Series Thread: NBA Finals: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Miami Heat

[tlance]

Trying to put him the east changes little for me. I realize the west is tougher. But only two winning seasons in seven? And that's why it comes down to the help he had, it wasn't enough. That's not a knock on him. He couldn't control something like that. His upcoming contract. What kind of offer do you expect from the Lakers? And do the Lakers keep the leagues most expensive cheerleader, I mean JR Smith?

Or,

AD, as great as he is, is probably best duties to be a super high level support player. Because he can score with the best of them, but he isn’t a guy who can consistently create good scoring opportunities for teammates.

Giannis is flawed for sure. But we have seen Giannis lead his team to the number 1 seed twice and consistently be in the hunt.

I don’t think AD is as well suited to be the lead dog on a contender.

 

[DJ]

AD won 1 playoff series in his career prior to LA and missed the playoffs most years.

I am a big AD fan. But it is a major prisoner of the moment thing to say he is better than Giannis.

Look at the talent he had in NO....when they finally got him help.....they did pretty well....

 

[DJ]

Better coaching in Milwaukee than NO too.....

 

[tlance]

lol

No it isn't. He hasn't had the help Giannis had and he has played in the West. Put Giannis on the Pels with what AD had and he doesn't fare any better in the West.

I totally disagree.

His teammates in Milwaukee are a little better than AD’s best teammates. But not by that much.

 

[trojanfan12]

Did he say that?

AD has been on other rosters where the offense flowed through him and he was needed to distribute.

Giannis is a better play maker. I don’t even know why people are pretending otherwise. It isn’t really even close.

No he hasn't.

Put Giannis on a roster with Lebron and Rondo and he's not distributing any more than AD.

 

[tlance]

Look at the talent he had in NO....when they finally got him help.....they did pretty well....

Cousins was hurt.

They actually took off after he went down.

The difference was having Rondo there, IMO.

 

[trojanfan12]

Giannis is flawed for sure. But we have seen Giannis lead his team to the number 1 seed twice and consistently be in the hunt.

And he's failed Every. Single. Time. in a weaker conference.

He was favored to win the East this year and got beat by a 5th seed.

 

[tlance]

No he hasn't.

Put Giannis on a roster with Lebron and Rondo and he's not distributing any more than AD.

Dude.

You do realize that AD has played his entire career without LeBron prior to this year right?

Pretty easy to look up his stats and see that he has only averaged over 3 assists twice. Once was actually this year.

You are way off on this.

 

[Wamu]

Or,

AD, as great as he is, is probably best duties to be a super high level support player. Because he can score with the best of them, but he isn’t a guy who can consistently create good scoring opportunities for teammates.

Giannis is flawed for sure. But we have seen Giannis lead his team to the number 1 seed twice and consistently be in the hunt.

I don’t think AD is as well suited to be the lead dog on a contender.

Never thought of it that way. As far as who is better? Hell I don't know. Both are damn good. But Giannis has never had a teammate like LeBron. That gives AD a nice edge. Can't go wrong with either one of them. I think for the Lakers AD's the better fit.

 

[trojanfan12]

I totally disagree.

His teammates in Milwaukee are a little better than AD’s best teammates. But not by that much.

lol

Okay whatever you say.

 

[tlance]

And he's failed Every. Single. Time. in a weaker conference.

He was favored to win the East this year and got beat by a 5th seed.

A 5th seed that might have taken the Lakers to 7 games of not for catastrophic game 1 injuries.

LOL at you diminishing the Heat as “a 5th seed”

They were a legit threat and you know it.

 

[Wamu]

lol

Okay whatever you say.

I say it's dissapointing the Lakers are the favorites to win it all next season.

 

[DJ]

Cousins was hurt.

They actually took off after he went down.

The difference was having Rondo there, IMO.

Yep. They added help......prior to that he didn't have much. Especially, in the brutal WC.

 

[DJ]

I totally disagree.

His teammates in Milwaukee are a little better than AD’s best teammates. But not by that much.

LOL.

 

[Heatles84]

Actually that comment was a shot at wiggy. He was saying that crazy nonsense last season. Also nobody knows what last seasons Lakers would have done. The injury bug got them bad. Not saying he would have taken them to the Finals. But he would have returned the Lakers to the playoffs for the first time in years that's for sure.

Probably. But, as you and I know, and my consistent responses to the matter especially when we were talking NBA Finals - injuries are not an excuse.

 

[trojanfan12]

Dude.

You do realize that AD has played his entire career without LeBron prior to this year right?

Pretty easy to look up his stats and see that he has only averaged over 3 assists twice. Once was actually this year.

You are way off on this.

Pretty easy to see Giannis only averaging 5 when he's supposedly been a distributor.

AD averaged 3 this year with most of his minutes being with at least one and often 2 other distributors on the floor.

So no, I'm not "way off on this".

 

[trojanfan12]

A 5th seed that might have taken the Lakers to 7 games of not for catastrophic game 1 injuries.

LOL at you diminishing the Heat as “a 5th seed”

They were a legit threat and you know it.

lol

Exactly who had the Heat getting to the finals and who had the Bucks being sent home in the 2nd round?

5th is where they finished, so a 5th seed is what they were.

It just turned out that when it counted, the Heat were legit and the Bucks weren't.

 

[Wamu]

Probably. But, as you and I know, and my consistent responses to the matter especially when we were talking NBA Finals - injuries are not an excuse.

You know what's odd about injuries lately? They have played a factor in 4 of the last 6 Finals. I agree injuries aren't an excuse. But sometimes they're legit factors.

 

[Wamu]

Pretty easy to see Giannis only averaging 5 when he's supposedly been a distributor.

AD averaged 3 this year with most of his minutes being with at least one and often 2 other distributors on the floor.

So no, I'm not "way off on this".

Gonna call you a homer. You homer. You sober? Not sure if I am right now.

 

[tlance]

You all do this shit every year. It is called recency bias.

3 months ago, Giannis was in the conversation for best player in the entire league.

He has 1 bad playoff series against a team literally built to defeat Milwaukee and then people want to act like he isn’t one of the very best in the league.

On the flip side, AD wins a ring playing alongside a guy who is arguably the damn GOAT and everyone acts like his entire history in NO never happened.

Both AD and Giannis have their flaws as players. But if I am taking 1 of them to build a roster around, it is Giannis every damn time.

If I want to pair somebody with another elite superstar? Then I want AD for that. He was in the ideal situation this year.