₦airaland Forum

Android17:
I don't know how bad you are at maths but if a player shoots high volume 3s and is at 35% he is significantly better than another who is relatively mid volume and 33%. Lebron is on record saying that the Mavericks exploited a weakness to his game in 2010-11 when he was a badly receded hairlined Ben Simmons. If you take away his improved 3 point shooting and leave him with all the assists in the world, he will be 2 less short of his 4 rings. That should tell you what an improved 3pt shot (as well as all star calibre players) can do for your king. I don't know what tangent you went off on MJ and Hakeem but my point was that every one agreed in 1984 that Hakeem should go first in drafts and not MJ only because it was uncanny to build around a shooting guard. MJ debunked that narrative forever and ever. Amen.

I've said all I need to say, Curry didn't influence sh*t. You can cry if you want.

My boys got sloppy there in the end after shutting down the Celtics for almost the entire 4th quarter. LeBron was just fooling around, deferring to AD and Schroder all the time. Well, it's the regular season, a time to try what works and what doesn't. Great win in the end after that disappointment in Detroit.

Android17:
High school and NCAA games have players shooting long range 3s from all across the court. 6'1"-6'3" guards with small builds like Trey Young are becoming franchise players because of their 3 point shooting. Buddy Hield and Lonzo Ball were lottery picks because of the hype around their 3 pt shooting. Prior, they would have been like JJ Reddick and Korver. That is an e.g of how people's perception changed towards the game because of SC.

Wait, Highschool and College kids shooting long range threes? Are we watching different sports here. The same NCAA that players would rather shoot a two than a three? The same NCAA that players can't shoot to save their lives? Lol

And Lonzo Ball was hyped because of his three point shooting?

Lol. It looks like I've been arguing for nothing all this time

Android17:
I understand how you feel. You started an argument that has turned around to bite you in the behind. Your unskilled use of strawman arguments are also painful to read. Read exactly what is being said. In 2010, because Lebron was a far less handsome Ben Simmons, teams slagged off him daring him to shoot the 3 ball. That he attempted 5 of them per game with eye-paining inefficiency does not mean that he was generally fond of taking that many 3 balls. Understand what is being said here. If you saw the last dance or any documentary on MJ you would have noticed that it was a consensus in 1984 that Olajuwon should go before MJ. That is because it was a centre's league at the time and nobody believed a franchise would survive being built around a shooting guard. You know what became of that. That is an e.g of how MJ changed the way we viewed basketball. A 6'9" SF, strong as the hulk, quick, athletic with an eye for the game is a given. He came and did exactly what he was hyped about. But did Lebron change anyone's perception about basketball? Did NBA teams learn how to play differently because of him? Are more players from high school to NCAA playing the game the way he plays it? The answer is no.

I've already addressed some of your points here but let me tackle a few. Where do you get your assumption that LeBron was shooting with "eye-paining" efficiency? LeBron has always been a mid 30% shooter all his career, including in 2010. And that alone is enough for him to be respected from beyond the arch. He wasn't as bad as MJ.

And in 1984, weren't MJ and Hakeem both rookies? In fact if it was the Olympics, then they hadn't played a game in the NBA. At the end, MJ was selected and not Olajuwon so what's your point exactly? Even though Olajuwon was drafted in the NBA before the MJ himself

Android17:
Try to re-read your argument to see if you are addressing the issue before us. Again, I hate to point out the glaring holes in your position but a player's signature move does not mean he has changed the way we perceive basketball. The step-back 3 for e.g is not an efficient shot even for Harden. He travels virtually everytime he does it and he and his Rocketeers won nothing with it. Why would anyone want it in their repertoire? Nobody is throwing shade at your darling Lebron. He has been a great ambassador for the NBA in this past decade but did Lebron alter the way the game is played? No. Instead Lebron adjusted to the way Curry made the game. You know that prior to 2014/15 players like Lebron only jacked up a 3 when the shot clock was running down, the paint was clogged or defenders slagged off him daring him to shoot. But these days Lebron takes such shots at times as his first means of offense and no coach frowns upon such anymore because they saw an unassuming 6'3" player, do so enroute to winning rings, MVPs and selling more jerseys than your darling. It is what it is.

Lol, you wrote something in the lines of "I want to dribble like Harden, says nobody" and I gave you an appropriate answer. Now you want to switch goalposts. Harden step-back is a thing. Know that now. Harden's got the whole league doing step-back threes, including your darling Steph. Harden may not have changed the way we "perceive" the game but he certainly changed the way the game is played.

Players influence the game in different ways, both by their exploits on the court and off it. Tell me, you have Kobe as one of the people who most influenced the game. How did Kobe influence the game when he was basically a replica of MJ?

And you say LeBron didn't alter the game on the court? Google the term "point forward" and see whose picture first appears. LeBron basically created a positionless league and altered the status quo. Gone are the days of Stockton, Isiah and Magic where the burden of playmaking rested on the PGs. Now you have guys like Draymond Green averaging more assists than Steph, Kawhi averaging more assists than Beverley, Jokic averaging more assists than Murray. You gat DG bringing the ball up the court more times than Curry. You have Jokic doing same. Back then these duties rested more on the guards.

How many finals MVPs has Curry amassed shooting those threes? Instead he begged a mid-range shooting guy to come over because he knew his threes couldn't win sh*t for him except he plays against a injury-ravaged team .

Na still for this Obasanjo internet wey person open mouth talk say Curry don influence the game pass LeBron, and some midgets liked the post.

Lol. Is it Steph that made big men to begin to develop ball handling skills too? Is it Steph that made big men to develop good passing skills too? The game was always destined to move towards the direction it is now, Steph or no Steph. Before Steph ever entered the league, big men like Troy Murphy, Channing Frye and Dirk were already attempting 5 threes a game.

And don't even get me started about volume three point shooting. Guys like Ray Allen attempted 8 three pointers a game back in 2006. The first time Steph reached that mark was in 2014. And since then he has been operating seemingly in his own bubble, jacking up to 10 three a game. There are just a handful of players in the league who do that: Harden, Dame. The first time Dame even attempted 10 threes per game was last year, and Steph has been doing it since 2015. Nobody, apart from these few people I mentioned attempts as much threes as Steph does, so how has he influenced sh*t?

LeBron attempted 5 threes in 2010, and he has been shooting more or less the same amount since then, only reaching 6 this year. That is someone who is developing his game at his own pace. People shoot threes because they can shoot threes and because the coach permits them to. Steve Kerr and Mark Jackson before him love the three ball, that's why GS became a three shooting team. In this league there are people who still don't shoot threes, and I'm not talking Centers alone, even guards. Rondo won't shoot a three unless there's no one guarding him. It's all preference man, preference.

Anyway he's a LeBron hater, so I didn't expect anything less

Android17:
You are not shaking any tables: a team shooting more 3 points than others is not equal to coaches now accepting long range and off the dribble 3s as good play. To be influential to a culture or sport, you have to change the way people THINK about that culture or sport. You have to INFLUENCE the sport's mentality. "we like to play like the Houston Rockets" said no one ever. "We like to dribble like Harden" said no one ever. Now, let me humor you a little further. Influential players of the last 3 decades? MJ, Shaq, AI, Kobe and Curry. Lebron is surely greater than Shaq, AI and Curry, but he did not change people's way of playing basketball.

Wait, the step-back three that the whole league now does, who made it popular? Or am I missing something here? To the extent that the league had to bring about the gather rule just to accommodate it. Man gerrarahere

And you had to throw in the ol' LeBron shade . Saying Curry is more influential than LeBron. The words didn't taste bitter in your mouth? And his minions had to like the post

Without LeBron in this league for the past decade or so, the sports would be as popular as the NHL. LeBron influenced the game on and off the court more than Curry would ever dream of. I'm not even arguing this with you, it's ridiculous.

If we're being truthful, Harden has influenced the game more than Steph has. But hey, I'm not allowed to say that.

Lemme shake this table small

steady986:
I keep seeing people link Andre Drummond to the Nets. I wonder how on earth they think they can pull that off. The man's earning 29m, which makes it nigh on impossible for the Nets to acquire him. Except they want to play with only a starting five and no bench. I don't mean bad bench, I mean no bench at all, cos DeAndre Jordan earns only 10m for him to be used as any type of trade piece.

But Drummumd's contract is up at the end of the year, and the way he's balling, I don't think he'll accept anything less than 20. Man could possibly be an all-star this year.

Oh, I get it. They could use the disabled player exception. I have to read more on that to see how possible it is.

I keep seeing people link Andre Drummond to the Nets. I wonder how on earth they think they can pull that off. The man's earning 29m, which makes it nigh on impossible for the Nets to acquire him. Except they want to play with only a starting five and no bench. I don't mean bad bench, I mean no bench at all, cos DeAndre Jordan earns only 10m for him to be used as any type of trade piece.

But Drummumd's contract is up at the end of the year, and the way he's balling, I don't think he'll accept anything less than 20. Man could possibly be an all-star this year.

birdman:
He looks a step slower. I think the injuries may have accelerated father time for him. He still likes to play physical and he will get some points, but the triple double WB is gone

But it's not like he went on one long injury like that. He should go back to the basics for real, I think he's trying to do too much.

Markswag101:
I need the bucks to trade for Beal and pair him with Giannis

That would be good

The manner in which Westbrook has derailed ever since he stepped his foot in that bubble needs to be investigated. Man has scored 163 points this season from 163 shots, averaging 18 points on 37% shooting, after averaging 27 points from 47% shooting last year, which was his most efficient shooting season in the NBA. At 32 years of age is he done? Man needs to see a psychologist.

Bradley Beal meanwhile really deserves better. Man was literally sobbing on the bench, probably realizing that his talents are wasting in Washington. He needs to get his butt out of that city asap.

KNIGHTBlaed:
Baba is on another level. Baba has improved his 3 points shooting. The guy too good abeg. He probably wanted to remind the Cavs to remember their hero and what he does best. But this Cavs team looks impressive. That Sexton boy needs to dey calm down and pass the ball when he has to, all the praises don dey enter him head. I was thinking Cavs would win, but Bron was just getting started. Baba keeps getting better

He needs to at this age, very crucial.

They sped the game up immensely, didn't allow the defense to set. They're a decent team, the youngins have matured. They can take advantage of poor form of teams like Heat and Raptors.

Skip Bayless at his finest

LeBron on a mission.

So these very Cavs that beat the Nets back-to-back are the very team that lost by 38 to the Celtics? There's levels to these things mehn.

Afromentalist:
The team everyone is sleeping on, is actually the clippers. they are so much better this year.

Yeah, they're so much better, but my ego won't allow me say nice things about them

birdman:
Tom Brady. The Lebron of the NFL!

That's right. It's like betting against him to at least reach the finals. Its not about who play pass or who old pass, but who can you count on to win when it matters. People know this but somehow they decide to act like they don't.

Tom Brady doing what Tom Brady does

SmooshCHN:
“They do have a timeout, decide not to use it. Curry, way downtown Bang! Bang! Oh, what a shot from Curry, with six tenths of a second remaining!” still one of my favourite three by Curry. One of the best regular season games as well.

So sad. The only source of joy for Warriors fans nowadays are memories of old . E go dey alright

The Nets escaped that one there.

mattfeuter:
Lol dem never see anything.

I knew this formula of trying to outscore opponents will be dead on arrival.

The importance of Defense/Rim protection can not be overemphasised. . .

Did you see that angry Jam from the fro?

As crazy as it sounds, Kyrie has really been balling out but right now, they can’t stop nobody.

Kyrie's been balling, but Harden seems to be holding back. I'm sure he doesn't want to piss Kyrie off . Harden works well with KD but not so much with Kyrie. It's a small sample size though, make we dey see as e dey go.

Android17:
They will not always be this bad. New teams will look disjointed initially. GSW lost their first game with KD by 30 to SAS. The issue with this Nets team is, they have zero depth and the starters are handicapped defensively. I know they will be this offensive juggernaut but dang, so far, I am not convinced they can unseat LAL & LAC in a 7 game series.

But isn't that why they traded for Harden?

We knew GS would be good because the pieces fit. They still had DG who is a defensive Juggernaut. What the Nets are doing currently is trying to outscore their opponent and it's insha Allah on the other end. I know they'll get better, but would they get better enough to win it all?

The Sixers will be respected. Embiid will be respected.

Man this is getting out of hand with the Nets. The Cavs are not even a good offensive team and they've virtually scored 100 points in three quarters. Something needs to be done and fast.

Embiid killing them in that post omg.

Android17:
Draymond Green was ejected in the 2nd Q for rebuking Wiseman (his own teammate). The Lord's work indeed.

Ah, what does that say about DG's value on the team? Nuff said.

The Knicks doing the Lord's work