Is it possible...

[HurricaneDij39]

...to be an NBA fan and hate both the Lakers and the Heat? Because from the cloth I'm cut from, we've been preached loyalty and teamwork here in NW Indiana. I just can't stand how these two teams have watered the league down for the last 5-10 years and even before LeBron arrived in Miami.

These two teams are bandwagon paradises and it hasn't always even been about the said team's success. Most of it is individual bullshit. From Kobe to LeBron to Shaq to Wade. I mean, I'm a Jerry Stackhouse fan but you don't see me becoming a lifelong Pistons fan because of it. In fact, I hated the Pistons with a passion during the years they were rivals with the Pacers. Their CEO at the time, Tom Wilson, was caught smiling during an interview with Jim Gray at the conclusion of the fight at the Palace. I still wonder how much he bribed Mr. $tern into suspending Artest for the season.

Loyalty and teamwork matter, kids.

I grew up rooting for Jordan and the Bulls in my childhood and even someone as young as I was at the time knew it wasn't all about him.

 

[HurricaneDij39]

Team unity is also important (not throwing teammates under the bus a la LeBron in Cleveland, Carmelo in Denver, and Dwight in Orlando).

 

[heatmyshorts]

...to be an NBA fan and hate both the Lakers and the Heat? Because from the cloth I'm cut from, we've been preached loyalty and teamwork here in NW Indiana. I just can't stand how these two teams have watered the league down for the last 5-10 years and even before LeBron arrived in Miami.

These two teams are bandwagon paradises and it hasn't always even been about the said team's success. Most of it is individual bullshit. From Kobe to LeBron to Shaq to Wade. I mean, I'm a Jerry Stackhouse fan but you don't see me becoming a lifelong Pistons fan because of it. In fact, I hated the Pistons with a passion during the years they were rivals with the Pacers. Their CEO at the time, Tom Wilson, was caught smiling during an interview with Jim Gray at the conclusion of the fight at the Palace. I still wonder how much he bribed Mr. $tern into suspending Artest for the season.

Loyalty and teamwork matter, kids.

I grew up rooting for Jordan and the Bulls in my childhood and even someone as young as I was at the time knew it wasn't all about him.

You can hate all the teams and be loyal to your own team and that will still make you an NBA fan. But you seem confused about your own identity as an NBA fan or you simply aren't happy at how Heat or Lakers have transformed the league. That is a different question altogether. But even if you have this distatste, you are still an NBA fan for having a minimum of one team to root for.

 

[trojanfan12]

...to be an NBA fan and hate both the Lakers and the Heat? Because from the cloth I'm cut from, we've been preached loyalty and teamwork here in NW Indiana. I just can't stand how these two teams have watered the league down for the last 5-10 years and even before LeBron arrived in Miami.

These two teams are bandwagon paradises and it hasn't always even been about the said team's success. Most of it is individual bullshit. From Kobe to LeBron to Shaq to Wade. I mean, I'm a Jerry Stackhouse fan but you don't see me becoming a lifelong Pistons fan because of it. In fact, I hated the Pistons with a passion during the years they were rivals with the Pacers. Their CEO at the time, Tom Wilson, was caught smiling during an interview with Jim Gray at the conclusion of the fight at the Palace. I still wonder how much he bribed Mr. $tern into suspending Artest for the season.

Loyalty and teamwork matter, kids.

I grew up rooting for Jordan and the Bulls in my childhood and even someone as young as I was at the time knew it wasn't all about him.

You paint with far too broad a brush when making such statements. I have been a die-hard Lakers fan for 42 years. I have seen the good, the bad, the ugly and the downright embarrassing with this franchise. There are many, many other Laker fans just like me. Because of the Lakers success, you are correct when you refer to the Lakers being a "Bandwagon Paradise", but that's how it is with virtually any successful team. It is what it is.

Just as there are fans who will only follow a team that is successful, there are also fans (such as yourself, apparently) who will hate them because they are successful.

As for the Heat. They don't have the history that the Lakers have as they only came into existence in the late 80's. However, considering how "young" they are as a franchise, they have also had a fair amount of success which makes them a bit of a "bandwagon paradise" as well. Particularly when you consider that they have the games best player, a top 10 player and a top 15-20 player on their team and are defending champs. Again, it is what it is.

Your memories re: MJ and the Bulls is pretty selective as well. While you may have known it wasn't all about MJ, that is not how the Bulls were presented to the public by the league, the franchise and the media. It was actually MJ and the Bulls that started the "superstar is bigger than the team" trend. It was with MJ and the Bulls that the term "supporting cast" was first used in describing the rest of the team and his teammates were often referred to as the "Jordanaires".

If you want to know why players like Shaq, Kobe, Lebron, Durant, etc. are looked at as being bigger than the team, you need to look no further than MJ and the Bulls.

 

[HurricaneDij39]

trojanfan,

I think the kids (like LeBron and unlike myself) who didn't grow up from the Chicago area were mislead about MJ's true value to the Bulls.

Maybe he destroyed the game, or maybe the rest of you are making excuses.

Maybe it's my fault, or maybe you're just making excuses. - YouTube

I still think MJ secretly hates LeBron even though he's saying all the right things in public.

 

[Shanemansj13]

Team unity is also important (not throwing teammates under the bus a la LeBron in Cleveland, Carmelo in Denver, and Dwight in Orlando).

He was there for 7 seasons. If something doesn't work at some point you have to move on. I have accepted that as a Cavs fan.

Maybe you need to accept things too, as an NBA fan.

 

[bksballer89]

And if he hates Lebron who cares?

 

[Shanemansj13]

trojanfan,

I think the kids (like LeBron and unlike myself) who didn't grow up from the Chicago area were mislead about MJ's true value to the Bulls.

Maybe he destroyed the game, or maybe the rest of you are making excuses.

Maybe it's my fault, or maybe you're just making excuses. - YouTube

I still think MJ secretly hates LeBron even though he's saying all the right things in public.

He hates LBJ, bc there is one guy that is stealing the spotlight of greatness from him and he is threatened. I really think he needs to wait 5 years before feeling that way, that is just the way MJ is.

 

[trojanfan12]

trojanfan,

I think the kids (like LeBron and unlike myself) who didn't grow up from the Chicago area were mislead about MJ's true value to the Bulls.

Maybe he destroyed the game, or maybe the rest of you are making excuses.

Maybe it's my fault, or maybe you're just making excuses. - YouTube

I still think MJ secretly hates LeBron even though he's saying all the right things in public.

Don't get me wrong, I don't think MJ ruined the game and I don't think that changing the game was on him alone. MJ was just a great player with what were deemed as "other-worldly talents". It was the media, the NBA and companies looking for him to endorse their products that placed the emphasis on MJ over the rest of the Bulls. What was MJ supposed to do? Turn down all of that money? He'd be crazy to do that.

However, that doesn't change the fact that he was basically the first to be marketed in this manner. Timing had alot to do with it as well. The 80's saw the NBA reach levels of popularity that it had never seen before in it's existence. I remember when the Lakers won the first championship with Magic on the team. I watched the clinching game on tape delay at 11:30pm. A few short years later, the games were all on in primetime.

MJ's singular talents, took the league to even higher levels of popularity and the league took advantage. Unfortunately, it was done, to a certain extent, at the expense of promoting individual players over teams and the league.

You may be right about MJ hating Lebron. One thing we know about MJ is that he may be the most competitive player ever to play the game and he relishes being considered the GOAT. Lebron is a threat to that title. I think that the reason MJ said Kobe was closest to him over Lebron is that Kobe is no longer a threat to supplanting MJ as the GOAT, even though MJ's stated reason was Kobe's 5 rings.

 

[HurricaneDij39]

He was there for 7 seasons. If something doesn't work at some point you have to move on. I have accepted that as a Cavs fan.

Maybe you need to accept things too, as an NBA fan.

I don't accept cowards. He'll always have opportunities to repair his image, but LeBron is a traitor and will be a traitor until the day he retires.

Shanemansj13,

You're proving my point that you're an individual player's fan and not a team fan. Your alleged Cavs team won back-to-back 60-win seasons. Yep, terrible.

 

[HurricaneDij39]

He hates LBJ, bc there is one guy that is stealing the spotlight of greatness from him and he is threatened. I really think he needs to wait 5 years before feeling that way, that is just the way MJ is.

I know you're retarted and I appreciate that, but Jordan has always resepcted LeBron when asked. Claiming Kobe is better because he has five rings is just his personal opinion, not an act of disrespect.

 

[Shanemansj13]

I don't accept cowards. He'll always have opportunities to repair his image, but LeBron is a traitor and will be a traitor until the day he retires.

Shanemansj13,

You're proving my point that you're an individual player's fan and not a team fan. Your alleged Cavs team won back-to-back 60-win seasons. Yep, terrible.

No. You should agree, but maybe not bc you aren't that smart.

But you can win 80 games for 7 straight seasons win as many playoff games as you want, get to championships, BUT if you don't win a ring none of it matters. Especially when you carry your team there and just don't have enoug around you.

This will be suprising to you but I have been to many Cavs games but I never went to a Cavs game when LBJ was playing thar. I used to go to many Cavs games before LBJ was thar when they were terrrible. So your point makes absolutely no sense.

I am a LBJ fan bc I watched him play in HS and enjoyed watching him play. He is a great player and person.

Your opinion is :ss: to me. You are just a butthurt Pacers fan and your team will get close but will never win a title.

 

[Jims_Doors]

With you stating that you're 25yrs old, your first memories of watching Jordan couldn't be further back than 95-96. Of course you're going to say "it wasn't all about MJ"

Up until he quit after the 3rd title....it was all about MJ.

 

[Shanemansj13]

I know you're retarted and I appreciate that, but Jordan has always resepcted LeBron when asked. Claiming Kobe is better because he has five rings is just his personal opinion, not an act of disrespect.

I said he is threatened, doesn't mean he disprespects him. READ, the respond or if you didn't say anything it would be the smart thing to do

 

[Shanemansj13]

With you stating that you're 25yrs old, your first memories of watching Jordan couldn't be further back than 95-96. Of course you're going to say "it wasn't all about MJ"

Up until he quit after the 3rd title....it was all about MJ.

Always has and always will be. His wife couldn't even take it.

 

[Jims_Doors]

I know you're retarted and I appreciate that, but Jordan has always resepcted LeBron when asked. Claiming Kobe is better because he has five rings is just his personal opinion, not an act of disrespect.

I've heard of sweet tarts and pop tarts, but never re-tarts

 

[HurricaneDij39]

Your opinion is :ss: to me. You are just a butthurt Pacers fan and your team will get close but will never win a title.

Obviously the fact that you and Doors are making multiple posts responding to my criticisms - It's a sign that you do actually care.

 

[HurricaneDij39]

With you stating that you're 25yrs old, your first memories of watching Jordan couldn't be further back than 95-96. Of course you're going to say "it wasn't all about MJ"

Up until he quit after the 3rd title....it was all about MJ.

Obviously you don't have a clue. OK, maybe you do. Kind of, at least. I still know more about basketball than you and it isn't close.

You see, I own just about every Jordan video ever published. That 1993 season I mentioned was a dogfight for him in more ways than just one. He retired the first time because he grew tired of the media breathing down his neck. And when his father was murdered, that was the final nail in the coffin.

Fortunately for us Chicagoans, his love for the game was too strong, and he was back within a year and a half.

 

[HurricaneDij39]

The only people that care about Jordan's legacy are the fans and the media - You and me. He knows his legacy is written in stone, just like how his leagcy had nothing to do with Bill Russell's legacy and so on...

 

[Shanemansj13]

Obviously the fact that you and Doors are making multiple posts responding to my criticisms - It's a sign that you do actually care.

No. I just don't like trolls, that THINK they know basketball, especially if they can't read.

GL losing to LBJ, if you can even get to him.