That's a great breakdown that leaves the debate up in the air, which is probably where it should be even if Cleveland loses. I think, it would be easier to build around James because he can do so much and make up for a team's weaknesses in any facet of the game. However, if both are at their physical and mental peak and their overall team strength is equal, I think Jordan's team would win. That doesn't mean that one is clearly any better than the other, it just highlights the fact that although James could definitely do more on the court, Jordan could make up for it through his intangibles.
Every facebook post i see is about how LeBron scoring so much is so amazing bc he doesn't look to score. What the hell are they all talking about. It sounds like every analyst is talking about Magic Johnson and his 13 attempts per game for his career. A TRUE pass first player. LeBron takes 20 fg attempts a game for his career and the same exact amount of FTA's per game as MJ with actually an even higher FTR% than MJ, and LeBron is not a scorer?
Lebron has also played in more playoff games to reach those numbers than MJ did. I tend to go with quality over quantity and MJ had more quality playoff appearances than Lebron has, less stinkers too. Lebron is a great player but he's not MJ level of dominance, he was weak and had to collude to form a superteam and that will always be a knock against Lebron.
Where is there proof of this? Where other than teaming up with other all stars in a weak conference did he prove it's easier to build around himself? A league where he played a bunch of 40 win teams and a 53 win Pistons in the ECF to get swept in the Finals in 07? Is that the proof? Where do you get the idea that MJ couldn't have taken the same top 3 ranked 07 Cavs against the 40 win Wizards, the 40 win Nets and the 53 win Ben Wallace and Larry Brown-less Pistons? Instead MJ faced multiple HOF filled teams on his own. If anything, MJ proved he just needed 1 all-star to start winning. Which is easier? Trading for or signing a bunch of all stars to join LeBron or finding 1 all star to play with MJ? This notion that LeBron can make any team a contender is complete garbage without anything to back it up. Put him on our Rockets instead of Harden and were no better than a 2nd round team all the same. Put him on a west lottery team and maybe they get to the 8th seed at best. The other thing people don't think about enough of is that MJ was putting up all around stats just fine before he gave in and trusted the system(triangle offense) in order to win. Do people really believe MJ or Kobe don't have just as good a passing IQ as LeBron? LeBron got his way and found out he can't put up stats and win by being the system unless he was able to get other all-stars around him. Put LeBron in the triangle, and his stats drop considerably, but he would never allow that. LeBron gets to stat stuff and be the system while having multiple all stars and deep ass benches to round out the team. That's the scary thing about the Cavs, LeBron can dominate for 40 min and then Kyrie takes over and does the murdering. These CAVS would destroy the Heat IMO b/c the shooting and Kyrie's clutch shooting and 1 on 1 ability, but were sitting here pretending LeBron has to face 4 future HOF'ers by himself and not his very own superteam.
LeBron is up there, but i think there's more holes to pick in his argument vs Jordans. He has made it into the Mt. Rushmore or "Avengers" superhero lineup where basically everyone just picks their favorite superhero and argues why so and so is better than so and so but the reality is every one of them have something they are superior to others at and weaknesses to be exploited. None of them are perfect but all of them are great and have their use in certain situations. You simply can't go wrong if you draft MJ, Magic, Bird, LeBron, Hakeem, Shaq, Kareem, Kobe, Wilt etc etc etc.
The absurd terribleness of the 2000's-2010's Eastern Conference will always leave an asterisk on Lebron's legacy for me. Not that he didn't earn his accolades, I have no problem calling him #2, but that so many other players never had a remotely similar chance as far as playoff stats are concerned. Also in a lot of first and second rounds Lebron might as well have played college Final Four teams.
Magic had it really easy in the 80s West but at least there were much more HOF'ers either starting out leading their own teams or just ending their careers compared to LeBron's East, but for the most part very similar paths to the FInals every year and its no wonder Magic went to 9 in a few hundred less games than lebrons already played in his career and LeBrons going to his what? 8th?
Lebron has sickening stats, to say he doesn't deserve to be in the argument of the best of player of all time is laughable. I don't think he's as good as MJ, but to say he is nowhere as good as him even more ridiculous.
I don't bother posting in these threads for obvious reasons. Kudos to LeBron, hopefully in 20 years people's first instinct won't be to **** on him and tell him how he isn't Jordan.
The fact that he's a better all-around player than Jordan proves it. Better rebounder and passer, and a more versatile defender. The NBA is different today. It's the big-three-or-more NBA. However, to win a championship you always need the best team. It's a team accomplishment after all. All of their championship teams were as good or better than their opponents regardless of the amount of all-stars they played with. I never said James could make any team a contender. I think we're getting off track here. LeBron is an all-time great player. Jordan is the GOAT. LeBron is threatening Jordan's reign, but he has to win more championships.
Lebron passed Michael Jordan in playoff scoring with fewer shots AND less made free throws than Jordan. He also has posted a nearly identical FG%. .487 to .483. And remember Lebron is still playing. That in itself is phenomenal. If he beats the Warriors this year, you have GOT to have him in the conversation as the GOAT.
