Why All the LeBron James Hate?

Recently I watched a video of analysts debating if LeBron James is better than Michael Jordan. This has been a popular debate ever since James won the championship this past June. Whether James is better than Jordan is still up in the air, but that is not the focus of this article. I want to prove how awful some of the counter arguments are for Jordan being better than James.

The first counter argument is that LeBron has never had to face future Hall of Famers throughout the playoffs, unlike Jordan. Well, that argument is invalid. James had to face Chauncey Billups, Jason Kidd, Vince Carter, Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Carmelo Anthony. Even Paul George and Dwight Howard could also have an argument made for themselves. So the idea that James has never had to face Hall of Fame players in the playoffs is false.

Another knock people are putting on James is that he allows Kyrie Irving to close out a game. The one shot that is on everyone's mind is the three Kyrie hit in the NBA finals that basically clinched Cleveland their first championship in franchise history. But for those that always point that out, check out game 6 of the 1993 NBA finals. It wasn't Jordan who hit the game-winning three to win the Chicago Bulls a third straight championship. Nope, it was John Paxson. And how about 1997 NBA finals game 6 when Steve Kerr hit the game-winning shot. Once again it was not Jordan taking the big shot it was his teammate. Seems like these situations are lost in these debates, but clearly not taking the last shot does not make someone any less of a basketball player.

Whether people like it or not LeBron is a great player. Trying to find every reason to make him seem like the inferior player is just ridiculous. If you are still not convinced LeBron is in the same room as Jordan read my article Michael Jordan and LeBron James. I compare James career so far to Jordan's whole body of work. LeBron is on track to pass him in a lot of categories if he stays healthy. The truth is James and Jordan are two different players and both play in different eras. That is why the only comparisons that can be made are their career accolades.

Richard Jefferson Stepping into the Time Machine

Richard Jefferson used to be a high flyer with the New Jersey Nets back in the early 2000's. As his career went on Jefferson slowly faded and started to become a rotation player. Jefferson has now become the veteran that can mentor but also still be productive when he is subbed into the game. Much like Vince Carter, Jefferson still has some dunks left that he can pull out from time to time. A few years ago in Dallas Jefferson pulled out a crazy posterizing dunk on Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, but he was called for an offensive foul. Yesterday though Jefferson delivered two gifts on Christmas day.

Jefferson first had a dunk over Kevin Durant early in the fourth quarter. After the dunk, he looked at KD and winked at him. He would receive a technical for taunting, but that did not stop Jefferson from creating another poster. Around the four minute mark, Jefferson took it hard to the basket and dunked on Klay Thompson. Jefferson who is now 36 had two dunks that would make everyone question if that is his true age.

The Cavaliers would go on to win the game 109 to 108. Kyrie Irving would hit a go-ahead jumper in the final seconds of the game. It was truly a Deja Vu moment for the Warriors as Irving hit a go-ahead three with under a minute remaining in the fourth quarter of game 7 the past June. Yesterday's game was probably one of the best games so far this season and it only makes fans wish they could watch these two teams go at it every night. For now, we will just have to wait until they meet again on January 16. The good news is we do not have to wait long.

DeMarcus Cousins' Dominating Performance

Tom Pennington/Getty Images

Last night DeMarcus Cousins and the Sacramento Kings went up against Damian Lillard and the Portland Trailblazers. Damian Lillard would finish the game with 24 points and 15 assists for the game. His teammate, C.J. McCollum however, had a much better shooting night than Lillard putting up 36 points on 59 percent shooting. But their performances were overshadowed by DeMarcus Cousins. Cousins helped the Kings to a 126-121 victory behind his 55 points and 13 rebounds.

This was only Cousins second 50 point game of his career. What really grabbed fans attention was the moment Cousins received his second technical of the game. What made the technical unusual was that it was rescinded after Cousins had already made his way back to the locker room. Cousins had to be fetched from the locker room to get back out on the court.

Cousins is a target for referees and they always keep a close eye on everything he does. In this case, the ref called a technical on him for spitting his mouthpiece out at the Blazers bench. The refs got together after the call and quickly talked it over. They came to the conclusion that his mouthpiece fell out of his mouth and rescinded the technical. In the post game interview, Cousins said, "It's ridiculous. It's obvious what's being done out here. It's on a nightly basis. I hope the world can see now what's really going on out here."

Maybe this will be the start of change amongst referees looking for any excuse to remove Cousins from the game. Cousins is at fault sometimes, but he has really come a long way with controlling himself since entering the league. His reputation with his emotion still warrants refs to take any precautions so that nothing escalates to the next level. Hopefully, refs will take it easier on Cousins when it comes to technicals because he is by far the heart and soul of the Kings, without him, the Kings have no shot at winning games. In any matter, it was nice to see the refs come together and fix the mistake they had made.

Tim Duncan's Jersey Retirement

Tim Duncan is arguably the greatest power forward of all time. He has a number of records and accolades to back up the argument. So it is easy to understand why not even 6 months after retirement the San Antonio Spurs decided to retire Duncan's number 21 after spending his entire 19-year career in San Antonio. Duncan is a 15-time all-star, a back to back MVP, 3 time Finals MVP, and a 5 time NBA champion. Here is a chart of all of Tim Duncan's accomplishments.

Stat	Number	All-Time
Points	26,496	14th
Rebounds	15,091	6th
Blocks	3,020	5th
Minutes	47,368	12th
Games	1,392	8th

Tim Duncan is truly an all time great. He was one of four legends to retire this summer. The other three being Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Kobe Bryant. These four walking away from the game shows the end of an era is near. The only 90's Hall of Fame bound players still active are Vince Carter, Paul Pierce, and Dirk Nowitzki. It won't be much longer until the 90's draft classes finally disappear from the NBA.

Darren Abate/AP Photo

Either way, all the names mentioned are great company for Duncan to be with. If anything Duncan may be the best player out of all the names above. Kobe Bryant may be the only exception, but it constitutes an argument to be had. Both players are very different and had very different careers. Not to mention both players also have completely different personalities.

Like with any players retirement, it is sad to see them go, but on nights like this the player is remembered and celebrated for everything they have done for the organization and the city. Duncan may not be a member of the San Antonio Spurs roster, but he will always be a part of the Spurs family going forward. He left the team in good hands and should be happy that he helped create the winning culture that is in place there today.

Remembering Craig Sager

Last night an icon in broadcast journalism, Craig Sager, passed away after two years of battling acute myeloid leukemia. Sager was in broadcasting for well over 30 years that included hosting and co-hosting sports shows, running radio broadcast, and conducting sideline interviews. Sager became a full-time member of Turner Sports in 1987. During that time he was only doing sideline reporting for Atlanta Hawks when they had a game aired on the network.

Later in his career Sager found his calling working the sidelines during basketball games. This was the role he was most well known for and he became a special part of the NBA community. He will be remembered for his eye-popping suits that he would wear every night. What made Sager really special is his personality. He had a connection with the players and coaches that always made the interviews feel much more personal with those watching at home.

But when Sager became sick and couldn't work the sideline his son stepped up to fill in. In an interview with Greg Popovich, Popovich probably spoke the most he had ever spoke during a sideline report. And what he said had nothing to do with basketball. He said, "You did a great job, but I'd rather have your dad standing here. Craig, we miss you. You have been an important part of all this for a long time doing a great job. We want your fanny back on the court. And I promise I'll be nice. Get back here. Good luck." In the first interview between Craig and Pop since Craig's return, you can tell how heartfelt the exchange was. (7:26 in the video above)

In March of 2016, Sager announced his Leukemia had returned. He was told he had about three to six months to live without any treatment. Sager kept fighting though and underwent his third bone marrow transplant. Knowing that his fight was slowly coming to an end, Turner sports loaned Sager to Disney to work his first ever NBA Finals in June of 2016. The very next month Sager received the Jimmy V Perseverance award at the 2016 ESPYS. And just two days before his death Sager was introduced into the Broadcasting Hall of Fame on December 13th, 2016.

Sager's passing sent shock waves through the NBA. Teams paid tribute to Sager, like they have all year long, by wearing goofy style t-shirts during warm-ups. Broadcasters across the country had been paying tribute all year long by wearing outlandish suits and dresses on game nights. Although Sager is no longer with us, his will to fight will always carry on. He has influenced everyone to continue being Sager Strong and make every second count.

Fate of the Furious Trailer Release

Now this is normally a sports blog and I have only strayed away from sports one time before. Well I am about to do it again. Yesterday the trailer for The Fate of the Furious premiered in New York City. For those who do not know The Fate of the Furious is the title for the 8th installment in the Fast and Furious franchise. After the huge success of the last two movies, the newest film has some big shoes to fill. So far the hype around the new films is on par if not bigger than any of the previous films. As a matter of fact, this film is the first one to ever shut down Time Square for a trailer release. That just shows how much anticipation surrounds this film.

From here I want to warn anyone reading that there are some spoilers ahead for those who have not seen the trailer or any of the past movies. I will put the trailer in this post so now is the time to watch it before I go on.

The trailer starts off with the family on a job. The team has everything going smoothly and then they go separate ways. Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) are riding away when out of nowhere Dom runs Hobbs off the road. Dom then makes an escape on a plane leaving his family behind. From here Hobbs and the family gather a team to go after Dom who has gone rouge. One of the recruits is the antagonist from the 7th film, Ian Shaw (Jason Statham). Together their goal is to stop Dom.

This is the first installment without main star Paul Walker. Many fans are eager to see how the franchise progresses with Walker. Aside from the obvious, there was one other thing that probably only bothered some fans. Lucas Black who plays Sean Boswell, the protagonist in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, was not present in the trailer. Black's character made a cameo appearance in Furious 7 but did not have a big role. His character is not too popular among most fans, but for some, they have been waiting for him to make a return. Lucas Black is listed as a cast member for his role of Sean Boswell so he is expected to make an appearance in The Fate of the Furious. Whether or not he will have another cameo appearance or reprise a bigger role in the film is anyone's guess. For now, we will have to wait and see.

Other cast members returning to reprise their roles are Ludacris as Tej Parker, Tyrese Gibson as Roman Pearce, Michelle Rodriguez as Letty 'Ortiz' Toretto, Nathalie Emmanuel as Ramsey, Kurt Russell as Mr. Nobody, Jordana Brewster as Mia Toretto, and Elsa Pataky as Elena Neves. The Fate of the Furious will debut in theaters April 14th, 2017.

Is the NBA at its Best Right Now?

There is always a debate on which decade of NBA basketball is the best. For most, they would immediately point to the 90's calling it the golden age of basketball. The league was filled with stars from Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler, Patrick Ewing, David Robinson, and so much more. There are too many names to list. In the 90's there were also newcomers such as Jason Kidd, Shaq, and Grant Hill were all emerging as stars. And then, late in the decade, fans were welcomed with one of the best draft classes of all time with Allen Iverson and Kobe Bryant being the two top names associated with the 1996 draft.

For some folks, the 80's were the best decade in basketball. The rivalry between the Celtics and Lakers was renewed with new faces leading the teams. Larry Bird vs Magic Johnson was always the talk surrounding the NBA. Throughout the 80's and especially the 1984 draft fans were introduced to young players who would become the future stars of the league. The 80's were also Julius "Dr. J" Erving's final seasons in the NBA. A passing of the torch from one of the most iconic basketball figures ever.

If you are old enough or have grandparents who loved basketball, the 70's might be their favorite decade of basketball. Dr. J was the face of the ABA and was a polarizing figure in that league. In the NBA players such as Lew Alcindor (A.K.A. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), Bob McAdoo, Elvin Hayes, and much more were setting the league on fire. It is crazy to think at one point in this country there were two big professional basketball leagues. The merger mid-way through the decade would bring over some rules from the ABA into the NBA. The most relevant one being the three point line.

Hoopsinthehollandhouse

All this leads to today. The NBA is having the most commercial success the league has ever seen before. TV ratings are up, the league is making a lot of money, records are being broken each year, and there is an endless amount of talent. For all these reasons people debate that the NBA is at its best right now.

Now there is a reason why the word debate is in the title. There is no clear answer as to if the NBA is at its best. Statistically, in terms of money, performance, and player performance the league has never been healthier. Then again each decade was different. The NBA never had as much coverage as it does today mostly due to the technology that is available now. It is also unfair to compare decades to each other because each decade is different. Older rules may affect how well current players perform or new rules may hinder players of past generations. Also, we will never be able to see players from one decade play players from another.

The short answer is, yes the NBA has never been more successful. As always comparing players from one decade to another is just not feasible. It is all speculation and a matter of opinion. The best thing to do is just enjoy what these players are accomplishing right now.

Nets Fans: LeVert is Finally Here

For Nets fans it has been a long season. And we are only one month into the season. The Nets have been hard to watch this year just due to the talent alone. Their best player is Brook Lopez and he is not exactly the most exciting player to watch. If you're a Nets fan he's great and we have all come to love him, but to NBA fans he is a bore. It is understandable considering the NBA is a guard driven league. The rest of the Nets roster is nothing to gloat about either. The Nets have nice pieces who would compliment playoff teams, but overall the team lacks talent.

But one of the few bright spots on this roster are the younger guys. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson has been getting better and better each game. Plus he is only 21. Isaiah Whitehead has played fairly well, but he is a 21-year-old rookie still trying to transition to the NBA as well as learn the point guard position. And then there is the Nets 20th overall pick Caris LeVert.

LeVert has yet to play this season due to a foot injury that he suffered his last year in college. He has been recovering from his injury, but he has finally been listed as available for the Nets tonight. This is probably the most exciting news all year if you are a Nets fan. LeVert was considered a lottery pick in past years, but his injury history scared away a lot of teams. The Nets, however, need to take chances considering they have a swap pick this off-season with Boston and no pick in 2018. With no tradeable assets either the Nets have no choice, but to give guys a shot.

This mentality has lead to the signings of Anthony Bennett and now Donatas Motiejunas. It is the reason the Nets drafted Whitehead and LeVert. The Nets are trying to find the diamond in the rough. There is no guarantee that any of these guys are that, but the Nets are hoping that at least one of them is that diamond.

The Nets play the Wizards tonight at 7:30. Expect LeVert to play but in limited minutes. I'm sure the Nets do not want to take a risk of LeVert having any set backs. It is likely they will slowly work LeVert into the rotation as the season continues on. Hopefully LeVert proves himself worthy of the Nets trading Thaddeus Young for or else this will become another in a long line of bad trades for the Nets.