Most importantly: Why are there so many LeBron James haters? The truth is, LeBron James is a gift to the game of basketball and its loyal fans. The second fact is that his ill-advised “decision” to announce his move to Miami happened 13 years ago, so…get over it, you people!
I admit, when they started televising high school games, I was laughed at, saying that having watched all the great players of the last 50 years, I could wait until this kid was at least out of high school. Frankly, this hype is annoying.
Well, now I’ve seen all the great players of the past 70 years, and LeBron has put himself in the list of the greatest players of all time. (Let’s save the full discussion another day.)
What’s more, one of the big mistakes he made on the way to his current lofty status was that he was sometimes too deferential because he had always been TEAM first since high school. It wasn’t until a semi-catastrophic loss to Dallas in the 2011 Finals that he realized that as the best talent on the floor, he had to accept the responsibilities that came with it and act accordingly.
A little more than three weeks away from his 39th birthday, LeBron James is still a force on the court. I suggest that if you don’t like watching him play, you don’t like basketball at all. This guy knows how to play.
▪ What sport is this?
Sorry, college football got it right and the NFL needs to follow suit. I’m talking about what constitutes a legal catch when a receiver catches the ball on the sideline. In college football, getting one foot in bounds before leaving the field of play is enough to make a good catch. But in the NFL, you have to keep your feet on the ground to be legal.
Why? The sport is football, not gymnastics. This drives me crazy.
▪ Don’t get me started…
…about – er – a phenomenon known as “offside” in football and hockey.
This concept is unnecessary. If, in any sport, a team has a player who hangs around the goal in what we basketball folks call “hanging basket” mode, the solution is to have a defensive player keep him or her company until they both get bored. and return to the game.
Because of this silly, outdated restriction, countless good scoring opportunities are taken away from us in a sport that demands more scoring.
Yes, I know this will cause outrage among the millions of hockey and football fans who I bet blindly accepted this rule without really considering how detrimental it is to the sport they love. Sometimes an outside perspective helps. Look, guys, I’m just trying to up your game.
▪ Tom Brady slams football
Not really. No. 12 simply thinks the 2023 version of his favorite sport is “mediocre.”
I find this interesting because I’ve thought for years that we live in a golden age of wide receivers. Whether we live in a golden age of guards and centers is a question I am not qualified to discuss.
But I’ve been watching this sport since I was a kid, and I don’t believe we’ve ever had so many talented athletes passing the ball. Credit must go to the incredible influence of one man: Odell Beckham Jr.
He made a stunning one-handed touchdown catch against the Cowboys on November 23, 2014, and football has never been the same since then. You turn on the TV any weekend and you’re bound to see someone somewhere catching a ball with one hand. Apparently, receivers across America are practicing something that was once unthinkable, and it’s all thanks to one man.
Speaking of golden ages, we are also in the golden age of shortstops and center fielders (i.e. defense) and long-distance shooters in basketball (thanks Stephen).
I can’t talk about hockey. I’ll have to ask Kevin Dupont. One thing I do know is that we are not yet in the fighting golden age of hockey. There is no room for Lou Fontinato today.
▪ Reggie Jackson is never enough.
Boston College sends an impressive roster of guards to the NBA. John Bagley, Michael Adams, Dana Barrows and Howard Isley all went on to have fruitful careers after leaving Highland. Oh, but there’s one more name that has to be added to this list.
I mean, did you notice what Reggie Jackson did in the Nuggets’ 113-104 win over the Clippers last Monday night? The BC product, the 24th overall pick in the 2011 draft, had the night of his 13-year NBA career and posted the following numbers: 35 points, 13 assists, 5 rebounds, 15-of-19 shooting (3 from the field) 15). Three-pointers are 4).
He has long been a reliable supporting player with the Thunder, Pistons and Clippers, but he became a mainstay in Denver.
By the way, did you know he was nicknamed “Big Government” when he was with the Clippers because he would often “get the deal done” during games? Neither do I.
▪ I can accept it
Yes, hockey and football fans, I know, I know. I’m a (naughty word) idiot.
Bob Ryan can be reached at robert.ryan@globe.com.