How good could Zab have been... if?

[Majesty]

Majesty?! I'm not trying to debate basketball here but that was inexcusably bad. If you said Zab was the Tracy McGrady of boxing then yea you would have a more valid point. Oh well, gah that one was frustrating.

Zab is an extremely talented fighter, obviously we know now that it was foolish for some like those on ESPN to call him Pernell Whitaker with power like they did early on. Zab's problem was that he was sooo fast, one of the fastest punchers ever that he never really grew his skillset beyond that. He still made to many mistakes and that's what cost him against the top flight opposition. Stupid mistakes like pulling straight backwards, dropping his hands after punches, never figuring out a solution to stop those right hands, loading up on single punches to much, ect. Basically he fought a lot of times like he was a knucklehead or disinterested. It culminated with the loss to Baldomir where imo he got something taken from him that he would never get back, his momentum and psyche were shot to shit at that point.

Beating Amir Khan will get it back though

But honestly Majesty, HONESTLY?!??! Did you immediately regret typing that afterwards? I hope so...

No, he is exactly like LeBron James.

LeBron James is made for the regular season, he has the best stats and mvp etc etc all that stuff. But when the post season comes, and he has to step up and its do or die, he doesn't show up or he chokes and they lose. Yet he was hyped like he was gonna be the next Michael Jordan yet he isn't even close he's been in the league 7 years only been to the finals once and got swept and hasn't even won the eastern conference since then. LeBron has all the skills in the world, but he doesn't have the killer instinct that Jordan, or Kobe, or Magic or Byrd had. Batman skills, Robin mentality.

Zab Judah is just like that, he is made for the "regular season" of boxing. He can show you all the talent get all the accolades, but then when the post season comes, as in when he is in a fight where he has to step up, dig deep or go do or die, he 'doesn't show up' or he chokes and he loses. Yet he was hyped like he was gonna be the next phenom in boxing but he hasn't been anywhere close to that. Zab has all the skills in the world, but he doesn't have the mentality if a Floyd Mayweather, of a Pernell Whitaker or all the greats they tried to put him in a class with before he'd even accomplished anything. Batman skills, Robin mentality.


That's why I make that comparison, and it should make sense.

He averages almost 30 points and 10 rebounds per game in post season play. That's not exactly choking. That's why I don't get the comparison. Take a look at the link below and compare PPG in regular season vs. post season.

NBA.com : LeBron James Career Stats Page

Yeah but what they won't tell you is in some of the most important games for the Cavs he'll lead his team in turnovers. That's why I say he chokes.

For instance the Boston series this year, sure he got his triple double, but he also had 9 turnovers, 6 of which was without any defenders really on him. In the final 8 minutes of the game he barely shot the ball, and if he touched it he gave it away. See he gets his stats 30 points etc, but it doesn't produce victories in the games it counts because he does other things that prevent it. He crumbles under pressure, he gets his stats because thats how talented he is, but he doesn't mentally have the makeup of a great. Thats why I say he has batman talent with a Robin mentality. get what I mean?

So if you look at the turnovers stat yes it does go up from 3.29 per game to 3.73 per game.
This is getting to the point of splitting hairs really. Yeah he had a bad game against Boston with turnovers, hardly enough to call him a choke artist. Basketball is a team sport, the reason they lost does not come down exclusively to him, it's a team loss. It's not like he's falling apart at the highest levels, he just had a bad game.

How many 'bad games' in the postseason is LeBron allowed? His team has had the best record in the East for two seasons in a row, and in each of those seasons he's failed to win the east or even make it to the finals. Actually the one time he made it to the finals was when he was 22 and not prepared I'll admit for the spurs. You don't have the best record in the regular season 2 years in a row to "not show up" in the playoffs. Know what I mean?

This is why I compare him to Zab exclusively. Because like LeBron. If you bring up the times which Zab hasn't stepped up, people bring up his great performances and say "he wasn't himself, he had a bad night, if a focused Zab Judah shows up he beats anyone." How many times does Judah have to lose at the top before people realize he isn't as great as people made him out to be and doesn't have the mentality to be that great?

And as far as LeBron goes im not the only one who feels that way, there are many NBA writers who feel that LeBron just isn't the next "one" they all made him out to be. there is absolutely no doubt he is one of the best pure talents.

There is no one that has that kind of size strength and ability of LeBron James its second to none. But he is the proof that it takes more then just talent to win a ring. basketball is a team sport yeah. But when the rest of your team is stepping up and having their best seasons and you are in there to be the closer and put games away. Like something a Kobe Bryant would do and is there to do, LeBron you'd expect would do the same, but he doesn't, he doesn't have the killer do or die mentality that Jordan did or Kobe does. NBA greats that have said he was the best player in the league last year(people like Jerry West) this year say they question his will. So it isn't an isolated thought.