Rafer > LeBron

by grungedave on May 27, 2009 5:12 PM CDT in Random Commentary

Holy hell. Rafer Alston is one game away from the NBA Finals and a mainstream audience to showcase his wares to. Rafer freakin' Alston. 4-13 FG Rafer Alston.

Somehow Rafer had the game of his life last night. Hits 6 timely three-point shots. Finishes 10-17 from the floor with four assists and two steals. And if Eddie House was on the court, Rafer would have probably found time to bitch-slap him again. Instead, Rafer settled for figuratively shoving Mo Williams' guarantee up his ass and is about to give me a heart attack.

LeBron, meanwhile, played the role of the Rafer we all came to know and despise. Can someone please explain why LeBron James would ever attempt 10 three-pointers in one game (he went 4-10 in this game)? The dude is 6'9" and 270 lbs... and he's settling for jump shots?!? That should never happen. Yes, I know LeBron still shot 18 free throws, but he should have taken the Dwyane Wade in '05 playbook and shot something like 30 free throws in this game.

Alas, once again, LeBron bails out the Orlando defense and is taken away from his game. 8 turnovers... not a lot of easy assists... and very little ball movement. What does that get you? A big, fat "L". Three times LeBron has topped 40 points in this series. All three times his team has lost.

Rafer > LeBron!?!? Say it isn't so!

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Give me a break alston > lebron?? Alston is the type of player that have 1 good game and 10 bad ones. Never make any tear drops and inconsistent 3 pt shooting. If it wasn’t for him turning back to skip to ma lou and jack up a 3 in the 4th quarter instead of passing to howard, their game would be won without OT

by o_oholycrap on May 27, 2009 7:11 PM CDT reply actions

I would suggest looking up the word "sarcasm" in a dictionary.

The Dream Shake
"I think girls are probably just better shooters." - Steve Novak

by Tom Martin on May 27, 2009 7:44 PM CDT up reply actions

to use your name in a sentence

O Holy Crap – are you serious?!?!

In what world would you ever truly think that I would believe that Rafer > LeBron?!

by grungedave on May 28, 2009 8:02 AM CDT up reply actions

Rafer for MVP?

by Daniel C on May 27, 2009 10:08 PM CDT reply actions

Rafer > Michael Jordan and Kobe Combined

His FG% is over 40, which is something he had never brought to Houston. Rafer shoots better in the East , look at his stints with Toronto. It’s a helluva lot easier to play in the Eastern Conference, since there are like only 4 serious contenders. His solid shooting in the playoffs is definitely a pleasant surprise. He’s extremely fun to watch throughout the series. Go Rafer, even though I don’t really like the Magics. ( I want the Cavs to win) :P

Best moment from that game was when Rafer Alston stole the ball from I think Williams or West and a foul was called. He immediately started complaining to the refs. Then he realized he got fouled after he stole the ball and covered his mouth like a giddy child that just said a cuss word. (sorry for the large image but I just had to post it)

by Mejeh on May 27, 2009 11:49 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs

I know you're not being serious,

but this is as good an opportunity as any to point something out:

His FG% is over 40, which is something he had never brought to Houston

This is exactly why I loathe Wages of Wins.

Your friendly neighborhood Dreamshake mod.

by Only_A_Lad on May 28, 2009 12:05 AM CDT up reply actions

but but but

but David Robinson was better than Hakeem!!! WoW said so and even used stats to prove it!!!

by grungedave on May 28, 2009 8:02 AM CDT up reply actions

see,

that wasn’t that horrible. Robinson was one of the greatest centers of all time,. He wasn’t better than Hakeem, but at least they’re comparable.

No, the real problem with WoW is the way they:

1) Seem to ignore the most basic of facts. If you look at their infamous write-up about why Brent Barry was the greatest Barry ever, they state that Rick Barry just wasn’t that efficient of a scorer. In fact, Rick’s best eFG% came during his last year in the league. They completely gloss over the fact that THE FREAKING THREE POINT LINE WASN’T ON THE COURT UNTIL THAT YEAR. So no shit, of course the younger Barrys have an advantage there.
Now, one could say that the lack of the three-point shot is no excuse for Rick, since he needs to score efficiently in any era. But that ignores the strategic role of the jump-shot, spacing the floor and allowing others to get looks at the basket. Of course, WoW has a problem with that…

2) They completely ignore (and, in fact, ridicule) the idea that star players take less efficient shots because they have to. Kidd’s eFG% skyrocketed this year. Why? Because he’s not asked to take as many tough shots. He can share the load with guys like Jason Terry and Dirk. He can be a spot-up shooter.
What was Garnett’s best year in eFG%? The 07-08 season (it rose by about 0.60 from the 06-07 season, which was a bit of a poor season for KG, but still), when he was suddenly surrounded by Pierce and Ray Allen.
So, when we see that Battier is an efficient scorer (career eFG = .526), it’s just totally wrong to say that he’s a better offensive player than Tracy McGrady (career eFG = .471). They’re being asked to play two totally different roles on the team.

This isn’t baseball, so you can’t easily and precisely evaluate a player from what we see in the box score. One day, we might be able to do that, but not right now.

Your friendly neighborhood Dreamshake mod.

by Only_A_Lad on May 28, 2009 12:01 PM CDT up reply actions

I really dont think its any easier playing in the east…but the people on the east have no respect for rafer whatsoever and arent even guarding him…and hes making them pay for it…keep in mind the cavaliers and celtics were the leagues best defenses (well of course boston missed KG) so I dont see how thats suppose to be easier

by ohc on May 28, 2009 8:48 AM CDT up reply actions

I believe....

it is easier to play in the east, they just dont have the same amount of talent that is in the west. and when the 6-8 seeds in the east can be taken by the 9-11th seeds in the west, that’s saying something. the only good teams in the east are prolly the 1-4 seeds a year and since the east is EASIER to win in thats why those teams make it to the finals, ala-Magic vs. Cavs. and i can almost promise you the cavs road to the conf finals in the west is NO SWEEP, even with the #1 seed.

by kg_2005 on May 28, 2009 12:27 PM CDT reply actions

finally someone agrees with me! lebron is overrated.

by Shaffi3 on May 28, 2009 8:19 PM CDT reply actions

I do not and he is not.

by grungedave on May 29, 2009 9:58 AM CDT up reply actions

1 for 10 and 3pts

theres tha real skip

I'M DISRESPECTFUL TO DIRT!! CAN YOU SEE THAT I AM SERIOUS?
GET OUT OF MY WAY, ALL OF YOU. THIS IS NO PLACE FOR LOAFERS. JOIN ME OR DIE. CAN YOU DO ANY LESS?

by TitanFan2K on May 28, 2009 10:27 PM CDT reply actions