How do you feel about congratulating your opponent after a loss?

[Brankles]

Re: How do you feel about congratulating your opponent after a loss?

Nobody is arguing(word gets thrown around too easily) though man. It's a simple discussion that people are having regarding this.

Argue/debate, the same thing imo

No you aren't because you keep saying people are justifying this when we're not LOL.

But you're here to defend LeBron over the incident. There's no need to be his criminal defense lawyer. What happened happened. From what I've read and seen, it's all pretty much out there.

Is it safe for me or anybody else to call Dwight a dirty player if you're calling Lebron a sore loser of this one incident? I mean Dwight did purposly throw an elbow at Dalembert in the 1st Round AFTER his basket was already good.

After that elbow, I don't exactly remember Dwight going: "Yeah, I elbow people, it's my thing. If I want to elbow someone, I'mma do it because I'mma do me, that's just how I am. I'm competitive."

He apologized and moved on. He's avoided elbows since. He's redeemed himself.

We've ALL acknowledged he was wrong in this regard and have said this was worse than the action ITSELF.


You want him to show up at Game 2 and shake Dwight's hand to make up for not doing in Game 6? Otherwise we have no choice BUT to wait until this scenario happens again.
Took the words right out my mouth because at this point, it seems you're content with Lebron being "Guilty until proven innocent" because of this one incident.

It's not like LeBron did nothing to get this criticism. He blatantly disregarded the Magic. He followed up with that disregard by justifying his disregard. It's not like out of nowhere, people started claiming LeBron was immature, selfish and unsportsmanlike. He IS guilty and he has to to prove himself at some point in the next season. No one hates the guy for this, but they'll always remember it, the same way they remember Isiah walking out on the Bulls or Ron Artest running up into the stands. RonRon hasn't hit anyone since and Isiah is still working in front offices and on benches around the league and in the college ranks. Their careers didn't end at their mistakes.

It's a stain on LeBron's otherwise glorious record. If he repeats it, the stain grows, but this stain is not going to go away easily and a lot of people are going to remember it, whether you think that's fair or not. It also doesn't help that a ton of folks think LBJ is an egomaniac. That preconceived thought has a lot to do with this current reaction as well.

[HMcCoy]

Re: How do you feel about congratulating your opponent after a loss?

He apologized and moved on. He's avoided elbows since. He's redeemed himself..

Now that right there is plain ludicrous. Dude throws his elbows every single time his arms get tangled up. You should just stop, man. I can see using the apologist take on a Bron fan like myself, but Pack is as much a Lebron apologist as you are a Kobe lover, lol.

Your "preconceived notion" is the key. Bout time you mentioned it. Bron must be that "other" kind of egomaniac..the kind who genuinely loves to see his teamates succeed, and is well known among his peers as being a great person. Even Wilbon who has been one of his main haters changed his tune once he sat with Bron a few times. Don't get me wrong Bron is a showman (more attention seeking class clown than selfish narcissist) and is as much a prima donna as you would expect a kid labeled The Chosen One by the media at age 16, but egomaniac? Prove it.

[Brankles]

Re: How do you feel about congratulating your opponent after a loss?

1. Dwight Howard grabbing rebounds or fighting for a ball speaks nothing about his character. It's completely irrelevant to this situation. He's also not intentionally elbowed anyone the way he elbowed Sammy D since the incident. You really like putting focus on things that don't matter to detract from the original point lol

2. Wilbon just wrote an article condemning LeBron's actions after the ECF.

3. Literally every superstar is a narcissist, some more than others. LeBron, like you said while he was growing up, he was called The Chosen One and King James. Obviously he's going to develop some form of ego. He may be handling it well considering how many people were on his jock for such a long period of time, but dude thinks pretty highly of himself.

[Jistic]

Re: How do you feel about congratulating your opponent after a loss?

Good discussion. I'm coming in a bit late. However, Tehova brings up a good point that I think relates back to Born and others posts about working with kids.

Character is something that is molded by your decisions to perform certain actions repeatedly. If we start with children when they are younger and force them to do what should be done because it is right. They learn the habit of being a good sportsman. When they first do it in most instances it is because they were told to do so. But as they grow and mature then hopefully they understand and learn to respect their opponent and in that respect you give what it is you want in return which is a heartfelt congratulations between competitors.

If they had proper training and reinforcement as a youth then they would mean it as an adult. As a one man to another you were better than me today. That takes a type of character rarely seen by todays youth who mistake gangsterism for manhood

I find this topic fascinating because I see a bigger issue here. One too big for this topic yet it rests right on it. What is the definition of a man ?(or sportsman)How does a man handle himself in victory but most importantly defeat ?

This quote puts it all in perspective for me

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.

Martin Luther King Jr

Dead on Czar.

Labron hasn't hasn't had much adversity professionally, especially lately. He hasn't had much opportunity to show his character or lack thereof. So when he gets one, he needs to show. All he showed was that Lebron's about Lebron.

This is now the second time in his young career where he's come across showing a lack of character. The other when he walked off the court during a loss before the game was over.

[KG]

Re: How do you feel about congratulating your opponent after a loss?

Did anyone watch the end of the game last night? It was kind of akward. As soon as the buzzer went off all the Magic players looked over at the Lakers bench to see if they were gonna come over or if they should. No one moved and they both went back to the lockerroom. I guess you only shake hands at the end of the series and regular season games?

I thought it was pretty funny btw.

[DC]

Re: How do you feel about congratulating your opponent after a loss?

In the words of Packman........"Is this still going on"

[JBH3]

Re: How do you feel about congratulating your opponent after a loss?

So what lessons are reflected when he has shown great sportsmanship for the other 98.6% of the time?

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.

Martin Luther King Jr

The quote above HM pretty much answers your thesis statement.

Furthermore, it's easy or MUCH easier to accept defeat over the course of 82 -- there's always another game to redeem last nights loss w/.

The playoff exits in Boston and Orlando are the true test as Dr. King points out. This is when everything great that Lebron has done cannot be culminated w/ the ultimate greatness - the ring.

Losing in the playoffs and it ending your season is not the same as losing in February etc.

The playoff elimination, and how it is handled is the TRUE test and Lebron failed miserably.

[Jasong7777]

Re: How do you feel about congratulating your opponent after a loss?

Did anyone watch the end of the game last night? It was kind of akward. As soon as the buzzer went off all the Magic players looked over at the Lakers bench to see if they were gonna come over or if they should. No one moved and they both went back to the lockerroom. I guess you only shake hands at the end of the series and regular season games?

I thought it was pretty funny btw.

They usually wait until the series is over to shake hands.

[ProfessaPackMan]

Re: How do you feel about congratulating your opponent after a loss?

But you're here to defend LeBron over the incident. There's no need to be his criminal defense lawyer. What happened happened. From what I've read and seen, it's all pretty much out there.

Brankles, PLEASE find where I am defending Lebron for what he did. For the 20th ******* time, I have said Lebron was wrong for what he did and that he was even MORE wrong after that pathetic excuse he gave for trying to justify his actions. EVERYBODY in here has said that but out of that statement, because im not agreeing with you I am now "defending" Lebron. Come on now you gotta do better than that.

[Brankles]

Re: How do you feel about congratulating your opponent after a loss?

Then what are you doing? You accuse me of making him out to be "guilty before innocent", and in the same breath, claim what he's doing is wrong.

One second you're saying his actions are pathetic and inexcusible, the next you're criticizing the people who point this mistake out.

I don't get it. Help me understand your position on this subject because I'm confused at this point.

[HMcCoy]

Re: How do you feel about congratulating your opponent after a loss?

The quote above HM pretty much answers your thesis statement.

Furthermore, it's easy or MUCH easier to accept defeat over the course of 82 -- there's always another game to redeem last nights loss w/.

The playoff exits in Boston and Orlando are the true test as Dr. King points out. This is when everything great that Lebron has done cannot be culminated w/ the ultimate greatness - the ring.

Losing in the playoffs and it ending your season is not the same as losing in February etc.

The playoff elimination, and how it is handled is the TRUE test and Lebron failed miserably.

I could have sworn this was the 4th time he's been eliminated from the playoffs, including a brutal sweep, and the 6th time he's ended the season in dissapointment considering in his 2nd and 3rd years the Cavs missed the playoffs by one game.

SMH at the notion that this loss is the only one that matters as far as judging character, lol. Talk about convenient. Im done.

[JBH3]

Re: How do you feel about congratulating your opponent after a loss?

I could have sworn this was the 4th time he's been eliminated from the playoffs, including a brutal sweep, and the 6th time he's ended the season in dissapointment considering in his 2nd and 3rd years the Cavs missed the playoffs by one game.

SMH at the notion that this loss is the only one that matters as far as judging character, lol. Talk about convenient. Im done.

So wait a second...Lebron was MVP those other years, and the favortie in the East pretty much the entire 2nd half (at least).

This one had a sting ALL its own.

You're a pretty cognizant poster so the above is kind of surprising.

[mvb34]

Re: How do you feel about congratulating your opponent after a loss?

Did anyone watch the end of the game last night? It was kind of akward. As soon as the buzzer went off all the Magic players looked over at the Lakers bench to see if they were gonna come over or if they should. No one moved and they both went back to the lockerroom. I guess you only shake hands at the end of the series and regular season games?

I thought it was pretty funny btw.

I say you shake after all 82 games if not don't bitch about one game..

[ProjectRipCity]

Re: How do you feel about congratulating your opponent after a loss?

When I played in highschool we all shook hands at the end of games. It's funny. Because deep down when I lost.. my brain is like "Stupid A-Holes" when we won I was thinking "We won...I know how bad it sucks to lose so Im going to show good sportsmanship"

Winning and losing is the difference between being extremely upset or extremely happy. Knowing Lebron...He always wins...Atleast this season. A player like Lebron is going to act like this. It's really not a huge story. Atleast he doesnt crawl on the floor and start barking on the floor at other players like KG. Or goes into the crowd and punches fans like Ron Artest. Or does not get the NBA record in T's like Sheed.

[Brankles]

Re: How do you feel about congratulating your opponent after a loss?

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