I didn't say it was easier to score now than in the 90s. I never said that. I'm a student of defense, so would never say such a naive thing But I most certainly made one accurate statement... MJ played in the Era of the Bigs and LeBron plays in the worst era of the bigs. This also neutralizes all abilities for leBron to guard 4s and 5s. No way the dude could guard Hakeem, Ewing, Robinson, mourning, Malone or even Otis Thorpe . I think the biggest measurement missing between LeBron and MJ comparisons is directly related to this. MJs first step and driving speed is significantly faster than LeBron's. it had to be, to beat the help defense from the HOFer Cs and PFs in the '90s
Lebron is definitely a better shooter. I don't think they could guard each other though. I'd have to go MJ just based on intangibles. MJ was not only tough, he was a b*stard. He talked trash, he would get in your face, he would try to dominate you mentally and stomp a hole in your ass every chance he got. I've never seen Lebron on that level as a competitor.
I think LeBron is incredibly great MJ is so much faster though on his first step. You really cannot compare their speed. LeBron has the strength and size, MJ has the sheer first step speed. Much better mobility while dribbling. LeBron is in molasses compared to MJ
How is he a better shooter? I've heard this about Kobe being a better shooter as well. Jordan is one of the best mid range shooters ever. Sure his 3pt % were not good, but he didn't rely on 3s. His 3s are very last ditch shots when the play didn't go the way they wanted. Watch full games and you will see. To think someone who can nail tough mid range shots all day on you can't learn to shoot 3's if he wanted to is crazy. Jordan only shot over 100 3pt attempts 6 times in his 15 year career. Lebron has shot upwards in high 300's nearly every year he's been in the league. Jordan over 200 attempts+% 245att/37.6 230att/35.2 260att/42.7 297att/37.4 James over 200 att+% 217/29.0 308/35.1 379/33.5 310/31.9 359/31.5 384/34.4 387/33.3 279/33.0 254/40.3 Jordan is just too smart and efficient to throw up 3's when he knows he can score at will off the dribble or in the post. Don't bother checking his fg% bc it blows every "superstar" since him out the water in his prime.
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/qukNKGNphoQ?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> Young MJ was so fast.
I would not generalize an entire city or region on anything, especially on their I.Q. or lack therof! There is no right or wrong concerning who is the better player it's all pure speculation. I happen to think Jordan would prevail over Lebron and that's why I used that poll, because I happen to agree with it the poll regardless of who participated in it. ......... ......... .........
Do you remember the legalization of zone defense which caused those rule changes to become necessary? We can live in an apocryphal world where we pretend that the sport peaked 20 years ago but that's a very statistically unlikely possibility. And yes it's laughable to suggest that the less effective defenses of the era were merely because the offenses were so good that even mega awesome defense couldn't stop it.
How many times a year did Jordan have to deal with Hakeem or Robinson? 2x each? 3 if you count the all star game? LeBron could guard OT. He outweighs him by about 30 lbs. Really. That's what makes him so amazing. And I know OT coyldnt guard LeBron, because unlike Thorpe, LeBron can actually dribble.
Its really silly to say that current NBA players aren't as good as past ones. In every sing major sport, bar none, athletes have improved over time. People nowadays are FAR more athletic than in the 90s. There were so many small white guys in that time, and even though it was known as the era of centers, they were smaller on average than today. Increased population + More basketball popularity + better training/PEDs = much better athletes today. Obviously athleticism isn't everything, but it plays a big role in basketball.
Of course there was no restricted area under the basket during MJs time either so it was easier to lay out an offensive player out under the basket with out getting called for a foul. On the perimeter you could hand check an offensive player all over the court with out getting called for a foul. There was no such thing as a 3 second defensive penalty If you think teams always got called for doubling a player with out the ball then you never watched a Seattle / Houston game. The sonics always doubled Dream with out the ball. Make no mistake the rules today are more offensive friendly than they were when MJ played.
Lol, zone defense was illegal in Jordan's era, but now that they're legal you're spinning it as pro offense because of the 3 second rule? You're just flat wrong on that. The ability to guard empty space makes help defense FAR easier than it used to be, even if you only get 2.9 seconds of it. Pre-rule change you had 0 second of it.
I'm curious why you left out The Pistons, Shaq, Ewing, Nance/Daugherty, Mourning, Deke. hmmmm You do understand that I threw Thorpe into that list just to watch to see if you would cherry-pick that. hmmmmm I'm pretty sure you made no point here in your post....like I did in mine. I said MJ's first step if significantly faster than LeBron's I said MJ had to have that to win championships. Hell, he had to have that just to get by the Knicks, Cleveland and Pistons....even before taking on the powerhouse frontline of Rick Adelman's Portland teams.
you put james one on one with any one EVER and i think he wins. theres no one ever that has his size, skill, and athleticism. mj had more skill and killer mentality. i think lebron still wins.
This. And considering the competition at that time, it was remarkable that MJ was so dominant. That was the golden era of NBA basketball where HOF players, who were really great in their own right, were aplenty and competition was unequaled in its ferocity. As for Scottie, he was allegedly quoted by Zo so I take that with a grain of salt. I think Pip knew better than that.
You have to consider thought that even if MJ did not face Dream of The Admiral often he was always practically playing against the whole opposing team all the time. Never did one basketball player attract so much defensive attention from every team in the history of the game as MJ had. In analyzing MJ, stats have to consider so many variables that are not common even to superstar players. For instance, how do you measure the impact of his maniacal intensity as it affects the game of team mates and opposition alike? How can stats measure such variable? It is often said by many great players in the NBA that the game is mostly mental when it comes to the playoffs, so how can one measure the kind of mentality that each player possesses at any given situation during playoff games. I am not even talking about the extraordinary basketball intelligence (as a player) and physical gifts that MJ possessed. He was the complete basketball player.
1v1 and 5v5 MJ wins...kobe in his prime would beat lebron 1v1....MJ has the ability to do almost anything lebron does, if MJ wanted to. MJ was known as a scorer but MJ was a very good passer as well, if he played in todays NBA and wanted to hold/handle the ball like a james harden or cleveland lebron...he would have so many more assists. MJ (and kobe) had so many more moves than lebron ever could dream of...lebron finally knew that hes more magic than jordan..... also MJ fits in any system....Lebron has to have a system run through him to be as effective.
I have to ask how old you are because Jordan's outside shot was pretty much the knock on him for several years. He was a horrible three point shooter for a long time. Jordan's high shooting percentage, especially early, was because he was far too quick for anyone to stay in front of him. He elevated so quickly and was so strong that he would shake his guy, blow by the help, and dunk on your center before he could even get up on him. You talk about percentages though, Lebron shot 56% from the field and 40% from three point range this season. Larry Bird himself wishes he had a season like that. I still think Jordan was a better scorer but Lebron this year shot better than Jordan ever did.
Quitten and Malone are 2 of a handful of (ex-)players "I aint even mad" if I hear a sad or tragic happen to them. So I take anything he says with a grain of salt.
