If we’re rolling on the overdramatic-mythology-as-portrayed-in-movies kick, and I always am, the Miami Heat tonight were definitely rolling as something from the historic epic movies. Somewhere between 300 and Troy. I was reminded of the line from Troy, where a very Dwyane-Wade-like Achilles’ says, “We are lions!”
Wade is very Achillian this year. Blessed by the Gods. Fearsome. Outnumbered. And fierce. He’s no longer the good hearted youngster. He’s got vengeance in his heart, and its expressed in every ferocious jam and breakneck steal.
Wade has taken this ragtag team, filled with rookies (Beasley and Chalmers), fringe players (Joel Anthony, DeQuan Cook), and veterans considered past their prime (Jermaine O’Neal, Udonis Haslem) and have turned them into a cohesive unit. That they were overwhelmed tonight was not about a fundamental flaw, alack of resolve, or a weakness borne from their chemistry. They were simply overrun by numbers. They had to hit a cold streak, and they did so at the worst time, just as the Cavs switched to the perimeter game, on a night where LeBron’s less than impressive perimeter game was in sync. James may have put more digits in the points column, but his game was largely pedestrian tonight. A series of free throws and perimeter bombs that fell, even though you didn’t anticipate them doing so.
Wade on the other hand, was a leader of men, and a force of nature all at once. No one goes from 0 to 100 on the steal as fast as Wade. Not Ellis, not Barbosa, no one. Because he’s got a velocity that threatens the sound barrier. And versus those smaller guards, who’s finishes are like the vapor trail left from afterburners, Wade’s is the sonic boom, a high speed violent performance art. It’s killing the rim with velocity. A drive-by dunking. His turnovers are his heel, rendering him vulnerable to the perimeter trap. Wade’s passing was just as spectacular, using his quickness, touch, and a fantastic ability to create, and make, the hard pass when the defense shifts to him. There were long stretches tonight when there was simply nothing you could do. The symphony of his athleticism, creativity, his natural basketball instincts, and his veteran ability to operate within the context of the offense (something LeBron intrinsically lacks due to his identity) make it so difficult to stop him, you’re rendered in an impossible state of frustration.
Take my favorite play of the night (second play in the clip below):
He curls off the screen to receive the ball, and measures. West plays him right. Cut off his right, prevents the lane penetration and the pull-up 15 footer. Force him baseline. But with O’Neal, versus two weeks ago, he has an option to use in the post. He dumps it low, and when Wade flushes to the baseline, West has to double check to make sure he didn’t just get his ankles broken and Wade isn’t going to the strong side. Wade uses O’Neal as an on the ball screener, and it’s made worse by the fact that O’Neal is being guarded by Varejao, who’s unaware of the concept of moving if he’s not falling backwards as if shot (or as Paroxi-Wife brilliantly put it, “Varejao always looks like he’s shot.” *Replay of Varejao flopping* “Pow! Duck Hunt!”) So when Wade screams by him, getting the ball on a quick toss from O’Neal, Varejao might as well have been directing him in with flares. By the time Varejao reacts, Wade is underneath the basket, where his athleticism kicks in and he skyrockets straight up like a missile and explodes backwards. It’s somewhere between basketball noir violence and art.
Later, Pavlovic does an even better job on him. He forces him deep into the corner, and this time Z cuts off the baseline. The angles are off, and Wade knows he can’t force a pass (something he’ll eventually forget to evaluate late in the game). So Wade calmly jab steps backwards and nails a leaning, fading, 17 foot jumper as if he’s blowing out candles on a cake.
I’ve long held that this team is the one you don’t want to see in the playoffs, and tonight was a reminder. They have a great shot at the 4 seed, and as long as Atlanta doesn’t go anywhere and the Cavs maintain pace, we’re looking at a very likely Wade vs. LeBron matchup in the semifinals. Which would honestly be the best thing all year. These two go at one another in a very unique way. Maybe they’re courting one another. Maybe they like putting on a show. But there’s something that happens when these two step on the floor, the same thing that’s been missing between LeBron and Kobe. They’re friends, contemporaries, paired icons of a generation, and the idea of them battling back and forth, LeBron with Delonte at his side, Wade with Beasley, is almost too good of an idea to be true.
I’ve cooled on LeBron. He’s still murdering people, like tonight, with a more savvy approach, free throws and perimeter shots, a parting, nail-in-the-coffin dunk as if it to tease what he’s capable of. But his refusal to find synergy within his game, to focus on the post moves, to understand the inconvertible force of his penetration moves and how they render the defense powerless, has driven me to frustration. So much of his game has become folly. Too many steps in transition,too many adjustments on drive and kicks, too much incomplete force mixed with indulgence. He’s still a force of nature, and I have every hope that in the playoffs, he’ll unleash hell upon the man-help and take over like only he is capable. But for right now, he’s too reliant on calls, too indulgent of his jumper, and too swarthy without resolve.
Kobe’s a more reasonable choice, but let’s say for the sake of argument you neutralize him with the talent he’s surrounded by, the classic gunnery of his finer performances, his award last season, whatever you choose.
That brings us to Wade. He won’t clear 50 wins. But he’s brought this team from the ashes, answered his critics, has them in line for the playoffs, some quality wins, and his numbers are off the charts. Points, rebounds, assists, steals, and even blocks. He’s done more with less, and he’s doing it by setting crowds on fire and leading a young team.
I’m starting to believe Dwyane Wade may really be the 2008-2009 MVP.
Again, it says a lot for the Cavs’ playoff chances that they’re able to absorb the firepower they did tonight, buckle down, reverese momentum, and take the win. And West’s return makes this a wholly different, more volatile, more explosive team. But if we’re lucky, we’ll get to see these two go at it for seven games. It’s not just good drama, it has teh capacity, to be the kind of series no one forgets, even as Conference Finals fade into memory.
And in the playoffs, you’re either lions or lambs.
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[...] “I’ve long held that this team is the one you don’t want to see in the playoffs, and tonight was a reminder. They have a great shot at the 4 seed, and as long as Atlanta doesn’t go anywhere and the Cavs maintain pace, we’re looking at a very likely Wade vs. LeBron matchup in the semifinals. Which would honestly be the best thing all year. These two go at one another in a very unique way. Maybe they’re courting one another. Maybe they like putting on a show. But there’s something that happens when these two step on the floor, the same thing that’s been missing between LeBron and Kobe. They’re friends, contemporaries, paired icons of a generation, and the idea of them battling back and forth, LeBron with Delonte at his side, Wade with Beasley, is almost too good of an idea to be true.” [Matt Moore/Hardwood Paroxysm] [...]
Nice write up, Matt. As far as LeBron avoiding the drive more often this year than in years past, a lot of that has to do with LeBron not getting calls that he’s used to getting. I’ve seen every game this year, and although I’m a bit biased, he does get hit every time he goes to the hoop.
Now I know it will be argued that you can’t call every bit of contact that he creates in the lane, but when it doesn’t appear to disrupt his movement, the officials swallow their whistles. This is where he gets frustrated and starts taking (ill advised) perimeter shots. When he’s not hitting them, it’s completely maddening. However, when they fall like they did last night, it’s truly incredible. He can beat you from the perimeter, but he just can’t do it night in and night out (See Thursday’s game against Houston).
Udonis past his prime??? Maybe you shouldn’t be drunk when you click submit.
I always forget he’s 27. I can’t seem to get it through my skull. He just plays with so much size and veteran savvy. He’s definitely down a touch from where he used to be, but you’re right, past his prime is probably a bit strong.
That would all be great if basketball were a 1 on 1 game, but LeBron has the far superior teammates and he takes advantage of it. The real star of the 4th quarter was Mo Williams, and he is one of the many reasons that the Cavs are vastly, vastly superior to the Heat, even if the gap between LeBron and Wade is anything but lengthy.
When LeBron was the one leading a group of zeros to contention and the Finals, he didn’t win an MVP. Wade has to wait his turn, LeBron is the sure-thing MVP if he takes the Cavs to 60+ wins.
I think LeBron’s problem is that he seems to be following in Kobe’s footsteps, and not in a good way. I don’t know if he hears the criticisms that Kobe has a more complete offensive game or what, but he seems at times to try to play like Kobe does, when he should just play like LeBron does. For one thing, LeBron simply does not have the outside shot or midrange shot that Kobe does, so for him to simply attempt a lot of those is not smart. It’s doubly stupid when you realize that HE’S LEBRON and should be attacking the rim as much as possible, not settling for threes.
And that’s what I mean about him following in Kobe’s footsteps, and not in a good way. Kobe’s real undoing offensively is he has a pension to lapse into some of the most inefficient basketball possible simply because he thinks he can do anything out there, and LeBron seems to be falling into that trap. Whether these guys can hit a string of 35 foot jumpers or not does not matter, the reality is that it is stupid even to try. But it’s extra stupid for LeBron to be doing it simply because his shot isn’t as good as Kobe’s and because LeBron can drive to the rim in a way Kobe only dreams about.
Efficiency uber alles.
He’s started to become more and more focused on getting calls, instead of just rising up and outpowering his opponent. It’s fine in March but in the playoffs, he’s got to put the freaking ball in the basket. And just because he’s able to hit those shots, I’m not going to reward him for taking the easier, and less efficient way out.
“James may have put more digits in the points column, but his game was largely pedestrian tonight.” Really? 42 points on 21 shots is pedestrian? Really? 6 – 7 on threes is pedestrian, really?
LeBron’s inability to operate within the context of the offense – really? Even when he’s averaging 7 assists per and his team has the 4th most efficient offense in the league (was first before West broke his write and Z broke his ankle), really?
LeBron’s inefficient – despite challenging the all-time league PER mark (currently second to a single Jordan season) – really?
I get it – when talking up one guy we often feel like we need to tear down another. But, this post is kind of ridiculous. D-Wade and LBJ are both all-time talents. They both have complete games and play the right way. LBJ used to have to do it all because he had an inferior team around him; now DWade does. Comparing their games is great – but let’s not get carried away…
Agreed he should be taking the ball to the rack more often, but calling it inefficient is blasphemy. He’s trending towards the 3rd highest Player Efficiency Rating season of all time (behind two seasons from Wilt). Wade’s current season is 18th on that list.
http://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/per_season.html
I know. I sound insane. I recognize this.
It’s not that LeBron’s not the best player in the league. He is. Hands down. And his efficiency for the SEASON has been phenomenal. That’s why the last two months have disappointed me so. I expect too much out of him at this point because of where he set the bar.
The fact that he’s nailing threes is incredible, especially with how well he shot last night. But he never felt dominant last night, from my perspective. He didn’t seem like he was taking the game over the way Wade did. He was taking step back threes three feet from behind the arc and drilling them, which is a testament to his unworldly talent, but it doesn’t make it a dominant performance.
He’s better since West got back, less ISO. For a while, the Cavs offense was reminiscent of those pre-West years, and that was just sad to see after the way he transformed himself into an all around force for the majority of this season.
I agree wholeheartedly with your last paragraph, and bear in mind we’re splitting hairs about the best players in the game. I just was less overwhelmed by James’ game in the context of the game than what his numbers suggest. And that’s probably an issue with perception over reality.
I’m well aware of his place all time. For the majority of the season he’s been transcendent. It’s only lately that this bizarre ISO, whee! James has shown up. I’m hopeful he returns to the form he was in for much of the season, but I don’t feel like the last month or so, though his numbers have stayed consistent, have been representative of the dominant performance from earlier in the season, and his growing reliance on his three pointer (which the numbers are likely to regress to his career mean) is evidence of that, in my mind.
god, what an asinine post. do you watch NBA basketball much? how can you, with a straight face, make an argument for wade for MVP when everyone already saw that movie the first 3 times when it was called “LBJ puts up insane, HISTORICAL numbers on team filled with nobodies!” how many MVP’s did LBJ win then, hmm? none. yet wade, who’s having a great year, no doubt, is somehow the MVP? are you trying to lose any credibility you might have?
LBJ scores 42 points on 80% TS percentage yet you say his game was “pedestrian?” i do not think that word means what you think it means, to coin a phrase.
i get that wade is “plucky” and shorter than LBJ and went to college and all the other meaningless crap that people like you tend to (inexplicably) fixate on when discussing great players but LBJ is on his way to being the GOAT. wade has no chance at that. and he has no chance of being MVP either. not when he goes essentially scoreless for most of the fourth while the REAL MVP, LBJ dominates and WILLS his team to victory. oh, but he didn’t do it the way *you* would’ve liked him to, so it’s a moot point, right? puhleeze…
Um. I’ve argued on this site a million times that LBJ is the best player on the planet…
I recognize that saying he had a pedestrian game when you look at the box score seems insane. I get that. I’m asking you to look beyond that. He wound up getting six points from ridiculous fouls that may or may not have been fouls at the arc. Now, I’m not saying he didn’t deserve them, and that doesn’t account for the other 36 freaking points he scored. But the way he put the points together LAST NIGHT was not as impressive. He got them in a very veteran, drawing fouls and hitting long three pointers way. But we know from his averages that that’s not where he shoots that well. He’s on a hot streak, and that’s awesome, and if he keeps it up, then yeah, absolutely. But Wade’s game, when taken in context, was more complete.
I’m not arguing that LeBron james is a bad basketball player. The reason I’m not is that I’m not absurdly stupid. But his game has taken a step back from earlier in the season, and that needs to be accounted for when discussing the MVP.
Oh I think Lebron’s doing the right thing. You don’t become a great shooter by taking shots only in practices and scrimmages. You need to take them during actual games and what better time to practice and refine your jumpers than in the regular season when you can survive a poor shooting night and still be very much in the hunt for the play-offs. Come play-off time, the middle will be clogged and those jumpers will surely come in handy. Kobe has lost a lot of his athleticism but taking a lot of jumpers over the years made him the shooter that he is now and enabled him to play at top level despite being in the league for 13 years now.
And as freakish as Lebron is, he will surely wear down both from wear-and-tear and injuries if all he does is attack the basket all the time. And last night, the Heat played zone defense much of the time which is of of course the best way to protect the middle from a slasher like Lebron. Remember again that is the second game of a back-to-back games and fourth game in five nights on the road. This showed when the Cavs was gassed in the third quarter. Only their collective will to win pulled this one.
Last night should have been a showcase game for the two front runners for MVP. What an amazing game from start to finish. As I woke up and watched Sportcenter, I am remined of how much people lack the knowledge of basketball. Sportcenter asked who is the leagues top scorer in the NBA. The number one response was 58% Kobe Bryant. Mr. I have only 1681 points this season. Mr. I have 299 assists. Mr. I have 77 steals. Mr. I have 26 blocks. This guy should not even be in the running for MVP. He has a strong team around him. 299 assist is not helping your team out or making it better. Since he doesn’t pass the ball to other players as much, why does he not have more assist. Leading scorer in the NBA, yeah right. MVP, yeah right.
Now the second person on that list is Sir James. I think he had 25-28 percent or something like that. Now this man has a strong case for leading scorer and MVP. But, like Kobe, he had a couple strong players as it showed last night. Sir James has 1684 pts, 413 ast., 102 stl., 72 blks. Now those are some really good stats for this young player.Yes he makes his team better. If you take him away the will still win some games but not showing the same record they have now.
The last on that list for scoring at a big 8% was D-Wade(flash). Haha, that is the funniest thing I have heard. Let me write these stats: 1721 pts., 436 ast., 131 stl., 84 blk. Now, this guy was the fifth pick overall in the draft in 2003. He is putting up the best numbers night after night around the league. Flash is a team by himself. Take Wade away from the Heat and they are the worst team in the NBA. All this focus on Kobe and James needs to stop. Kobe will never be Micheal. 10 years from now all on Kobe’s career stats will be demolished by both James and Wade. Do I need to remind you who were the front runners during the Olympics. Wade we are routing for you. Keep up the good work.
I agree with your premise but I have two quibbles:
(1)Someone already called you out on Haslem being past his prime. I’ll just add that he has been paying with a bad back injury since just before the All-star break and his jumper has been off since.
(2)Equating Daequan Cook with Joel Anthony as a “fringe” talent is very unfair. Anthony is an undrafted 27 year old who can only block shots and can’t catch the ball. He is fringe for sure.
Daequan is a 21 year old 1st round pick with one year of college and a 2nd year NBA player. He is still an ascending player who has improved more than any player I can recall in just one season. He is a great shooter – although he is in a post-Allstar game shooting slump- but he has shown he can defend and has been working on developing an off-the-dribble game that has been progressing. He is by no means a great player but he is good and has a huge upside. I don’t think it is at all fair to call him a “fringe player”.
1. His injury issues are a bit troubling and part of what led to me thinking he was 97 or something, apparently.
2. Cook is a very good player. I’ve liked him for quite a while, and was rooting for him during the three point contest. But if you’re ranking the Heat, you’re not putting him in the front seven. And I think he’d have similar issues on most teams in the league. I think he can hit some big shots for them in April, but you’re going to have a hard time finding people who consider him above “fringe.” But probably a harsh comparison with Anthony, yes. Though I love Anthony’s hustle. And the ridiculousness of the pronunciation of his first name.
@matt
first of all, i did not just “look at the boxscore.” i watched every second of the game (something i’m not sure you did at all) and your response to my post answered nothing at all. all you did was repeat yourself. you don’t answer how an 80% TS percentage is “pedestrian.” you ignore how when james’ team needed him in the fourth, he delivered while wade DID NOTHING. how can the “MVP-ness” of LBJ vs. wade be more stark than that? also no mention that this was the 4th game in 5 nights (AND an back-to-back in which the cavs are now 12-2 in such games which leads the league) for the cavs. all of them road games, as well. and LBJ gets 42 AMAZINGLY efficient points and somehow, to you, that was not as “impressive” as wade, who, without question got outplayed by LBj in the penultimate quarter. as i said before asinine. and ludicrous. you present no actual basketball reason or reasons for your dislike of LBJ’s game last night other than some EXCEEDINGLY vague, namby-pamby aesthetics. lame, to say the very least.
@joshua
have you been following the nba the last few years? wade has more talent on his team right now than LBJ did when he took the cavs to the finals a few years ago. certainly wayyy more athleticism. LBJ has had spectacular numbers the last few years with a horrible supporting cast, just like wade this year. and LBJ won ZERO MVP. just stop it, wade fans. it’s not going to happen and it’s just silly for you to make the case, when LBJ was there first with that argument.
and it’s “rooting,” not “routing.”
Easy killer, wasn’t saying you did. I’m just pointing out that referencing his 80% true shooting (which was impressive, no question), doesn’t cover the context in which those shots were taken.
James certainly played well in the fourth, including a few jams off of West and Mo Williams steals. The Cavs as a whole overran the Heat and Mike Brown’s halfcourt trap of Wade was certainly a stroke of genius. I think to measure down the worth of both players based off of one quarter is probably a bit simplistic, but then the same could be said about last night’s impact on my perceptions of the two. The Cavs are a surefire lock for the Finals in my opinion, and LeBron is certainly a worthy MVP. The piece wasn’t meant as an analysis of either’s stats, nor of how good the Cavs are. If you read the site, you’d know we’ve been very supportive of the Cavs this year and think that this is a special unit that’s been put together. But if you try and tell me last night was the best James can offer, that’s simply wrong. He’s played much better games, particularly early on in the season, and I’d like to see him return to that form, instead of just shooting 3s from way outside, which historically, he’s not very good at.
shorter matt: “gee, LBJ’s great but i wish he were greater.”
this is essentially your “argument.” as i keep saying, it’s beyond absurd. who said last night was “the best james had to offer?” i’m noticing you are big user of the old straw man arguments.
last night, LBJ did what he had to do to win on a road back-to-back (and a 4th game in 5 days)and did it in breath-takingly efficient manner. you seem to fail to grasp that that kind of efficiency IS transcendent.
if you pay any attention to stats at all, you’ll know that in the last few years no one has been better in the fourth quarter than LBJ. he showed it again last night. against a lot of odds. and that, to quote you, “needs to be accounted for when discussing the MVP.”
Some good back and forth here. I’m a huge Cavs fan and Lebron fan, so take what I say however you want. Here’s my two cents.
LeBron is not like Kobe or Wade. He picks his spots. He rarely decides (I’m going to score like mad) and dominate a game. There’s only 1 time this year I saw LeBron come out and decide early on that he was going to try to go off – his 52 point triple double night. Other than that, this entire season he has done exactly what the Cavs need him to do to win. He spends the majority of the 1st quarter setting up teammates and when he comes back in the game from rest, he rarely tries to force anything he lets the players that were already on the court slowly readjust to the fact that he is now in the game. He’s always been like this. In high school, he was often not the leading scorer on his team, because he set up guys like Romeo Travis. He averaged 30 points a game in high school and 6 months later averaged over 20 in the NBA. It’s surreal – he could have averaged 70 points a game in high school – i truly believe that. He’s not a volume scorer.
Matt, I understand some of your feelings about last night’s game. LeBron doesn’t play the way wade does. He doesn’t put his head down, drive and finish or get fouled. He picks his spots. Some of this is because he really doesn’t get the calls anymore on his forays to the rim. He gets body contact every time and rarely is it called. LeBron’s game last night was insane, but it was very quiet. He didn’t go on tears where he scored 12 straight points. The crowd was chanting MVP for Wade, not LeBron. Wade’s team seemed to be playing with way more energy. Wade seemed virtually unstoppable for short stints against iso coverage. LeBron didn’t. But LeBron played a superior all-around game. And the moment the Cavs started doubling Wade (which is what LeBron deals with on a nightly basis) – the Cavs went on a 24-6 run. Mike Brown hates doing stuff like that, but he had no choice last night, Wade is a superstar and he was going to win the game for the heat – so Brown decided to double = game over for the heat.
Also, I hope you realize that last night’s game was the Cavs fourth in five nights against playoff teams on the road. Pretty impressive.
I wonder if LeBron will ever be fully appreciated. Wade has the reputation as the offensive juggernaut, Kobe has the reputation of the clutch player, and even though history proves that LeBron is more efficient offensive player, that he is in fact more clutch, and that he has done more with less talent than either player in his career – because we can’t really put Lebron into a box – we think he’s not as good as he is.
Did you see LeBron’s dunk over Oneal in the closing seconds? What player in the NBA does that? Put’s someone on a poster in the waning minutes of a ballgame – putting a dagger into the hearts of the opposition with a DUNK? I mean, sure, some guys will hit a crazy 3, others a stepback jumper. Lebron has more “CLUTCH DUNKS” than any player I have ever seen. He picks his spots for 3 and a half quarters – keeping his team afloat and involved. And when his team needs a basket, he goes to the rim hard. Two nights ago he won the game in Atlanta (a comeback on the road) by going hard to the hoop and getting fouled. Last night he sealed it with a fierce facial.
It’s not the best of what he has to offer. That’s the whole point. We’ve seen what he can do when he asserts himself in the lane. When he becomes that player that can pass score, dunk, lean, rebound, all of it within the flow of the game. I totally agree that James’ efficiency is transcendent. I’ve argued it here many teams. You’re here attacking me for not appreciating James, when on FanHouse, I’m the one constantly turning back the Kobe tide in favor of James. I’ve written extensively at how James is changing the way we look at great basketball. And sure, LBJ’s a great closer, and that’s a terrific argument for the MVP. The error I made in this was molding my disappointment with how James has shrunk from the paint into the context of the MVP argument. James is not only worthy, but the odds-on favorite based on what he’s done statistically as well as contextually. Right now, over the past two months, I think Wade has surged ahead of him because of the brilliant basketball he’s playing with a less talented cast that’s still winning. To boil it down to one quarter last night leads us to ask, “What about Kobe, who trounced James twice this season?” and neither of want to go down that road.
You’re not only preaching to the choir, you’re angrily trying to set fire to the choir.
@Joshua Beasley
obviously you don’t watch the games either and based the performance purely on what you see in a stat sheet.
Yes LBJ’s stats h2h against Kobe is better. Yes LBJ had made leap and bounds in his performance and effort and there is no questioning that the league will be his or already is for next 10-15 years if he stays healthy. That being said…
Do you watch the games?? Lebron plays mostly ISOs and Pick-n-Rolls. He dominates the ball for most of the games. He is a great passer nonethless but their offense system is completely different from the Lakers.
Kobe plays in a complicated triangle offense. It’s a motion offense. Kobe takes the shots but he doesn’t dominate the ball as much as Lebron does. Watch the game!! There is a reason why none of the guards that played for Phil avged much assists. In regarding blocks, Kobe guards the best playes. Lots of Lebron’s blocks are from the weak/blind side which is a testement to his athletiscm. They are both great players.
Regarding with the topic, Wade has to be the MVP. if not, it’s like that 1 year where Kobe had the best stats and he got it stolen to Steve Nash…
[...] Wolves. Wolves owner Glen Taylor trims ‘09-10 season-ticket prices, offers ‘No-Risk’ pledge.10th: Hardwood Paroxysm. Matt Moore: "[Wade] won’t clear 50 wins. But he’s brought this team from the ashes, answered [...]
@ Matt:
“To boil it down to one quarter last night leads us to ask, “What about Kobe, who trounced James twice this season?” and neither of want to go down that road.” For the record, Kobe didn’t trounce anyone – Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom did. And if you really WANT to go down that road, then I hope you were driving down it when LeBron won the previous 5 games in a row.
Wade is not the MVP. He’s simply not. You can sit there and say, “Oh without Wade, the Heat wouldn’t even have 10 wins right now.” That’s fine, I completely agree. But guess what, without LeBron, the Cavs have maybe 15 wins at this point. Don’t believe me?
Right now, with Wade on the court, the Heat are about 3 points per 100 possessions better than their opponents. With Wade off the court, the Heat are -13.5 points per 100 possessions worse than their opponents. A net of +16.5 points per 100 possessions with Wade. So, the Heat as a team have a point differential of -13.5 when Wade is not on the court. This would be the worst in the league. However, take a look at what LeBron means to the Cavs. The Cavs are 15.1 points per 100 possessions better with LeBron on the court, and -9.6 points per 100 possessions worse when he’s not on the court. A net of +24.7! Compare that to Wade’s 16.5. In other words, the Cavs as a team without LeBron have a point differential between the Wizards (14 wins) and the Clippers (15 wins). That’s a drop from first place in the East to second last place.
In every statistical measurement that adjusts for minutes and pace (Heat play a faster pace, Wade plays a minute more per game than LeBron) LeBron is more productive than Wade. PER, Win Shares, Roland Rating, whatever you want. LeBron is better. In fact, LeBron is having a historic season by many measures.
If you consider only steals and blocks as a measure of defense, sure Wade has LeBron edged. But LeBron is the staple of the 2nd best defense in the NBA, and by the few defensive statistical measurements we have available (opponent PER, defensive win shares, etc) LeBron is head and shoulders ahead of Wade. (and the rest of the league)
Look I understand Wade is generating some buzz right now because of how well he has played lately. But LeBron’s been doing this for the last 4 years. LeBron does something you’ve never seen before at least once per game.
I’m sorry (Matt) that you are upset that he isn’t posting guys up as much. I wish he would too. But that doesn’t change the fact that he is a man among boys on the court. Wade was a Witness last night. Sure Wade got his points against D West and Pavlovic. But when the Cavs started doubling him he couldn’t do anything to help his team and the Cavs won.
Are you really MORE IMPRESSED with Wade yesterday than LeBron? Stats aside…did you see some of the shots/dunks/blocks LeBron made? I mean I know Wade did too – but LeBron did this stuff at the end of the game, when it mattered the most and his energy should have been at it’s lowest.
excellent post and THANK YOU! finally, there is someone other than heat fans who acknowledges that dwade’s having an MVP-calliber season. im sick and tired of having to hear that the MVP race is just BETWEEN kobe and lebron. its unfair to not put wade’s name in that discussion just because his team is not the best in the east or that his team is just, 3 games above .500.. he fills up the stat sheet, he’s doing it from both ends of the floor, the only guard in the top 50 in blocks, plus the fact that he leads a very young team.. is there a standard criteria in choosing an MVP?
is it the best player of the team, the one that makes his teammates better or the most VALUABLE player on his team?
Kobe is the MVP!!!!!!! Anybody saying anything different is not being truthful with themselves. For example, Karl Malone & Charles Barkely were given the MVP when everybody in the world knew MICHAEL JORDAN was without a doubt the MVP.
People hate KOBE so much for whatever sick reason they have but they dont realize that all the things Prince James & Band-Wade are doing, KOBE done it.
1. He can go off for 50 plus any game or anytime easy.
2. He defensively locks down the best guards/fowards in the NBA like Wade or LeBron but Bron Bron guards LUKE WALTON or ex-Laker VLAD RADMONOVIC.
3. His game is like Michael Jordan so that means he plays in the triangle offense so rebounds & assists are not the shooting guards priority.
4. His team will have the best record in the NBA at the end of the year.
5. Last but not least, haters are so use 2 Kobe doing AMAZING things that when he does them PEOPLE ARE NOT SHOCKED.
If Wade deserves this year’s MVP, then give Kobe his two MVP’s that Nash stole.
Kobe is a prolific scorer but he doenst have the all-around brilliance that Dwade and Lebron has. Ever seen Kobe go off for 35 pts and 16 assists 2 times in 5 games on at east 50% FG shooting? I dont think so. 50 pts 3 rebounds 1 assists for 3 straight games , yeah, but stuffing the stat sheet, leave that to Wade and James. Give me Wade all day baby. Most exciting player and the best player in the world. That’s right Kobe boys, it’s a tough pill to swallow.