NBA Finals

[phan52]

I don't want to get into LeBron bashing, and I fully undestand that he probably couldn't have re-entered the game after suffering cramps in his leg for a second time. But why the show? It took him five minutes to get to the bench, eventually being carried the last 20 feet by his teammates. Get off the court already and let them get on with the game big guy, and you won't get any flack.

[Golfingdad]

I missed the game.  But it sounds a lot like Paul Pierce a handful of years ago during a playoff game (2008 finals, game 1) having to be carried into the locker room like he was on his death bed only to come jogging back into the game a couple of minutes later. Puh-lease.

BTW, I wonder ... am I the only person outside of Florida who hopes that Miami can three-peat?

[Gunther]

I've not been a LeBron fan since "The Decision" and he then exacerbated my dislike by makin fun of Dirk's flu in the '11 Finals. However, he's gettin a bad rap here. Dude is probably the most fit guy in America, he's a beast. Probably just didn't hydrate enough for the 90° temps in the building last night. I can't imagine he was hamming it up. He'll use this episode as motivation and probably light up SA rest of the way.

[isukgolf]

I missed the game.  But it sounds a lot like Paul Pierce a handful of years ago during a playoff game having to be carried into the locker room like he was on his death bed only to come jogging back into the game a couple of minutes later.  Puh-lease.

BTW, I wonder ... am I the only person outside of Florida who hopes that Miami can three-peat?

I am pulling for my beloved Spurs!!

[Righty to Lefty]

I don't want to get into LeBron bashing, and I fully undestand that he probably couldn't have re-entered the game after suffering cramps in his leg for a second time. But why the show? It took him five minutes to get to the bench, eventually being carried the last 20 feet by his teammates. Get off the court already and let them get on with the game big guy, and you won't get any flack.

You've never had athletic related muscle cramps then because they are completely incapacitating and you are not going anywhere because they are your bodies last defense to tell you that it is dangerously low on electolytes. I've been woken up in the middle of the night on the floor writhing in pain locked up for a good 20 mins with cramps in both legs and my abdomen after a real tough wrestling practice. This guy is guarding the other teams best player in the NBA finals, in a 100 degree room.  They are terrible and there is nothing you can do about them in the moment as they have to be prevented as best you can in the day prior because you body can only absorb so much fluid so fast.

[phan52]

Quote:

Originally Posted by phan52

I don't want to get into LeBron bashing, and I fully undestand that he probably couldn't have re-entered the game after suffering cramps in his leg for a second time. But why the show? It took him five minutes to get to the bench, eventually being carried the last 20 feet by his teammates. Get off the court already and let them get on with the game big guy, and you won't get any flack.

Originally Posted by Righty to Lefty

You've never had athletic related muscle cramps then because they are completely incapacitating and you are not going anywhere because they are your bodies last defense to tell you that it is dangerously low on electolytes. I've been woken up in the middle of the night on the floor writhing in pain locked up for a good 20 mins with cramps in both legs and my abdomen after a real tough wrestling practice. This guy is guarding the other teams best player in the NBA finals, in a 100 degree room.  They are terrible and there is nothing you can do about them in the moment as they have to be prevented as best you can in the day prior because you body can only absorb so much fluid so fast.

Of course I have had muscle cramps and, if you took the time to read what I actually said, I understand that he could not have gone back in to play. Now, did you see the "show" that I am talking about?. It doesn't take five minutes to get from the baseline to the bench under any circumstances. Sit at your desk, or wherever you happen to be right now, and just stop and time the next five minutes. It is an interminable amount of time. He is getting a lot of flack today, not because he had a muscle cramp. He is getting a lot of flack because he put on a show about it. But that is what LeBron does (re:The Decision).

[Righty to Lefty]

Of course I have had muscle cramps and, if you took the time to read what I actually said, I understand that he could not have gone back in to play. Now, did you see the "show" that I am talking about?. It doesn't take five minutes to get from the baseline to the bench under any circumstances. Sit at your desk, or wherever you happen to be right now, and just stop and time the next five minutes. It is an interminable amount of time. He is getting a lot of flack today, not because he had a muscle cramp. He is getting a lot of flack because he put on a show about it. But that is what LeBron does (re:The Decision).

That's because he wasn't putting on a show as you say....he was locked up and needed help just to get off the floor. He doesn't have to put on a show because he IS the show.  I don't even see anything wrong with the decision as he is a professional athlete that doesn't get to pick where he works. He fulfilled his contract in Cleveland and everyone wanted to know what his next move would be. So what he put it on television. Hating on the man for that is silly.

The man is a good role model for the most part and does things on and off the court that far exceed " the decision." The man rarely ever misses a game and plays a ton of minutes and that's the best you can come up with. He is far from a prima donna and if it takes five minutes for him to clear the court the go to commercial and give the man a minute. After all he is entertaining those who watch right....which includes you...who decided to analyze how he handled an injury. He has absolutely no reason to put on a show for cramping up because he was putting on the show during the game when his last play before he had to be helped off the court was basically walking to the basket because no one can stop him. That is the show.

This was him in OKC in the finals last year....does it look like he's putting a show:

[Righty to Lefty]

Also it took less than two minutes for the entire sequence from start to finish so you also exaggerated the time that it delayed the game:

[Golfingdad]

Also it took less than two minutes for the entire sequence from start to finish so you also exaggerated the time that it delayed the game:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqS-tgFRcr4

Now that I've seen it, other than the fact that he slightly exaggerated the amount of time, I tend to agree with Phan here.  No need to stand there for 30-45 seconds and not move when you could easily just hobble over to the bench, and really no reason why he couldn't just skip or hop the last 10 feet either.  Why be overly dramatic and stop in the middle of the court and hold up the game?  Definitely seemed like a bit of a "show" to me as well.

P.S.  I'm typically in the LeBron apologist camp.

P.P.S.  Full disclosure, I have a major pet peeve towards people exaggerating injuries.  It started in high school when guys on my team would writhe on the ground, make the trainer come check them out, then within a couple of minutes they were ready to play again.

[Righty to Lefty]

Now that I've seen it, other than the fact that he slightly exaggerated the amount of time, I tend to agree with Phan here.  No need to stand there for 30-45 seconds and not move when you could easily just hobble over to the bench, and really no reason why he couldn't just skip or hop the last 10 feet either.  Why be overly dramatic and stop in the middle of the court and hold up the game?  Definitely seemed like a bit of a "show" to me as well.

P.S.  I'm typically in the LeBron apologist camp.

P.P.S.  Full disclosure, I have a major pet peeve towards people exaggerating injuries.  It started in high school when guys on my team would writhe on the ground, make the trainer come check them out, then within a couple of minutes they were ready to play again.

He was still in the game as play hadn't stopped yet and the ball was still live. The amount of time he delayed the game was about a minute and he wasn't faking anything.  His hand immediately went up in the air after he made the layup as you could see him immediately lock up. HE IS THE SHOW and has no reason to feel the need to exaggerate his injury.

[Golfingdad]

He was still in the game as play hadn't stopped yet and the ball was still live. The amount of time he delayed the game was about a minute and he wasn't faking anything.  His hand immediately went up in the air after he made the layup as you could see him immediately lock up. HE IS THE SHOW and has no reason to feel the need to exaggerate his injury.

Of course he wasn't faking ... nobody is saying that he didn't have serious cramps. @phan52 and I are just saying that it did seem like he "hammed it up" a bit more than necessary.

No biggie, just an observation.

Like I said, I like LeBron.

[iacas]

Also it took less than two minutes for the entire sequence from start to finish so you also exaggerated the time that it delayed the game:

I don't see anything wrong with that. It took awhile for his teammates to get down to help him, and the ball was still live for quite awhile. Play began quickly after he got to the bench.

[Righty to Lefty]

Michael Jordan also had to sit out a finals game with cramps also so no one is immune:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2088673-remember-the-time-michael-jordan-left-an-nba-finals-game-due-to-cramps

[boogielicious]

I have had them in the middle of a 60 mile bike race.  Incapacitating is a good word to describe it.  I have no ill will toward James, but I do think he comes off as incredibly self-centered most of the time.

What confuses me more is why the trainers and coaches in this situation, very hot  stadium, don't hydrate their athletes correctly.  In this day and age, it does not make any sense.

[Slowcelica]

To compare James to Jordan is a joke the game is totally different now then it was then and much less physical. The heat should have been forced to call a timeout because of the time it took James to get off the floor just like any of the other 31 teams would have in the nba. It was 90 in there big deal, yea that's hot but they're supposed to be the best athletes in the world, Timmy is like 50 and so are most the spurs did you see them slowing down? What about the football players that that practice outside in training camp in 90+ weather in training camp, gimme a break he wussed out and that's why he is taking heat. Remember when Thomas sprained his ankle in the finals and still played and scored like 20 pts on the ankle?

[Righty to Lefty]

To compare James to Jordan is a joke the game is totally different now then it was then and much less physical. The heat should have been forced to call a timeout because of the time it took James to get off the floor just like any of the other 31 teams would have in the nba. It was 90 in there big deal, yea that's hot but they're supposed to be the best athletes in the world, Timmy is like 50 and so are most the spurs did you see them slowing down? What about the football players that that practice outside in training camp in 90+ weather in training camp, gimme a break he wussed out and that's why he is taking heat.

Remember when Thomas sprained his ankle in the finals and still played and scored like 20 pts on the ankle?

I'll just let a doctor explain it:

http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/science-lebrons-cramping/story?id=24047849

Playing on a sprained ankle is not the same and if it's not to severe you can play pretty well so it's not legendary or anything because if it was bad enough he wouldn't have played especially if it would have hurt his team.

[Slowcelica]

I'm not saying cramps aren't painful, but my point is the heat got to him he whined about it like no body else had the same conditions. I can't stand the heat, they are the biggest group of whiners in the nba, not that other teams don't do it, but after every call or no call lebron and wade turn and stare at the refs. Fining players for flopping isn't enough, start calling either technicals for it, or an automatic personal foul for flopping.

[Gunther]

I'm not saying cramps aren't painful, but my point is the heat got to him he whined about it like no body else had the same conditions. I can't stand the heat, they are the biggest group of whiners in the nba, not that other teams don't do it, but after every call or no call lebron and wade turn and stare at the refs. Fining players for flopping isn't enough, start calling either technicals for it, or an automatic personal foul for flopping.

No Heat fan here but they're #2 on the most whiney list, right behind SA. Duncan gripes 50 times a game. I get to see them a lot being a Mavs fan.