Tag Archives: legend

History Now: Kobe Bryant Reaches 4th On The All Time Scoring List

Posted on March 31, 2013 | Leave a comment

On Saturday night March 30, 2013 Kobe Bryant moved up on the all time scoring list.  Kobe Bryant surpassed NBA Hall Of Famer Wilt Chamberlain to become 4th on the list of the basketball greatest scorers.  Bryant scored 19 points in the Lakers victory over the Kings in Sacramento, CA.  Bryant now stands at 31,434 points for his career.

He now is behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone and Michael Jordan.  Jordan is holding the 3rd spot on the list with 32,292.  There are only 858 points separating Jordan and Kobe now.  Bryant has already scored 1931 points this season.  He has scored 2,000 points per season through his career.  It is highly likely he will pass Jordan next season and take the 3rd position on the all time scoring list.  When he passes Jordan he will elevate his legacy to the highest degree.  Jordan is the Babe Ruth of basketball and this feat will cause many to rethink who was greater.

Kobe Bryant (Getty Images)

Kobe Bryant (Getty Images)

Kobe Bryant has been a very talented, entertaining and accomplished player during his career.  He has had some off court issues and even some locker room drama.  However when his career is over, his off court issues will pail in comparison to what he accomplished in the game.  Kobe Bryant is a legendary player and we are lucky to be able to see the greatness he produces every night.  This will be an exciting year coming up.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in NBA, sports, Sports History

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Ronda Rousey Makes History At UFC 157

Posted on February 24, 2013 | Leave a comment

Defending 135lb womens champion Ronda Rousey beat Liz Carmouche in the first ever womens bout in the UFC. The victory came in the first round via armbar submission. Which is no surprise because her previous 8 victories were all delivered in the same fashion. There was however a point in the fight that Rousey looked to be in trouble. It came in the first minute of the fight when Carmouche was on Rousey’s back. Carmouche attempted to go for a choke and at one point had Rousey in a neck crank. Rousey stayed patient and was able to get Carmouche off of her and within a matter on minutes had her in an armbar. Carmouche quickly tapped and the fight was over.

Ronda Rousey applies the armbar on Liz Carmouche at UFC 157. (Getty Images)

Ronda Rousey applies the armbar on Liz Carmouche at UFC 157. (Getty Images)

With this fight history was made as it was not only the first womens fight in the UFC’s 20 year history, it was also the main event. Ronda Rousey will now be known as the first ever UFC womens champion. Rousey has definitely set her self up to become a mega star. Within 2 years she has gone from an unknown fighter fighting on low visibility Strickforce on Showtime events to main eventing in the biggest MMA promotion around. This is largely due to the way she has amassed her now 9 victories. All of her victories have come in the first round with an armbar submission, most of which came within under a minute of the fight. She has established the armbar as her finisher much like a pro wrestler has a signature finishing maneuver. This is a gimmick that could take her very far in the sport and also create a legend about her like Mike Tyson had in the 1980′s with his knockout punches.

Ronda Rousey will more than likely fight again by years end. The UFC does not have the other big name womens MMA fighter Chris Cyborg. Cyborg recently signed with Invicta. The UFC does have a fresh crop of talent to build up for her. Its pretty safe to say that her next fight regardless of the opponent will be a big draw. She has developed into a super star the like of which will overshadow the previous Queen of MMA Gina Carrano. It will be exciting to she where this crazy ride Rousey is on will end up.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in MMA, sports

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

1992 NBA All Star Game “The Greatest All Star Moment”

Posted on February 17, 2013 | 2 Comments

The NBA has had an All Star game since 1951.  With the greatest of all time having competed in this contest it is no surprise it has been the place for great moments.  The greatest NBA All Star moment came in the 1992 game.

The game took place in Orlando, Florida and featured a class of superstars the likes of which will never be seen again.  Great players like Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing, Karl Malone and David Robinson just to name a few.   The roster was so stacked that 11 of the 12 players that would make up the 1992 “Dream Team” were on the floor that day.

Image(Photo: Magic Johnson with the MVP trophy/Getty Images)

The biggest name in the lineup was Magic Johnson.  Magic had retired from the game of basketball in November of 1991.  This came at the same time he made a shocking announcement that he had contracted HIV.  The sports world was devastated by this news.

Magic Johnson had been revered as one of the greatest players of all time.  He transformed the point guard position into what it has become today.  The tragic news also brought the realization that he would never play again. There was however one thing that everyone forgot about, Magic’s determination and drive.

Magic Johnson came back to basketball after 3 months out of the game to a standing ovation.  The stage was set for Magic to steal the show and boy did he.  Magic played 29 minutes and scored a total of 25 points in this game for the ages.  He battled it out with Michael Jordan who was also a mega star at that time.  Magic played with a youthful spirit.  You can watch now in 2013 and still feel the excitement and energy that was alive in the Orlando Arena.

Magic Johnson finished the game by going one on one with both Isaiah Thomas and Michael Jordan.  He sank a 3 pointer with 14 seconds left on the clock to score the final points of the game.  The final 14 seconds were not played.  There was no reason the game was already out of reach for the East who lost by a score of 153-113.  It was an incredible moment and the right way to end the game, with Magic on top.  Magic was awarded the MVP trophy and lauded by all of his peers and the fans in the Arena.

It was to be Magic Johnson’s swan song.  However he would end up on the 1992 Olympics Basketball team.  Even though his career had more moments that followed that All Star game.  His greatest came on that court in Orlando.

→ 2 Comments

Posted in NBA, Sports History

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Quaterbacks Drafted Before Tom Brady

Posted on January 17, 2013 | Leave a comment
Tom Brady (Photo By Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)

Tom Brady (Photo By Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)

With the 199th pick in the 2000 NFL Draft the New England Patriots select from Michigan, quarterback Tom Brady.  Those words spoken by then NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue would change the future of the the Patriots and the NFL.  Tom Brady has gone on to have a great career and is considered to be one of the best quarterbacks of not only his era but in football history.  Brady has led the Patriots to 5 Super Bowl appearances and 3 Championships.  He is the biggest late round draft pick ever, being selected in the 6th round.  But their were 6 QB’s selected before Brady.  Here is a look at the six that came before Brady and the teams that missed out on greatness.

1st Round

18th Overall Pick – Chad Pennington, New York Jets

Pennington was the most hyped QB going into the draft.  Pennington had a solid college career with Marshall.  Pennington retired after the 2010 season.  He played for the Jets the majority of his career and played his final 3 season with the Miami Dolphins.  Pennington would play in 4 post seasons and had a post season record of 2 wins and 4 loses.  Pennington did make history during his career, holding the record for career passing percentage among QB’s with more than 1500 pass attempts at 66.0%.

2nd Round

No Quarterbacks Drafted

3rd Round

65th Overall Pick – Giovanni Carmazzi, San Francisco 49ers

Carmazzi played at Hofstra during his college years.  He would never play in a regular season NGL game.  Carmazzi finished his pro football career in the CFL in 2005.

75th Over All Pick – Chris Redman, Baltimore Ravens

Redman has played for the Ravens, Patriots, Titans and most recently the Falcons before his release in August of 2012.  He was lucky enough to win a Super Bowl ring as a backup to Trent Dilfer on the 2000 Ravens championship team.  Redman would best be described as a career back up QB.

4th Round

No Quarterbacks Drafted

5th Round

163rd Overall Pick – Tee Martin, Pittsburgh Steelers

Tee Martin played only one game for the Steelers and never started a game in his career.  He spent the 2002 season in NFL Europe playing for the Rhein Fire.  In 2003 he signed with the Oakland Raiders for his final NFL season.  Martin ended his professional career in 2005 as a part of the CFL.  In total Martin played only 3 games in the NFL.

6th Round

168th Overall Pick – Marc Bulger, New Orleans Saints

Marc Bulger was the only Pro Bowl QB selected before Tom Brady.  In the first of his two Pro Bowl appearances Bulger won the MVP award in that game. He went on a crazy ride after the draft by signing with the Saints, Falcons and the Ravens before the 2000 season began. Bulger took over at QB for the Rams when Kurt Warner retired.  Bulger retired in 2010 with the Ravens.

183 Overall Pick – Spergon Wynn, Cleveland Browns

Spergon Wynn spent his career as a back up QB.  He played for 2 NFL teams and 4 CFL teams.  Wynn retired from football in 2006.

The list QB’s selected before Tom Brady is pretty shocking.  Only one of those players made it to a Pro Bowl.  The majority were career back up QB’s and none of these players are still professionally active.  There was a lot of belief that Brady’s frame was not built for the NFL which was the greatest ding against him.  The Patriots saw something in Brady that no other team did and they were able to reap the benefits of that faith.  When Tom Brady retires he will undoubtedly head to the Hall Of Fame and the history books.  While all of the others before him are just history.

 

→ Leave a comment

Posted in NFL, Sports History

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Dan Marino: Did The Lack Of An Elite Running Back Really Cost Him Super Bowl Rings?

Posted on January 3, 2013 | Leave a comment

The day is January 20th, 1985 and the location is Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto, California.  It was Super Bowl XIX and the Maimi Dolphins took on the San Fransisco 49ers.  It was a battle between two Hall Of Fame quarterbacks,  Dan Marino and Joe Montana.  It was a very one sided game with the 49ers coming out victorious.  The final score was 38-16 as seen on the scoreboard while Dan Marino jogged back to the locker room.  Marino had an incredible second season and even though the Dolphins lost the big one it appeared he would be back again.  As history would have it Marino and the Dolphins never made it back to the Super Bowl.

Dan Marino (Getty Images)

Dan Marino (Getty Images)

Dan Marino retired in 1999 after 17 seasons.  Holding almost all of the records at his position, Marino was considered one of the best to ever play the game.  There are many who consider Marino not to be one of the best because he never won a Super Bowl ring.  Over the years the perception has been that Marino was talented enough to win a championship but never did because he never had an elite level running back.

I decided to crunch the stats and draft history to prove or disprove this theory.  Here are the results I found while I plunged deep into the various statistical categories that would help me solve this mystery.

There is evidence that the Dolphins never made a play for a high level free agent running back.  The Dolphins also never made a trade for a play maker at that position either.  They were and are still to this day a team that is not willing to make trades of future draft picks to acquire top talent.  The draft is a place where organizations can gain players that can affect their future.  The Dolphins drafted Marino in 1983 when he retired in 1999 they missed numerous opportunities to achieve greatness at the running back position.

In 1983 the very draft where they acquired Dan Marino they missed out on on two pro bowl running backs.  One of those running back was Roger Craig who turned out to be one of the best running backs of the 1980s.  Craig was also on the 49ers team that defeated the Dolphins at Super Bowl XIX.  Their draft picks only get worse from there.

The Dolphins only drafted 23 running backs of the 174 picks during the Marino era.  A total of 9 of those 23 backs never played a down in the NFL.  The dolphins did not draft one running back in 1994, 1995 and 1997.  With the exception of the 1997 draft the Dolphins had not so great performances at the back position the previous season, Mark Higgs was the leading rusher in 1993 with just 693 yards and in 1994 Bernie Parmalee was the leader with 878 yards.  The biggest blunder they made in one single draft would have to be the 1988 Draft.  In that draft the Dolphins could have selected the Hall Of Fame running back Thurman Thomas but instead selected three players that would never play in the NFL. Thomas wound up as a Buffalo Bill and won 4 AFC Championships with the team from 1990-1994.  In total the team missed out on 2 Hall Of Fame and 44 Pro Bowl running backs from 1983-1999.

During Marino’s time with the team they had only one season with a 1,000 yard rusher, Karim Abdul-Jabbar in 1996.  If you look at all of the teams that won the Super Bowl from 1983-1999 only 3 of the 16 teams that won did not have a 1,000 yard rusher.

The Dolphins made the playoffs 10 times during Marino’s Career.  They were 8-10 in all of those post season games.  Some blame many of the playoff losses to playing the Bills in the winter in freezing Buffalo, NY, which they did lose there many times.  The fact of the mater is if the Dolphins had at least a couple of the many running backs they passed up in the Draft history might have gone a little differently.

After looking at the stats, draft and history it leaves only one conclusion.  Dan Marino was one of the best,  unfortunately the Dolphins front office was not as skilled at what they did.  The blame must shift to the general managers and Don Shula especially.  Don Shula relied to much on Marino’s skill and talent and did not do enough to protect and enhance that talent.  Marino would have had more opportunities to win he was if the opposing defenses did not know he was going to pass most of the time.  They also would have been weary of a running attack if the Dolphins had one.  If Marino had a top level running back he not only would have made it to more Super Bowl’s he would have won at least one Super Bowl ring.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in NFL, Sports History

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Babe Ruth: Hall Of Fame Pitcher?

Posted on January 2, 2013 | Leave a comment

Babe Ruth is by far the greatest Icon in American sports history.  Some would even argue he is the greatest American Icon period.  Everyone from Grandma to your 5 year old niece or nephew knows who Babe Ruth was.  Most people associate Ruth with his legendary slugging days with the New York Yankees.  Ruth even held the Home Run record in Major League Baseball until Hank Aaron broke that record in the 1970’s.  What many people don’t know is that Ruth had a history before the all of those home runs and before the Yankees.

Babe Ruth while he was with the Boston Red. Getty Images

Babe Ruth while he was with the Boston Red. Getty Images

Babe Ruth made his Major League debut on July 11th, 1914 for the Boston Red Sox.  Ruth won that game; it was the beginning of Ruth’s pitching career.  His pitching career spanned from 1914-1919, all of those seasons with the Boston Red Sox.  Ruth did however pitch 5 games with the Yankees years later and won all 5.  He made the starting rotation for the Sox in 1915 and won 18 games in his first full season.   Ruth started batting in the lineup when not pitching halfway through his time with the Sox.  He had signs of being a great offensive player but was still used primarily as a pitcher.
He went on to have a very respectable pitching career.  He helped pitch the Red Sox to 3 World Series Championships in just 6 seasons.  When Ruth retired he had 94 career wins and a career ERA of 2.28 with 488 strikeouts.  Babe Ruth would be sold to the Yankees in a deal that changed the face of American Sports history.
The Yankees played Babe Ruth in the Outfield and all but ended his pitching career.  There are many people who feel that Ruth could have gone into the Hall Of Fame based on his pitching stats alone.  There is no arguing that Ruth was a great pitcher, but his time in that position pales in comparison to his slugging years.
It really makes you wonder how American Sports would be different if Babe Ruth had not gone to the Yankees and become a baseball hero.  The fact of the matter is as big of an icon Ruth became there would have been no way he would have become so without his years with the Yankees.  The Yankees gave him a grand stage and opportunity to become the Icon he became.  They also surrounded him with other legendary players.

It should not be forgotten just how great Babe Ruth was as an all around baseball player.  While not the most athletic player to grace a baseball field, he was by far the most dynamic.  Ruth was and forever will be America’s first sports legend.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in MLB

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

“The Fall Out” How Jon Jones Killed UFC 151

Posted on August 26, 2012 | Leave a comment

The UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones helped make history this past week.  It was not good history by any means.  The UFC was forced to cancel their September 1st show in Las Vegas.  Jones is completely responsible for this cancellation.  When his challenger went down due to injury on Thursday a wild ride began that did not slow down until Friday afternoon.

Jon Jones
(Getty Images)

UFC President Dana White was able to get a replacement in Chael Sonnen.  Jones would not face Sonnen with only 8 days before the fight.  Jones’ Coach Greg Jackson tried to take the blame for not letting his fighter take the fight.  With that situation Dana White was forced to cancel the show and blamed Jackson for being a “sport killer”.

The next option for the fight was Lyoto Machida.  Machida was due a title shot but not this soon.  It was announced that Machida would take the place of Henderson and the fight would be moved to the UFC 152 show on September 22nd in Toronto.  Machida later declined and the UFC went after another former champion to fill the spot.  That former champion was Shogun Rua, he too declined the fight.

With no other options for a main event fighter for Jones, Dana White chose UFC veteran Vitor Belfort.  Belfort accepted and the fight will take place on the UFC 152 show.   Belfort has great hands but does not have the genetic gifts that Jones possesses.  Belfort is much like a Dan Henderson type fighter in the sense that he is a dangerous veteran that could win but will likely lose.  This 24 hour period of insanity is a true low point for the UFC.

Traditionally when a fighter goes down due to injury the replacement is usually accepted by the remaining fighter.  Jones did not want to follow suit.  Because of this he will drive his appeal down with a fan base that does not really see him as a star yet.  Jones is a fan favorite for the hardcore MMA fans but not casual fans who are the ones that really make or break a star and a champion at the ticket window.  Jones has gone Heel (a pro wrestling term for bad guy) but he is doing it the wrong way.

MMA has had its share of heels through its history.   The most recent being Brock Lesnar and Chael Sonnen.  Both of those fighters know what they are doing with their characters and play the role well.  They make calculated moves that make themselves the bad guys but still marketable and appealing.  Jones does not have the personality or the where with all to be a true heel.

Marketing was stated as a possible reason Jones did not take the fight.  Jones was worried that he may not keep his hot streak alive and possibly lose and hurt his selling potential.  If that was his concern he would have taken the fight with Sonnen.  Even if he lost and came back to another title shot he would be in a better light and position than he is by not taking this fight.  Sonnen was the perfect opponent, he had not been training and would be moving up a weight class.  Jones on the other hand would be peaking for the fight still and would have had 3 months of training under his belt.  Now Jones will be know as the man responsible for destroying UFC 151.

There are many victims from Jones’ decision.  The Cable companies who promoted the fight and where counting on their percentage of the PPV numbers.  The UFC has also spent a lot of money promoting the fight, they even had a huge billboard at Times Square in New York City.  The fighters who will have to wait on a pay day because their fight has to be moved to October or even November.  The most hurt will be the fans who have spent their money to fly into Las Vegas, stay in a hotel  and wait to have their tickets refunded by the UFC.

Jon Jones will likely become a villain from this situation, which for most fighters could be a positive thing.  Not for Jones who needs to be liked.  He recently signed a deal with Nike and when it come to merchandise if you are not liked people will not buy you things.  Jones has a long road ahead of him, can he shake this situation?  Maybe, he could come out on UFC 152 and knock out Belfort and everyone will forget about this like it never happened.  It could be something that sticks with him his entire career and effects his earning and drawing potential.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in MMA, sports

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

NCAA Lays The Smackdown On Penn State Football Program

Posted on July 23, 2012 | 1 Comment

On Sunday morning the statue of Penn State football coach Joe Paterno was taken down and put into storage.  The new school administration figured it was in the best interest in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky trail and Freeh Report to put the  statue away for now.  That did not save the football program from the NCAA’s president Mark Emmert and his wrath.  On Monday morning Emmert announced the punishment that the school would receive for the previous administration knowing and not reporting Sandusky’s criminal acts on minors.

The president of the NCAA, Mark Emmert.
(photo by: Nick Laham/Getty Images)

The punishment levied on the school was announced as being unprecedented and it was exactly that.  The school will be fined $60 million, which is about what the football program generates in revenue during a single season.  The football team cannot participate in any conference championships or bowl games for the next 4 years.  The football program will be reduced in the amount of scholarships it can give out in the next 4 years.  Instead of the usual 25 scholarship the number will be reduced to 15.  The players on the football team will be allowed to transfer to other schools without having to sit out a year before being aloud to play again.

The most shocking punishment came down not on the school but their legendary former head coach Joe Paterno.  All of his victories that he received while coaching between the years of 1998-2008 were vacated.  The interesting twist to the punishment is that coach Paterno reached the record and broke the record for most wins by a college coach in 2001.  Paterno will no longer be considered the winningest coach in college football ever again.

Joe Paterno along with the former administration of Penn State led the football program down into the depths.
(photo by: Ned Dishman/Getty Images)

The NCAA really pulled no punches in this announcement.  It was the right decision.  The schools administration and Joe Paterno sat back after they knew what Jerry Sandusky was doing and did nothing about it.  Paterno instead of reporting the allegations he received about Sandusky went to the administrators of the school.  Paterno should have gone to the police, there is no chain of command when criminal acts of this sort are taking place.  The punishment on Paterno is correct and is going to leave the black mark on his legacy that he should have.

As far as the school goes their punishment is deserving as well.  Penn State should consider themselves lucky that they did not receive the “Death Penalty”, like the once great SMU received in the 1980s.  This way the school will at least have the chance to rebuild their legacy.  I think it will be very hard for them to do so.  The football program will  be tarnished forever.  What happened behind the scenes of that school’s football program over the last couple of decades is disgusting.

Sandusky is about to spend life in jail after being found guilty on over 40 charges of child molestation.  Joe Paterno is no longer considered the great man and coach he once was.  The school will have to deal with the results of bad decisions by many people.  This is the new legacy of Penn State football, let it sink in.

→ 1 Comment

Posted in NCAA

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Silva’s Reign Continues With Win Over Sonnen

Posted on July 8, 2012 | Leave a comment

UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva.
(Getty Images)

On Saturday night Las Vegas was home to what will probably be the biggest fight of the year for the UFC.  The defending UFC Middleweight Champion Andson Silva took on his strongest challenger Chael Sonnen in their second fight.  Silva was dominated for the majority of their first fight but pulled out a victory in the final minutes of the fight with a submission victory.  That was 23 months ago, an immediate rematch was demanded by the fans.  Due to several circumstances mostly involving Chael Sonnen that fight was delayed. The MMA World was able to witness one of the most anticipated rematches in the history of the sport on Saturday.

The crowd was really hot before and during the fight.  Sonnen as he said he would refused to shake hands with Silva.  The 1st round was all Sonnen.  He took down Silva in the first minute of the fight and had him on the ground for most of the 1st round.  Sonnen worked well on top delivering ear shots and from time to time was able to raise his body up and bring punches down on Silva’s head.  I scored the 1st round 10-9 Sonnen,  it was as close to a 10-8 round you can get.

The 2nd round started with the crowd chanting USA.  Sonnen tried to take Silva down early but was unsuccessful.  Sonnen went for a judo take down and lost his balance.  Silva took advantage of the misstep and pounded Sonnen while he was up against the cage.  Sonnen was rocked and could not defend himself anymore and the fight was called at almost 2 minutes into the 2nd round.

After the fight Silva said the the emotions were running high prior to the fight but its MMA and he respects Sonnen.  Sonnen had no choice but to accept the show of respect and shake hands with Silva.  Sonnen later said that he had his opportunity and that was all he could ask for, he also said that Silva was a deserving Champion.

Despite the loss this fight was beneficial for Sonnen.  He was exposed to a greater audience with all of the hype surrounding the fight.  He displayed his excellent promo skills and showed he is a really good fighter to many who may have never seen him before.  He could be a big draw for the UFC in the future.

Silva will be a UFC Champion for 6 years in October.  He has showed himself to be a true champion.  Silva will undoubtedly go down in the history of MMA as one of the best champions not only in his weight division but pound for pound.

It is unknown what will be next for Silva however.  He will probably not fight again until the end of the year or early next year.  It has been rumored that he was considering retirement last year.  While he is approaching the age and career length where fighters usually fall back I don’t see him retiring as champion.  I believe Silva will continue to fight until he loses the belt.  Silva cemented his legacy as a great champion even further on Saturday night and the MMA World will wait to see how long he can continue on as champion.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in MMA

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Lebron Is Not Free From Scrutiny Yet

Posted on June 23, 2012 | 2 Comments

Lebron James with the one prize that eluded him for over 9 years.
(Photo By: David Dow/Getty Images)

So the craziest thing happened on Thursday night, well maybe it was not so crazy after all.  Lebron James and the Miami Heat won the NBA Championship over the Thunder.  James who is one of the best players in basketball captured his first NBA Title.  It should be no surprise that he won a ring but for many it is.  James has had many ups and downs during his 9 year career and had 2  failed Finals opportunities.  It was what he had done in those 9 years that made a lot of fans skeptical.  He should a lot of immaturity and also made a lot of bad decisions when the pressure was turned up.  He was able to overcome all of that but he still has not won the hearts of many.

Lebron showed how much he had grown up during this playoff run.  He not only had his best playoff games and stats ever but he also handled the loses and the dealings with the media better.  Now of course James is not the only player on the Heat but he is their focal point and as he goes so does the team.  The Heat are a talented group with two other superstars in Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade plus a good cast of supporting players.  They can win without James but need him to win it all.  He came through big during this post season and we should be seeing more of this in the years to come.

The “James Haters” are still out there and they are showing everyone that they are not going anywhere.  In many ways James created a lot of this himself.  He turned a lot of people off during his time in Cleveland with his behavior during their failed post season runs.  His biggest offense would have to be the way he left Cleveland and let the world know where he was going.   In a live prime time special James from a Boys and Girls Club in Ohio told the world he would be going to…Maimi, really?  James may never let that one down.

Most of James’ faults in the past could have been put away with the Heat capturing the NBA Championship on Thursday.  Except there is one more thing lingering around.  When he went to Miami in 2010 the Heat had this ridiculous pep rally event to show off James and he said something that will haunt him probably until he retires.  The great Lebron told the fans of Miami that they were not only winning 1 championship but 6.  Yeah he really said that.  Whether that will happen is unlikely but even if it was he made a bad move by saying that.  Because he said that it takes away from every championship he will win until he reaches that number.  The anti-Lebron fans and media will not forget that anytime soon if ever.

Lebron has accomplished great things in the league and has finally got the championship monkey off of his back.  He still has a ways to go to clear his image.  If he continues to mature and wins another championship or two it is possible the haters will disappear.  If he doesn’t then Lebron will be remembered not only for his incredible talent but also being known as the most polarizing player in the history of the NBA and maybe even professional sports.

→ 2 Comments

Posted in NBA

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,