LeBron James' worst playoff game was the 2011 Finals failure all his doubters wanted to see
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- Опубликовано: 15 янв 2025
- There is no question now that LeBron James is one of the greatest basketball players ever. You can measure that in individual brilliance, and also in team success. He’s got championships.
LeBron’s playoff career is packed wall-to-wall with astounding brilliance, and if you dig for his worst playoff performances ever - like, say, for a video series called The Worst - you will be amazed by how few substandard postseason performances he has on record.
That said, there are a few stinkers. And the stinkiest of the stinkers serves as a fascinating reminder of a different, less certain point in LeBron’s playoff history. LeBron’s mainstream reputation entering Game 4 of the 2011 NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks is so different from what it is now.
He wasn’t yet a champion - in fact, he’d had a couple notable individual failures in pursuit of his first ring in Cleveland.
He wasn’t yet widely beloved - in fact, it was pretty popular to look down on the guy for leaving Cleveland to “take the easy way out” and form a “superteam” in Miami.
Within that context, James played one of the worst playoff games of his career. He was passive and deferent at times, over-aggressive and heavy-handed at others. His stats were terrible, and the Heat blew a fourth-quarter lead to lose Game 4, allowing the Mavs to tie the series at 2-2. And then Dallas won the whole thing, and LeBron had himself a very difficult summer. Purely in terms of basketball, it was the low point of his career.
This episode of The Worst plumbs that low point, because it was lower than you might recall, and because doing so helps us better appreciate how far he’s come, and how magnificently he has risen since that baaaaad bad period in 2011.
Written and produced by Seth Rosenthal
Directed and edited by Ryan Simmons
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As a Mavericks fan, I really hate that they didn’t get any credit from the national media for beating LeBron James & the Miami Heat in that series. It’s always “LeBron choked!”! etc and no praise for at all for Dallas.
JJ Barea's play on LeBron was book-writing worthy
If he didn't choke... You wouldn't have won
THOMAS THE TANK ENGINE There’s two sides to a coin. He may have shrunk but the Mavs also had to seize the oppurtiunity.
@@danbrown1344 I get where you're coming from...but he had to choke in order to present the opportunity to be seized by dallas
THOMAS THE TANK ENGINE says the moronic bronsexual
Rewinder:
Lighting McQueen choked piston cup
He should've put on those tires. SMH
"Chocked"
*C H O C K E D*
Lol their u go
@@kev6285 "Their"
I'm sure the comments are going to be civil
😈
Nothing says "civility" like "discussing LeBron James in the playoffs."
I’m not even gonna watch this just came for the comments
No pass for Lebron though. 16ppg vs un athletic Mavs team with washed up old players.
Hey let's judge everyone who posts on their worst day ever... This is just stupid clickbait, so every immature jackass, can trash the Greatest All Around Player for longevity, in the History of the Game.
Even worst, I remember when LeBron and DWade mocked Dirk who got fever, but they still unable to stop him, Dirk was unstoppable when he got fever 😎🤭
Dirk was 6 for 19 in that Game 4 and 9 for 27 in the clinching game. He shot 41.6% in the series. Far from 'unstoppable'. The Mavs were a complete team. The first model of how the game has evolved with deep shooting surrounding a versatile superstar wing player.
@@manuginobilisbaldspot424 But Dirk found the wherewithal, despite shooting 2-of-6 in the final frame, scored 10 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter. Both of his makes came at the rim, including that layup with 14.9 seconds left to give Dallas a three-point lead.
His % FG awful in that game buat his layup in final seconds was crucial.
Furthermore I do agree that season he was supported with so many deadly shooters.
@@manuginobilisbaldspot424 @kevin DeAndre @C T 50.4 ppg average Wilt> Lebron
10 scoring titles
Mj> LeBron 1 👎
MVP as a Rookie
Magic Johnson> LeBron No
Slam Dunk Champion
Kobe Bryant 1997> LeBron James 0.
Players that have at least 5 rings
Tim Duncan, Dennis Rodman, Scottie Pippen, Kareem Abdul Jabaar, Michael Jordan, Steve Kerr, Robert Horry, Bill Russel, Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Kobe Bryant etc > LeBron's not in that list
Best players in stats
1) Wilt Chamberlain, 2) Michael Jordan, 3) Oscar Robinson, 4) Russel Westrbrook, 5) James Harden, 6) Larry Bird, 7) LeBron James, 8) next on the list is Kevin Durant and he's Close!
Newest Player to enter most Turnovers in NBA History.
√LeBron James
Most Missed Shots in Playoff History.
√LeBron James with a total of 150 missed Shots that's is as equivalent as Kobe Bryant's Most missed shots ever.
Queen and King of Flop James is the most overrated player to get credit in NBA history his 3-6 finals isn't too far from Jerry West 1-9 finals record.
Most valuable control freak to boost up his own stats to make teamates look like bums. 8 straight finals with only 3 wins of rings. Couldn't take a beating from the Celtics so He joined his own Superteam in 2010. Then 2011 finals Mavs Exposed his defense and jumpshots. 2012 Okc finals was rigged like 2016 and honestly that was not a major competition unless you include Kevin Durant. 2014 Spurs exposed LeBron in the finals. He couldn't depend on his teammates for his legacy so he jumped back home to play along with young rising star Kyrie Irving who was the underground hero of 2016 like Ray Allen to LeBron's 2013 game save.
The real MVP for the Miami Heat
D.Wade> Lebron James
LeBron had to join his team if Wade or Bosh didn't take the harder assignments like Battier on defense LeBron would have -2 rings right now. If it wasn't for the refs or the commissioner of the NBA that would be a -1 for 2016 finals if they didn't rigg it so LeBron could get his overrated praise from Lebrontards. We are shutting down this LeBron's the goat debate. He isn't in the same finals category as Kobe or Duncan. 1 scoring title is poor for the praise he gets, poor footwork.
66% freethrow shooting that's not good for a stat padder like him.
Poor post moves
Frequent uncalled travels and offensive fouls you will see with the eye test.
Worst 3 point shooter.
Worst defensive player in history.
Overall stats are overrated when you put the context into the reasoning behind them. LeBron's the goat of this generation but he's not the best of the best.
@@christianhenry4173
But who had the most win shares?
Who had the highest VOPR?
You take a guess, son.
@@christianhenry4173 you ok kid? Are you gonna start crying now lmao?
The fact that Terry got that tattoo before the season started then Dallas pulled off that miracle in the playoffs is crazy.
And that airplane celebration was fire too
The defensive prowess of JJ Barea was just too much for Lebron
*Barea
You right
Funny
😂😂😂😂
😂 LEGENDARY opposition
I feel like fans tend to forget that the Mavs were missing their 3rd leading scorer in the 2011 playoffs (Caron Butler). That makes their championship run even more impressive for me.
The Clutch Canuck in my opinion. The 2011 Mavericks playoff run is tied only by the 1995 Rockets playoff run.
Actually he was our second leading scorer Jason Terry was the third
Terry averaged 15.8 PPG, Butler 15.0 PPG
The Clutch Canuck At the time that Caron went down, he was the 2nd. JET bumped his avg up after that
Ah that’s true, I thought terry was around 15 still, thanks for clarifying. So even MORE impressive
Skip Bayless has entered the chat
*Doing somersaults* 😂😂
*”I don’t hate LeBron, but he’s the phony GOAT. You know who’d never put up a performance so bad, the real goat, MICHAEL JEFFREY JORDAN”*
His wife turns this game on when she tries to get him in the mood
@@onaebodaghe he's absolutely correct about that tho
It’s barely even about who is the best ever because you can’t put up a goat from 50 years ago against someone today, it’s time baby, worship it
2011 Finals - The one where media portrays as Lebron's Failure than Dirk's Success.
How media pushes narratives. Dallas played as a team and Miami played as three stars together.
Only players in the miami heat team who played good was wade,miller, bibby. Rest of them were trash . I'm not disrespecting lebron james, he was trash in that series like kobe bryant was in 2004 finals.
VA Sports and entertainment Nah man kobe in 04 is the word ever. Bron averaged 18 7 and 7 that series on 48% shooting while Kobe averaged 23 3 and 4 on 38%. Kobe shot the lakers out of the game while LeBron didn’t shoot enough. They both got clamped up but kobe fed right into the pistons game plan and shot them out the series
MIAMI heat was favorites to win 2011 title
Because the Mavs only won because of Lebron's poor play. I'm not trying to disrespect the Mavs, the deserved to win and swept teams like the Lakers on their way to the finals, but idk what you would expect the media to say other than about LeBron
@@sergeantsupreme4395 the first thing that comes into minds of most basketball fans on 2011 finals is the greatest choke any superstar has had in NBA history while people don't give as much credit as work deserves for that playoff run he went against kobe and okc and he was the only legitimate star on the team. The funny thing is that when NBA teams play zone on lebron its like they shut down lebron to tge ground rendering him useless but hey this was Dirk spotlight not Lebron lowlight
Not One
Not Two
Not Three
Not Four
Not Five
But Six NBA Finals Loses
Shannon Sharpe 2 sweeps and a gentleman sweep
jon castro yes he did
Charles WoodsonGOAT in the biggest stage? Dude would nvr let a guy like Jason Terry outplay him😂
Charles WoodsonGOAT gave you a thumbs up for the name, Woodson absolutely the GOAT
@jon castro Kobe still up there. We can stop saying LeBron is beyond Kobe too.
So much disrespect to the Mavs, Dirk and the Mavs beat the Lakers with Kobe and Pau, then beat the OKC with KD and Westbrook. The Mavs was the greatest team in the West and they damn earned there victory against the Heat.
@@LoudPet636 because the Mavs never really got credit. All the stories were about LeBron choking with a few about Dirk sprinkled in.
@Robinson 11 they were a team on the rise just not there at that time. Now they're wondering what might've been
@Robinson 11 KD wasa scoring champ and a top 5 SF and westbrook was a top 5 pg please watch NBA not just highlights.
Ryx the disrespect is real smh
@@LoudPet636 actually I am a Heat fan that year and I lost but I gave my respects to Dirk and the Mavs. No excuses just lost to the best team in the West period.
Change this title to Mavs greatest playoff run and redemption for Dirk
I think they did that already
It could be argued that their greatest run/team was in 2002-2003 but they fell due to late playoff injuries. If that didn’t happen, the rest of the path was tailored made for a title. And that team was way more talented than this team. Steve Nash and Michael Finley were still on the team, Nick Van Exel was playing out of his mind, the bench was solid, even Dirk was in the beginning of his prime and was way better than 2011 Dirk.
Would that make you Bronsexuals feel better?
BTL_ 007 not a Bronsexual. I’m a Dirk sucker
Seriously, let's celebrate something good instead of Lebron.
I see you all failed to mention how LeBron and Dwyane was making fun of Dirk being sick and Dirk (still really sick) killed the chance of having to come back in that series. 2011 was the best year as a Mavericks fan!!
The only time the Mavericks will win anything..
@@orbitzzzz I doubt you are right lol. The future looks bright with Luka Doncic, Kristaps Porzingis, Seth Curry and the crew.
Lightdion Luka is good but he is no Dirk lol
Mark Ortiz ok boomer
@@orbitzzzz yeah he's Luka
The one thing that separates MJ and lebron. This finals
Ring chasing
And the 2014 Finals as well, the big 3 Heat was beat up by a VERY OLD Spurs team🤣🤣🤣🤣
@@andrehts11 dwayne wade was injured lebron carried
@@zxmegatronxz8472 Chigaco lost the series to magic. But MJ averaged 31pts in the 1995 playoffs and the team wasn't a complete championship calibre team and MJ didn't play a whole lot of games in the regular season. Though its not a very big excuse to make but he did come back in 95-96 season and swept shaq's team in the conference finals. I would not blame lebron for losing in 07,14,15,17 and 18 finals because they were too much to overcome but lebron in 2011 just needed to play like his normal self like averaging 26pts, 7rebs and 8ast to win the title especially when lebron was at his peak best but instead he averaged less than 20pts in the finals. He was trolled to the utmost extreme extent which shouldn't have happened because it happens to every great player but comparing with MJ performances in the finals which were among the greatest performances in finals history. Just look at MJ numbers in the finals. Absolutely insane
@@zxmegatronxz8472 mj came back from a year stint in baseball and averaged 30 that whole series and playoffs and only played about 35 games that year and there team wasnt up to par to even be in that conference finals
That 2011 Mavs were REALLY good and clearly overlooked for whole season. Dirk was amazing. Jason Kidd was old but still a legendary point god, who became a 10-time all-star just 1 season before. Tyson Chandler was the defensive anchor, who won DPOY the next season and went on to become an all-star. Jason Terry was the sixth-man of the year in 2009. Shawn Marion, a 4-time all-star a little bit past his prime. There was no Big Three, but Dirk was not alone. This was a team filled with marginal all-star caliber players handling a lesser role, and great role players who were used and performed very well. Dirk fans (or LeBron haters) love to say that Mavs team was a "Big One" team. But it was never a good way to help basketball fans acknowledging how truly great that 2011 Mavs team was.
Just like not giving credit to their defense on LeBron. However, it was not just about their defense as well. LeBron DID choke, very much. He did give up, and showed no competitiveness or aggressiveness. He had an infamous game 4, but even game 5 was bad. But the Heat still had good chance to win the series behind Dwyane Wade's great performance (26-7-5), who had similar stats with Dirk (26-9-2), and was always better on court than on paper. I really believe the Heat could still beat the Mavs' great defense and win it all, if LeBron did not choke like that. And the fans will now talk about Wade, whose greatness in that series has since been totally ignored, carrying LeBron in the finals and becoming the 2-time FMVP.
So, props to every players on the 2011 Mavs, and their defense, and Dwyane Wade.
They always wanna say Dirk won that chip by himself
If LeBron played up to his standards, he would’ve won Finals MVP. Wade wouldn’t outplay LeBron at his best.
Marginal All-Stars? Who? I'll give you J. Kidd, but that's it. Marion was closer to retiring than the last time he was an All-Star. J. Terry was NEVER an All-Star. Dirk moved mountains and made magic happen. He was the best player on the court that finals.
When Miami when up 2-1 against Dallas, D Wade and Lebron were mocking Dirk's flu.
karma
And again time and time again a player with flu carried a team to a win in the finals thats just embarassment to the self proclaimed goat to lose to a player with flu lol
Lebron must hate Texas considering 07,14 and if not for Allen 13 would be different as well.
And then lechoke got carried off the court for clamps and got a gentleman's sweep by spurs in the 2014 finals. Lmao. Dirk used the sickness to kill lechoke and the super heat. Lechoke used the cramps as an excuse take another L in the finals. No killer mentality.
Gagan Dhaliwal he was lechoke back then but now he is LeBron the king but then you couldn't have could him lechoke but in that 2014 finals it really wasn't all his fault Wade knees wasn't the same Chris Bosh played bad that series so it was all LeBron basic to team mates and just LeBron but that 2011 yes I would say LeBron choke but he does have that killer inside of him just because of one bad finals doesn't mean he doesn't have a killer instinct
Lebron was affraid to post up JJ Barera
William Pupo And Kason Kidd
Because posting up has always been a effective way to beat zone defense
William Pupo I mean that's a myth but ok.
That's the Goat for you..
Zorain Green 😂😂
Give Dallas credit. It's a complete outplay. Plain and simple.
Dominique Francis if LeBron didn’t choke I think the Heat would’ve won the series
Dallas outplayed Miami and Carlisle SORELY outcoached Spoelstra. He had no answer for the unique LeBron zone, or for the 2-PG lineup with Kidd and Barea. Dallas smoked them.
@Dante Meloni not at all? Lmao our defense was so good that lbj gave up on that series.
Cmon a complete outplay is a sweep not a 2-4 series with close games...
it was an outplay due to Lebron choking up
"You don't win the finals by yourself"
Tell that to Lebron Fans. According to them, James never had help, just balloon animals
You spelled michael jordan wrong
Tell MJ fans that someone called Scottie Pippen exists
batthew mrack
To have Dwade and Bosch is worth more than just Scotty. Dude average 20 points twice in his career and no more than that.
@@matthewbrack2794 Scottie is the only star
James had
Wade
Kyrie
Love
Bosh
Allen
Korver
Lebron had the Eastern Conference All Stars
Jordan only needs his coach and Scottie
@@theinnocentturtle1236 dennis rodman is a thing. Phil Jackson exists. also lol at you using wade and kyrie in the same sentence as korver
Media should of gave credit to Dallas
They locked Lebron down and he was really really bad
That Mavs team is underrated and did a hell of a job
The reason why LeBron is the player he is today. He studied that Mavs defense against himself the whole summer. He hasn't performed that poorly in any game, since.
Gloria Smalls The hell are you talking about? Even though he lost, LeBron performed well in all three of those finals, especially 2017.
Agreed. Massive disrespect to Terry and some of those other key vets who had been staples of league (Marion, Carlisle) for future reference It’s should have or should’ve, not should of.
Dallas were good man, but the problem is bron literally choked those winnable games
@@eriklakeland3857 yeah, they keep making JJ Barea and JT look like bums to downplay LeBron’s legacy. Those guys aren’t superstars but they damn sure aren’t bums either
People forget that that mavs team swept Kobe beat and beat okc in 5 that mavs team was a good sleeper team
Yeah but they swept LA due to a complete implosion. I remember watching those games and LA never passed up an opportunity to shoot themselves in the foot. They were actually very creative about it. Gotta give Dallas credit though. They won the games
Yes, sweeping the lakers and beating OKC was super impressive no doubt, but the point is that none of that excuses such a bad performance from the best player in the world. A player of LeBron's caliber is not supposed to get "shut down," superstars just don't.
They went on a hell of a run. One that no one expected them to after years of past playoff disappointments. I remember most people had the Lakers, Spurs or OKC winning the west.
OmgYoDee Yeah, the greatest Mavs team of all time, a great team of Jason Kidd, Jason The Jet Terry one of the most prolific 3 point shooters of all time, Shawn Marion, Barea etc etc + Ben Wallace disguised as Chandler so the key for that championship for Dirk like Pau for Kobe, and don't forget beating those Brandon Roy and Aldridge Blazers too on top of sweeping Kobe and the Lakers that were looking for a threepeat and those KD-Westbrook-Harden with Ibaka and Perkins blown in 5.
I wouldn't mind losing to such a great squad and sleeper pick.
You cant get to the NBA finals without being a really good team. Even swept teams did really good things and won a ton of games against good teams to do so.
He went full Kyrie Irving mode in that press conference.
I'm the 100th like
Mixamaka Kyrie learned that from lebron 😂😂
Never go full Kyrie
LeFraud is actually 0-75 in the Finals
46-83:Too lazy to even be born
84-03:Too lazy to even show up
03-05:Missed playoffs
06-11:Lost
12:Baby Thunder
13: Ray Allen
14/15:Lost
16:Injured Warriors
17/18:Lost
19:Missed playoffs
20:Mickey Mouse Summer League Ring
21:First Roundedd
am never gonna forget that jason Terry outplayed lebron 😂
Cool no one asked tho
@@spritecups25 well then stfu am just stating my opinion you SHMUCK
ney6mar junior ok still no one asked
@@spritecups25 then don't comment then no one asked you to comment
SoosUnknown cool story bro but I don’t remember asking 🙈😞😎( if u can’t tell I’m using a joke to troll u don’t take me serious lol)
"Fall back like LeBron's hairline against the Mavericks...he lost."
Lebron biggest strength and weakness at the same time is his awareness:
Strength: it makes him a great passer and reader of the game
Weakness: it takes away from him the out-of-this-world confidence guys like Jordan and Bryant had even whey they shot horribly.
It's the one area it took him awhile to master. To me the comparisons with Jordan and Kobe in terms of how they play are always wrong. Even the comparisons to Magic are wrong as to me the player he is most like is Bird. Now, due to athletic differences and shooting abilities the way they play physically is different but both are scorer-passers. They are wired to do both, neither enjoyed just scoring, they both wanted to get their teams involved and loved passing. Bird grasped how and when to take over scoring early in his career while it took LeBron until the year after the 11' Finals to understand it. Prior to 12' he took over games and had huge games but other times he was thinking too much rather than just putting his head down and going out with guns blazing. Once he realized in big games he needed to just stop thinking, go out and be selfish occasionally, that's where he finally unlocked his full potential. Kobe and Jordan were always wired to be gunners, they were shooting no matter what though to Jordan's credit he learned how to pass in clutch situations whereas Kobe never fully developed that aspect of his game, though in those Kwame Brown years I don't blame him.
I still remember that comment he said about people who wanted to see him fail, basically saying your lives suck and i'm still LeBron James
Please go on chairmen James
@jmat444 He wasn't wrong, though
If you don’t think like that you can’t be the greatest of all time. Just a mindset
He was speaking facts. All these folks putting their energy into hating a man they’ve never met for simply changing teams, meanwhile he’s still living his dream for a career and they still have their everyday problems to wake up to. It demonstrates just how sad those people are and how mixed up their priorities are.
@SunamiKilla MJ went at his rivals. Lebron just went at everybody that said something negative about him, which was most nba fans and analysts at the time. The man was hurt and he basically just told everybody that their lives suck.
"Like a good neighbor State farm is there.....WITH A CLUTCH GENE!!!"
--Skip Bayless
The Chosen One became The Frozen One
All of these goat comments
He’s not lerobin James he’s lealfred james
@@TheSands83 🤣🤣🤣🤣
“IT DOESNT TAKE THE CLUTCH GENE TO PLAY GREAT SHUTDOWN DEFENSE SO AT LEAST TRY AND GUARD THE 6 FOOT 2 INCH GUY” -Skip Bayless
Don't let this distract you from the fact that LeBron got artificial hair plugs to hide his receding hairline
Caruso should ask him bout it
noree beab yeah it is because the best in basketball went bald and they didn’t care
@noree beab it just says so much about LeBrons lack of self confidence and how much public opinion means to him.
LeBron vs DJ Envy, who wore it better
I think all rich people do this. Nobody wants to be bald lol
My favorite thing that came from all this is Mark Cuban destroying Skip Bayless on how they shut down lebron
GOKU He did school Skip Bayless. Still doesn’t change the fact that Lebron choked and got outsourced by a bench player lol.
This is when the goat debate ended.
Then started again after the chip next year
Then it ended for Jordan with all those first round exits, what kinda goat loses so early?
Musicrecords10 then it ended for lebron when he missed the playoffs his rookie season. What kinda goat misses the playoffs?
It takes a team to win games, tell me how well Jordan was in playoffs before Pippen and I don’t recall the goat dragging Washington to playoffs
Musicrecords10
How well was Jordan in the playoffs before pippin? Being a kid from Detroit I actually saw the Pistons beat him and Scotty at the same time. So don’t make a seem like Scotty was just a miracle wonder that all of a sudden made Jordan win. In Washington they won 17 games before Jordan. When Jordan showed up to the team they actually won 37 games. So that is a huge leap for past prime player to make.
I get this is about Bron squandering the finals but this SHOULD be about Dirk and that Mavs team ultimate triumph
It would be, if Bron wasn't out here promissing 7 championships as soon as he got to Miami. Him as the greatest player in the league creating such high expectations, then blowing this game 4 which would put his team up 3-1, by going for only 8 points... definitely merits attention.
The hate for Lebron that summer was amazing. Miami fans were pissed at Lealfred James for not even attempting to show up or play defense.
I’ll get you banned from RUclips for life without another account being created for continuing to talk about Dallas’s run instead of LeBron chocking in the biggest stage ever.
Lebron wasn't counting his future rings / Championship wins.. He was counting his Championship losses LMFAO
So he will be 3-7 after this season, correct? I mean he stopped at 7 haha 😂
@@christiananasco8937 no he will be 4-6 and shut y'all haters up
Xstremz I agree with you on this one. He might win it all and he is playing better than last year. Antony Davis is averaging 26.5pts and 9.2 reb . Lakers are good. They have a good bench and Dwight is back. So basically it’s like a super team.
@@xstremz7116 He has the number PF/C in the NBA right now NBA champions, green, rondo. and guys like MCGEE,HOWARD , kcp, bradley etc. It is a superteam.
Mihir Rocks your wrong he’s gonna win 10 in a row
It felt so good to root against him in that series. I wanted all the vets on the Mavs to win a title, coupled with the fact that the Heat beat my Bulls in the conference finals.
Imagine being a Mavs fan. It was a great ride.
@@malgold88 I feel you on that. Nash and Dirk are in my all time favorites group, so I loved seeing Dirk finally get a ring.
Agreed on the vets, lots of classics players over the years like Marion, Peja, Kidd
Miss that Bulls team. D Rose, Noah, Boozer, Taj, Deng and Butler. I was definitely on the same boat rooting against the Heat that year.
Am I the only one who heard " Dalmas Texmas?"
Andrew Mark OMG I thought it was just me
I had to stop the video instantly and check the comments
I heard it too
I remember watching that game and I laughed my ass off how JJ Barea of all people shut down Lebron and Jason Terry outscored him. Like 2 little dude just made LLLLLLebron look like a child. And it was glorious. I feel like when listening to that “ring count” in Miami was in future reference of how many finals losses he’d get
How many times has LeBron lost in the Finals? “Not two, not three, not four...” 😂
Not 5 😂
Not 6 😂 ( after this season )
Sdfu hater
😅😅😅
@@christianr1941 😂😂😂
This comment section is going to be very interesting. Remember to wear a hazmat suit before reading
Jason terry outplayed LeBron and he got locked down by a 38 year old jason kidd. "Goat" lmao
Nic Reyes you act like LeBron is the only player to have a bad series
@@ShakiraquanTGIFCarter
That's the problem with you bronsexuals, you attack other players to defend your queen so you end up missing the point. LeBron is supposedly the "goat" and he got outplayed by a 34 year old bench player Jason terry and LeBron was in the absolute prime of his career and playing in a SUPERTEAM. There's no excuses that's why you dumbasses resort to changing the topic to a different player. Thats is the toxic culture you Bronsexuals create and that is why a lot of people don't like you and your fake ass queen.
Nic Reyes your point is there but you’re way to aggressive. You 100% assumed just because he was trying to be a bit fair he was a bronsexual. Cmon man
Word, Du30
@@martindagoat3909
Sorry if it came out too aggressive. I'm just tired of bronsexuals spreading their cancerous ways all over the basketball community.
Lebron wasted the only year he played with a prime Dwade
Wade was still putting up great numbers the following 3 years. Yes he started to decline, but he was still great.
peak d wade....
prime d wade lasted from 2004-2016
Wade was still elite in 2012 and still very good in 2013-2014
@@buddyfats4768 in 2014 dwade was useless
@@Runforestrun not great. Just good but below average for his standards. Then in 2014 he was horrible. Same with bosh
This exact problem also related to Dirk, until this series
0:50 The hell is “Dalmas”
Inside joke. You wouldnt get it.
Cody Bivins Why not
@@jaywaz680 smh
Rice wrapped with grape leaves.
It's a city in Texmas, duh.
I remember Wade & LeBUM laughing at Dirk for being sick or sth. Karma bit them and they lost lol
yao8 still won the next two rings in 12 & 13. Both Wade & Bron have more rings than the mavs
lol you're hating on a billionaire athlete LAME
@@joshingram071 Lol even if they have more rings, history will forever tell that LeBum choked
LeBron had a superteam, dirk did not. If dirk had 2 superstars in their prime, he would have won atleast 3 or 4 championships.
@@3TDynamics2024 mavs have multiple players who can score double digits while the heat relies heavily on big 3
When has Jordan ever had 8 points In a damn finals .
Marlo Standfield
Dude averaged 40 points for an entire series at one point in time, crazy!
@@kozmeetorez how about when Jordan averaged 31.2ppg, 6.6rpg, 11.4apg, and 2.8spg in the Finals against the Lakers?
Now that was an amazing performance.
@Jay WBell I've always wondered what MJ would do to the record books if he played in this era where you can't touch him and free throws are abundant
@@vanguardas9927 He would just be James Harden with worse passing and better defense.
@@kingcobra2596 Clearly you've never seen him play. I bet you just googled MJ stats and found your way into basketball reference. MJ was an excellent passer, a way better scorer than Harden and arguably the greatest wing defender. He's also the greatest shot blocking guard in NBA history. At least educate yourself before commenting bullshit. Don't embarrass yourself.
When the chosen one became the frozen one
We really forget that LeBron shot 35.6% in the 2007 Finals, including a 4 for 16 Game 1 of what was a winnable game. Then 10 for 30 in Game 4 in a game the Cavs lost by one point. That 2007 Finals is what MJ's 1995 loss to Orlando has become. We've literally forgotten it.
and when mj just got dookied on by bird
It gets excused bc it was his “first finals” and he was so outmatched. He was bad, no excuses. Any other superstar it would get brought up.
Jordan still averaged 31 in that series on 48 percent shooting. He also had a bad wrist at that.
It's upsetting that 2011 was known as LeBron's failure rather than Dirk's greatness. Dirk lead, fought and willed the Mavs to that championship. The Mavs even lost Butler, their second leading scorer in the team and they still beat the reigning LA Lakers, OKC and then beat the very stacked Heat. In every series there was 1 common denominator, Dirk carrying his team to win.
Well it was lebrons failure. Replace lebron with any above average player that tries on defense, fights for rebounds, and drops at least 20 a game and Miami wins.
I’m glad Dirk managed to eek one ring out in his career
*"Not one, not two, not three, not four, not five, not six, not seven"*
Best lebron quote.
Yep, but EIGHT. EIGHT POINTS. 🤣🤣🤣
2011 is remembered as the heat losing and not how the mavs beat the odds and won their first title.
This was the series that forever disqualified Lebron from the goat conversation.
if he wins in 2011 he probably in 2015 stays one more year wins in miami again then leaves and he would have 5 rings by now...smdh..idiot....by choking this and leaving the heat at the wrong time he basically gave away 2 titles lol...pre kd...if he had 5 rings and lost to kd no one would be hard on him
@@razkable He isnt winning 2014, but maybe 2015 cuase Hassan Whiteside was elite that year. 2016 would be hard cause Bosh cant play no more and is still hurting the cap, and when Wade declined, Pat Riley would've traded for Butler, or Paul George to help Bron and possibly take down the Warriors
@@shasankamadduri1998 i just think lebron is dumb
2007 Cavs - swept by 24 total points.
- TD put in his worst finals performance
- Cavs big men committee held strong
- Bron’s inability to shoot & selection led to L’s.
2023 Lakers - swept by 24 pts (ironic)
- AD manned one hell of a defense
- multiple double digit scorers
- Bron’s inability to shoot and extremely poor shot selection led to L’s.
His 1st performance looked just like his last performance. The stats were comparable, but the result was exactly the same. It’s a myth that he carried either of these squads. They did what they were supposed to do - LBJ wet the bed.
The first of several Finals series that finally ended the debate whether LeBron is better than Michael Jordan. He's not and never will be.
I’m a Mavs fan,but I absolutely hate the fact that people say Dirk was the only good player on the team.
Me too
Who Else was an all star?
Who's an all star? On mavs?
He wasn’t but he kinda was lol
I like how you completely ignored his 2014 finals loss to the spurs.😂
asian dude Lebron was kinda stat padding in that series but I don’t know
It was nothing like this. In that one, yeah, he wasnt great but the Spurs were just better, hungrier, and out for revenge. Kawhi's defense on LeBron was a big part of that as well. In this series, they were up 2-1, and LeBron just froze the last three games.
Jordan's Opponents (Team) with ring/s in his prime era (90's)- Rockets (94&95) Spurs (99)
LeBron's Opponents with ring/s in his prime era (2010's-present)- Lakers (10) Mavs (11), Spurs (14), Warriors (15,17,18) Raptors* (19)
*missed the playoffs
Lol How about the 1991 pistons? They were the back2back champ that year and bulls swept them.. Or how about 1992 lakers? 31 year old magic is the 2nd runner up in mvp that season and has prime worthy and had 5 rings also? But bulls beat them in 5... And lastly Bulls had 6 rings in that decade so its natural that majority of teams on that era had no rings cuz Mj got beat them all and LBJ giving his ring to other team and became dynasty because of him😂😂..You sounds bias and a certified Lebum stan lmaoo😂😂
GOATS do not choke in the magnitude of this in the finals. Leterd is out of the conversation forever after the 8 pt game 4… bye bye now and forever.
Imagine being passive while being guarded by J.J Barea
i mean tyson chandler shawn marion deshawn stevenson jason kidd were on the floor a lot too..not just jj barea...
I’m still convinced LBJ threw away this serie so dwade doesn’t win the FMVP.
I had so much fun with the LeBron choker jokes in 2011. That stuff was top quality entertainment.
i mean he earned it that year...he had all the help
That's funny, I don't remember MJ ever having such a meltdown, playing like he was nervous or being absolutely destroyed by a not-so-good player.
Nobody does cus that’s was 25 years ago
@@brodie8626 nobody does cus never happened bro. You mad?
rGG did not know that stating a fact like “25 years” has past would make people assume that I’m mad... k
A day before he wins his fourth ring #KingJames #Goat
@@brodie8626 only in Bron's fans mind.
I even remembered many critics are saying Jordan will never scored 8 pts in a NBa finals...
mj never scored under 22 i believe in the finals ...you can double check that....mj never had a playoff game under 15 points....he may have had 1 14 point game but he probably won it in a blowout so who cares...he barley has any under 20 point playoff games that he lost aka that weren't blowout wins...he always performed..thats why hes the goat..he didn't need a d wade..give him bosh and some role players he wins rings..hes more skilled and willing as a team player than lebron hes fearless scary and a better defensive player..
Hell Jordan never even scored less than 10 points EVER for the Bulls aside from a 1985 game where he was returning from an ankle injury and played 10 minutes. He had 8 in that one lowest scoring Bulls game, same as LeBron in the finals. Lol
Never seen a so called great player get so many excuses lol
Never forget Jason Terry calling out Lebron and then shutting him down the next game
@Pallani
LeBron shut himself down.
@Pallani
So you are telling me that a GOAT candidate choked because the opposing team played defense? No shiz, of course they'll play defense. What do you want, let LeBron score everytime he touches the ball? Lol.
@Pallani
You didn't understand? Just let me know so I can explain like you're 5.
@Pallani
You admitted it yourself: LeBron choked. End of story.
L36RON didn't just f8k up game 4
Game 3: 17pts
Game 4: 8pts
Game 5: 17pts
Guarded mostly by barea and rest by Marion. GOAT!
Love how Lebron fans like to bring up 2016 GSW to disregard Currys legacy when Lebron had a way worse finals performance without any injuries or teammate suspension unlike 2016 GSW
This!! And Lebron is the GOAT to some people and Steph not in some peoples top 15, make it make sense.
As a huge Lebron fan, this kind of video going into his 2011 Finals loss is exactly what I've been waiting for! I remember watching it as a kid and thinking what the hell is going on with this guy?? Now you look at him and see the confidence and mental state he has gotten into and truly feel proud to be a fan
You’re soy. I don’t get rooting on players like their favorite team.
@@austinhowser7838bro you’re a loser
LeBron Haters: I think this is my stop
LeBron Stands : he needs more help
sticky-fingers booo get off the stage 🗣
GOAT?? 🤣 Name the 🐐, in any sport, who has a losing record in the Championship round... I’ll wait.
King Trawal people consider Barry Bonds the GOAT of baseball but he aint got no World Series
@@wilt3051 The greatest at HRs from 'roiding, sure...
This was beautiful to watch in 2011
2:45 That Spurs mascot though 🤣🤣🤣
"That one right there made me the greatest..."
-Lechoke
I wonder if this kid even had his driver license during the 2011 finals....
You want to talk about "the king" carrying a team to the finals when he was with Cleveland......who were "the big three" of Dallas??? Dirk carried his team to the finals.....AND WON....against the team that had the super group!!!!!!!!
I remember a LOT of people around the country becoming Maverick fans that week....
That Cleveland was horrible you cant compare at all lol
July 8th 2010 - The day Lebron James could never be considered the GOAT
Haz Hazz I think that was on February 17, 1963.
Remember when the Klaw DESTROYED the King in the finals?
I thought I was having a stroke when he said "Dalmas Texmas"
0:48
Remembered when Bron and Wade mocked Dirk for having the flue in one game. Oh how Karma works!
The “GOAT” discussion ended after Nowitski ran the Heat off their own court in the NBA finals.
A more realistic discussion is whether Lebron is even the greatest small forward to play in the NBA.
For me, it’s Larry Bird.
I'd put Scottie Pippen ahead of Lebron as well. I agree that Bird is the best SF ever.
@@dustman820 I mean yeah without Scottie MJ gets 0 rings
@@dustman820 your not serious
Crazy comment. All the expectations Lebron has had since hs(pippen expectations not even close), 4 time NBA champion(and he was the Jordan of his team)4 Finals MVP, and will soon be the all time scorer in NBA ! Dc how much you dislike him if your really a fan of basketball then you know your watching one of the greatest of all time ! Show more respect while he’s still playing, don’t wait til the old man retires
If refs never helped lebron he would had lost against thunders and spurs in his Miami wins .
Love how "unbiased" the commentary is LMAO. Accept the fact that your diva got the best choke performance of all time.
he accepted it. now you accept that Lebron is the goat
So we just gone ignore the fact he got six finals losses? How can y’all put him in that goat convo
Dakota King because he’s the best player the game has seen and he didn’t have the best team and coach every time he got to a finals, and he had a consistent supporting cast every time in the finals, and his teammates were never injured in the finals, and Jordan missed the season when Lebron led his team to a finals at 22 vs a dynasty and Jordan never played a team like the 16’ Warriors or the Thunder or 13’ Spurs ect ect. Completely different circumstances, Jordan doesn’t win 6 chips in today’s NBA and sure as hell ain’t goin undefeated
Because it’s a team sport, your team can be bad, but you can be great, rings shouldn’t even counted in the goat conversation, but idk, Basketball is my 4th favourite, so take this as you will
@@NK-mr3rh A bunch of what ifs! FACT IS Jordan won 6, fact is Jordan never even went to a game 7 in the Finals! Fact is JORDAN IS THE GOAT! btw, he never played a team like the Warriors because he himself made his Bulls teams as good if not better than the Warriors! And Jordan was a better offensive player and defensive player, how tf is Lebron a better player?
Ragnar Silver those aren’t what ifs that is context. Keep talking because you’re making my point, Jordan always had the better team because management put it around him. Jordan was the player, he didn’t craft that team the FO did. Jordan was the better scorer but that doesn’t mean he was a better offensive player. The impact Lebron has when he steps on the court in unmatched. Highest box plus minus the game has seen, a clear point ahead of 2nd place Mike. Jordan was a more consistent defender sure but better? Maybe, maybe not but Lebron was the more versatile. 6’8 250 can guard 4-5 positions. Lebron is the better all around player, the ultimate Swiss army knife. Better for longer ect
Emu TV I think rings should count but shouldn’t be considered end all be all. Magic was literally drafted into the greatest situation any bball player has ever been drafted into, Timmy D was drafted into the legendary Spurs org with Pop and with the Admiral still playing well. Kobe drafted into the Lakers and was practically given Shaq and Phil. Now how could you fairly judge their rings compared to Lebron’s who was drafted into the horrible Cavs org and was practically abandoned for 7 years?
Lebron can never be considered the goat after the 2007 and 2011 choke jobs. The Mavs were great but if lebron played better the heat probably won. MJ would’ve won that series.
Yep no disrespect to the Mavs but if Lebron played better then Miami sweeps Dallas. Game 2 and 4 were close as hell and Lebron just disappeared those games hell he averaged like 2 points in those 4th quarters on games decided by 2 and 3 points.
these videos are keeping me alive during this corona virus hahaha
This and the fact that he’s lost more finals that won is really why ill never understand why people can say with a straight face that Lebron is in conversation as the goat. Definitely a top 10 all time player maybe even top 5 though.
"Maybe even top 5"...LMAO he's objectively in the top 5
Andre Ingram aka DJ Screw RIP Just not the GOAT tho
@@mycontentistrash1243 Opinion
Andre Ingram aka DJ Screw RIP he’s literally 3-6 in the finals (might be 4-6 by the end of this season) can’t be the goat.
SunamiKilla no. Curry fans (including me) say he’s the best PG not that he’s the goat. You can be a mega fan of someone and still be logical.
I love how this Mavs team ruined the legacy of two NBA greats in pursuit of the greatness of Jordan. Mavs swept Kobe’s Lakers going for the second repeat eliminating the comparison (Jordan also has sheer numbers that Kobe doesn’t touch, and Jordan was the alpha on all 6 teams, where as Kobe had Shaq).... and Mavs beat Lebron’s Heat in the finals making Lebron having lost to an underdog in the finals is inexcusable when comparing to Jordan and his 6 for 6 on the greatest stage (admittedly Lebron’s numbers are closer but still not Jordan’s but was also alpha on all of his teams teams)...
Every time Lebron takes an L in the Finals he leave the team lol, ppl really compare Lebron to MJ, MJ never let nobody eat in the finals Lebron did
when u go to the finals for 10 years straight that’s bound to happen
As the only Heat fan in a school of Mavs fans, 2011 put a special kind of hurt on me
Lol I always loved the Jason Terry Jet celebration, I thought it was super cool as a kid
This would never happen to Jordan, brah
His performance against the Suns these playoffs could be in this video as well
Also five years prior to that, Miami beat Dallas in the finals. Down 2-0 and won four in a row.
If miami has won that series, the FMVP would probably go to Wade. Lebron just couldnt tolerate that. So he gave up the game intentionally.
You should have added the clip of Mark Cuban shutting down Skip Bayless by pointing out the strategic reasons for Lebron supposedly choking.
When Lebron releases his twenty part documentary in the year 2045, will he gloss over the 2011 finals vs a one star Dallas team?
I throw out all these short comings when folks talk about him being the goat.
Don’t let this distract you from the fact that the British Empire blew a 13 colony lead
The Brits had a massive empire, but as they would say they “bottled it.”
This is why Lebron dont have a killer instinct. He quits.
Lebron is a big reason why Miami blew a 15 point lead with five minutes to go in the game in game two.
Someone should do "the creation of SB nation deserves a deep rewind"
Ugh, no they shouldnt. Such a disgusting comment, and im tired of seeing it on EVERY SINGLE SBNATION VIDEO
@@brokenking5044 I'm glad someone is recognizing my effort
That would be incredibly lame and boring. Not to mention narcissistic.. idk why you want to see that so bad, go read about it on Wikipedia or something.
honestly would not watch
@@wyomingptt bot
He will never be my GOAT because of this performance.
I remember they will alot of people i knew that was both an MJ and Lebron fan during this time, but Lebron's horrible performance made them turn off Lebron. We have never seen a big star like him disappear in the biggest stage of them all. He wasn't mentally ready for this series. He didn't even want to take the last shot at Game 2 after Dirk's game winning layup. And the Mavs took advantage of this shortcomings.
This series have improved so much. Focusing on sports history instead of random pop culture references. Congratulations!
One of the best videos by SB Nation yet!