LeQuit

[aoxo1]

I think that name puts it nicely for posterity. Hopefully the networks use it in the montage next time we make the postseason.

[Ziner]

He owes it to us to stay after that shit performance in this playoffs. I hate to say it but this team needs another overhaul. Maybe this time they can get some guys with balls. That'd be useful.

[CP]

Get off LeBron. Guy probably needs elbow surgery and it was clearly an issue no matter what he said. Everyone loves to call him LeSettle all the time and he hardly took an outside jumper all series, and it even the two 3s that he made in the 4th quarter didn't look right.

His coach is a retard and the Cavs backcourt did not even show up.

[aoxo1]

Really CP? Did you watch the last 90 seconds of that game?

[Cerebral_DownTime]

Get off LeBron. Guy probably needs elbow surgery and it was clearly an issue no matter what he said. Everyone loves to call him LeSettle all the time and he hardly took an outside jumper all series, and it even the two 3s that he made in the 4th quarter didn't look right.

His coach is a retard and the Cavs backcourt did not even show up.

Backcourt didn't show up?

Mo had hsi best game of the postseason.

[CP]

What did you expect him to do? He goes down and jacks up threes on each possession and he'd get flack for that too.

10:18 LeBron James defensive rebound 68-78
10:11 LeBron James makes three pointer 71-78
9:44 71-78 Rajon Rondo misses 25-foot three point jumper
9:42 LeBron James defensive rebound 71-78
9:34 LeBron James makes 25-foot three pointer 74-78
9:33 Boston full timeout
9:33 74-78 Kevin Garnett enters the game for Glen Davis
9:33 74-78 Paul Pierce enters the game for Ray Allen
9:12 74-78 Rasheed Wallace misses 26-foot three point jumper
9:11 LeBron James defensive rebound 74-78
9:00 Anderson Varejao misses layup 74-78
9:00 74-78 Rasheed Wallace defensive rebound
8:53 Shaquille O'Neal shooting foul (Rajon Rondo draws the foul) 74-78
8:53 74-78 Rajon Rondo misses free throw 1 of 2
8:53 74-78 Boston offensive team rebound
8:53 74-78 Rajon Rondo misses free throw 2 of 2
8:53 LeBron James defensive rebound 74-78
8:37 LeBron James lost ball (Rajon Rondo steals) 74-78
8:33 74-80 Rajon Rondo makes driving layup
8:14 Rasheed Wallace blocks Anderson Varejao's 4-foot jumper 74-80
8:12 74-80 Kevin Garnett defensive rebound
8:06 74-83 Paul Pierce makes 26-foot three point jumper (Rajon Rondo assists)

Series told us what we already knew. Cavs were a one-trick pony on offense and when the pony comes up lame, Cavs had no chance.

[CP]

Backcourt didn't show up?

Mo had hsi best game of the postseason.

That's not really saying much. Plus, he had his best HALF of the postseason.

[aoxo1]

Not quit before the game is over.

People like you still don't get it. It wasn't about the losses. Why would I kill LeBron for that? It was Q-U-I-T-T-I-N-G.

[davemanddd]

most worthless triple-double i've ever witnessed. sad. he better have surgery on that elbow or it was all just

[CP]

Not quit before the game is over.

People like you still don't get it. It wasn't about the losses. Why would I kill LeBron for that? It was Q-U-I-T-T-I-N-G.

What don't I get? Am I supposed to join in on the LeBron bashing? Would you also have gone after the crew of the Titanic for not trying hard enough to splash the water out with their hands?

What's done was done, and the entire team quit on Mike Brown.

[jfiling]

Not quit before the game is over.

People like you still don't get it. It wasn't about the losses. Why would I kill LeBron for that? It was Q-U-I-T-T-I-N-G.

THISTHISTHISTHISTHISTHISTHISTHISTHISTHISTHISTHISTHISTHISTHISTHISTHISTHISTHISTHISTHIS

[CP]

Everyone might get what they are apparently wishing for, by the way. A Williams/Parker/Jamison/Hickson/Varejao starting lineup looks just peachy.

[Hikohadon]

I didn't even realize he had a triple double until just now.

Stats often lie... but that's the most hollow frickin' stat ever.

[British_Pharaoh]

He owes it to us to stay after that shit performance in this playoffs. I hate to say it but this team needs another overhaul. Maybe this time they can get some guys with balls. That'd be useful.

What i don't get is why guys like Jamison who are All Stars and who is a 20/10 guy

become so average when they put on a Cavs jersey. He had his worst scoring average since the 03-04 season while with the Cavs this year 4 points below his career average.
Mo Williams leaves Milwaukee all the numbers go down and he's not the player I remember watching torch us every time.
I don't know if it's them not being used effectively by the coaching or whether it's because James bosses the game so much, but AJ had to share the ball with Butler and Agent 0 and still managed to carve out an all star career and average double doubles.

It's a minor problem in a whole bigger picture but i do often wonder about it.

[fundamentals]

Let's say he comes back. Can people forgive what just took place?
He's a doofus.

[ajunior148]

Not quit before the game is over.

People like you still don't get it. It wasn't about the losses. Why would I kill LeBron for that? It was Q-U-I-T-T-I-N-G.

What don't I get? Am I supposed to join in on the LeBron bashing? Would you also have gone after the crew of the Titanic for not trying hard enough to splash the water out with their hands?

What's done was done, and the entire team quit on Mike Brown.

Thank you CP for being the only non retard in the forum right now. All the LeBron bashing is ridiculous. The guy is clearly struggling with an injury and doesn't play like superman, and he doesn't know how to deal with that so we hang him. What a joke.

In games with 1 days rest:

25 for 68 36.7% 22 PPG 2-17 on 3's

In games with 2+ days rest (and treatment):

26 for 46 56.5% 36.5 PPG 5-9 on 3s

The guy goes out and pulls down 19 rebounds against a team that has out rebound us this series. But we're whining about him not busting his ass uselessly with a minute to go?

Get out of here with that, you guys are phucking embarrassing.

[Orenthal]

The quitting on the court at the end of game 6 would not have any significance if it wasn't for game 5. For that matter the post game interview continued the trend. Hate the guy? No, but he makes himself very hard to like with the constant attention/media whoring and the political non answers.

Hell of a basketball player, but an enigma as a person. KG in his mumbling swearing tirades on court tells you more about him as an individual then 7 years of LeBron presser's.

[FUDU]

Not quit before the game is over.

People like you still don't get it. It wasn't about the losses. Why would I kill LeBron for that? It was Q-U-I-T-T-I-N-G.

What don't I get? Am I supposed to join in on the LeBron bashing? Would you also have gone after the crew of the Titanic for not trying hard enough to splash the water out with their hands?

What's done was done, and the entire team quit on Mike Brown.

Thank you CP for being the only non retard in the forum right now. All the LeBron bashing is ridiculous. The guy is clearly struggling with an injury and doesn't play like superman, and he doesn't know how to deal with that so we hang him. What a joke.

In games with 1 days rest:

25 for 68 36.7% 22 PPG 2-17 on 3's

In games with 2 days rest (and treatment):

26 for 46 56.5% 36.5 PPG 5-9 on 3s

The guy goes out and pulls down 19 rebounds against a team that has out rebound us this series. But we're whining about him not busting his ass uselessly with a minute to go?

Get out of here with that, you guys are phucking embarrassing.

aj I think you are being mislead by the numbers. Quitting might not be the absolute best word to describe LeBron in most spots in this series, maybe disengaged is the better word, but you are a fool if you think the LeBron James you saw this series was mentally giving everything he has, and to the degree we have become accustomed to.

[pup]

So wait. LeBron decided to not foul Rondo with 1:20 left in that game?

And he walked over and shook hands with Doc Rivers with :15 on the clock.

Someone quit.

[CP]

I just don't see how it's LeBron that is the one who quit. There are 4 other players on the floor who could commit a foul and an entire coaching staff that could have been screaming, asking, begging the guys on the floor to commit a foul. However, the coaching staff was standing there with their thumbs in their collective asses and wasn't imploring anyone to do anything. The rest of the team was just dribbling around waiting for the clock to run out. They almost looked PO'ed at Varejao for even attempting a three.

[ajunior148]

aj I think you are being mislead by the numbers. Quitting might not be the absolute best word to describe LeBron in most spots in this series, maybe disengaged is the better word, but you are a fool if you think the LeBron James you saw this series was mentally giving everything he has, and to the degree we have become accustomed to.

Yes, the guy wasn't his usual self. The question is why? I am laying it out for you, but people want to bash the guy. He has been as close to perfect as a basketball player can get for the past 6 years, 350 days. Now we are going to hang him because he wasn't perfect the past 15 and he struggled to adjust to that?

And he was stuck with a coach that wasn't able to help him out?

He'll be his usual self next season, whether it's with us or someone else. People need to realize that.

[ajunior148]

I just don't see how it's LeBron that is the one who quit. There are 4 other players on the floor who could commit a foul and an entire coaching staff that could have been screaming, asking, begging the guys on the floor to commit a foul. However, the coaching staff was standing there with their thumbs in their collective asses and wasn't imploring anyone to do anything. The rest of the team was just dribbling around waiting for the clock to run out. They almost looked PO'ed at Varejao for even attempting a three.

Stop making sense. Let everyone whine about how LBJ is a quitter and they no longer want him. Don't ruin this for them.

[FUDU]

aj I think you are being mislead by the numbers. Quitting might not be the absolute best word to describe LeBron in most spots in this series, maybe disengaged is the better word, but you are a fool if you think the LeBron James you saw this series was mentally giving everything he has, and to the degree we have become accustomed to.

Yes, the guy wasn't his usual self. The question is why? I am laying it out for you, but people want to bash the guy. He has been as close to perfect as a basketball player can get for the past 6 years, 350 days. Now we are going to hang him because he wasn't perfect the past 15 and he struggled to adjust to that?

And he was stuck with a coach that wasn't able to help him out?

He'll be his usual self next season, whether it's with us or someone else. People need to realize that.

You're a good poster, one of my favorite and I think you're a smart guy but IMO you miss what a lot of others around here have been missing this past week in regards to the criticism many of us have displayed. It is not so much about his numbers at the end of the night, but his approach to the game each night and his overall demeanor and mannerisms, on and off the court now.

There are some real obvious things hanging out there, like MB is not helping the team or LeBron on offense, MB doesn't motivate real well apparently either, you know what else is obvious, LeBron mentally checked out of this series, when and why are the only real questions left. If you want to argue the elbow is part of it,OK fine, not totally crazy to do so, but to ignore everything else and conclude that the guy just had an off series is rather nuts IMO.

As said in one the articles, there are off nights and then there are nights off.

[FUDU]

I just don't see how it's LeBron that is the one who quit. There are 4 other players on the floor who could commit a foul and an entire coaching staff that could have been screaming, asking, begging the guys on the floor to commit a foul. However, the coaching staff was standing there with their thumbs in their collective asses and wasn't imploring anyone to do anything. The rest of the team was just dribbling around waiting for the clock to run out. They almost looked PO'ed at Varejao for even attempting a three.

I won't say the rest of the team deserves a pass but let's not forget this one important fact, the team was built around LeBron, the supporting cast is there to SUPPORT LeBron, not the other way around. It's not like LeBron hasn't been needed to be all that this whole time, things didn't suddenly change in regards to how this team operates and where it all starts on the court. When you are the man you have to be the man, and LeBron has been the man in every way possible for 6 years and 330+ days, up until this very moment.

[ajunior148]

LeBron mentally checked out of this series, when and why are the only real questions left. If you want to argue the elbow is part of it,OK fine, not totally crazy to do so, but to ignore everything else and conclude that the guy just had an off series is rather nuts IMO.

As said in one the articles, there are off nights and then there are nights off.

LBJ was not the same. We agree on that. As to why he wasn't, if it wasn't his elbow causing the problem then what would you say the reasoning is?

[Ziner]

LeBron mentally checked out of this series, when and why are the only real questions left. If you want to argue the elbow is part of it,OK fine, not totally crazy to do so, but to ignore everything else and conclude that the guy just had an off series is rather nuts IMO.

As said in one the articles, there are off nights and then there are nights off.

LBJ was not the same. We agree on that. As to why he wasn't, if it wasn't his elbow causing the problem then what would you say the reasoning is?

That is the most confusing thing man. But the "elbow injury" doesnt pass the eye test. As Windy said he pulled Shaq off the ground in one of the games with his right arm. He managed to bear hug Big Baby last night to keep him from falling, his shot looked normal, he threw passes with zip, etc..

Don't know what it is, but it sure as hell didnt look like the elbow IMO

[FUDU]

LBJ was not the same. We agree on that. As to why he wasn't, if it wasn't his elbow causing the problem then what would you say the reasoning is?

A multitude of things from sycophants, to differences in philosophy and a fallout with MB, to being too spread out disrupting his focus on winning a title and possibly his elbow to some degree (IMO the elbow was minor and more mental than physical).

I don't think it would be unfair to say he couldn't handle all of that at one time and that he may have given up on trying to deal with it all.

So hard to put a finger on it, which for me is a very frustrating part of all this.

[fundamentals]

Yes, the guy wasn't his usual self. The question is why? I am laying it out for you, but people want to bash the guy. He has been as close to perfect as a basketball player can get for the past 6 years, 350 days. Now we are going to hang him because he wasn't perfect the past 15 and he struggled to adjust to that?

And he was stuck with a coach that wasn't able to help him out?

He'll be his usual self next season, whether it's with us or someone else. People need to realize that.

I won't just hold him responsible but he's at the head of the line. He has brought on all the attention to himself, talks about being one of the greats in the game. Until he wins a title, he needs to shut up about how he spoils his fans, blah, blah, blah.

Mike Brown has to be held accountable as well yet it still goes back to the face of the franchise.

His "usual self"? Sorry, I don't want that. Just my two cents.

[Shadow Scars]

All I know is, I'm glad I don't live in Boston because it had to of looked like a douchepocalypse in the bars after last nights game. Dammit I hate Boston so much.

[RIBrownsFan]

All I know is, I'm glad I don't live in Boston because it had to of looked like a douchepocalypse in the bars after last nights game. Dammit I hate Boston so much.

You don't have to live in Boston itself, I assure you...the "douchepocalypse" is dominating all of the surrounding areas, too...

[peeker643]

LeBron mentally checked out of this series, when and why are the only real questions left. If you want to argue the elbow is part of it,OK fine, not totally crazy to do so, but to ignore everything else and conclude that the guy just had an off series is rather nuts IMO.

As said in one the articles, there are off nights and then there are nights off.

LBJ was not the same. We agree on that. As to why he wasn't, if it wasn't his elbow causing the problem then what would you say the reasoning is?

Combination of elbow + frustration. Not they typical pissed off frustration that a guy will show. But a consuming frustration over Brown's coaching/rotation/adjustment issues and the fact he was basically out there alone again. Probably really hit him hard at some point and kept getting worse as the realization set in. Then it became a "Fuck You All" and his efforts matched the score and/or the level of faith he had that they could dig out.

When has the guy ever backed away from any challenge or team on the court? He hadn't until this series (and make no mistake that he did in this series).

I don't hate him. He's a singular talent and I'm hoping here is where he remains.
But he quit Tuesday for sure and he would have been willing to let up a lot earlier last night had they been down 20 instead of 8.

I am convinced the elbow is hurting though. Something is up with that. But there's not a single reason you'll find for this failure. It's been a long time coming and it all boiled over.

YMMV

[CP]

His jumper looked different to me. He looked slightly off-balance and it looked like the jumper he displayed when he was younger. I think he may have been altering his shooting stance (justified or not is another story) due to the elbow issues, which isn't uncommon for athletes. It may very well have been that he lost all confidence in his jumper due to the injury and that he hadn't had to experience something like that before.

[Orenthal]

To add to Peeker I don't think he has come to terms with the fact that he is a major part of why his supporting cast is struggling. IMO he can make guys with less talent better because of his unselfishness, but hurts those that have legitimate talent, even those that have been All-Stars, due to his domination of the ball at the 3pt line.

Said it before, say it again, guys like Jamison, Mo, and the like cannot just sit out at the 3pt line and stagnate. Do you think if Ray Allen was on this team we would be running that screen curl as 60% of our offense like Boston does? Na, he would probably just be camped at the 3pt line, while a strength, would retard his overall game.

[ajunior148]

That is the most confusing thing man. But the "elbow injury" doesnt pass the eye test. As Windy said he pulled Shaq off the ground in one of the games with his right arm. He managed to bear hug Big Baby last night to keep him from falling, his shot looked normal, he threw passes with zip, etc..

Don't know what it is, but it sure as hell didnt look like the elbow IMO

You make a valid point, but it's hard to say exactly how his elbow felt. Maybe it was tight, and picking up heavy stuff wasn't a problem, but having touch on your shot was?

[Shadow Scars]

[Orenthal]

That is the most confusing thing man. But the "elbow injury" doesnt pass the eye test. As Windy said he pulled Shaq off the ground in one of the games with his right arm. He managed to bear hug Big Baby last night to keep him from falling, his shot looked normal, he threw passes with zip, etc..

Don't know what it is, but it sure as hell didnt look like the elbow IMO

You make a valid point, but it's hard to say exactly how his elbow felt. Maybe it was tight, and picking up heavy stuff wasn't a problem, but having touch on your shot was?

This is another sticking point. No one has any idea what is going on with the elbow, because LeBron makes NFL injury reports look open and transparent. The guy is no excuses in one breath, but will then subtly drop hints that is was bothering him...

If it was that bad don't play. I would respect that more then this subterfuge. Plus maybe those horrible D-League teammates of him may have learned to run an offense...

[jb]

i'm soooooooooooooooooooooooo hungover. In more way than one.

I can never prove this, but I am convinced that something business-wise happened over the weekend. He made his decision to leave then.

Sounds crazy, but I can feel it. Its like his agent connected him and Calipari to Chicago or Miami, or the Nets sale was finalized IIRC.

I just don't think Bron could pull off the charade after that. I think it also leaked and his teammates knew.

Wabo or fudu, is it true he went to the faux garden by himself without the team on their bus?

[FUDU]

i'm soooooooooooooooooooooooo hungover. In more way than one.

I can never prove this, but I am convinced that something business-wise happened over the weekend. He made his decision to leave then.

Sounds crazy, but I can feel it. Its like his agent connected him and Calipari to Chicago or Miami, or the Nets sale was finalized IIRC.

I just don't think Bron could pull off the charade after that. I think it also leaked and his teammates knew.

Wabo or fudu, is it true he went to the faux garden by himself without the team on their bus?

I've heard that and not just on the radio, took a cab. Man I have to say if that is true, and we all know all sorts of shits get put out there on days like this, but if true I will have a hard time not wanting to fight the guy. IMO that is classless, gutless and way wrong.

[RedDawg]

We were all witnesses.

Fixed.

Can someone add that correction on the LeBron building poster across from the Q?

[ajunior148]

LeBron mentally checked out of this series, when and why are the only real questions left. If you want to argue the elbow is part of it,OK fine, not totally crazy to do so, but to ignore everything else and conclude that the guy just had an off series is rather nuts IMO.

As said in one the articles, there are off nights and then there are nights off.

LBJ was not the same. We agree on that. As to why he wasn't, if it wasn't his elbow causing the problem then what would you say the reasoning is?

Combination of elbow + frustration. Not they typical pissed off frustration that a guy will show. But a consuming frustration over Brown's coaching/rotation/adjustment issues and the fact he was basically out there alone again. Probably really hit him hard at some point and kept getting worse as the realization set in. Then it became a "Fuck You All" and his efforts matched the score and/or the level of faith he had that they could dig out.

When has the guy ever backed away from any challenge or team on the court? He hadn't until this series (and make no mistake that he did in this series).

I don't hate him. He's a singular talent and I'm hoping here is where he remains.
But he quit Tuesday for sure and he would have been willing to let up a lot earlier last night had they been down 20 instead of 8.

I am convinced the elbow is hurting though. Something is up with that. But there's not a single reason you'll find for this failure. It's been a long time coming and it all boiled over.

YMMV

Good post, and I agree with it in general.

I try to have my opinions based off of tangible evidence (sometimes to a fault) and to me the splits between 1 day rest and 2+ days are too obvious to ignore. Clearly, LBJ was frustrated and he needs to learn from Tuesday night… but you and FUDU are correct in that it was multiple things.

I do think that the elbow injury is what put all of these issues in motion, though. If his elbow wasn’t the same and he was able to make a jumper could Boston have sagged their entire defense inside like they did and still been effective? Probably not. If they couldn’t have done that, would Brown had to make major adjustments to try to pull his weight this series? Again, probably not. Would LBJ been as frustrated with his teammates if they were in the roles they were brought in for, and that is to play off of the best player in the world? No, because they most likely would have been much more effective in the roles they were accustomed to.

It seems to me the problem is almost everyone involved were expected to step up due to the injury, and LBJ was pissed because they couldn’t handle it.

But he did all he could last night, minus the last 90 seconds. If you were hoping for a couple of points to make the score look closer then go ahead and hang the guy, but those points were strictly cosmetic.

[ajunior148]

That is the most confusing thing man. But the "elbow injury" doesnt pass the eye test. As Windy said he pulled Shaq off the ground in one of the games with his right arm. He managed to bear hug Big Baby last night to keep him from falling, his shot looked normal, he threw passes with zip, etc..

Don't know what it is, but it sure as hell didnt look like the elbow IMO

You make a valid point, but it's hard to say exactly how his elbow felt. Maybe it was tight, and picking up heavy stuff wasn't a problem, but having touch on your shot was?

This is another sticking point. No one has any idea what is going on with the elbow, because LeBron makes NFL injury reports look open and transparent. The guy is no excuses in one breath, but will then subtly drop hints that is was bothering him...

If it was that bad don't play. I would respect that more then this subterfuge. Plus maybe those horrible D-League teammates of him may have learned to run an offense...

No way would that have been acceptable, people would have been pissed about that. If you can play, then play.

[ajunior148]

Wabo or fudu, is it true he went to the faux garden by himself without the team on their bus?

I've heard that and not just on the radio, took a cab. Man I have to say if that is true, and we all know all sorts of shits get put out there on days like this, but if true I will have a hard time not wanting to fight the guy. IMO that is classless, gutless and way wrong.

Where did you hear that? I'd agree that it was classless, but I haven't heard it myself.

[FUDU]

To try to logically follow what JB says and I suspect could be true, do the people around him involved in the proceedings tell him to not risk further damage to the elbow and jeopardize the new start, but LeBron refuses to go that route. Feeling it would be an excuse that reflects bad on him, instead playing half assed, not tanking but being out there picking and choosing?......or tanking.

[FUDU]

Wabo or fudu, is it true he went to the faux garden by himself without the team on their bus?

I've heard that and not just on the radio, took a cab. Man I have to say if that is true, and we all know all sorts of shits get put out there on days like this, but if true I will have a hard time not wanting to fight the guy. IMO that is classless, gutless and way wrong.

Where did you hear that? I'd agree that it was classless, but I haven't heard it myself.

Rizzo show, and a phone call from an out of town connection, not my mentioned source about MB rumors and other things going down last night though FTR.

Again all sorts of crap floats around on days like today.

Everybody wants their chance at a piece of some action, I just want to know if I should start hating LeBron or wait to scream phew if he stays.

[aoxo1]

Is his elbow the reason his entire demeanor changed? The reason he stopped talking on the court, starred off into space during timeouts, displayed an attitude the rest of the team had never seen, stopped being the leader he had claimed he was and appeared to have become?

Oh, right, he did all that because he didn't know how to deal with the elbow. Right.

And the elbow hurt so much that he threw down a couple dunks and drained a couple 3's in a row (right before not taking another jumper) before he dribbled the ball off his foot.

[Orenthal]

That is the most confusing thing man. But the "elbow injury" doesnt pass the eye test. As Windy said he pulled Shaq off the ground in one of the games with his right arm. He managed to bear hug Big Baby last night to keep him from falling, his shot looked normal, he threw passes with zip, etc..

Don't know what it is, but it sure as hell didnt look like the elbow IMO

You make a valid point, but it's hard to say exactly how his elbow felt. Maybe it was tight, and picking up heavy stuff wasn't a problem, but having touch on your shot was?

This is another sticking point. No one has any idea what is going on with the elbow, because LeBron makes NFL injury reports look open and transparent. The guy is no excuses in one breath, but will then subtly drop hints that is was bothering him...

If it was that bad don't play. I would respect that more then this subterfuge. Plus maybe those horrible D-League teammates of him may have learned to run an offense...

No way would that have been acceptable, people would have been pissed about that. If you can play, then play.

People aren't pissed? Aren't claiming he quit? I think he gets smashed either way, but this was by no means a guy going down in a blaze of glory. All IMO, as I am just throwing the shit to the wall like everyone else.

The fallout if he signs elsewhere will make for interseting drama...

[aoxo1]

And obviously the whole team quit. But LeBron is the leader of that team and has subjugated every other player's game to feed off his. That extends to their mental state. So he gets the credit and the blame, both for the results on the court and the attitude/demeanor.

[fundamentals]

This was probably already posted but here are some of Windhorst's thoughts on last night pertaining to LBJ:

Now to LeBron.

The blood of this series is on him. It was his second-worst series of his career from a stats point of view, The finals in 2007 were worse. But from a reality point of view it was worse. He averaged 26.8 points, 9.3 rebounds, 7.2 assists. But he shot just 44 percent and he committed 27 turnovers in the six games. In the losses, James averaged 22 points on 37 percent shooting and six turnovers Figure in the points all those turnovers cost the team and it was probably like he averaged closer to 12-15 points a game to the good probably.

After he averaged 36.5 points against the Celtics in the regular season and scored 35 in Game 1, I said the Celtics had no chance if they couldn't stop LeBron. They did, and their chances were great after that, though LeBron stopped himself, too.

His leadership was severely lacking. Like the Cavs, he will now have to live with the burden of being a regular season player until he proves different. The MVP is a regular-season award. Like the Cavs, right now he is a regular-season superstar. He has not carried his team to greatness in three consecutive postseasons. He's had better supporting casts each year but he's in neutral and it was plain to see in this series. He did not bring it.

As for his future, he's got to be honest with himself. He has got to sharpen his focus. It is easy to talk about caring about nothing but the postseason but that isn't true. You could see it in this series. No one with a killer postseason instinct would have allowed Game 5 to happen. That will be the pill he'll have to swallow before he can get to his dreams, even if he is defiant to the people to tell him it.

But that is only part of the truth. The other part is the Cavs might not be the best team for him. It is known now that they are not close to a title, it only seemed that way. He's 25 years old. The seasons are racing past. He's in his prime. Despite all the stats and the trades and the money spent, the Cavs are farther from a title than when he was 22.

[Orenthal]

I agree and disagree with Windy's take. The part about getting better each year, but being stuck in neutral I agree with. The part about being closer at 22 is nonsense. The roster doesn't get better each year in paragraph 3, then is overall worse in the final paragraph. The tone of the column is interesting

[ajunior148]

And obviously the whole team quit. But LeBron is the leader of that team and has subjugated every other player's game to feed off his. That extends to their mental state. So he gets the credit and the blame, both for the results on the court and the attitude/demeanor.

So are bitching about the final 90 seconds or the entire game?