen in NBA basketball.



https://www.foxsports.com.au/basket...n/news-story/4c55ace47bc379714180318d6d5f6af4

The guy whom Coach Jason Kidd of the Nets assigned to an office to push pencils.

https://tv5.espn.com/nba/story/_/id...-lawrence-frank-wins-nba-executive-year-award

A good read

NBA Finals: Predictions for a Game 5 winner and Finals MVP

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/30064532/nba-finals-predictions-game-5-winner-finals-mvp

it's good to see Rondo get the accolades I believe he has earned in these playoffs. ....

Rajon Rondo on cusp of making some NBA history
Lakers' veteran guard is 1 win away from long-sought second NBA title
By Tim Reynolds | The Associated Press

https://www.nba.com/news

I hate to post this one Phil as I know what you and Christoph will say....

NBA Finals Game 5: Legacy, history on the line for LeBron James with Lakers on brink of championship

https://sports.yahoo.com/nba-finals...h-lakers-on-brink-championship-130035545.html

Perhaps nobody is as motivated as Davis. While James is chasing LA glory and another notch in the GOAT debate with Michael Jordan, Davis is chasing his first NBA championship — and recognition as a truly great NBA player that has eluded him through seven seasons of team mediocrity with the New Orleans Pelicans.

If the Lakers win on Friday, one of them will win Finals MVP. For James, it would mark the first time a player won the honor with three different teams. For Davis, it would punctuate his arrival as the latest great Lakers big man.

For the Butler and the Heat? They’re not interested in either narrative.

It would be my hope that AD wins Finals MVP but the sportscasters do like to vote for LeBron

For the Heat, Coach Spo is just going to tell them, even if they won game 4 for a 2-2 count, they still would need to win game 5 as their goal is to win this thing. I can hear Haslem screaming that out loud too.

Report: Adam Silver surprised by low ratings for NBA Finals
Kurt Helin

NBC Sports•October 9, 2020

https://sports.yahoo.com/report-adam-silver-surprised-low-120014340.html

As the season finally draws to a close I have to say that not only was this an entertaining past 3-4 months but certain observations and conclusions on my part and it doesn't have anything to do with who wins

As I see it NBA basketball was the biggest winner in seeing their season through to completion without so much as a single episode of COVID under the bubble. The planning that went into this as well as carrying it through without a hiccough is IMO a remarkable achievement. Baseball and Football have tried similar resumptions of their seasons but not with the success of the NBA as many players in baseball and football became infected which threw big monkey wrenches into the works

I love the game of pro basketball and with the COVID lockdown I remember Phil and Christoph were not buying in and thought the season should be canceled. I am so happy that everything went so well. I have never watched so many basketball games over such a short period of time.My wife became a basketball widow for 3 hours every other night as I literally watched every game that was televised.

I got a good look at all of the other teams and I must say that there are so many great teams with young and upcoming players that I believe many of these teams have the ability with one or two more key players can challenge for the championship.
I ind the thought of that to be exciting to look forward to

For the players who lived for 4 months in that bubble without their friends, family and loved ones, the strain must have been extraordinary and I commend all of them as we too have been essentially confined to home and for me I know that feeling of going stir crazy as each day becomes another ground hog day.There must have been extraordinary times for these guys under the bubble

Playing the games under the bubble must have also been difficult as there was zero benefit to have the home court advantage as there were no spectators until the semifinals when relatives were allowed into the bubble and could only have limited numbers at the games. The players literally had to feed on their own self motivated frenzy.Watching the games gave a sense of crowd participation with the canned cheers and screams but to the players it must have been pretty darn quiet playing those games. In the end there is no doubt in my mind that the psychological impact on the players in the bubble was a huge factor for many teams including Milwaukee and LA Clippers

Finally I have to give credit where credit is due and one just cannot deny the finals statistics of LeBron who IMO, together with AD had each a terrific playoff season. So who would be the MVP if the Lakers win...LeBron or AD. Personally my vote goes to AD as it was he who seemed to clinch so many games with his clutch shots at the end. LeBron was certainly the leader on the floor and he and AD have become best friends and their chemistry was contagious for the rest of the team so LeBron could win it as well. Both deserve it but my vote is for AD as he is the future of the Lakers. Lakers however are going to need some luck in trades to shore up their team and even with such I am not of the opinion they can repeat next year.Miami is one heck of a terrific team and knowing Pat Riley's history I am betting he is going to try to land Giannis and I wouldn't be a bit surprised to see Ballmer go after Giannis and luxury tax be damned. I think Giannis will leave as Bucks need a complete overhaul whereas there are several teams that are one short of a great player to earn a championship.

So do the Lakers close out the Heat and bring down the bubble or will Butler and the Heat find a way to win this game

My last comment is in appreciation of some of the video additions in the games
1. I really like the 24 second shot clock shown ticking down inside the key. That would be a plus

2. I also liked the HD traveling camera down the sideline with the play. It put us court side moving with the flow of the game. I really liked that

So I am hoping that today is the final game as the Lakers win their 17th title and I do hope Jeannie will be in the bubble to accept the trophy rather than Pelinka who I still find difficult to forgive in his back stabbing dealings with Magic Johnson

Go Lakers!!

Steve, I understand your sentiments very well and I have come to respect lately a lot of Lakers players and on top of the list would be Magic Johnson but I honestly cannot stomach the sight of Lebron James in the Lakers uniform. If only he was not there and in some Hawks or Wizards uniform where he should have proven his legacy to steer a doormat team, I would have plucked out some little respect for him and even be happy for a Lakers title, without him. His whole legacy of so called stupendous stats happened only in his self created comfort zone, jumping into teams with existing champions, prized young players, firing pityful coaches who had done nothing wrong and worst of all, tampering with impunity. To borrow a word from Christoph, a career of scheming. If he had done those feats in his original Cleveland team, there will be nothing left to say. As of now, I cannot even stand watching Rondo as I now see another Ray Allen , aiding an enemy all over again. Sigh. What a turn of events. I have nothing against the Lakers, it's just about one guy.

Rondo is an integral part of the Lakers quest to the trophy

The press is making such a deal of the guy having rings from 3 different teams. I've said before that the true mark of a champion is to do that with one team only

The program critics are calling "blowout" and LeBron the MVP.

Phil, these have been lean years for this Lakers fan for many decades as well as a famine since their last championship in 2010 where they beat the Celtics

The Heat are going to throw caution to the wind and throw everything at the Lakers

All I can say is "Go Lakers"

If they win it is #17 and tied with Celtics.

Maybe next year the Lakers and Celtics will be in the finals for #18