"He's overrated," DeShawn said. "And you can say I said that."
LeBron James is far from overrated but I loved what I saw from Stevenson and the Washington Wizards the other night. Normally, players shake hands and exchange other pleasantries before the game begins. DeShawn chose to get right up in LeBron's grill and offer some choice words. His exact words are unclear, but the message that he wasn't going to back down was sent.
Stevenson talked the talk, then went out and walked the walk in holding LeBron to 9-for-22 shooting, 1-for-7 from the 3-point line. He also drew a key foul on the King with 19.4 seconds remaining. James was driving with a chance to tie — the Cavaliers trailed 96-94 — when he lowered his left shoulder into Stevenson for a foul. James' potential game-winning 27-footer, again with Stevenson guarding him, hit the front of the rim and bounced away as time expired.
LeBron is a great player. My choice as this season's MVP. That being said, I'm tired of watching opposing players and teams literally leave a red carpet for him to get to the basket. Foul him, send a message, make him earn two at the line. Brendan Haywood delivered a punishing blow that knocked LeBron to the ground late in the game. Hard foul yes, dirty play no. It was the type of play that epitomized the late 80's Detroit Pistons and early 90's New York Knicks.
I've always had a great deal of respect for those Knicks and Pistons teams. Unlike the majority of the league, they weren't intimidated by Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. Isiah Thomas, Bill Laimbeer, Xavier McDaniel, Anthony Mason, and John Starks made MJ work for everything he got. Yet Jordan persevered through physical play time and time again. Earning more than their respect in route to wining six NBA championships and becoming the greatest player of all-time.
I hope more teams and players follow DeShawn Stevenson and the Washington Wizards lead so we can see what the King is really made of. Charles Barkley once said, "see Tony Parker's good, but we just don't know how good Tony Parker really is. He aint never been hit." LeBron James got hit the othernight and DeShawn Stevenson and the Washington Wizards won the ensuing battle.
Even you have to admit LeBron rarely takes shots like he took against the Wizards. No one really gets in his face and talks trash either. Would I want to get in his way when he's driving to the hoop? No way, but there many centers in the league who are capable of delivering a shot to deter him from getting to the basket.
Today's NBA is weak. I miss the physical play of the 80's and early 90's.
the celtics are one of the top defensive teams in the NBA, so are the pistons. It's no coincedence that they have the 2 best records in the league.
i'm sure they both know what they have to do to advance out the eastern conference.
will they?
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lebron played poorly, in front of a national audience against the wizards.
and i would say that yes lebron allowed stevenson to affect his game. lebron made it personal and tried to go for the win by jacking a long 3 instead of attacking the basket in the closing seconds down by 2.
remember when the knock on lebron was that he was afaid to take the big shot?
well he started taking the big shot, then it was that lebron is not clutch.
now this season lebron is head and shoulders the best closer in the NBA.
now he's simply "overrated"
this coming from a guy more famous for his beard than he is for his game.
Admittedly, I haven't watched as many Cavs games as you have over the past 4 years but this is the FIRST TIME I've seen someone challenge LeBron like that. I saw it before the opening tip and it caught me off guard. I loved it.
Not because I want to see LeBron get hurt but because that's the type of basketball I enjoy watching. I like seeing two guys mix it up. Men at competition. Not this frat boy ball we've been watching the past 3-4 years where everyone gets along and is afraid to offend one another.
Magic may have had a great smile but he was a killer. So was Larry. So was Michael. I don't see that intensity in many of today's players. The early 2000 Trailblazers were very physical with a young Kobe. Ruben Patterson, Pippen, and Bonzi used to punish him. It showed me what Kobe was made of. He didn't back down.
Granted, they weren't nearly as physical as the Knicks or Pistons were but you get my point. LeBron played great against the Pistons. All praise to him but they hardly touched him when he went to the basket. In my opinion, that's weak basketball.
I agree it was different to see someone work that hard on stopping LeBron. Regarding the charging call, I felt it was blocking but of course it could have gone either way. Sarcasm, I think that's why LeBron went for the 3 pointer to win - he figured there was a good chance the refs would call another charge, and he was open...
Too bad he's not clutch!
How many points does LeBron get against Stevenson next time they play?
Last edited by nba is the worst on March 15th at 11:58 AM.
This isn't about Kobe. I was just using him and MJ as players who have persevered through physical play. I hope more teams are physical with LeBron because I'm interested in seeing how he responds next time.
Stevenson wasn't set but LeBron lowered his shoulder and initiated contact. He does that often. Most of the time, he's driving to the hoop and he uses it to create separation. It's a very successful move for him. I don't know how many he'll get against Stevenson next time.
He's shown a killer-instinct lately when fans heckle him but that's the first time I've seen an opposing player clearly get under his skin. I can't wait for their next game.
We're talking about Kobe because he's mastered physical play. When Lebron learns to toughen up and not whine after every foul that he feels isn't called only then will he be on Kobe's planet.
Nice post Hoffy. Unless I "misremember", I'm pretty sure that Lebron is young enough to still be in college! Just because he looks like he is 35, he is not. The guy is one of the most incredible young stars in NBA history. He is still improving each year. If he is overrated, it is the fault of the media, not Lebron, or anyone else who knows basketball. Give the kid a break.
Lakersfan19. I am a huge Kobe and Lakers fan. However, to complain about someone else whining abouit fouls is kind of hypocritical. Kobe has never fouled anyone in his life, in his eyes.
LeBron is definitely overrated. When you drop 25 and 7 on a low shooting percentage on the second night of a back to back - I mean that's terrible. That's like better than what Kobe averages on the year, but...well anyway, it's terrible.
I know DeShawn Stevenson shot 19% in the playoffs last year against the Cavs, and I know his team got blown out by 40 earlier this year, by the Cavs, and I know his team got beat by the Cavs right after the trade when the Cavs had to sign 2 d-leaguers just to play the game(in Washington), but I think he's absolutely right - and also the perfect candidate to say something like that.
LeBron does act like Rasheed Wallace alot after he gets hit (although in a bit of irony, Richard Hamilton (not Sheed) leads the Pistons in techs, but that's besides the point). But if he doesn't like what Stevenson says about him, come back and light him up the next time you meet. Wouldn't the greats like Jordan and Kobe do that? Qiut complaning and play like your the King!
"LeBron is definitely overrated. When you drop 25 and 7 on a low shooting percentage on the second night of a back to back - I mean that's terrible. That's like better than what Kobe averages on the year, but...well anyway, it's terrible."
Lol. See what I mean?
The Cavs have owned the Wizards lately. DeShawn played terrible in last year's playoffs. He played pretty good two nights ago. He won his matchup with the King. You can't argue against that.
"But if he doesn't like what Stevenson says about him, come back and light him up the next time you meet. Wouldn't the greats like Jordan and Kobe do that?"
I can't wait to see their next matchup. Both teams will be at their best.
"I would trade the entire Blazers roster for one Lebron and you can tell him I said that."
Obviously, the Cavs would never trade LeBron but if you were GM of your Trailblazers, would you trade Greg Oden and Brandon Roy for LeBron James?
I'm not so sure that I would. It has and always will be a big man's game. Oden is incredibly talented. A guard/bigman combination (Magic/Kareem, Cousy/Russell, Larry/McHale, Shaq/Kobe) has won an awful lot of titles. Roy and Oden could become the next championship duo.
Hoffy, I don't know what the equivalent would be, but imagine if someone on the Raptors said Kobe was overrated? I'm not sure you would write a post saying you were glad someone was standing up to the Kobester, especially on the team he dropped 81 on.
LeBron has owned the Wizards and the Pistons more than anyone. So on one hand you have Tayshaun Prince, who's always had class, who comes out and says, LeBron is the toughest guy to defend. And on the other hand, you have Stevenson, who starts running his mouth after LeBron has one bad game.
There are many teams Kobe has his way with. I would welcome someone on the Raptors or anyone else for that matter, standing up to Kobe and shutting him down. I wouldn't have a problem with that guy being proud of his performance afterwards either.
Why?
Because a performance like that is something to be proud of but also because I KNOW Kobe would make that team/player pay the next time they played one another.
I can't wait to see how LeBron responds when he meets the Wizards next time.
LeBron is "HIT" more than any player not named Dwight Howards.
The difference is that LeBron never flops. EVER. He always tries to make the shot first. And because of this, refs often #### their whistles because he's so strong, so fast, and so smooth that it looks like the bumps and smacks he's getting aren't altering his shot - because he's THAT good at finishing. He's still getting hit. No one is intimidated by LeBron. People take it on themselves to get in his grill and try to shut him down every night. Sometimes it's a team effort, sometimes one or two guys takes the responsibility. No one rolls out the red-carpet for LeBron.
Hoff, I LOVE that you used that title for this blog. That title will provoke so many people to check this blog out.
I read this article, of course, but I haven't read through the comments yet. I wonder if some people will comment without even reading it because of that title, assuming it is an anti-Lebron piece. I can't wait to catch up on the comments and see.
My thoughts on this topic?
First, I never respected the thug teams. Lacking sufficient talent themselves, they sought to level the playing field by leveling their opponents.
Second, LeBron is QUITE a bit stouter than MJ or KB ... you get in the way of LeBron James, you might not send as much a message to him as he'll be sending to you, you know what I mean?
I think LeBron James might be the prototype of the player of the future.
Europe started to show the United States that big men can have skills like outside shooting, driving, etc., Once we saw that, LeBron James arose as the US's answer to Europe's invasion of guard-skilled bigs. More are bound to follow.
Like you, I respect that the Wizards didn't back away, but LeBron James is LeBron James. The scary part is he'll likely get better in time. Right now the only thing he doesn't do is draw fouls at a rate consistent with his scoring ability. But he's better this year than last year at that.
My one concern with James is that he handles the ball too much and with his weight might break down before he's 30. As an old ABA fan he sure reminds me alot of George McGinnis, only with better skills.
"LeBron is "HIT" more than any player not named Dwight Howards."
I'm not talking about shooting free throws. Even then, LeBron is third, behind Howard and Allen Iverson. I'm talking about taking hard fouls that send a message. Again, not dirty play but a foul that makes most players think twice about going to the basket.
Until last night, I hadn't seen LeBron take one of those since he's been in the league.
"People take it on themselves to get in his grill and try to shut him down every night."
Who else has got in his face and talked trash to him like DeShawn Stevenson did?
PF - I agree. Until you brought about that scenario yesterday, I didn't think there was a combination of players I wouldn't trade for LeBron but I'd have a very difficult time dealing Brandon Roy and Greg Oden.
Roy was Rookie of the Year. I think he's the 3rd best shooting guard in the NBA. Behind Kobe and Manu. Oden would have won Rookie of the Year this year. He's way more skilled than Dwight Howard is. I still can't believe he shot almost 70% from the free throw line with his off left hand in college. That's amazing.
Shaq has been shooting terribly from the free throw line his entire career. Oden breaks his wrist and learns to shoot 70% with his left hand in a matter of months. That's very telling to me.
Lol. Glad you enjoyed the title my friend. Detroit and New York crossed the line many times but I respected their will to win. They knew they couldn't stop MJ so they did what they had to do to compete.
Pat Riley remarked that he never found a way to attack MJ because he was so strong mentally. You could hammer him and he would rarely lose his cool. When he did, he only played better. I want to see if LeBron has the same mental strength.
LBJ will only get better and better if he doesn't ego out at some point. Which he is showing signs of doing. He lost his cool with a nobody like DeShawn much as Iverson let a nobody named Lue get under his skin. Both got their points but the point they lost was that you can't lead when you make it personal.
While I recognize LBJ's raw talent and outstanding game he's still immature and padding stats this season. He's also starting to shoot off his mouth and we all know where that's gotten KB. LBJ is 5th behind KB, Paul, Tmac and KG in the MVP chase.
Say what you like about LBJ not having much help and he doesn't, still in the east he should be winning more. He's padding stats and not leading.
It's scary to think how good he'll be by the time he's 30. He has a pretty well-rounded game but he still relies on getting to the basket too much. His jumpshot is still very average. He can get by with that playing against mediocre defensive teams but teams like the Spurs and Celtics are capable of making him a jumpshooter.
"My one concern with James is that he handles the ball too much and with his weight might break down before he's 30."
Cleveland's offense is terrible. LeBron averages a lot of assists but I wish someone would keep track of how much time he spends with the ball in his hands. I would wager that's it's far more than any 2 or 3 guard in the league and probably more than most point guards.
I'm glad you brought up the wear and tear on his body. You're right, we've never seen a player LeBron's size who can do what he's capable of. It will be interesting to see what type of toll that takes on his body. We've also never seen a player play the minutes he has in such a short period of time.
Kobe didn't get much tick during his first two years in the league. LeBron has been the focal point of Cleveland's offense since he arrived as a rookie.
I think a lot of the decline in physical play can be attributed to Stern and the league trying to tone it down. Hand-check rules are much stricter now and, as we saw in the playoffs last year, the league is very quick to suspend guys to prevent confrontation.
You know, that B.Roy+Oden for Lebron deal is REALLY interesting.
I'm starting to really like Brandon Roy, he and CP3 are two players that are quickly becoming my favs. The thing that would make me pause about that move is Oden. For sure he's a presence on D, but how good of an offensive player will he be? And really, for all the hype surrounding him coming into Ohio State, he never really tore it up and seperated himself from the pack.
With those questions about Oden, it comes down to a B.Roy for Lebron deal, and while I love B. Roy, is he as good a player as he appears to be? Or is Blazers current roster that much better than Lebron's?If you were to replace Lebron with B.Roy, would they have a better record? I don't think they would.
30 points,8 boards,7.4 assists...23 yrs old,hes overated???I think hes UNDERRATED...as far as the wizards and stevenson,the cavs bounced them from the playoffs two years in a row,and they crushed them by 36 in a game back in january,the wizards won by what 4 points???Lebron will not forget the trash talkin by stevenson,but the wiz will probably not even be in the playoffs this year,so lebron wont be able to get his revenge just yet...i would not give up oden and roy for lebron,as a cavs fan,i hate to say i would do that deal.
Loved the comment you made about MJ's mental toughness. Kobe has that too, but he usually doesn't turn it on until AFTER he's received a technical foul and now HAS to, if that makes any sense.
Time and again I've seen Kobe playing okay or sub par, then get offended and shift to another gear and take out his anger on the opposition's basket.
I know this is LeBron's thread, not Kobe's, but Kobe sure could have used a year or two at Duke. That would have done wonders for his maturity.
But I guess that speaks worlds for James again though. LeBron came into the league the most hyped player I've ever personally observed, and I am surprised how well he is living up to it.
I love basketball. While many basketball fans enjoy the month of March, I prefer the months of April, May, and June. I look forward to productive chats, heated debates, and honest opinions.
