Thought this article was pretty interesting... http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/insider/columns/story?columnist=hollinger_john&page=PERDiem-100330&action=upsell&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fnba%2finsider%2fcolumns%2fstory%3fcolumnist%3dhollinger_john%26page%3dPERDiem-100330 Normally at this time of year, we would be writing breathless articles about the MVP race, rallying our support behind one candidate or another and sifting through torrents of angry e-mails supporting that player's rivals. Not this year. The MVP race has been over since about mid-January. LeBron James has run so far away from the pack that he could shoot 0-for-100 from the field over his final eight games and still win the award going away. (For fun, I fact-checked this: Even with 100 straight misses, no assists and no rebounds in his next 200 minutes, he'd still lead the league in PER.) Only two items of interest remain. First, will some sycophant homer screw up what should be a unanimous decision with a completely indefensible vote for his local guy? And second, is this the best individual season a player has ever had? As you might suspect, today's topic deals with the second of those questions. Some of this may sound familiar, as this time a year ago I mentioned that James was en route to one of the best statistical seasons in history. Here's the thing: This season, he's been better. Once again, a hallowed record (at least in my world) is in play for James as we enter the final eight games: He could surpass Michael Jordan's 1987-88 campaign for the greatest single-season PER in the modern era. I have to add the "modern" qualifier because the league didn't keep track of things like blocks and individual turnovers before 1973-74, rendering the PER exercise a guessing game for players from previous eras. James' current PER of 31.81 is second best in "modern" history, and with eight games left (of which he'll probably play only five or six), he retains an outside shot at breaking Jordan's all-time mark of 31.89. At the very least, he's going to be within hailing distance. Player Year PPG RPG APG MPG PER Michael Jordan 1987-88 35.0 5.5 5.9 40.4 31.89 LeBron James 2009-10 29.8 7.2 8.6 39.0 31.81 Michael Jordan 1990-91 31.5 6.0 5.5 37.0 31.79 LeBron James 2008-09 28.4 7.6 7.2 38.6 31.76 Michael Jordan 1989-90 33.6 6.9 6.3 39.0 31.31 Michael Jordan 1988-89 32.5 8.0 8.0 40.2 31.29 Regardless, James will almost certainly set another record: The best two-year PER stretch of any player in history. James was no slouch last season, finishing at 31.76 for the third-best PER ever (well, until he bumped it down to fourth this season); combined, that gives him a two-year average of 31.78. The best Jordan mustered was 31.55. Obviously, the larger James versus Jordan argument won't be much of a debate until LeBron picks up some hardware in the postseason. Nonetheless, I can't emphasize enough what an extraordinary accomplishment James' past two seasons represent. We've flinched at comparing current players to Jordan after several previous "next Jordans" were found wanting. But that has put up a mental barrier to a declaration that the numbers see as obvious: In terms of regular-season performance, we're watching the next Jordan. I'd argue that we can extend that comparison further. When Jordan was at the same stage of his career as LeBron, the press treated him almost exactly the same. Like James, he was a wondrous regular-season performer who had never won anything important and thus couldn't be compared with the likes of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. Looking back, that whole notion seems laughable, if not downright quaint … yet we're falling in the exact same trap. Jordan, remember, didn't win a title until his seventh season. As luck would have it, James is in his seventh season, and his odds of winning a crown have never looked better. With the Lakers faltering down the stretch and the Celtics succumbing to age, only James' nemesis from a year ago -- Orlando -- would rate as an even-money proposition to stop him from winning the trophy. That part of the James-Jordan comparison won't be settled for another two months, his regular-season one in a little more than two weeks. James leads the league in scoring, at least for the moment (Kevin Durant is only 0.2 behind, and if James rests the final couple of games, Durant will have a number to shoot for, David Robinson-style, in the season finale). But LeBron is not just scoring. He's getting his 29.8 points per game with incredibly high-percentage shots. James' true shooting percentage of 60.4 ranks in the league's top 25, and most of the players ahead of him are snipers with much smaller offensive roles. Yet for me, his passing is the most amazing part. In fact, for a wing player, it's eye-popping: James has cracked the league's top 15 in pure point rating even though he plays small forward. (Except for James and San Antonio's Manu Ginobili, every player in the top 40 plays the point). Or try this one on for size: No forward in league history has ever averaged more than eight assists per game until this season; Larry Bird's 7.6 assists per game in 1986-87 came the closest. James is averaging 8.6, even though he's playing in one of the slow-paced eras in league annals and averages a relatively modest 39.0 minutes per game. Put him at Bird's pace in 1986-87, and he'd be averaging a whopping 9.3. The same applies to most of James' numbers. On a per possession basis, his triple-crown stats of 29.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 8.6 assists crush Oscar Robertson's triple-double season in 1961-62 … or Jordan's 32.5-8.0-8.0 season in 1988-89 … or just about any statistical season in history. All except one, that is. James' output still trails Jordan's peak campaign in 1987-88 by a whisker. He has a chance to glide past him in the final two weeks but, with Cleveland throttling down to coast into the postseason, probably won't. Nonetheless, it's a season for the ages -- and his second of the like in a row. We've held off on comparing James to Jordan for some good reasons, especially since he hasn't won a title yet. But at this point, there's nobody else left to whom we can compare him. What do you guys think?
This guy just nut-hugged lebron all up and down the court. Well it was to be expected. It seems to me is all lebron has to do is win 2 titles and a bunch of individual accolades and he will be considered the GOAT.
people need to stop comparisons with great players until their careers are done. jordans not great because of single season accomplishments but dominance over the span of time, and lebron has to build a career of dominance before any comparisons can be made. but i am interested in seeing how lebron adjust his game when his athleticism starts to diminish.
Jordan's team when to the ECF without him. Lebron's teams wouldn't make the playoffs. Lebron has no Pippen, Rodman, Kukoc playing robin or batgirl.
What's your point? If you're trying to argue that LeBron is a better player, that's a failed argument by those standards.
Lebron is an amazing talent, no doubt. But what will always separate him from MJ is simply the other side of the floor and the mental side of the game. PER is a great stat, for offense and for measurables. And the part about Hardware is right. The only reason that it's even a question between Lebron and players like Kobe and Wade is defense and the will to win. I measure the will to win as simply, which player are you more likely to trust to lead you to win in the last X minutes of a game? I don't think I'm alone in saying that most would trust Kobe or Wade before they would trust Lebron to bring a game home. Until I see Lebron actually challenging a legit title contender (Not losing to the Orlando Magic, I guess Detroit could count maybe) it's hard for me to ever see him in that truly elite tier. There's a reason why Lebron's dancing and team antics can look foolish to a lot of people, because Lebron hasn't proven anything yet. He has had one legitimate series against a declining Detroit and that's it. Is it his fault that the East is weak? Is it his fault that his team hasn't been good enough? No, and no. As much as a douche KG can appear to be these days, there was a reason why so many respected him before. He had a no-nonsense attitude that (at least appeared to)craved and desired a championship above everything else. But these are excuses we make for good-great players. We are comparing LBJ to MJ here, and it's done quite often. If you want to be mentioned with the best these excuses don't apply.
He says in the article that they can't compare in the big picture until James starts winning championship trophies. He's only comparing a single season to a single season, and its one in which Jordan didn't win a title.
seems to me that averaging a triple double for an ENTIRE year might be the best season of all time...just my opinion
but it also states "We've held off on comparing James to Jordan for some good reasons, especially since he hasn't won a title yet. But at this point, there's nobody else left to whom we can compare him." even if he wins a title the comparisons are not vaild until lebron retires then compare seasons. amare stoudmires 07-08 per is higher than hakeem but their careers at this point are no where near comparable.
if only he played on a run and gun team. it's what he was made for, and his numbers would be redonkulus.
I will politely disagree with you. Kobe is hands down a better player than LeBron. LeBron plays with more energy and is a better athlete, but Kobe is a better basketball player. My question to you. 3 seconds left, your team is down by 1. Its the Finals and this is game 7. Basically its do or die. Who do you give the ball to? LeBron or Kobe? 9 times out of 10 the answer will be Kobe.
Nope. Kobe is a choker in the finals. One of the worst percentages in the finals. Let me ask you a question. Would LeBron even be in that situation? He wouldn't need to hit a clutch shot BECAUSE he will most likely have a comfortable lead compared to Kobe.
Totally disagree, LeBron is only what 25-26, he has like another good 8 to 10 season to win a title and put up high production. He's career is already far more significant than Nash (who only peaked late). James has been an MVP candidate for nearly his entire career, except his first two seasons. While, Nash has really only had three. Also, LeBron's been to the Finals and carried the Cavs into the playoffs, several times. There's almost nothing that Nash has LeBron.
4-2 the NBA Finals 2001-02 NBA Finals 2003-04 NBA Finals 2007-08 NBA Finals Kobe's overall shooting percentage in all of the NBA Finals is nothing to write home about, and he has only been the MVP once. But, when you think about it, shouldn't his numbers have been better considering the quality of the team.
LeBron would miss the shot then would cry to the locker room w/o shaking the opponents hands. Then he will skip out on the media and let his teammates fend for themselves. Kobe would drain that bucket with your hand in his face and laugh at the supposed "lockdown defense" you attempted to display.
