2011-12 NBA Season

[UnclearInitial]

LO, winners finish. 'Nuff said.

So Robert Horry is a better player than LeBron to you?

[The_Admiral]

No, but Tim Duncan, Hakeem Olajuwon, Kobe Bryant, and Michael Jordan sure are.

[infrared41]

Its a good thing LeBron went to the Liberace estate sale that is the only way he will get a ring this year.

Francis you need to give up on that ...ahem...joke. It didn't get any play the first time you tried it two pages ago.

[Island_Style]

No, but Tim Duncan, Hakeem Olajuwon, Kobe Bryant, and Michael Jordan sure are.

Bingo.

[HolyStroke]

If I hear another person say Durant is the best player in the league...

But he is.

He has been in the playoffs, at least.

Really?

LeBron: 29.9 PPG, 9.1 RPG, 5.3 APG

Durant: 27.8 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 4.2 APG

[Kramerica Industries]

I still give Lebron the edge as well, but that's a narrow-minded way of looking at it.

And if KD isn't #1, he's certainly #2 right now. At least to me.

(IN - before the obligatory "#2" jokes.)

[IceCap]

If I hear another person say Durant is the best player in the league...

But he is.

He has been in the playoffs, at least.

Really?

LeBron: 29.9 PPG, 9.1 RPG, 5.3 APG

Durant: 27.8 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 4.2 APG

Ok well neither of them has a Finals MVP, but LeBron has been there twice and Durant never has

So according to your own line of logic Durant becomes "better" than James if he manages to win an NBA Finals MVP this year. Heck, I'd say your previously stated "criteria" would point toward Durant being "better" than James even if he just manages to win a NBA Championship sans the MVP.

Anyway it's all kind of pointless as neither guy is close to reaching the end of their carriers. I like LeBron James too HS. He's exciting to watch. He's responsible for getting me interested in the NBA again.

That being said, I think you've drunk a bit to much of the King James Kool-Aid. I'd say that, as of now, James and Durant are two very talented players. Who's better? It's tough to say. In my opinion it's closer than you make it out to be.

[HolyStroke]

That wasn't my logic genius, cubsfanbudman said he measures a player on finals MVPs

[IceCap]

That wasn't my logic genius, cubsfanbudman said he measures a player on finals MVPs

Look, I'm trying to be courteous about this, but if you rather be snippy about it, we can do that too.

I just don't think that James is clearly the better player between Durant and himself. There's a case to be made for both of them, I just think your unwavering declarations of James' undisputed superiority is a bit silly. If he is the better one it's not by as much as you make him out to be.

I mean I know we can't always use titles won to gauge greatness, but your claim that...

LeBron James is the best player in the NBA and its really not that close

...will look rather silly IF the Thunder manage to win it this year, thus getting Durant a ring on his first try. Especially when LeBron James has had less then stellar outings in the NBA Finals he's already appeared in.

And again, I say this as someone who actually LIKES LeBron James.

[HolyStroke]

You say there's a case to be made that Durant is better, let's hear it

[See Red]

I still give Lebron the edge as well, but that's a narrow-minded way of looking at it.

And if KD isn't #1, he's certainly #2 right now. At least to me.

(IN - before the obligatory "#2" jokes.)

Very narrow-minded.

When the game is on the line, HolyStroke, who's played better? I'm talking 4th quarter, close game, where points in the NBA are hardest to come by.

In the last three minutes, down by five... (stats courtesy of a Denver Post article and initially provided by ESPN)

• Kevin Durant: 7 of 10 (70 percent) field goals, 4 of 6 (66.7) free throws, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 turnover, 3 steals, 19 points, +14. Team record: 4-2 in those games.

• LeBron James: 5 of 11 (45.5 percent) field goals, 5 of 8 (62.5) free throws, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 turnover, 1 steal, 17 pts, +10. Team record: 1-4 in those games.

In the last five minutes, either ahead or behind by five…

• Kevin Durant: 12 of 20 (60 percent) field goals, 11 of 15 (78.6) free throws, 14 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 turnovers, 4 steals, 36 points +15. Team record: 8-2 in those games.

• LeBron James: 6 of 19 (31.6 percent) field goals, 18 of 25 (72) free throws, 13 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 turnover, 3 steals, 32 points +13. Team record: 3-4 in those games.

Jordan was a killer. Kobe is/was a killer. Durant is a killer. Lebron? He'd rather pass it off to Haslem.

You can say "Lebron's been to two Finals, Durant one," but Durant's played four years, Lebron nine. And Durant has never had the benefit of being in the much weaker Eastern Conference.

[sportstar1212]

Let's go Celtics! They better win tonight.

[See Red]

Let's go Celtics! They better win tonight.

Agreed. If they don't, I don't see them winning game seven.

edit: As an aside, these Heat reds are my favorite uniforms in the league.

[HolyStroke]

Stop taking that quote out of context and trying to use it against me, it was a response to cubsfanbudman, whose logic I don't agree with and is ridiculous to use when comparing two players who neither of which have a finals MVP

Everything you posted is great, and judging by those stats Durant is the better player for 5 minutes, but NBA games are 48 minutes long.

Career stats:

LeBron: 27.6 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 6.8 APG, .484 FG%, .747 FT%, 1.7 SPG, .8 BPG

Durant: 26.3 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 2.8 APG, .468 FG%, .878 FT%, 1.2 SPG, 1.0 BPG

LeBron: 3 MVP awards

Durant: 0 MVP awards

[Fox]

10-11 for LeBron, 22 points, and there's 6:30 left in quarter 2....

Let's hold off all of the LeBron bashing when the Heat still have a good shot at taking the series

[HolyStroke]

30 at halftime on 12-14 shooting

[See Red]

Stop taking that quote out of context and trying to use it against me, it was a response to cubsfanbudman, whose logic I don't agree with and is ridiculous to use when comparing two players who neither of which have a finals MVP

Everything you posted is great, and judging by those stats Durant is the better player for 5 minutes, but NBA games are 48 minutes long.

Career stats:

LeBron: 27.6 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 6.8 APG, .484 FG%, .747 FT%, 1.7 SPG, .8 BPG

Durant: 26.3 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 2.8 APG, .468 FG%, .878 FT%, 1.2 SPG, 1.0 BPG

LeBron: 3 MVP awards

Durant: 0 MVP awards

And those numbers mean? MVP awards are no indicator of who's the better player. Nash won MVP awards of Kobe despite being the worst in the league at his position defensively. At no point was Nash a better player than Kobe.

It's different players in different circumstances. Besides, Lebron has 1 PPG more, fine, but he also takes an extra shot a game. Does that not even out? RPG, Durant is hurt more by his rookie year than Lebron, since Lebron's had more years to even it out, aside from that they're even. FG%, Durant takes more threes, since three pointers are a lower percentage shot, the more you take (even if you make them at a good rate), it's going to bring your FG% down. Nobody would argue Lebron's not a better passer, just like nobodywho actually watches the two play would argue that Lebron's a better scorer than Durant. Durant's getting better, Lebron pretty much is what he is.

At the most, all you did was prove that they're pretty damn even, which makes Lebron's inabilities late in playoff games an even bigger deal.

Nobody's arguing he's not great. Durant's just better.

Edit: Jesus the Celtics are missing some good looks.

Edit: And this game's done for. Pierce has to be better in Game 7. What a beat down.

[lordsketor]

We go to Game 7 on Saturday Night.

[FiddySicks]

Sweet. Both teams I wanted to win game 6 did.

[WSU151]

Doris Burke looks and acts like she works at a morgue.