2007-2008 NBA Playoffs - THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE

[sb]

Actually kind of sad to me. When you post the type of career totals Shaq has, you bow out gracefully and stop taking swipes at people when they have become better than you, be it from their talent or your lack of. To me, this makes Shaq look even more pathetic and childish and it's like he's grasping at straws and unable to accept that he's highly overpaid garbage now.

In some respects I can understand going after someone you have issues with, but he went after a few other players like Patrick Hewing. At least he (P.H.) had some heart, and played through similar injuries that Shaq had to sit out with. I'm not trying to dismiss Shaq's (former) talent, but the second he was taken out of L.A's system that was engineered to get the ball to him while he was standing directly under the net, his numbers dropped drastically. Hewing at least had good numbers while being a team player, something Shaq, never was able to accomplish.

[Deejay]

Actually kind of sad to me. When you post the type of career totals Shaq has, you bow out gracefully and stop taking swipes at people when they have become better than you, be it from their talent or your lack of. To me, this makes Shaq look even more pathetic and childish and it's like he's grasping at straws and unable to accept that he's highly overpaid garbage now.

In some respects I can understand going after someone you have issues with, but he went after a few other players like Patrick Hewing. At least he (P.H.) had some heart, and played through similar injuries that Shaq had to sit out with. I'm not trying to dismiss Shaq's (former) talent, but the second he was taken out of L.A's system that was engineered to get the ball to him while he was standing directly under the net, his numbers dropped drastically. Hewing at least had good numbers while being a team player, something Shaq, never was able to accomplish.

What are you even talking about? He was freestyling at a club. People are hearing what he said and forgetting the context. He was joking around (probably drunk) at a late night open mic club. You shouldn't be taking anything he said seriously, because he was doing it for fun, not to be heard. He probably didn't even know he was being taped.

And i'm kind of laughing at you for giving Ewing all those props when you don't even know how to spell the mans name.


Edit:
And heres a lesson on "black culture". Taking offense to those rhymes is like crying over a "Yo Mama" joke.

[Plow]

Actually kind of sad to me. When you post the type of career totals Shaq has, you bow out gracefully and stop taking swipes at people when they have become better than you, be it from their talent or your lack of. To me, this makes Shaq look even more pathetic and childish and it's like he's grasping at straws and unable to accept that he's highly overpaid garbage now.

In some respects I can understand going after someone you have issues with, but he went after a few other players like Patrick Hewing. At least he (P.H.) had some heart, and played through similar injuries that Shaq had to sit out with. I'm not trying to dismiss Shaq's (former) talent, but the second he was taken out of L.A's system that was engineered to get the ball to him while he was standing directly under the net, his numbers dropped drastically. Hewing at least had good numbers while being a team player, something Shaq, never was able to accomplish.

Ok, 3 things:

Kobe will never be better than Shaq, I don't care how much more athletic ability and skill he gets, Kobe has 1/1000000th the heart.


Second, like someone already said, you're taking it too seriously.


Lastly, Kobe deserves any trash he gets from any other player in the league, ESPECIALLY Shaq. There's no denying Kobe *should* be the best player basketball has ever seen, by quite a long shot. He's just a little bitch that doesn't care enough, and therefore is, rightfully, looked down on by a huge amount of people.

[Stee]

Actually kind of sad to me. When you post the type of career totals Shaq has, you bow out gracefully and stop taking swipes at people when they have become better than you, be it from their talent or your lack of. To me, this makes Shaq look even more pathetic and childish and it's like he's grasping at straws and unable to accept that he's highly overpaid garbage now.

In some respects I can understand going after someone you have issues with, but he went after a few other players like Patrick Hewing. At least he (P.H.) had some heart, and played through similar injuries that Shaq had to sit out with. I'm not trying to dismiss Shaq's (former) talent, but the second he was taken out of L.A's system that was engineered to get the ball to him while he was standing directly under the net, his numbers dropped drastically. Hewing at least had good numbers while being a team player, something Shaq, never was able to accomplish.

Ok, 3 things:

Kobe will never be better than Shaq, I don't care how much more athletic ability and skill he gets, Kobe has 1/1000000th the heart.


Second, like someone already said, you're taking it too seriously.


Lastly, Kobe deserves any trash he gets from any other player in the league, ESPECIALLY Shaq. There's no denying Kobe *should* be the best player basketball has ever seen, by quite a long shot. He's just a little bitch that doesn't care enough, and therefore is, rightfully, looked down on by a huge amount of people.

are you kidding me with this? switch the placement of shaqs name for kobes and vice versa and you might be headed in the right direction here.

I like Shaq as much as I like Kobe and both of them are egotistical idiots but there is no way in hell Shaq has more "heart" then Kobe. It is well known Kobe's work ethic and competitiveness is something every coach can dream of from his players, this season should attest to it if anything. Shaq on the other hand is the complete opposite, maybe its old age or he's just lazy but it's been showing since 2004.

[Akiyama]

I do think his freestyling was just a joke (in more ways than one), but I think deep down he knew he was being taped. How the fuck can you be 7 foot+ tall, over 350 lbs, in a club full of people with the technology we have today, be Shaq and famous, and not think you are being taped somehow? Calling bullshit on that one.

Funny thing is he lost his deputy badges in Phoenix. I lol'd.

[recuperi]

I do think his freestyling was just a joke (in more ways than one), but I think deep down he knew he was being taped. How the fuck can you be 7 foot+ tall, over 350 lbs, in a club full of people with the technology we have today, be Shaq and famous, and not think you are being taped somehow? Calling bullshit on that one.

Funny thing is he lost his deputy badges in Phoenix. I lol'd.

(probably drunk)

sounds like a good enough reason not to know for me :>

[Akiyama]

But again, he's a big superstar (both figuratively and literally) who's been this way for years. I'm pretty sure he still knows.

[CMMeast]

Actually kind of sad to me. When you post the type of career totals Shaq has, you bow out gracefully and stop taking swipes at people when they have become better than you, be it from their talent or your lack of. To me, this makes Shaq look even more pathetic and childish and it's like he's grasping at straws and unable to accept that he's highly overpaid garbage now.

In some respects I can understand going after someone you have issues with, but he went after a few other players like Patrick Hewing. At least he (P.H.) had some heart, and played through similar injuries that Shaq had to sit out with. I'm not trying to dismiss Shaq's (former) talent, but the second he was taken out of L.A's system that was engineered to get the ball to him while he was standing directly under the net, his numbers dropped drastically. Hewing at least had good numbers while being a team player, something Shaq, never was able to accomplish.

Ok, 3 things:

Kobe will never be better than Shaq, I don't care how much more athletic ability and skill he gets, Kobe has 1/1000000th the heart.


Second, like someone already said, you're taking it too seriously.


Lastly, Kobe deserves any trash he gets from any other player in the league, ESPECIALLY Shaq. There's no denying Kobe *should* be the best player basketball has ever seen, by quite a long shot. He's just a little bitch that doesn't care enough, and therefore is, rightfully, looked down on by a huge amount of people.

Like Stee said, this post is all backwards. Shaq is a much better athlete than Kobe. I don't think we'll see another big man with the speed and agility that Shaq had. Kobe on the other hand, is less gifted athletically than Jordan, or even a number of swingmen in the league today, but he puts it together better.

Kobe by far has gotten more out of his gifts than Shaq ever did, simply because he cared more. Give Shaq's combo of power, size, and agility; he never led the league in rebounding or blocked shots more than once. He was entirely a product of his athleticism. Laker fans saw it after Shaq peaked in the 99-00 season, but he pulled his usual 'feed the big dog' shit in the finals, ending with the accolades and Final's MVPs, after Kobe ran roughshod over everyone in the playoffs. Didn't see Shaq complaining about Kobe's teamwork then, or anyone else for that matter. Ask the Spurs who they really feared come playoff time. Shaq never really got going unless a perimeter player was on, usually Kobe, not allowing the defense to collapse and forcing him to make tougher shots and free throws.

What's really sad is that Shaq never even got close to being DPOY, even once, with all that talent. His rotations were always slow, he never learned how to defend the P&R (whch along with Payton getting punked by Billups was the real reason the Lakers lost in 2004); and after his first season in LA, he became progressively lazier on D putting more and more pressure on the perimeter defenders.

No question Shaq, when he was in his prime, was the 'most dominant ever,' but he never even really scratched the surface of his potential; he could have been the modern NBA's Chamberlain.

Edit: And what about Shaq's offensive game? If he had half the post-up technique and skill Duncan brings to the table we'd be talking about his as best ever, basically unstoppable. This point has been hashed over by many people. Shaq never did really develop a back to the basket game that wasn't entirely reliant on his athleticism.

[Plow]

Kobe is possibly the most skilled player ever. He has all the work ethic you could ever hope for. He got in to the pro game extremely young. He's quicker, and arguably better defensively than Jordan, while being taller. He's an extremely accurate shooter.


Shaq came into the league at 20 or 21 at 7'1-3 depending who you ask, weighing 310 pounds with about 8% body fat.

He was still somewhat uncoordinated, but always a ridiculous athelete, and never able to develop even a 10 foot shot.

Rules were changed, what you hear as Tiger-proofing was Shaq-proofing in basketball for a while there. You know those awesome zone defenses you see all over the league these days? Thanks, Shaq, they made the biggest change since the 3 point line just so people could have a prayer at holding you to 30. Did somebody REALLY say he didn't have a back to the basket game? Seriously? You would even begin to *THINK* about taking Duncan's turnaround jumpers and short shots over Shaq posting up with 3 people on his back, turning around and slamming it?

Shaq dominated the game in a way nobody had since Wilt, and in a championship on the line game there's just flat out no way in hell he loses like Kobe just did. Never.


All of your talk about Shaq performing poorly comes 8 years+ into a 310 pound player who uses extreme strength going up and down (remember when he used to tear down baskets until they shaq-proofed them and instituted technicals for holding onto the rim too long after a dunk?). It also comes during a time when he lost the closest mvp vote ever, and averaged over 20/10 despite several bad years. In his 16th year (SIXTEENTH!!!! a freaking 300+ pound 7 footer in his 16th year...) he played 61 games and averaged almost a double double.


Whatever "It" is, Paul Pierce showed it this year, Michael Jordan had it his whole life, Tiger has showed it to us on many occasions, Shaq has it, Kobe, well, he's played pretty well in the playoffs, but he hasn't shown "it" when it's all on the line.



Seriously it's like people didn't know Shaq came into the league before Jordan even won most of his championships.

[Yangsing]

Interesting draft this year. Blazers got another steal this year in getting a projected top 5 pick in Jerryd Bayless. Kevin Pritchard is one of the best in the NBA. Bayless/Roy/Webster/Aldridge/Oden is scary. Playoffs next year for Portland.

Kevin McHale shows us all again that he can't cut it as a general manager by trading OJ Mayo for Kevin Love and Mike Miller. Why isn't he fired yet?

Rest of the draft went sort of how everyone expected. Russell Westbrook looks like a bust to me though.

Winners: Portland, Chicago, Memphis, Miami, New Jersey
Losers: Minnesota, Sacramento

[Deejay]

I think looking back, Miami had a sick draft. Beasley and Chalmers? Yes plz.

I'm officially trading in my Knicks fancard. I can't follow that damn organization right now. It's embarrassing.

Jersey did aiight for a team trying to free up cap space for Lebron. Portland made moves, but Bayless looks like a quicker Jarret Jack, that trade didn't make much sense to me really. I think they just wanted another rookie contract.

[Rhinox]

Theres no way Lebron is leaving Ohio. Barring an unforeseen fallout with Cavs ownership that I might have overlooked he is staying a cav his whole career.

[Deejay]

You'd be surprised at how much Lebron wants to go to New York. He wears Yankee caps everywhere, his latest shoe had pinstripes on them,and he's close friends with NY native Jay-Z who is part owner of the Nets. They're also considering making a move to Brooklyn around 2010 (when Lebrons contract expires), so in all honesty? You never know. It's not like they're not going to have money....

[Yangsing]

I don't see the point in moving to the Nets. Not like they have another start there that can help Lebron. Carter will be old as shit by then.

[Plow]

I think looking back, Miami had a sick draft. Beasley and Chalmers? Yes plz.

<< instant huge heat fan

[Bratt]

I don't see the point in moving to the Nets. Not like they have another start there that can help Lebron. Carter will be old as shit by then.

I think it's just because he wants to be in the NY spotlight. Kobe on one coast and him on the other. It's David Stern's dream to get him to NY and I'd bet it will happen once they move to Brooklyn. Also, wasn't he in a Yankees cap at a Cleveland Indians playoff game or something lol? I don't blame him for wanting to leave a small market for the biggest one in the world if he really wants to be a global brand like Jordan. With him moving to he Nets, he'd have the point guard he needs in Devin Harirs if he's still there.

[Andarvi]

Let the speculation begin. Get ready for 2 years of this.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3468173