LeBron James Discussion: Not Returning To The Lakers

pretty much my feelings. the team was well-constructed for a repeat, but the slog proved too much for AD's body, and then lebron caught a bad break on the ankle roll. going out early could be a blessing in disguise if it means AD and lebron get a good, restful summer.

and no, i don't think this series is over--even if phx gets game 5. i just really don't see how AD is going to be able to get back up to the speed he needs to be for us to win three more series. maybe lebron, too.

and we would have spanked phx if our main guys were healthy. they know it.

 

Should have stayed in Los Angeles

 

Overpassed at the start of the game and as I already said a million times before , doesn't have/take the pull up midrange shot which is the solution against playoffs D .

 

not a single FT attempt. wow

that basically says it all in regards to his health

 

Health wasn't a pb in the 2nd half of Game 3.

Is he limited ? Probably but he had not the right mindset to start this game . Overpassed

 

He's definitely limited: he can jump but he's got no burst right now and his conditioning just isn't there. Is it age? Father time catches up with everyone but this is very a different Lebron even w/o AD that we say pre-ankle injury. Only 20% of his shots are at the rim when he typically is at 40+.

That being said not sure why they're not posting him up more: probably because no one can hit the ocean right now.

 

k

 

because he won't take the shot. happened at least 3-4 times in the first quarter, iirc: he's walking smaller guys under the rim (as he should), but no double is coming and instead of just going up strong for a little hook, he's passing to semi-covered (and extremely cold) three point shooters. that's how we got down, imo. phx realized they didn't have to double him in the paint and was like...we got this.

 

i think if he did, we'd have seen more of an effort last night. like AD, i'm going to give a champion and hofer the benefit of the doubt and say it's because he's hurt and not because he's soft, or mentally weak, or a beta or whatever.

 

He's 36? Lol

 

he was 36 earlier in the year, too. i think his ankle isn't healed.

 

He walked off the floor with 6 minutes left.

What do you think that said to "his" team?

 

that he doesn't have enough to carry them this year. but i think that was clear an hour or so earlier.

 

Lack of a first step, not enough lift, those have been issued as he ages.

And it's easier to defend those things when you're locked into a 7 game series.

Also, adding the injury bug doesn't help.

It's a conjunction of both of those things.

We can see him dominate but in shorter stretches.

Again, he isn't 26.

 

all true, but his unwillingness to even attempt those chippies in the paint is ankle-related, imo. he's not dumb--he knows phx was borderline insulting him by not sending a hard double.

 

Yeah, that's the ankle injury.

Agree there

 

I’ll hold the L on that take. I made a weird assumption that the rest of our team would play like they’re NBA-level, not “I got cut from a rec league” level.

 

Crazy stats of longevity and sustained success

 

yeah, it's part of why his game troubled me a bit in the last one. i really expected him to attempt to lay waste to the opponent, and he looked to be holding back. we'll see tonight.