2018 NBA Finals: Warriors vs. Cavs part 4

LeBron : "Pretty much played the last 3 games with a broken hand."
What a joke...

joke because?

Playing three games with no wrap or tape on it, no sign of any pain in it, no wincing, nothing. Not coming into any post game interviews with tape on it, or any sort of cast... until after the last game. Where he said "I pretty much had a broken hand after game 1".

You "pretty much had a broken hand", and somehow it's now officially a broken hand because LeBron said he "pretty much had one"?. Quite the medical diagnosis made by LeBron himself. Some people will buy anything.

Supposedly he had two MRIS during the finals, and wore a soft cast after games (which nobody saw). And, a HUGE difference between a hand contusion (like a bruise) and a BROKEN HAND. Still no confirmation or medical diagnosis for anything for his hand.

He got his ass handed to him, and he wants another excuse. Unlike the Chris Paul situation, nobody has confirmed that he had a serious injury at all (through the entire finals), nobody has said it was broken with the exception of LeBron who said it "pretty much" was. Even sweeter, is that fact that it was supposedly his shooting hand, where we saw no change whatsoever in his shot or shot selection.

My god people are gullible.

Agreed. Obviously none of us have inside information on the situation and we can only speculate (perhaps erroneously) until such time as further evidence presents itself, but it's suspicious and invites scepticism to say the least. If he was in fact playing with a serious injury and not taking proper precautions, then that crosses the fine line between bravery and toughness, and foolhardy recklessness.

But again, you wouldn't want to tip your hand especially since they could have Draymond or sub in zaza to slap that hand and try to break it.

Sometimes you get UFC fighters do that exact thing where they come out after their fight (even if they won) and they they hurt their knee or hand training for the fight but didn't mention it before

But again, you wouldn't want to tip your hand especially since they could have Draymond or sub in zaza to slap that hand and try to break it.

Sometimes you get UFC fighters do that exact thing where they come out after their fight (even if they won) and they they hurt their knee or hand training for the fight but didn't mention it before

Anybody could say that they had an injury after losing a series. With no visual evidence of it, no reports of it during the finals, no medical diagnosis of it, you can't just say he had an almost broken hand, because he said he had an almost broken hand. That's ridiculous.

ANYBODY could say that. And if it was a hand contusion, it might not even be worth mentioning, and my guess is: if that's what happened to him, it wasn't impacting him or worth reporting anyway. My guess is he did hit the blackboard, causing a bruised or swolen hand, but not enough to impact play. Also, who the hell is to blame for that contusion? No crutch, no feeling bad. He would have been swept regardless. Pre game walking in video shows no cast, post games for 2 and 3 showed no tape or cast, nothing. ESPN is milking it for all its worth (of course) even posting a picture of his right hand calling it swolen, when you can't even tell if it's swolen or if it's the angle of the picture (as his body is slightly turned so you can't compare both hands). And, if it's slightly swolen, a HUGE difference between a bruised or slightly swolen hand, and a friggen broken hand.

Same guy that was physically carried off the court because of a cramp (complaining that the AC wasn't on as well), the same guy that falls to the ground writhing in pain when he barely gets hit, the same dude that fake coughed in the 2011 finals to make fun of another person's illness (Dirk had an over 102 fever, still kicked LeBron's ass, and LeBron was basically trash that whole series), and you expect me to believe that this guy played 3 NBA games with an "almost broken hand"? Stop the madness, please.

Again, huge difference between a hand contusion and a broken hand. Why is ESPN milking this for all its worth (I've seen like 5 posts about it already), is because LeBron James is the #2 most popular ATHLETE in the world, not basketball player, athlete, with a social media following of over 40 million. It's essential to not only keep the spotlight on him (by bludgeoning people to death with posts/articles about him daily) but to also give him a handicap, in order to keep the excuses and GOAT conversation alive. It's to stir up drama and prey on the gullible audience who will believe most everything they read.

Glad GSW ended it. How about a return to the locker room for the trophy presentations if the road team wins

KD is coming back. Who's going to take down this super team?!?

The Rockets may be one more piece away from taking them down. They were damn close this year.

So apparently the Warriors are the most disrespected champions in NBA history, but the league is also rigging things for them. Alrighty then.

For my part, I think there's some merit to saying that the media has focused more on LeBron - from his performance to his possible departure - than Golden State's success. The second article comes across as pouty, tinfoil fanboyism though.

no way lebron goes to the lakers. all he cares about is his legacy and losing in the first or maybe second round with the lakers wont do him no favors

So apparently the Warriors are the most disrespected champions in NBA history, but the league is also rigging things for them. Alrighty then.

For my part, I think there's some merit to saying that the media has focused more on LeBron - from his performance to his possible departure - than Golden State's success. The second article comes across as pouty, tinfoil fanboyism though.

I absolutely hate the term "tinfoil" or "tinfoil hat", because of its origin.

However, agreed on the rest. The fact that LeBron has been shoved down our throats more than ever these last few months, and the other GMS in the league reportedly were PISSED at GS ownership for getting Durant, I'd say that it's just unfortunate that KD chose GS, as opposed to it being rigged.

However, let's not forget: They won a title before him, and had just made finals the next season. The Warriors would have been competing or winning titles regardless.

LeBron had his own section on the ESPN news ticker when I was watching something on there last night. STANLEY CUP - NFL - NBA - LeBRON - SOCCER - NCAA. Something like that.

no way lebron goes to the lakers. all he cares about is his legacy and losing in the first or maybe second round with the lakers wont do him no favors

Completely disagree, it depends on how much he can stack his team. If he can stack it enough, with Paul George and maybe one other all-star joining him, I think he absolutely would.

He went to Miami in 2010 because he was able to join a primed Wade, a top 5 two way player in the NBA, and multi year all star, and one of the best PF'S in the NBA at the time Chris Bosh. He got out once Wade started aging. He went to Cleveland so he could join two time all star Kyrie Irving, and recruited multi year all star, and one of the best PF'S in the game Kevin Love. Now that Kyrie is gone, and he has only Kevin Love as a big name, it's time to move on to a team that can offer him multiple all stars.

Will the Lakers be able to support that? IDK. Do I think he could join a team like the Celtics somehow so he could stay in the East, or the 76ers? Absolutely. I'm just leaning Lakers, you can't count them out.

no way lebron goes to the lakers. all he cares about is his legacy and losing in the first or maybe second round with the lakers wont do him no favors

Completely disagree, it depends on how much he can stack his team. If he can stack it enough, with Paul George and maybe one other all-star joining him, I think he absolutely would.

He went to Miami in 2010 because he was able to join a primed Wade, a top 5 two way player in the NBA, and multi year all star, and one of the best PF'S in the NBA at the time Chris Bosh. He got out once Wade started aging. He went to Cleveland so he could join two time all star Kyrie Irving, and recruited multi year all star, and one of the best PF'S in the game Kevin Love. Now that Kyrie is gone, and he has only Kevin Love as a big name, it's time to move on to a team that can offer him multiple all stars.

Will the Lakers be able to support that? IDK. Do I think he could join a team like the Celtics somehow so he could stay in the East, or the 76ers? Absolutely. I'm just leaning Lakers, you can't count them out.

he would go to the lakers only if he brings 2 other stars with him. if its just him and george there is no way he signs there. the team would not be nearly good enough for what he needs to continue chasing the goat status


the 76ers have my vote even though i think the celtics are actually the best fit for him. if kyrie is really fed up with lebron (been a year might feel different now) that could prevent it from happening plus the fact it would probably need to be a sign and trade and i just dont see the cavs doing it without asking for pieces that the celtics just wont give up. when ainge knows he has the upper hand he will in no way offer up anything of value.

so yeah lebron going to philly is my opinion. i guess i will name the rockets second just because of how close they seemed to be against the warriors this year. personally i dont think he fits well there and i believe he wants to beat the warriors in the finals if he can

The Cavs can't do a sign-and-trade with LeBron, because he's not a free agent. He can opt out, which means he can opt in and then be traded, but it's not the same situation as a sign-and-trade.

Shit people all over the internet going with the broken hand story, comparing the pain of a broken part of your body from when they experienced the same. IT WAS JUST A CONTUSSION FFS PEOPLE

Shit people all over the internet going with the broken hand story, comparing the pain of a broken part of your body from when they experienced the same. IT WAS JUST A CONTUSSION FFS PEOPLE

ESPN milks it for all its worth, the population who so badly wants an excuse for him eats it right up. Hook, line and sinker. It's really sad actually.

I've said it before, I've never seen so many excuses made for an athlete, either by the media, or by regular people, it's been happening his whole career.

And Sauru, I can agree with that. Like I said, it's George and another star that would get him in LA, because as his history has shown, he recruits/jumps on with multiple all stars in the attempt to compete.

why would LeBron give an excuse he doesn't need to do that lol

why would LeBron give an excuse he doesn't need to do that lol

Yes, he does. It's another handicap. If he doesn't need to give an excuse, why give one, and exaggerate saying that he has a pretty much broken hand?

Certainly helps with the media giving him excuses, that's all we have heard about the last couple days. So yes, he has reasons to give an excuse.

- I need more help, I didn't have enough help to win it this year
- My hand was "pretty much broken", but I played 3 games with it anyway


Just like this LeBron quote after game 1:


 "How Much More Picking up of My Teammates Do You Want Me to Do?"

These excuses translate to a common public perception of:

-"LeBron's teammates are trash, straight garbage, nobody could win with that dumpster fire. GOAT."

- "LeBron put up those numbers in the finals, and had his team close in a couple games, while playing with a broken hand, and while playing with garbage teammates and for a garbage coach."


Him saying it, and the media echoing it, helps change the thought process of millions of people. It's easy to see why he would make that excuse.

he would go to the lakers only if he brings 2 other stars with him. if its just him and george there is no way he signs there. the team would not be nearly good enough for what he needs to continue chasing the goat status

can the lakers or any team for that matter have the cap space, trade pieces, etc to make that happen?

haven't been paying much attention to broken hand gate. sounds like the media continue to do what it does and people respond to/talk about it. if you ask me, GSW finals series was the houston rocket series. they were heavy favorites coming into this one and lived up to the hype. and that's that. congrats to them.

on to offseason, aka what will lebron james decide to do. i'm not against the warriors winning but definitely next year i would like to see the rest of the teams try knock off the champs

And Sauru, I can agree with that. Like I said, it's George and another star that would get him in LA, because as his history has shown, he recruits/jumps on with multiple all stars in the attempt to compete.

Well, there are two ways to sign a contract: looking for that big money or looking for that team that helps you to win. Loyalty is very rare in the NBA. Most of the players resign with mediocre teams to get that uber max contract. All the others jump on board with other All-Stars.

LBJ is polarizing so hard, it's no fun anymore to read anything about him. Some hate him, some love him. It's pretty normal I guess as long as he is in the spot light. Will be interesting to see the perception once he retires. My few cents:

- LeBron underachieved in game 2-4 of the finals. His numbers were solid, but given his huge amount of minutes 30 points is somewhat "normal" for him to achieve.

- when the Cavs decided to play James less ball dominant, their offense got worse. This is interesting to see for all the "LeBron dominates the ball and thus his team mates underachieve" chatter. In my opinion this just is not right. The Cavs have zero playmaking. Starting their offense without Lebron was a disaster.

- this does not mean that all the Cavs were playing as bad as the general discourse claimed. Love played ok in my opinion. I even liked his defense for stretches. George Hill was inconsistent but as good as you would imagine against a high calibre team like the Warriors. Tristan Thompson is a player who generates a lot of second chances, but his defense is horrible. Even some highlight blocks cannot overplay how often he gets caught ball watching. Most of the "undefended" pick & rolls had him involved. JR Smith was really bad, Jeff Green also could not contribute like he did vs the Celtics. Nance was solid, Hood was ready when his numbers were called.

- After rating the players, it is easy to call out Tyrone Lue. He rode the same rotation for way too long, the offensive schemes were bad. Not using Kyle Korver at all was also his fault, you cannot only blame Korver for not showing up when he rarely is used the right way. Warriors defended him well though. Lue is not a good coach. That is my opinion.

- I dont know if LeBron had problems with his hand but it was definitely noticeable that he went more to his left and shot worse from downtown and midrange. I dont know if he really needed to make excuses but he did in a way. I dont blame him though. People expect him to show no weaknesses. This is what all the GOAT discussers also bring up. Jordan showed no weakness. He was hard. He did not fail. His work ethic played a big role. But you have to be at the right place at the right time as well. Circumstances are different and often I think the Bulls teams of Jordans time were underrated. Also opponents are different and in my opinion the Warriors are clearly better than the 96 Sonices 97/98 Jazz. Still, Jordan was more successful and that is easy to prove. I don't know if the comparisons do LeBron a favor. I liked his playoffs performances nevertheless.

- This Warriors team is absolutely brutal. They can compensate off nights from All-Star players. They have (formal) role players that could be (Iggy) or are (Green, Klay) All-Stars. They have a coach who seems to be so reflected and wise that he just knows what to tell the players. I cannot rate his basketball IQ, the sets or schemes he calls and so on. But I know from what he says in interviews, that Stever Kerr is reflected, wise and simply likeable.

- We talk about GOAT etc. and nobody even mentions Durant. Maybe his accolades are still far away from this conversation, but in my opinion he is the deadliest scorer in the league right now and in the last decade. His ability to shoot over defenders is unmatched. It's something only Dirk did as well and Dirk even in his prime did not have Durants guard abilities. I hate his decision to join the Warriors. But dude has proven that he only wants to win. He is not barking on and off the court. He is just playing. And he is playing like one of the best of all time.

- Klay Thompson is in a way overrated. Yes I said it. He is an elite three and D player, but everybody who thinks he could be the number one option on a team: I seriously doubt it.

- you need a super team to win it all. But this is nothing new. Analyzing the champions of the last 15 years you will most likely only find teams with at least two top tier All-Stars (even my 2011 Mavs had a shitload of talent. They were just seens a washed up, which was not right) . Since "the decision" it seems to be very controversial because usually these teams grew together via draft or came together via trades. But as a free agent player who really wants to win these days, you have to find a team with a lot of quality. I respect Westbrooks loyalty and his monicker of being the "lonely warrior" but dude will never win a Championship unless he finds legit help. And it's okay. There is a lot of talent in the league and you only can compete with the Warriors, Rockets, Cavs, Celtics or 76ers when you have the same amount of talent.

Roast me now for everything I wrote.

LBJ is polarizing so hard, it's no fun anymore to read anything about him. Some hate him, some love him. It's pretty normal I guess as long as he is in the spot light. Will be interesting to see the perception once he retires.

haha or maybe these 2 groups just have the loudest voice or are more vocal. i think there's another group that lies somewhere in the middle. they appreciate his greatness and are just sitting back and enjoying the ride

it would take the joy out of it to go over the game tape several times and breakdown the series. i'll let the experts break it down on how Draymond Green is one hell off an on the court defensive coordinator or how all those subtle off ball actions got good looks for the GSW offense

GSW rates up there as one of the best teams all time teams. i think that is the issue more so than Lue's schemes or whatever else issues the Cavs have.

Very admirable and brave of LeBron to play 3 games with an injured shooting hand, a true leader, always there for his team.

Chris Paul the spineless weakling didn't even play that crucial game 7 in the WCF.
Kyrie Irving didn't even bother to be in the arena for game 7 of the ECF to support his teammates, total lack of leadership.

LeBron may not have been the champion and got swept but he truly displayed the heart of a champion by playing despite the injury. Get well soon King.

LeBron James had two MRIs on his right hand after punching a blackboard after Game 1 of the Finals, according to Brian Windhorst and Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com.
His hand was supposedly too swollen for the first MRI to provide any results. A second one at a later time found that it was a bone contusion in his right hand. Surgery is not expected for James. He has also been wearing a soft cast on his right hand and was wearing it at his postgame presser after Game 4 on Friday. He said he "pretty much played the last three games with a broken hand." We'll continue to monitor the status of his hand as well as his free agency decision this summer. LeBron said a lot has changed since his last free agency decision. He talked about his kids being older and that he'll sit down with his family and make a decision.

I called this.

Warriors in 1

Very admirable and brave of LeBron to play 3 games with an injured shooting hand, a true leader, always there for his team.

Chris Paul the spineless weakling didn't even play that crucial game 7 in the WCF.
Kyrie Irving didn't even bother to be in the arena for game 7 of the ECF to support his teammates, total lack of leadership.

LeBron may not have been the champion and got swept but he truly displayed the heart of a champion by playing despite the injury. Get well soon King.

i don't know what's real anymore

I called this.

Warriors in 1

The Rockets may be one more piece away from taking them down. They were damn close this year.

Read Ariza would be willing to take a paycut to join the Warriors.

Agree that the Rockets Warriors series was the true finals. The Warriors vs Cavs series was just tune in to watch an insanely dominant team and a bitchass go up against Lebron and what he was still able to do despite being the focus of their defense. JR Smith trash too.

The way things are with the Warriors and could be with Lebron/Harden/CP3 possibly, they really just need to rid the league of the east vs west finals and let the best teams duke it out for the championship. 7 games of warriors rockets is way more entertaining than 4 games of warriors cavs. I can't complain too much though, those 3 am finals games were murder on my sleep pattern, glad they wrapped that shit up quick.

Played games 2 through 4 with a pretty much broken hand.

But watch how I crush these meaningless pushups before game 2.

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