Real Deal

Game is finally over. I hope Bryant doesn't even play the next game.

Cool that it's a close game, and the Lakers are trying to win, but Kobe needs to come out of the game. He shouldn't even be playing over 12 minutes while he's still healing from the surgery.

For some reason, Rubio seems to have gotten worse putting the ball in the basket since 2008.

Disregarding the record books for a minute (just pretend like we've just started counting assists in basketball, so don't consider how unfair it would be for Magic and Stockton), should the NBA log an assist when a player is fouled AND makes one or both of his free throws? If you think about it, the pass does lead to a point or two, as long as the player makes the free throws...and technically, it was the passer that "assisted" by putting his teammate in the position to get to the foul line.

So wait...all of your predictions wrapped up in a bundle here: Afflalo - 15 PPG (8.8 PPG last season) Lawson - 13 PPG (8.3 PPG last season) Martin - 16 PPG (11.5 PPG last season) Carmelo, Harrington, Billups, Smith, Nene...all going to average under 15 PPG each? Because Denver isn't going to score 120+ PPG.

I believe they are showing this on ESPN or ESPN2. EDIT: ESPN2

Wait, Lopez got ejected in a preseason game? LOL.

LOL, I don't know how many times I have to repeat it (maybe it's because you guys drool over hearing it?), but I think the Heat will win 60+ games and probably get to the Finals. I don't have a motive to post reasons why I think they will fail. I really don't care. If I was insecure about my team, it would be a different story...but the Lakers are the two-time champs, they have Kobe, they have Phil, and we're in the West. All I'm simply saying is that there should be a little concern, at least in the playoffs, about selfish play, based on their previous averages, James' ego and his latest comment. All you guys are saying is that there's no chance of it. Very convincing, fellas. Just noticed that Dee is rooting for the Lakers, if her Mavs don't win it all. She has always hated the Lakers, since our days at JBB (in 2004). I'm starting to see a lot of people doing this, also, and for very good reason, and a lot of it doesn't have anything to do with LeBron leaving Cleveland. Criticizing the Heat doesn't make you a hater, but saying they will do this and that, nearly perfect trio, makes you the ultimate homer. Let me go ahead and write the reply a few of you will give... So, again, cool. Your team has no holes, has the three best players in the NBA, and has already won six consecutive titles and 73+ games, is already the greatest trio to ever play together. They will be perfect. Their games complement each other to perfection. Perfect. Chalmers and Co. will be much, much better players, the Heat will go 16-0 in the playoffs (because who the hell can defend Wade AND LeBron, right?) and all 29 other teams' fans will eat crow for being haters. Hope I covered it all. [expletive] is making me want to leave my own site and never turn on ESPN again...and yeah, it's definitely not just the media anymore.

Haha, okay, nothing to worry about. They will all defer when necessary, and play perfectly. Lots of proof, no reason to speculate.

You can give me that argument for Wade, but there's no way you'll ever convince me that LeBron's ego isn't as bloated as Shaq or Bryant's.

There's no proof of that, though. In that case, all three will want lesser roles, because all three carried their teams. Seven years still puts these players in their primes. Technically, they aren't even NBA veterans yet (10+ years). I think there are people overrating AND underrating what this team can do, both sides of the fence. But, I can't say I fully trust that the three will be able to share the ball similar to, say, the 2004 Detroit Pistons (who had no clear-cut dominant scorer). And I feel like Kobe and Shaq DID take a lesser role. O'Neal never averaged 30 or more PPG in his career...but I have a gut feeling he could've. Bryant didn't hit 30 until the third ring was completed, and he took over 27 FGA per game on his way to a 35.4 PPG average, post-Shaq. But, despite those two deferring to each other to win three consecutive titles, the egos intercepted their success. These were two guys who stated they were going to win championships together until they retired, stood by none other than Magic himself and told the world this. It's two guys who really did take a lesser role when Payton and Malone came in, 6-8 less points per game, just to win a fourth. The only team that has had success doing this was Boston, and it may have been because they were all failing so much, they needed to defer. Garnett and Ray were much older, and none of them (even Pierce) had a ring to their name. None of them were dominant 30+ PPG scorers that found their way to the NBA Finals, and neither Ray or Pierce were among the top five in the league at any point of their career. Houston's experiment with Hakeem, Barkley and Drexler failed due to injuries and age. The Lakers' experiment that included Malone and Payton failed possibly due to that one injury to Malone, and Bryant and Shaq not being able to play together. Wilt, West and Baylor didn't make it due to injuries. While it'll always be about the team as a whole, it won't seem like it because there are three monsters in Miami. One goes down, though, and then it will be very evident that the entire team is most important, and that's where those other teams failed in the past. Only problem is, most of the ones I named were older, ringless (or hurting for wins), and desperate. I'm really not sure if this current Heat trio shares the same characteristics, and that maybe, it's this trio that will have the biggest concern with chemistry and selfishness.

Dude, I swear, the game does this on purpose: it has you really, really close to completing one of the Jordan challenges (in my case, the 63), and then you miss your last 2-3 shots at the end of the game. It's frustrating, lol.

Where do you think Brandon Tate will rank at the end of the season, among the list of receivers in the league? With Moss gone, will he struggle a little more, or shine with all the attention he'll get from Brady?

Right, but I think that the drug-testing cost won't come close to the tons of undeserving people's spendings. In fact, I don't just think that...I can say I know it for sure. My aunt was on welfare for a long time. If there was one massive bill showing how much she spent...well, that bill would indeed be massive.

I don't think it'll be an issue for the regular season, but I think the Heat fans do have to worry once Miami has to play a team like Boston 4-7 times in the playoffs. I think the tension will be much higher, Wade and Bron will jump the gun trying to take over games when they see each other struggle down the stretch, and it could cause some trouble. Don't forget, part of the self-destruction of the Kobe/Shaq dynasty was due to this exact thing. People can praise the Spurs all they want and talk about how great they were, but most Lakers fans will come in and admit that the two egos clashed often, in both the regular season and especially the playoffs, and it presented a problem after that third ring (and even during their dynasty run, to be honest, but it was never as severe as it was after the third championship).

Most Outstanding Player award. Basically, my reason dips into those who look at the MVPs and say, "He's the best player in the league." Incorrect. Steve Nash has never been the best player in the NBA, but by definition, he was arguably the most valuable to his team. Most valuable to his team, or most valuable to the league? It's shooting in the dark, really.

Jerebko is going to be out for the season. I don't know of any player who has come back from that so soon. White will be out 1-3 months. Like Sean says, it depends on the severity of the break.

Crazy. Which ones will be like, "The welfare program should be dropped altogether, and Medicaid/Medicare as well, and everyone needs to just get a job making $30/hour and deal with life!"

WOW. A Raptors fan would post this. Scared that the Heat will win the East this year?!?! You mad the Heat will possibly have a better record than the Raptors?

http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/20224/gms-picking-against-lebron-james

WHOA. Everyone please note what time it was when I posted this.

How much more scarier than Brady to Moss, though? Then again, Favre won't hesitate to throw the ball deep. Crazy thing is, he can pretty much just THROW the deep ball and see who catches it, out of Moss, Jennings and Driver. EDIT: I mean Harvin and Rice.

Alright, Jordan mode is crazy tough. The AI is much, MUCH smarter in this game, too. They improved the help defense significantly. Run P&R three consecutive times and see how a team like the Spurs treats that decision. The only thing I don't like, but I'll get used to, is the passing. Really difficult. Sometimes, it's like you're playing five Gary Paytons out there. Oh, and Jordan mode is crazy tough.

It's going to be completed tomorrow (well, today). Crazy, and unexpected.

It's not related to cancer at all. I think they DID fool you, actually.