AK-47: LeBron 'escalated the conflict'

[alley oop]

LeBron James may think otherwise, but Brooklyn Nets forward Andrei Kirilenko said he didn't flop in Friday's 104-95 win in double overtime over the Miami Heat. James, who fouled out for the sixth time in his career, said after the game he thought Kirilenko flopped a few times.

"It’s all right," Kirilenko told The Record (N.J.). "I don’t really care, I don’t take it personally. ... He’s a strong guy, he tries to overpower his defenders. And every time he’s trying to [get] open, he has to use his force. I didn’t flop. That’s what I can tell you."

Kirilenko was one of the Nets assigned the tough task of guarding James during Friday's battle. James was whistled for his sixth foul in the first overtime when he drove into the lane and was called for a charge on Shaun Livingston. While the Heat were able to force a second overtime, the Nets pulled away in that last stanza.

"I thought Kirilenko flopped a few times to be honest about it, and he got the call," James said after the game. "The last one that fouled me out could've been a charge for sure. He put his hands on me as I drove and that got him off balance and he got the call. But he definitely flopped a few times."

Kirilenko told The Record that the Nets' plan on defense was to "be annoying" to James by crowding him. James still scored 36 points.

One player who particularly annoyed James was Nets forward Mirza Teletovic, who was whistled for a flagrant foul 1 after he wrapped his arms around James while the reigning MVP drove to the basket in the fourth quarter. James went at Teletovic, although the two never came to blows. Teletovic smiled at James while they were being separated.
Kirilenko believes James made too big a deal out of the foul.

"I think he escalated the conflict rather than just let it go," Kirilenko told the paper. "I was a little bit surprised because it wasn’t a situation to get into a fight, Mirza just tried to slow him down and understand that something is going wrong so he let him go right away. [LeBron] just overreacted a little bit."

http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/brooklyn-nets/post/_/id/15255/ak-47-lebron-escalated-the-conflict

It was quite a game. KG plus 18; Pierce plus 21. And Lebron had his first regular season foul out since 2008.

[alley oop]

..

[BleedGreen1989]

I'm not a Lebron hater at all, but this guy whines every time he fouls out of a game or gets in foul trouble.

[Cman]

I'm not a Lebron hater at all, but this guy whines every time he fouls out of a game or gets in foul trouble.

LeWhiner James.

[Moranis]

I'm not a Lebron hater at all, but this guy whines every time he fouls out of a game or gets in foul trouble.

so does garnett, so does pierce, so does rondo, so does wade, etc.  They all do it.

[Celtics4ever]

   
whiner  (hwn, wn, er)
n.
1. A person who utters a plaintive, high-pitched, protracted sound, as in pain, fear, supplication, or complaint.
2. A person who complains or protests in a childish fashion.


{INSERT LEBRON PICTURE HERE}

[fitzhickey]

You'd think he'd be gracious for years of preferential treatment and just take it on the chin. you'd think wrong

[Onslaught]

I'm not a Lebron hater at all, but this guy whines every time he fouls out of a game or gets in foul trouble.

so does garnett, so does pierce, so does rondo, so does wade, etc.  They all do it.

Not on the same level as James. I recall when we took them to 7 games two seasons ago and he fouled out of a game he said something along the lines of "Lebron James doesn't foul out."
Well, if you could enough you do big boy, no matter what names on the back of the jersey.

[kraidstar]

the funny thing about lebron's whining is that he rarely actually gets called for fouls. you'd think he'd be more thankful for the refs' charity. the man went for a stretch of 254 game minutes in 2012 without a foul. such is the life of one of stern's favorites.
just waiting for the day when the story breaks about lebron having steroid connections. you know it won't come from the league, it'll have to be some other type of investigation. but that will indeed be a wonderful day.

[CelticD]

the funny thing about lebron's whining is that he rarely actually gets called for fouls. you'd think he'd be more thankful for the refs' charity. the man went for a stretch of 254 game minutes in 2012 without a foul. such is the life of one of stern's favorites.
just waiting for the day when the story breaks about lebron having steroid connections. you know it won't come from the league, it'll have to be some other type of investigation. but that will indeed be a wonderful day.

ya those are some of the things i dont really get wen it comes to these superstars. they already get a lot calls in their favor, wats the point of complaining. it was crazy to see players like durant among the league leaders in ft's made and attempted last season, but also among the leaders in technical fouls.

[D.o.s.]

Last year, LeBron finished 4th in the league in PFP48 (personal fouls per 48 minutes) with 1.5. He has no real leg to stand on when it comes to complaining.

http://espn.go.com/nba/statistics/player/_/stat/fouls/sort/avg48Fouls/year/2013/order/false

On the other hand, all these guys are going to complain--they're competitive. It's the nature of the beast.


AND ON THE THIRD HAND!:
I can't believe AK said he didn't flop with what I presume was a straight face.

[csfansince60s]

I'm not a Lebron hater at all, but this guy whines every time he fouls out of a game or gets in foul trouble.

So you're saying LeQueen almost NEVER whines.