Mark Cuban pwns Skip Bayless and ESPN

[indeedproceed]

Skip Bayless won by a landslide. Why? We're talking about him and more people are going to tune in to watch him to see who "exposes him" next.

There is some truth here. I do think Bayless didn't see this one coming, but I've thought more about him since this happened than I had in the 3 months preceding it.

[CELTSFAN77]

Are you guys really arguing about whether or not LeBron cares what people think about him?

Of course he cares! He's got the most produced 'image' in sports, with a whole team of guys trying to market him. He's got the biggest endorsement deals in sports, and he's been sheltered and coddled his entire life. The whole deal probably makes LeBron lose sleep as much as any athlete out there.

Yep, of course he cares.  Did it cause him to lose last year and win this year?  No one can say for sure.

[Change]

Are you guys really arguing about whether or not LeBron cares what people think about him?

Of course he cares! He's got the most produced 'image' in sports, with a whole team of guys trying to market him. He's got the biggest endorsement deals in sports, and he's been sheltered and coddled his entire life. The whole deal probably makes LeBron lose sleep as much as any athlete out there.

Winning cures all ills. Michael Jordan was the biggest jerk ever. But because he won and won a lot, his obnoxious behavior was brushed under the rug. His PR team masterfully portrayed another image. "Pulled wool over eyes". People who have interacted with him having nothing good to say about him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4ZQERHL6ow

[Eja117]

http://www.asternwarning.com/201206241132/articles/nba/lebron-james-interview-on-winning-the-title.html

Personally I thought Lebron was a little full of it in this "interview" but he confirmed multiple things Skip said.

He was under pressure.

He implied he wilted when she said "Only 11 shots? That's not you" and he said "The mind is a powerful thing. It's unexplainable" not "Well they really defended me really well giving me different looks"

The media is clearly in his head. He's giving an interview like 3 days after winning and stated "I've heard em all. I thought I was a villain".

Directly compared himself to Jordan.

Didn't seem to confirm anything Cuban said

Of course Lebron confirms a couple things Skip Bayless says.  Lebron is "under pressure". Tell me, who in the NBA, is not under pressure?  Lebron heard what the media says about him.  Tell me, who in the NBA, has not heard what the media says?  These are generalizations that Cuban addresses directly and deems ridiculous because they are not facts, and are not points that can be be argued.  Cuban is simply stating that if the media (which is ultimately who is he criticizing, not just Skip Bayless) is going to analyze the game of basketball, they need to use actual evidence of ingame play.

Point of the matter is, Skip Bayless uses "facts" that can't be argued, and can generally apply to anyone.  Mark Cuban just simply wants the media to use in-game basketball facts instead of emotional generalizations.

Which is a great idea because there's nothing emotional about the game of basketball, and when there is it can't be measured by an objective Cubanometer computer, therefore we all can't talk about it.
Please. Give me reporter like Skip who tells it like it is over a computer geek like Cuban, who doesn't even make any sense any day.
He does a good job of immediately identifying a market and computing numbers on Shark Tank. He does nothing for me as a basketball "analyst".   BECAUSE WE MADE HIM A JUMP SHOOTER!  Sure ya did there buddy. Sure ya did.

[indeedproceed]

Are you guys really arguing about whether or not LeBron cares what people think about him?

Of course he cares! He's got the most produced 'image' in sports, with a whole team of guys trying to market him. He's got the biggest endorsement deals in sports, and he's been sheltered and coddled his entire life. The whole deal probably makes LeBron lose sleep as much as any athlete out there.

Yep, of course he cares.  Did it cause him to lose last year and win this year?  No one can say for sure.

I think there is definitely some truth to LeBron faltering last season because mentally he stutter stepped a bit.

There is such a thing as being illprepared for a challenge. LeBron lost a finals once before, but it was one he had no right at all in winning. That Spurs team was head and shoulders above him,  and expectations were low. Just by getting by the pistons, he'd exceeded expectations.

He had real expectations last year, a favorite to win. He definitely balked, when a victory looked like an outside shot instead of an assured thing. On top of that, the Mavs played extremely well.

People always want to make causality one particular thing. It almost never is. LeBron, or anyone can falter a little, and lose, but that does not mean its why they lost.

This year I think it was clear when it looked like the Cs were going to advance Lebron learned real urgerrncy or real hunger. Whether a lesson learned last season, or this season, it doesn't matter.

[Eja117]

Are you guys really arguing about whether or not LeBron cares what people think about him?

Of course he cares! He's got the most produced 'image' in sports, with a whole team of guys trying to market him. He's got the biggest endorsement deals in sports, and he's been sheltered and coddled his entire life. The whole deal probably makes LeBron lose sleep as much as any athlete out there.

Yep, of course he cares.  Did it cause him to lose last year and win this year?  No one can say for sure.

I think there is definitely some truth to LeBron faltering last season because mentally he stutter stepped a bit.

There is such a thing as being illprepared for a challenge. LeBron lost a finals once before, but it was one he had no right at all in winning. That Spurs team was head and shoulders above him,  and expectations were low. Just by getting by the pistons, he'd exceeded expectations.

He had real expectations last year, a favorite to win. He definitely balked, when a victory looked like an outside shot instead of an assured thing. On top of that, the Mavs played extremely well.

People always want to make causality one particular thing. It almost never is. LeBron, or anyone can falter a little, and lose, but that does not mean its why they lost.

This year I think it was clear when it looked like the Cs were going to advance Lebron learned real urgerrncy or real hunger. Whether a lesson learned last season, or this season, it doesn't matter.

Right. Exactly. The entire world can see that Lebron changed. Changed a lot. Lebron says it. Skip says it.
Cuban wants us to think it's not because of Lebron. See that just gives no credit to the Mavs if you say Lebron melted down or something. The difference is because of all the defensive sets that the Mavs ran because the Mavs MADE HIM INTO A JUMP SHOOTER!  And they had to do that because they didn't have the athletes that OKC does.
Yup. Had nothing to do with Lebron either time. It's all about the defensive sets. Genius analysis Mr. Cuban. Genius.  
And Skip. Cmon. Telling us Lebron wilted under excruciating pressure. DIdn't you know it's all about the defensive sets? Cmon. They made him into a jump shooter. Lebron didn't exercise any free will or anything. Lebron had nothing to do with it!  Give the Mavs credit!

All those times Jordan won? Defensive sets. Jordan had nothing to do with it. The credit needs to go to Phil Jackson and his Triangle Offense. Why do you run a triangle offense Cuban? Why do you run a triangle offense? A triangle offense MAKES JORDAN INTO A SCORER!!!

Aren't I a genius analyst that knows so much about basketball?  

See what I did there?

[CELTSFAN77]

http://www.asternwarning.com/201206241132/articles/nba/lebron-james-interview-on-winning-the-title.html

Personally I thought Lebron was a little full of it in this "interview" but he confirmed multiple things Skip said.

He was under pressure.

He implied he wilted when she said "Only 11 shots? That's not you" and he said "The mind is a powerful thing. It's unexplainable" not "Well they really defended me really well giving me different looks"

The media is clearly in his head. He's giving an interview like 3 days after winning and stated "I've heard em all. I thought I was a villain".

Directly compared himself to Jordan.

Didn't seem to confirm anything Cuban said

Of course Lebron confirms a couple things Skip Bayless says.  Lebron is "under pressure". Tell me, who in the NBA, is not under pressure?  Lebron heard what the media says about him.  Tell me, who in the NBA, has not heard what the media says?  These are generalizations that Cuban addresses directly and deems ridiculous because they are not facts, and are not points that can be be argued.  Cuban is simply stating that if the media (which is ultimately who is he criticizing, not just Skip Bayless) is going to analyze the game of basketball, they need to use actual evidence of ingame play.

Point of the matter is, Skip Bayless uses "facts" that can't be argued, and can generally apply to anyone.  Mark Cuban just simply wants the media to use in-game basketball facts instead of emotional generalizations.

Which is a great idea because there's nothing emotional about the game of basketball, and when there is it can't be measured by an objective Cubanometer computer, therefore we all can't talk about it.
Please. Give me reporter like Skip who tells it like it is over a computer geek like Cuban, who doesn't even make any sense any day.
He does a good job of immediately identifying a market and computing numbers on Shark Tank. He does nothing for me as a basketball "analyst".   BECAUSE WE MADE HIM A JUMP SHOOTER!  Sure ya did there buddy. Sure ya did.

What Cuban is saying, is that the Mav's didn't simply win because Lebron was emotionally weak.  He's saying credit should be given where it's due, and it should.  The Mav's played Lebron to his weaknesses and Dirk played well.  Yes, Dirk was a monster and the Mav's played Lebron better than OKC.  Was this because Lebron was emotionally weak?  I think not.  You see, there are hundreds of factors in a basketball game.  For some reason, you think all NBA championships are dependent on one superstar's emotional status.  Keep in mind that Mike Miller went 7-8 from the 3 pt. line, not to mention some controversial calls throughout the playoffs. Sure, Lebron is the best player in the world, but when given difference circumstances, even the best can fail.  Remember, this is a TEAM game.

If you're going to analyze why the Heat won a championship, talk about what they did well and what the Thunder didn't do well.  It's not because Lebron is "the most pressured player".  It's not because Lebron "wanted it more" than Durant.  These are things you can NEVER measure.  Let's be honest here, you can say that about any team that wins.  There's nothing special or informative about that.  No one doubts Lebron is the best player of this years playoffs, but come on now.  Let's go deeper than emotions.  Let's analyze game play. That's all Cuban is saying.

[CELTSFAN77]

Are you guys really arguing about whether or not LeBron cares what people think about him?

Of course he cares! He's got the most produced 'image' in sports, with a whole team of guys trying to market him. He's got the biggest endorsement deals in sports, and he's been sheltered and coddled his entire life. The whole deal probably makes LeBron lose sleep as much as any athlete out there.

Yep, of course he cares.  Did it cause him to lose last year and win this year?  No one can say for sure.

I think there is definitely some truth to LeBron faltering last season because mentally he stutter stepped a bit.

There is such a thing as being illprepared for a challenge. LeBron lost a finals once before, but it was one he had no right at all in winning. That Spurs team was head and shoulders above him,  and expectations were low. Just by getting by the pistons, he'd exceeded expectations.

He had real expectations last year, a favorite to win. He definitely balked, when a victory looked like an outside shot instead of an assured thing. On top of that, the Mavs played extremely well.

People always want to make causality one particular thing. It almost never is. LeBron, or anyone can falter a little, and lose, but that does not mean its why they lost.

This year I think it was clear when it looked like the Cs were going to advance Lebron learned real urgerrncy or real hunger. Whether a lesson learned last season, or this season, it doesn't matter.

Right. Exactly. The entire world can see that Lebron changed. Changed a lot. Lebron says it. Skip says it.
Cuban wants us to think it's not because of Lebron. See that just gives no credit to the Mavs if you say Lebron melted down or something. The difference is because of all the defensive sets that the Mavs ran because the Mavs MADE HIM INTO A JUMP SHOOTER!  And they had to do that because they didn't have the athletes that OKC does.
Yup. Had nothing to do with Lebron either time. It's all about the defensive sets. Genius analysis Mr. Cuban. Genius.  
And Skip. Cmon. Telling us Lebron wilted under excruciating pressure. DIdn't you know it's all about the defensive sets? Cmon. They made him into a jump shooter. Lebron didn't exercise any free will or anything. Lebron had nothing to do with it!  Give the Mavs credit!

All those times Jordan won? Defensive sets. Jordan had nothing to do with it. The credit needs to go to Phil Jackson and his Triangle Offense. Why do you run a triangle offense Cuban? Why do you run a triangle offense? A triangle offense MAKES JORDAN INTO A SCORER!!!

Aren't I a genius analyst that knows so much about basketball?  

See what I did there?

Stop this stupid straw man, you're putting words into my mouth.  The point you're missing here is, there is more to a championship than pressure and motivation.  Michael Jordan had the skills, he had the teammates, he had the coach, he was in the right position to succeed (as Cuban said about Lebron).  Lebron James was in the right position to succeed, at least more so than the Thunder.  This does not mean Jordan/Lebron weren't responsible for winning, they are absolutely responsible that.  But again, this is based on hundreds of factors that are more complicated than Lebron James' motivation and emotional status.  The media can try to get into it by analyzing ACTUAL GAME PLAY, such as defensive sets, offensive rhythm, or anything that is informative.  Is "wanting it more" and "pressure" the best you can do?

[indeedproceed]

Well like I said though, the mavs did very well against LeBron, they had a defender who could keep up in Marion, and a help defender who could dissuade Lebron from the paint in Chandler. If any of that had let up, Lebron might have seen it and bolstered his confidence.

LeBron LeChoked last year, but not in the way skip says it happened. It was a part of a whole, but does not encompass the whole. Skip pretends like it does, and Cuban rightly corrected him.

[Theodora5]

FAIL

[garz]

I just want to add Cuban is 54 years old, but he's behaving there with the maturity of maybe someone in their 20s. Can you imagine Doc Rivers carrying himself like that? I sure can't, and Cuban is actually older than him.

The Bayless act is for his career, to make money. I have no idea what he's like in real life. Cuban went on that show voluntarily to play a childish game for his own satisfaction, and that's who he really is. So I find that pretty embarrassing for him.

[Fafnir]

Well like I said though, the mavs did very well against LeBron, they had a defender who could keep up in Marion, and a help defender who could dissuade Lebron from the paint in Chandler. If any of that had let up, Lebron might have seen it and bolstered his confidence.

LeBron LeChoked last year, but not in the way skip says it happened. It was a part of a whole, but does not encompass the whole. Skip pretends like it does, and Cuban rightly corrected him.

I think the parts that really made LeBron look terrible is when they put Jason Kidd on him. They then put Marion on Wade and hid Terry on Chalmers.

At that point it was no longer the excellent defenders on him, but the excellent defensive scheme that had him defeated.

[Eja117]

I had a dream last night that Bob Kraft went on TV and revealed the Pats whole strategy at beating another team just to make a point and that fans thought that was really smart.

I woke up in a cold sweat at exactly 3:26am and said out loud "No way. That would never happen". The wife said "What would never happen?" I said "nothing" and went back to bed.