Posted: Mon Jun 20, 2022 7:38 am Post subject: How do/did you guys feel about LeBron fans cheering for Boston?
An offseason thread and the question is there...
You guys know I am not really a fan of LeBron James in general, mostly due to what I feel is a corruption of the game of basketball owing mostly to his issues with footwork, defensive commitment after leaving Miami, and overall mentality. I am also not fond of the philosophy that is the "player-first" fandom. When I saw this phenomenon (as indicated by the subject), it really reminded me of one of the biggest indirect (i.e. non-basketball) reasons I did not want LeBron in purple and gold.
To be a Laker fan is to hate the Boston Celtics—and any deviation from that premise is an insult, akin to heresy, in my book. _________________
"Through the legs to the left, through the legs to the right, we don't run them Laker plays, we just Kobe fadeaway..."
they are at a crossroads. Bron is old broken down and is only a stat on a bad team. They fear Curry will surpass him. He never will but bron stans are the most insecure.
The league hasn't been his since coming to lakers. 2 lotteries, 1 first round bounce and a bubble title.
Bron stans need to enjoy his remaining years. Wilbon said when he was coming here he didn't want to be coached, but I think Hamm and crew will be able to coach around him. I expect a great laker season, in regard to getting over the hump of lotteries.
We've been through this. There are some of us who really aren't invested in hating the Celtics. Some of us don't feel moved by a rivalry that has been dead since the Reagan administration. The only reasons why I care are that many of their fans are just as invested in Lakers hate as many of you are invested in Celtics hate, and because this place would melt down if the Celtics won another title. Otherwise, I would have preferred to see the Warriors lose because they're a team that is actually relevant to us in 2022.
As for "Lebron fans," I find it remarkable that anyone really feels that the Warriors winning another title is some sort of threat to Lebron. But apparently these people really exist. Sports fandom can be awfully strange. _________________ Internet Argument Resolved
Joined: 02 May 2005 Posts: 90306 Location: Formerly Known As 24
Posted: Mon Jun 20, 2022 9:01 am Post subject:
Celtics are relevant because they are tied with LA for most titles at 17, and that has been the basis of the rivalry going back generations. The next three teams combined have 18. Sports is an odd combination of history and the now. Those often mix in unusual ways, but it is always always always right to root against the Celtics if you have even a modicum of Laker fan heritage. _________________ “We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” ― Elie Wiesel
I respect those of you who feel that way. I just can't get motivated by title counting that includes the Mikan era and the Bill Russell era. The Celtics have won a total of four titles since the merger. I enjoy all of the history and tradition, but the root of the rivalry is that Jerry West and Elgin Baylor could never beat the Russell era Celtics.
But anyway, I've said all of this elsewhere. My point is just that there is a different perspective. Anyone who insists that all Laker fans think a certain way is destined for disappointment. _________________ Internet Argument Resolved
The post war Greatest Generation Americans were some of the toughest people in history. They were close minded, racist, sexist, pricks but they were forged by depression and having to literally save the world.
It's incredible to me that some think they couldn't compete with today's generation.
Sure there are some incredible athletes who are faster and taller but fat Luka is the second best in the League right now and some of you claim 37 year old LBJ is still Top 5.
And Bill Russell's title shouldn't count?
GTFOH
I'd be shocked if our kids today could fight off Ukrainians without technology or drones giving them a huge advantage.
Just because something took place sixty years ago doesn't mean it doesn't count.
The competitions back then are just as important to NBA history as now.
As I kid I grew up watching the 33 game winning streak and the Bruins having even more success.
Today looks like sh*t in comparison.
And to act like some of the greatest years in Lakers history is now a historical footnote is sad to me.
I’m trying to remember if young me was in the same hurry to brush off the past as irrelevant as todays youth. I might have been but I was always told that you need to respect your elders and learn from history. Today we are so consumed with falling into progressivism that anything that happened more than a half decade ago is ancient history and not modern and thus irrelevant.
Just because something took place sixty years ago doesn't mean it doesn't count.
The competitions back then are just as important to NBA history as now.
As I kid I grew up watching the 33 game winning streak and the Bruins having even more success.
Today looks like sh*t in comparison.
And to act like some of the greatest years in Lakers history is now a historical footnote is sad to me.
I’m trying to remember if young me was in the same hurry to brush off the past as irrelevant as todays youth. I might have been but I was always told that you need to respect your elders and learn from history. Today we are so consumed with falling into progressivism that anything that happened more than a half decade ago is ancient history and not modern and thus irrelevant.
There is a big difference between a generation forged by actual war... whether WWII or Vietnam... or playing Call of Duty.
I'm not saying some modern soldiers haven't suffered as well... but casualties are way less and they are fighting with huge technological advantages.
LeBron represents the social media generation which cares less about team rivalries and more about individual excellence and personal brand.
If that's how they want to do things... that is their right... but it doesn't endear them to my generation.
LBJ is a so-called Yankees fan who rooted for the Dodgers when they started winning and ended up buying a piece of the Red Sox.
I'm sure he'd buy a piece of the Celtics if it suited him.
He doesn't care about any team tradition... he cares only about himself.
But I'm the bad guy because I don't fall in line and worship his mercenary ass.
I’m trying to remember if young me was in the same hurry to brush off the past as irrelevant as todays youth. I might have been but I was always told that you need to respect your elders and learn from history. Today we are so consumed with falling into progressivism that anything that happened more than a half decade ago is ancient history and not modern and thus irrelevant.
Speaking as a Boomer, it is common for some people in every generation to cling to the past as they get old. That's fine. I'd rather listen to The Doors, vintage Stones, or early Bowie than any of the mass produced tedium that gets cranked out today. But at some point, you have to let things go. The fact that the Celtics won a bunch of titles during the Vietnam War doesn't have much relevance to me even though I can remember it happening (at least during the later years). If you feel differently, that's cool. _________________ Internet Argument Resolved
Lebron stans can cheer for whoever their little hearts desire.
Just don’t claim to be Laker fans
What Lebron stans want isn’t in the best interest of the Lakers franchise. It’s really not in the best interest of any franchise, particularly when Lebron is now 38 years old.
Edit: forgot to mention, predictably Lebron stans stopped posting as much once it became clear Steph was getting #4. Not a coincidence lol.
Last edited by LakerSD on Mon Jun 20, 2022 10:43 am; edited 1 time in total
I’m trying to remember if young me was in the same hurry to brush off the past as irrelevant as todays youth. I might have been but I was always told that you need to respect your elders and learn from history. Today we are so consumed with falling into progressivism that anything that happened more than a half decade ago is ancient history and not modern and thus irrelevant.
Speaking as a Boomer, it is common for some people in every generation to cling to the past as they get old. That's fine. I'd rather listen to The Doors, vintage Stones, or early Bowie than any of the mass produced tedium that gets cranked out today. But at some point, you have to let things go. The fact that the Celtics won a bunch of titles during the Vietnam War doesn't have much relevance to me even though I can remember it happening (at least during the later years). If you feel differently, that's cool.
Kate Bush's Running Up That Hill is number one on Billboard right now in 2022 because of Gen Z's obsession with Stranger Things.
We've been through this. There are some of us who really aren't invested in hating the Celtics. Some of us don't feel moved by a rivalry that has been dead since the Reagan administration. The only reasons why I care are that many of their fans are just as invested in Lakers hate as many of you are invested in Celtics hate, and because this place would melt down if the Celtics won another title. Otherwise, I would have preferred to see the Warriors lose because they're a team that is actually relevant to us in 2022.
As for "Lebron fans," I find it remarkable that anyone really feels that the Warriors winning another title is some sort of threat to Lebron. But apparently these people really exist. Sports fandom can be awfully strange.
Even if you completely ignore the Lakers-Celtics rivalry from the 60's, the modern showtime Lakers up till present day Lakers played the Celtics 5x during the NBA Finals. That is more than relevant in continuing the rivalry. When you consider how bitter those Finals were you can see why the fanbases dislike each other far more than any other NBA teams.
It's not surprising at all. They have to tear down other great players in order to prop their Lord and Savior up. They've been doing it since "The decision"
You guys know I am not really a fan of LeBron James in general, mostly due to what I feel is a corruption of the game of basketball owing mostly to his issues with footwork, defensive commitment after leaving Miami, and overall mentality. I am also not fond of the philosophy that is the "player-first" fandom. When I saw this phenomenon (as indicated by the subject), it really reminded me of one of the biggest indirect (i.e. non-basketball) reasons I did not want LeBron in purple and gold.
To be a Laker fan is to hate the Boston Celtics—and any deviation from that premise is an insult, akin to heresy, in my book.
I've been a Lakers fan a long time. I watched Magic, Kareem, and Worthy win a title in the Forum. As a kid, I wrote to Jerry West, and he sent me an autographed photo. I probably know more about the Mikan Lakers than 99% plus of the people on this board.
I loved the rivalry in the Bird-Magic days. I loved the threepeat and the Kobe-Gasol wins. I never got up any special feelings about the Garnett-Allen-Pierce version of Boston. I'm glad we beat them, but it was no more satisfying than beating anyone else.
I am pretty indifferent to the current version of the Celtics. They are just another team. I feel no rivalry with them. If they had beaten the Warriors, I wouldn't have particularly cared. I don't get worked up by the ring count. I consider it fairly meaningless, an apples-and-oranges comparison of different eras and arbitrary decisions of which championships from the various leagues that merged in the early days count and which don't.
That's me. If rooting for the Celtics' failure gives you pleasure, go for it.
Just don't expect me to care about whatever arbitrary criteria you have for what it means to be a Lakers fan.
Personally, I think that anyway anyone chooses to enjoy the NBA is perfectly fine.
Joined: 02 May 2005 Posts: 90306 Location: Formerly Known As 24
Posted: Mon Jun 20, 2022 11:45 am Post subject:
BILBJH wrote:
kfkilla wrote:
BILBJH wrote:
Aeneas Hunter wrote:
BILBJH wrote:
And Bill Russell's title shouldn't count?
Is that really what you took from what I wrote?
Just because something took place sixty years ago doesn't mean it doesn't count.
The competitions back then are just as important to NBA history as now.
As I kid I grew up watching the 33 game winning streak and the Bruins having even more success.
Today looks like sh*t in comparison.
And to act like some of the greatest years in Lakers history is now a historical footnote is sad to me.
I’m trying to remember if young me was in the same hurry to brush off the past as irrelevant as todays youth. I might have been but I was always told that you need to respect your elders and learn from history. Today we are so consumed with falling into progressivism that anything that happened more than a half decade ago is ancient history and not modern and thus irrelevant.
There is a big difference between a generation forged by actual war... whether WWII or Vietnam... or playing Call of Duty.
I'm not saying some modern soldiers haven't suffered as well... but casualties are way less and they are fighting with huge technological advantages.
LeBron represents the social media generation which cares less about team rivalries and more about individual excellence and personal brand.
If that's how they want to do things... that is their right... but it doesn't endear them to my generation.
LBJ is a so-called Yankees fan who rooted for the Dodgers when they started winning and ended up buying a piece of the Red Sox.
I'm sure he'd buy a piece of the Celtics if it suited him.
He doesn't care about any team tradition... he cares only about himself.
But I'm the bad guy because I don't fall in line and worship his mercenary ass.
All of which has nothing to do with whether a lakers fan should root for the Celtics. People are of course free to do what they wish, but pretending the oldest rivalry in the sport is meaningless for whatever reason is lame. Especially when those folks will roll hard in their gear if and when the lakers win. _________________ “We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” ― Elie Wiesel
Just because something took place sixty years ago doesn't mean it doesn't count.
The competitions back then are just as important to NBA history as now.
As I kid I grew up watching the 33 game winning streak and the Bruins having even more success.
Today looks like sh*t in comparison.
And to act like some of the greatest years in Lakers history is now a historical footnote is sad to me.
I’m trying to remember if young me was in the same hurry to brush off the past as irrelevant as todays youth. I might have been but I was always told that you need to respect your elders and learn from history. Today we are so consumed with falling into progressivism that anything that happened more than a half decade ago is ancient history and not modern and thus irrelevant.
There is a big difference between a generation forged by actual war... whether WWII or Vietnam... or playing Call of Duty.
I'm not saying some modern soldiers haven't suffered as well... but casualties are way less and they are fighting with huge technological advantages.
LeBron represents the social media generation which cares less about team rivalries and more about individual excellence and personal brand.
If that's how they want to do things... that is their right... but it doesn't endear them to my generation.
LBJ is a so-called Yankees fan who rooted for the Dodgers when they started winning and ended up buying a piece of the Red Sox.
I'm sure he'd buy a piece of the Celtics if it suited him.
He doesn't care about any team tradition... he cares only about himself.
But I'm the bad guy because I don't fall in line and worship his mercenary ass.
I don't think that makes Lebron unusual. Fans tend to be worked up by rivalries and "team traditions" more than players do. The notion that any player would put a "team tradition" beyond this own interests is just fan fantasy. All NBA players are mercenaries; it comes from being in a profession where your employer can trade you to another employer in the blink of an eye. Lebron is just more transparent about it.
Lots of NBA players have played for or worked for teams that were once their biggest rivals.
And not just "the social media" generation. Bill Sharman, who was a Hall of Famer player for many Celtics ring teams that beat the Lakers, coached the Lakers to a ring in the days before social media existed.
Lots of Lakers players whose jerseys have or will be retired were associated with rivals. When Kareem was with Milwaukee, he and Wilt and the Lakers were huge rivals. Didn't stop Kareem from coming here.
Shaq signed on with the Celtics in his last season. Pau Gasol signed on with the Spurs. Lots of people would consider the Clippers to be a Lakers rival. Jerry West, Elgin baylor, and Jamaal Wilkes all signed on with that team as players or executives.
I have no doubt Lebron would buy a share of the Celtics. And why not?
At one point, Magic sold his Lakers ownership share to try to become an owner of Detroit, who was one his key rivals too.
Last edited by activeverb on Mon Jun 20, 2022 3:23 pm; edited 1 time in total
Joined: 24 Dec 2007 Posts: 35812 Location: Santa Clarita, CA (Hell) ->>>>>Ithaca, NY -≥≥≥≥≥Berkeley, CA
Posted: Mon Jun 20, 2022 1:30 pm Post subject:
Going against the grain here: I think it’s their right to do so. Celtics have likable players outside of Marcus Smart. Warriors are unlikable in my view.
Being tied for #1 in championships outweighed likability for me personally, but that doesn’t make me more of a Lakers fan than someone who did the opposite. _________________ Damian Lillard shatters Dwight Coward's championship dreams:
Going against the grain here: I think it’s their right to do so. Celtics have likable players outside of Marcus Smart. Warriors are unlikable in my view.
Being tied for #1 in championships outweighed likability for me personally, but that doesn’t make me more of a Lakers fan than someone who did the opposite.
I'd never cheer for Boston. Tatum is on my short list of
players I like but he's on a team I'll never cheer for. _________________ Lakers need to build a freaking team !
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