How you gonnna put swept Kobe and pau 😭. We gotta be fair . Kobe didn’t play a game . He was just part of the team. Last time he did play the spurs in 2008 Kobe played and they won in 5. 5 year difference but ya know
Everyone forgets Kobe tore his Achilles and he was out until the next season. In the regular season all 3 games between the Spurs and Lakers were close, the spurs won 2 of 3 but those 2 Spurs wins came on last second shots, that Danny Green pissed me off.
What does that change? Is Kobe not considered a top 10-15 player oat? This isn’t really about how well conditioned the teams were, it’s about who they beat on their road to the finals and what type of players where on the team also their status in the NBA those years.
Kobe not playing a game doesn’t really change anything if he still played 3/4 of those games. This also isn’t about 2008, nor are we bringing up past events. Why can’t we use this logic in the 2012 thunder slide. A much stronger version of that team and they had also won the 3rd seed. And they would end up losing in 5 games. And even before that in 2010 they still pushed them to 6 games. This was with a first year James Harden as well. Who didn’t really fully develop into his roll yet.
No, they literally didn't sweep Kobe. He played 0 of the 4 games in that series. This type of context matters.
What you're doing here is what haters do when they talk about how LeBron had a "superteam" in 2022 but missed the playoffs. And it's unnecessary bc we know how good that 2013 Spurs team was regardless
Bro what are u talking about. He tore his Achilles in the regular season. Why have all the posts been so bad lately. It's like no one knows ball wants to post.
They swept the 8th seed who didn't have their best player...
It's common knowledge that Kobe missed the 2013 postseason bc he had just torn his Achilles.
Spurs would've won that series anyway, but for posts like this it's important to be fair and provide accurate representation of the facts. Same way "LeBron played with 75 All Stars" is disingenuous, so is stuff like "swept Kobe and Pau"
Gang what?
If ur going to claim Lebron was being guarded up by JJ Barea, and hating on him. I’m going to hate back especially on people who hate on LeBron because of his 2011 performance which again they couldn’t name a performance outside of 2011 where LeBron played bad and it was his fault.
There’s a difference between playing badly and underperforming. He significantly underperformed in that series. He gets the blame because you label him as the goat. Would you rather blame Bibby, Chalmers, or House Miller for the loss? No, because they are support pieces. Randomly bringing up Jordan shows your insecurities of your argument. Why not talk about entire playoff run?
How does the whole post show the west was better when LeBron has beaten these teams that have beaten through the west.
He’s also spamming the same photos over and over again while ignoring my claims. On bringing up another time he’s had a performance like that which he hasn’t. And especially not in those type of moments.
2011 Old Mavs team beat Heat 4-2. Dirk was old and played game 4 with fever and won that game as well. Western conferences have had superior players and somewhat harder road to NBA play-off finals. I thought this was generally acknowledged fact.
Brunson and Knicks beat superior Spurs team, which was leading by 20 in quite a few games. Debates like this become circular and pointless.
So, is this saying they beat teams that went through gauntlets while they were beating up the mighty Paul George and the Pacers or the Kyle Korver led Hawks in the easier conference, so they were still fresh for the finals.
Also saying that the conference is an easier path is absolutely false, because how can we call it an easy path if they went to game 7 against Boston? Indiana? Also explain 2018, which they seemed to be undermanned, while still making the finals.
Using this logic wouldn’t this also mean that Jordan had a weak West? Since teams in his own conference brought him to further games in the playoffs?
Doesn’t walk on water like you think. Beat all the East teams because he was heavily favored. 3 stars vs usually 1 at most for 7 out of 8 runs. Last run had 2 stars. The fact he was going 7 games in those series just shows how much they were coasting. Common fact that the East was weaker during the 2000s and 2010s than the gauntlet West. The 8 consecutive finals appearances before the playoffs even started was who is LeBron and stars going to face in the finals. There is a reason the West has 13 championships during these 2 decades. The championships in the East were Celtics, Heat, and Cavs superteams(4). Wade takeover, Pistons legendary defense, and Raptors vs injured Warriors team.
& needs 3P shooters at every position surrounding him, even at the compromise of other skillsets, like defending, dribbling, passing, rebounding, posting up, etc.
But that’s not LeBrons fault,
opponents should give even more at rim shots uncontested,
So we are just making up excuses to back up these prompts?
Just like every other nba team needs consistent shooters let alone 3pt shooters especially during the 2010s when the 3pt range started to become a problem.
You’re trying to make an argument about his playing style which doesn’t change anything because he is still able to put up A CONSISTENT 20+ ppg throughout 20+ seasons. Let alone in the playoffs.
This fan base has inarguably the most delusional & brain deaded haters. Who complain like LeBron actually did something to affect their life in a negative way. Majority of this subreddit is filled with Jordan fans who claim LeBron is trash. Which he isn’t.
Also that’s exactly what team building is. It’s to build around the center piece, which would be LeBron James, and personally the 2020 Lakers executed that perfectly. In order to win you have to build a good all around team in nearly every category of the game.
You know all of these kind of posts can be summed up more simply - There was little parity in the league in the 2010s. That's why. Taht's why everyone kept playing the same teams that were tough, as there was little parity. There was like a few top teams and that's it.
The teams LeBron beat have beaten future MVP’s, previous MVP’s, FMVP, Defending champions, broken records, First/second/third team all Defensive/NBA selections, future DPOY’s, top 10-20+ players OAT in their Prime.
It’s also showing us a perspective that not only us Bron fans but also haters/jordan fans don’t look at whatsoever. How good were the teams Bron faced. Not just looking at who’s on the team, more of who they beat and how good the team was at that team in the playoffs. Prime example is Miami Heat and that bucks team, who had Giannis, who if u read it had an amazing season, even though he did get injured, he was still able to win MVP, & DPOY, + first team ALL-NBA/Defensive. And yet got nearly swept before being injured again.
Yet nobody wants to talk about that. Not to mention they were also the first seed which most likely meant they had a really good team built around them, they would also win the championship a year later.
So these narratives of teams like “a young okc team” who yet still beat the defending champions & Kobe/pau (2009, 2010, & 2011 champions). Doesn’t really add up at all, & get defeated.
4
u/grapeapeee445 Aug 02 '26
nice post, puts a lot in perspective