2025 NBA Season

[Rosilito]

They are still not mentioning anything if there is a plan or changes in the format.
There is no time frame into when they could resume the league so there must be something there.
Like in case they go back July, how can they squeeze the remaining games in it?
What if August or September?

Yes, that was a big task. 15-20 games left to play this season are important especially at those teams battling in the bottom spot of the playoffs. And it's not that easy to decide if those teams from 12th to 15th, or let's say 13th to 15th will automatically be eliminated when NBA resumes.

It is kinda messed up down there having a couple of games left to play, for sure they would play with everything they got specially those team close on clinching the playoffs.

But reading the topic about salary deduction that will take effect on May 15th....

If the league cancels the remainder of the regular season and jumps right into the playoffs, players likely will see the 25% paycheck reduction increase as high as 40%. If the league cancels the entire season, including the postseason, players are projected to lose more than $1 billion in total salary.

... it looks like the possibility of pushing through the playoffs without playing the remaining game this season is possible as they already fixed the terms for the pay cut just in case. I don't know how teams at the bottom will react to this if ever that plan of heading straight to Playoffs will be push.

It's really hard to decide when there is no timeline or at least good progress about the status of the pandemic virus.

What a lucky gift for teams who bounds in, if the league headed straight to playoffs.
Must be sad for those team close to 8th spot. And what hurts a lot is that, they got their salaries cut while the league took their opportunity on battling for their spot, what else would be disheartening than this  ?

[Russlenat]

What a lucky gift for teams who bounds in, if the league headed straight to playoffs.
Must be sad for those team close to 8th spot. And what hurts a lot is that, they got their salaries cut while the league took their opportunity on battling for their spot, what else would be disheartening than this  ?

They are not robbed here, every decision is now down from careful evaluation, of course the situation will be considered, and if we will straight forward to the playoffs then I think the decision being paid is just fair for the players and for the fans, all we want is just to see the NBA resume their games.

[Rikafip]

So, while looking for some MJ videos, I stumbled upon an interesting video review of clutch moments of him, and 2  other top NBA players that are often mentioned in GOAT talk.
Clutch parameters set by video creator:
1. Less than 5 minutes to go in the game ( plus potential OP)
2. Game within +/- 8 points

Clutch Review: Michael Jordan in the NBA Finals (1991-1998)
Total FG = 47-107 (44 fg%)
Total 2-PT FG =  46-97 (47 fg%)
Total 3-PT FG =  1-10 (10 fg%)

Clutch Review: Kobe Bryant in the NBA Finals (2000-2010)
Total FG = 33-82 (40 fg%)
Total 2-PT FG = 30-59 (51 fg%)
Total 3-PT FG = 3-23 (13 fg%)

Clutch Review: Lebron James in the NBA Finals (2007-2018)
Total FG = 31-91 (34 fg%)
Total 2-PT FG = 22-59 (37 fg%)
Total 3-PT FG = 9-32 (28 fg%)


For Jordan i knew he will excel at this aspect, but I must say that I am pleasantly surprised by Kobe's number in crucial parts of the game, somehow I thought his numbers would be much lower. Only thing that ruins it a bit are those 3 pts attempts, but most of those were forced. On the other hand, LeBron is not as clutch as I thought, and by many he is still considered as "greater" player than Kobe. One can argue that those parameters that are set might be more in favor of some players, and by changing it a bit we would get different percentages, but they are as they are.

Thoughts?

[Questat]

I am surprise that LBJ got a better percent on the 3 point line, I thought he is not a good shooter though.

But those stats of Kobe and Jordan are the stats of the legit greats in NBA, it only says that they are good in attacking the paint, do jump shots and not relying much in 3 point shooting. They are athletic and they uses that to contribute to their respective team .

If I will to rank not basing on the stats but only based on what I see them playing during that time, I'd say Kobe is very close to Jordan..
Lebron, nahh...

[Reid]

~
Thoughts?

My rank for them when we talk about clutch is according on how you write it.
Michael at first, Kobe then Lebron.

They have their own strengths though.
Lebron could start the game already in fire while MJ and Kobe needs a little time to heat their engines.
But we are talking about a fourth quarter game. It needs a lot of confidence.
I vote for MJ. He can shoot or he can pass, it's difficult to defend those kind of players.

[Golftech]

I am surprise that LBJ got a better percent on the 3 point line, I thought he is not a good shooter though.

But those stats of Kobe and Jordan are the stats of the legit greats in NBA, it only says that they are good in attacking the paint, do jump shots and not relying much in 3 point shooting. They are athletic and they uses that to contribute to their respective team .

If I will to rank not basing on the stats but only based on what I see them playing during that time, I'd say Kobe is very close to Jordan..
Lebron, nahh...

Kobe imitates MJ and he really did a very good job. He's next to the GOAT from how he played this game, he proved that he really deserved everything
that he achieved, also not being biased I go with Kobe next in line with MJ. They are both wanted the ball in the most crucial seconds of the game.

[Kasabus]

They are both wanted the ball in the most crucial seconds of the game.

True, that separates these two from Lebron James because Lebron though has a very impressive stats but he is not a clutch player, sometimes it leads him to pass the last shot instead of taking the shot because I don't know maybe he is afraid to put the blame on him, and also his FT is not reliable, more on the crucial situation of the game.

[Finestream]

They are both wanted the ball in the most crucial seconds of the game.

True, that separates these two from Lebron James because Lebron though has a very impressive stats but he is not a clutch player, sometimes it leads him to pass the last shot instead of taking the shot because I don't know maybe he is afraid to put the blame on him, and also his FT is not reliable, more on the crucial situation of the game.

But as Lebron continues to play, he will have a better record in paper but not in real achievement in big games or in the eyes of the people as clearly Kobe and Jordan carries their team to win championship, Lebron needs to pair with the best players to be able to do that, but with his team in the Lakers now, if he can bring this team to the championship and win, then maybe he will get the respect of the people.

[Reid]

They are both wanted the ball in the most crucial seconds of the game.

True, that separates these two from Lebron James because Lebron though has a very impressive stats but he is not a clutch player, sometimes it leads him to pass the last shot instead of taking the shot because I don't know maybe he is afraid to put the blame on him, and also his FT is not reliable, more on the crucial situation of the game.

That may be the reason behind it. The freethrow percentage. If he gets fouled then there is a high chance that the opponent can make a lead on the next ball possession.
But I do believe he have his moments too.
That fading to the sideline glass shot and a another fade away from the three point line where he almost stepped in the line.
If we break it all down, I think Kobe have the most clutch shots.
He had more years playing the game vs Jordan.

[el kaka22]

Let's not really overreact on the last second shot thingy, MJ has also passed to Kerr and Paxon when he had to as well in order to win.
Sometimes even if you are the best player on the team, passing the ball doesn't mean that you are not a killer or not a good player or anything, if someone else has a better chance of scoring and giving you the win, you prefer to go with that person to win the game instead of thinking all by yourself.

Michael Jordan helped Kobe as much as he can to improve Kobe's game and wanted him to move the game forward, and Kobe's last tweet was about how Lebron should move the game forward, and Lebron should want players after him to move the game forward. I do not think that players would want others to be like them, I think players will want younger generation to be better than them.

[Captain Corporate]

 Lebron shoots like 2/3 from three, he has around %70 free throw percentage, thats not really all that bad honestly, not great neither but it wouldn't really kill the momentum or anything. One more thing about Lebron that MJ and Kobe played with heart and fire and I am sure Lebron does too but not as much, whereas Lebron plays a lot with his brain, dude basically runs improvised plays on his mind for what happens and he tries to mimick the same thing so he could counter the defense. He also remembers the whole game in mind usually as well for a long time. I think Lebron could be at the top of talent/smart level, sure MJ or Kobe could be more talented who could say they are not, its an argument, but I do not remember any player who was more talented AND smarter than lebron as well, he is number one on that for sure.

[Viscore]

They are both wanted the ball in the most crucial seconds of the game.

True, that separates these two from Lebron James because Lebron though has a very impressive stats but he is not a clutch player, sometimes it leads him to pass the last shot instead of taking the shot because I don't know maybe he is afraid to put the blame on him, and also his FT is not reliable, more on the crucial situation of the game.

That may be the reason behind it. The freethrow percentage. If he gets fouled then there is a high chance that the opponent can make a lead on the next ball possession.
But I do believe he have his moments too.
That fading to the sideline glass shot and a another fade away from the three point line where he almost stepped in the line.
If we break it all down, I think Kobe have the most clutch shots.
He had more years playing the game vs Jordan.

Lebron can still play and though at his age now, he still plays like an MVP candidate, he is not a double double guy who are consistent with his assists and I would not be surprise if he gets triple double in playoffs where he will be working hard as we have seen him in the past. I think about being clutch, it's already in the blood, all he needs to do is just not to make the game close so it will not mess the result, make his team more dominant so they will win with a wide margin, that way he will not feel the pressure. 

[Quidat]

Let's not really overreact on the last second shot thingy, MJ has also passed to Kerr and Paxon when he had to as well in order to win.
Sometimes even if you are the best player on the team, passing the ball doesn't mean that you are not a killer or not a good player or anything, if someone else has a better chance of scoring and giving you the win, you prefer to go with that person to win the game instead of thinking all by yourself..

Its a must thing and come to think that this is a 5vs5 game which means there should coordination on each member of the team.
Selfish acts would really have corresponding result that would possibly make the team lost a particular game.Passing it on a vacant team member
or do have best chance to make a score would be always a smart move rather than forcing yourself when you are in hardship.

[btc_angela]

They are both wanted the ball in the most crucial seconds of the game.

True, that separates these two from Lebron James because Lebron though has a very impressive stats but he is not a clutch player, sometimes it leads him to pass the last shot instead of taking the shot because I don't know maybe he is afraid to put the blame on him, and also his FT is not reliable, more on the crucial situation of the game.

I don't think that LBJ is afraid to take last minutes shot, he has done this many times in his career, so I would say that he is a clutch player, but MJ and Kobe though is just above him. Maybe in the dying seconds their opponents guard LBJ more than MJ and Kobe and that's why he can't shot that much in crunch time and led him to pass to his team mates to take the last shot.

Why Did Michael Jordan Finally Allow Release of 'The Last Dance' Documentary?

Let me hear your thoughts about this one, do you think that it is the reason why Jordan finally agreed to release the documentary? (Cavs winning 2016 NBA championship)

[harizen]

Clutch shot average and attempts as a basis of who's the greatest is not making sense.

MJ, Kobe, and LeBron do have their own way of thinking in crucial situations. LeBron is surely on the bottom in terms of taking clutch shots as even on my observations, he has done that less compare to those 2 greats but I don't think that's a big deal.

If I will buy the story that LeBron is afraid of making clutch shots, then it's better not to take those. It's a good idea if he passes the ball instead. That's a great decision. What matters here is his overall performance on that game.

[Viscore]

If I will buy the story that LeBron is afraid of making clutch shots, then it's better not to take those. It's a good idea if he passes the ball instead. That's a great decision. What matters here is his overall performance on that game.

Overall performance matters but what matters is the team to win especially if you are the star player.
Fans would just like to see a star player taking the last shot as they normally see it in other teams as well, like Kobe and Jordan, they take the ball and made the last shot if possible.

I am not against Lebron, I like him but as a fan, we are bias to look only what we like to see and that makes us like Kobe or Jordan over Lebron.
but of course it could change, maybe now that he is with the Lakers, and he can give success to this team, then he will be a Hero and people will forget that his Cavaliers loss easily against the Warriors in his last previous finals appearance.

[harizen]

If I will buy the story that LeBron is afraid of making clutch shots, then it's better not to take those. It's a good idea if he passes the ball instead. That's a great decision. What matters here is his overall performance on that game.

Overall performance matters but what matters is the team to win especially if you are the star player.
Fans would just like to see a star player taking the last shot as they normally see it in other teams as well, like Kobe and Jordan, they take the ball and made the last shot if possible.

I am not against Lebron, I like him but as a fan, we are bias to look only what we like to see and that makes us like Kobe or Jordan over Lebron.
but of course it could change, maybe now that he is with the Lakers, and he can give success to this team, then he will be a Hero and people will forget that his Cavaliers loss easily against the Warriors in his last previous finals appearance.

Of course and obviously, while giving the best performance, a team needs to win. But it doesn't mean that a star player will always take the last shot. When this becomes a necessary thing to do? It's a 5v5.

It's just become highlighted because it's about MJ, Kobe, and Lebron. We all know that MJ and Kobe is a much more clutch compare to LeBron. No doubt about that. He is not even good at the rainbow area back then compare to MJ and Kobe. But again, not a big deal.

James is almost out of his prime and we already see how good he is throughout his playing career "even without that clutch ability" as others believed. He carries team, he is an all-around and that's it. MJ, Kobe, and LeBron do have their own way of playing.

[arwin100]

If I will buy the story that LeBron is afraid of making clutch shots, then it's better not to take those. It's a good idea if he passes the ball instead. That's a great decision. What matters here is his overall performance on that game.

Overall performance matters but what matters is the team to win especially if you are the star player.
Fans would just like to see a star player taking the last shot as they normally see it in other teams as well, like Kobe and Jordan, they take the ball and made the last shot if possible.

I am not against Lebron, I like him but as a fan, we are bias to look only what we like to see and that makes us like Kobe or Jordan over Lebron.
but of course it could change, maybe now that he is with the Lakers, and he can give success to this team, then he will be a Hero and people will forget that his Cavaliers loss easily against the Warriors in his last previous finals appearance.

James is almost out of his prime and we already see how good he is throughout his playing career "even without that clutch ability" as others believed. He carries team, he is an all-around and that's it. MJ, Kobe, and LeBron do have their own way of playing.

Even though he's old but he still shows what he can do on the court and prove that he's still number 1 player on his era but I can't really compare them up and those goat talks is just pure bullshit media create this topic so that they have scope and compare the players where the fact they are on different era, I also says before that jordan is the real goat but I realize for reading on their stats they actually didn't go far on each other. as well both of them brought their team to finals so for me they are equal.

[Reid]

Michael Jordan helped Kobe as much as he can to improve Kobe's game and wanted him to move the game forward, and Kobe's last tweet was about how Lebron should move the game forward, and Lebron should want players after him to move the game forward. I do not think that players would want others to be like them, I think players will want younger generation to be better than them.

Merit for the optimism. 
I like that and great players should do those kind of acts. Or all the veterans should be like this.
Teach the younger ones and not step on them.

If I will buy the story that LeBron is afraid of making clutch shots, then it's better not to take those. It's a good idea if he passes the ball instead. That's a great decision. What matters here is his overall performance on that game.

This is also why I like players who can do clutch assists. 
How can you afford to still pass the ball when the clock is going red.
A strong mentality is a gift, but if he did learn it he may had trained so hard.

[Oasisman]

They are both wanted the ball in the most crucial seconds of the game.

True, that separates these two from Lebron James because Lebron though has a very impressive stats but he is not a clutch player, sometimes it leads him to pass the last shot instead of taking the shot because I don't know maybe he is afraid to put the blame on him, and also his FT is not reliable, more on the crucial situation of the game.

But as Lebron continues to play, he will have a better record in paper but not in real achievement in big games or in the eyes of the people as clearly Kobe and Jordan carries their team to win championship, Lebron needs to pair with the best players to be able to do that, but with his team in the Lakers now, if he can bring this team to the championship and win, then maybe he will get the respect of the people.

That's a stereotypical indirect hate statement against LeBron. He already gained respect after he brought championship to Cleveland. I hate him for leaving Cleveland before, but I understood how he struggle to win a championship in Cleveland with a bunch of mediocre player going against the Boston Celtics and the Spurs which both have consist a constellation of superstars.
LeBron just carried both Cavs and the Heat in the finals.
Remember, Kobe had Pau, Odom, and Artest. Jordan had Pipen, Kukoc, and Rodman. LeBron had Wade, and Bosh in Miami, and Kevin, and Kyrie in Cleveland. So, who doesn't need a pair with best players?

Let me tell you another fact, even if LeBron will bring the Lakers to win a championship, haters will never ever respect him.
Also, LeBron's achievement is real. Non of them are fake just like MJ's and Kobe's achievement.

Let's just accept the fact that these players are the best players in their respective era.