Ric Bucher asked why LeBron was getting a free pass for basically doing what Kobe did in game 7 against Phoenix, giving up the rock to his teammates because he was being double and triple teamed and knew he couldn't win without the others stepping up. Good question, huh? Maybe it's Kobe being 27(?) and LeBron being 21 in his first playoffs.

I have a lot more respect after seeing him in the pressure cooker. His coach too. It takes fire to make steel and you can bet that whippersnapper just hardened into razor quality material.

One friend of mine compared LeBron's game to pre-injury Grant Hill, which I think is a pretty good analogy. Of course LeBron is bulkier and stronger, and without any drop-off in quickness.

Also, let's remember that Grant was one of the first guys who was truly anointed by the league and media hype as "the next Jordan." The hype for LeBron is definitely bigger now than it was for Grant 10 years ago, but let's remember that Grant was actually getting more votes for the All-Star game than Jordan himself! That was some out-of-control hype for a guy who (unlike LeBron now) never even got out of the first round.

Ha...I'm surprised LeBron didn't have that William Wesley dude running up and down the court with him during the game and negotiating his foul calls for him.

I liked the LeBron was pissed in the postgame press conference. The Pistons let him get close enough to taste it, and then yanked the prize away.

2 or 3 more years of that, and he might have the competitive drive and hate of Jordan to be our nemesis.

Labron proved that he is the best young player in the league and if he stays in Cleveland or goes anywhere else, that team will be in the finals within the three years depending upon who they surround him with.

You got to give him some respect as he backed our team up to the wall before we stopped looking at him in awe and figured out how to shut down the rest of the team.

He did seem upset at the post game press conference, especially when he disputed his coaches theory that he was burned out. But for a 21 year old he spoke volumes more basketball intelligence than someone 25-30 year old players.

That is true. I think a 5 game series would have been easier to take. Pistons have a knack for letting teams think they have a chance before pounding them down.

I regret my earlier Jordan/Lebran thread. He is not like Jordan at all. LJ seems content to setup other players as long as they are making them. If anything he is more like Magic Johnson if you need someone to compare him to. Put LJ on a talanted offensive team and I believe he would be happy with 18 points and 10 assists. He needs to go to a team with a more high powered offense and become more of a true PG. His passing and court vision suprass his offense and when you need a drive he can do it just like any other past great point. I think we have seen so many of these shrimpy shoot 1st points that we may have forgotten what a true point used to be.