http://video.cnbc.com/gallery/?video=3000346844 Found this interesting coming from the Rockets legend, Hakeem Olajuwon.
I mean, that's kind of a "duh" opinion for the moment - anyone who experienced Jordan would say that, the stats and rings back it up, and the different rules mean Jordan would put up even bigger stats today. Lebron is definitely already a strong candidate for top 5 all time but my gut tells me he's not going to make a real run at Jordan for number 1.
That ship has sailed. After game 2 of the Finals last year, I thought it might be LeBron's signature series to establish himself near MJ's level. Oh well.
This just about sums it up. Lebron might be considered one of the 5 best players in NBA history (one day), but he ain't no Jordan.
my favorite part of this video is when he said his favorite game was game 7 of the 1994 nba finals at the summit that game lives in his heart as it lives in ours
Him just sitting there, watching everyone celebrate, soaking it all in. The most dominant season of his career. Heart of a CHAMPION he was. Finally.
The loss in the Finals to the Mavs put him in a hole that was going to be very difficult to dig himself out of if he wanted to be in the MJ conversation. Since then, he has not done nearly enough to bury that failure. A 3-3 record in the Finals (and with the superfriends stigma attached to all three Championships, fair or not) looks extremely bad next to 6-0. Another problem for Lebron trying to equal or surpass MJ is durability and longevity. A year ago, nobody would have questioned his durability or the idea that he could be a very effective player into his mid 30s but I think that has changed this season. Despite the off-season weight loss and dedication to his diet, the guy looks five years older than he did last season on the court. He has clearly lost a step (or two) and is barely 30 and already talking like he is 35 and can barely walk from all the wear and tear on his body. I just can't see him grinding it out psychologically for 5+ more seasons even IF his body can hold out that long. As a side thought, it makes me wonder how Lebron would have handled battling the things Tracy McGrady went through with his body failing him at such a young age. Last night's game against the Lakers was such a joke. On one team we have a dude who has been at it for a two decades, gone through numerous surgeries, is fresh off of two years out of the game for what should have been career-ending injuries and is still grinding out there with probably every joint he has nearly bone on bone. On the other team, we have a guy who just turned 30 and has never had a serious injury or even minor surgical procedure (IIRC) and all I hear from the announcers the entire night is how the conversation on the court is about how old they both are. Sorry Lebron, but MJ was winning his third straight title and looking more dominant than ever at 30. I get that Lebron has tons of mileage on his body and most of the miles he was carrying teams on his back but it just seems like Lebron is getting a tiny taste of what it is like when those miles start to slow down the body and all we hear about now is how these nagging injuries have been the toughest thing he has ever gone through or that he and Kobe are having conversations about what is like to be old. Kobe has that right. Lebron...nope.
Lebron lacks MJ's superior mid range game (jumper), post moves, and his overall mental toughness. No way would Jordan have folded like Lebron did against the Mavs in the finals. Lebron absolutely disappeared in that series. At the very least he could have switched over to Dirk and defended him. Jordan would have made life miserable for Dirk. Even McGrady has shut down Dirk in a playoff series. He also went MIA in the finals against the Spurs until game 7 when his jumpers were going in. IMO, had Lebron lost that finals, after having gone MIA again, his legacy would have been heavily damaged. It already is damaged with his overall finals performance as it is. Lebron is nowhere close to Jordan when it comes to killer instincts and clutchness. Hakeem is right about the league being tougher back then as well. You had to go through talented and HOFers big men to win back then. Now you could win the league without even going through a team with a talented big. Sorry, Lebron fans. No contest.
