Cavs: LeBron may have just passed Jordan

[UNT Eagles 2016]

Realistically, trolling aside, comparing players in completely different eras is pretty stupid IMO..different rules, style, compe ion, cir stances..

Jordan played mostly in an era of isoball, while Lebron has mostly played in an era of analytics motion offense ball.

Tonight we saw a classic 90s style game in which Lebron looked a whole lot like a classic MJ.

Final score was 87-79 and defense reigned supreme all night. We don't get a lot of those games so, even though I'm a millennial, I did start watching basketball when isoball was still king so I do get nostalgic and appreciate these kind of games when they happen once in awhile.

[RsxPiimp]

Having first watched MJ at his peak, I never thought anyone could match him or surpass him. LeBron didn't revolutionize basketball or have his raw athleticism and isn't as clutch but he certainly belongs on the Mount Rushmore of greatest players ever.

I haven't seen a player will a team to victory and lofty heights since MJ. And LeBron was a Batman that needed no Robin, unlike Jordan who never won a playoff series without Scottie.

like most overseas nba fans who didn't have the privilege to watch a ton of games, we were stuck with watching nothing but bulls, magic, hornets and the knicks in the 90's. trust me when i say I've seen plenty of mj's games and if that wasn't enough, i also had tons of VHS tapes highlighting his career. he was god level during his prime but this lebron dude is on another level.

playmaking, defensive abilities, a catalyst with a speed comparable to a guard all at 260 lbs of frame is just too great of an advantage to ignore. this dude is now more clutch both in points and percentage than mike. honestly, at some point, you have to just acknowledge greatness.

[Clipper Nation]

David Thompson, lol... one of the best scrubs in an era of scrubs where nobody really cared about basketball.

Post Wilt, Russell, Willis Reed... pre-Magic and Bird... is widely considered the dark age of basketball. Isoball, drugs, empty seats, and TV blackouts. Oh, and Carter regime stagflation.

Thompson wasn't a scrub. He was an incredible scorer and athlete. His downfall was that he couldn't stay away from the coke and booze, like a lot of athletes back then.

[HarlemHeat37]

LeBron's the only player since Jordan who could claim to be the best player in the league for an extended period of time..we've had others that reigned for 1, 2, iimaybe even 3 years in between, but he's had it for a minute..

1991-1993 Jordan
1994-1995 Pedolajuwon
1996-1998 Jordan
1999 Duncan
2000-2002 Shaq
2003 Duncan
2004 KG
2005 ??
2006 Wade? Kobe? Dirk?
2007 Kobe
2008 Kobe? LeBron? Paul?
2009-present LeBron

Wilt in the 60s and Kareem in the dying, cocaine-fueled 70s NBA, maybe Magic had it for most the 80s(depending on how you feel about Bird)..it's rare..

[DAF86]

LeBron's the only player since Jordan who could claim to be the best player in the league for an extended period of time..we've had others that reigned for 1, 2, iimaybe even 3 years in between, but he's had it for a minute..

1991-1993 Jordan
1994-1995 Pedolajuwon
1996-1998 Jordan
1999 Duncan
2000-2002 Shaq
2003 Duncan
2004 KG
2005 ??
2006 Wade? Kobe? Dirk?
2007 Kobe
2008 Kobe? LeBron? Paul?
2009-present LeBron

Wilt in the 60s and Kareem in the dying, cocaine-fueled 70s NBA, maybe Magic had it for most the 80s(depending on how you feel about Bird)..it's rare..

2003 all the way up to 2007 is Duncan, tbh. We shouldn't penalize him for not being a chucker, tbh.

[HarlemHeat37]

2003 all the way up to 2007 is Duncan, tbh. We shouldn't penalize him for not being a chucker, tbh.

He probably still was in 2005, maybe in 2006 and 2007 if you're only counting the playoffs, but he began conserving himself during the RS in 2006(along with plantar fasciitis)..

[Arcadian]

Duncan or Shaq made 9 consecutive Finals from 1999-2007.

Lebron has made 8 consecutive Finals from 2011-2018.

Thus, we went from the Duncan/Shaq era (with Duncan the #1) to the Lebron era.

[Ice009]

TD was better than Shaq in 2002, there's only two years where I'd place Shaq ahead of TD - 2001 and probably 2000 (2000 could have changed if TD was able to play in the playoffs). 2004 KG and TD, 2005, I'm going with TD there too. At the beginning of that season, before an early season matchup against the Pistons, he said that we're (the Spurs) going for the Championship and if we have to go through the Pistons to win it, then we'll go through the Pistons. He said that in in a game very early in that season and then he delivered on it despite having two bad ankles. He would have dominated a lot more in the playoffs if his ankles were in better shape, you can believe that. He was also the best player in 2006. He outplayed Dirk in the Mavs series and was easily the best player in the playoffs despite having plantar fasciitis for most of that season. 2007, also TD. I always look at the body of work for the entire season, not just the regular season.

Show TD some ing respect.

[da_suns_fan]

He's not the scorer Jordan or Kobe were but he's the best all-around player, ever.

That first Cavs/Warriors where he basically won two games by himself were unbelievable. And the best play of his career might be that block he had in game 7 of the finals.

[RsxPiimp]

He's not the scorer Jordan or Kobe were but he's the best all-around player, ever.

it’s a myth at this point. id give kobe the footwork, because that was impeccable but lebron can score as much, if not more with better efficiency, he just chooses not to. it’s not his MO.

both jordan and kobe had a knack for flair and showmanship, which most people use as one of the determining factor as a scoring “skill”.

[Caltex2]

What’s funny about this debate is the media is still run by much older fans that all saw Michael Jordan play, and a lot of them are very much blinded by the nostalgia of when he played and who he played against. Younger fans that never saw him play will basically say that LeBron is the best of all time. Because he was on top for so many years. They really don’t know anything about Michael Jordan.

I'm the OP, I saw Jordan in his prime. I legitimately think it's a toss up between Jordan and LeBron. It's not because of Jordan and his legacy but what LeBron keeps adding to his. LeBron has more Finals losses but played on worse teams that wouldn't have gotten there without him. Jordan never in his career carried a team to the Finals let alone won one by carrying them.

[endrity]

Let's not forget that at age 33 Jordan and his Bulls had a 72-10 season and pulverized the league. Jordan was carrying the Bulls in 98 when Rodman had checked out mentally and Pippen's back was shot, and he was 35.

I would have never believed that someone could have made a legitimate case to defy him, and LeBron has. There isn't that much between the two. But I'd still pick Jordan.

[endrity]

I'm the OP, I saw Jordan in his prime. I legitimately think it's a toss up between Jordan and LeBron. It's not because of Jordan and his legacy but what LeBron keeps adding to his. LeBron has more Finals losses but played on worse teams that wouldn't have gotten there without him. Jordan never in his career carried a team to the Finals let alone won one by carrying them.

Forget the names for a sec, and see their contributions. The 98 Bulls were done, Pippen took the first three months off and still had back problems all throughout. Rodman had checked out mentally. There was a sometime legit Kukoc as a second scorer, but that's pretty much it. And Jordan still carried them to a 60 win season. At age 35!

You could say they had a better coach and system in place. But the counter to that is that LeBron never seemed to have much patience for developing a more cohesive offensive plan or to have a coach that rules over him.

[Stabula]

LeBron > Jordan

[Arcadian]

TD was better than Shaq in 2002, there's only two years where I'd place Shaq ahead of TD - 2001 and probably 2000 (2000 could have changed if TD was able to play in the playoffs). 2004 KG and TD, 2005, I'm going with TD there too. At the beginning of that season, before an early season matchup against the Pistons, he said that we're (the Spurs) going for the Championship and if we have to go through the Pistons to win it, then we'll go through the Pistons. He said that in in a game very early in that season and then he delivered on it despite having two bad ankles. He would have dominated a lot more in the playoffs if his ankles were in better shape, you can believe that. He was also the best player in 2006. He outplayed Dirk in the Mavs series and was easily the best player in the playoffs despite having plantar fasciitis for most of that season. 2007, also TD. I always look at the body of work for the entire season, not just the regular season.

Show TD some ing respect.

[Spurtacular]

Dad Killer was better at his peak and has a better resume(due to cir stances), but he was missing the playoffs with the Wizards in even worse Eastern conferences while LeBron is making the Finals with Jeff Green as his 2nd best player

Jordan may not even have been the best player on those Wizards teams, too..pathetic..

Comparing a 41-year-old to a 33-year-old?
You gonna compare bad back Bird to prime Duncan next?

[Chillen]

Jordan is still GOAT but LeBron's hand is slowly getting closer to touching his jersey now.

[Caltex2]

Definitely. Even assuming he retires early (he has a lot of mileage no matter which way you look at it), he has 2-3 years to add on to his legacy. If he plays longer than that, he can really add on, especially if he stays out east.

[szkorhetz]

Lebron is the greatest NBA player ever.

[Down Under]

It's funny how much the narrative will change again after the Finals.

[Mark Celibate]

The glaring elephant in the room is that he stayed in the Eastern Conference his whole career. Once he became Eite, the only really great team he had to contend with was Boston for a few years

[endrity]

He's not the scorer Jordan or Kobe were but he's the best all-around player, ever.

That first Cavs/Warriors where he basically won two games by himself were unbelievable. And the best play of his career might be that block he had in game 7 of the finals.

Out of many myths that circle around in basketball circles, the idea that Kobe should somehow be mentioned alongside MJ and LBJ is at the very top. Kobe is a great player, someone that young players should learn and study from.

But he's nowhere near MJ and LBJ. Kobe is a borderline top 10 player, and maybe slightly below. He has two rings and one MVP as the alpha dog, and on an absolutely loaded team as well. Not to mention that the 2008 MVP really seemed to be like a mercy trophy for him.

Shaq's rings could have been won with any All-NBA guard, especially the first two where Shaq's peak was probably at the same level as Wilt and MJ's peak. If Kupchak doesn't pull the heist of the century in 2008 with the Kwame for Pau trade, Kobe's legacy might have very well been below Dirk, KG and Nash among players from his generation.

In fact, the increased use of advanced metrics has already been quite detrimental to Kobe's legacy I would argue.

[Killakobe81]

Let's not forget that at age 33 Jordan and his Bulls had a 72-10 season and pulverized the league. Jordan was carrying the Bulls in 98 when Rodman had checked out mentally and Pippen's back was shot, and he was 35.

I would have never believed that someone could have made a legitimate case to defy him, and LeBron has. There isn't that much between the two. But I'd still pick Jordan.

well said, this i can agree with ....

[Killakobe81]

Duncan or Shaq made 9 consecutive Finals from 1999-2007.

Lebron has made 8 consecutive Finals from 2011-2018.

Thus, we went from the Duncan/Shaq era (with Duncan the #1) to the Lebron era.

lol 2008-2010 swept under the rug or does not exist?

[webshad]

He's greatest series in my opinion is still the 4-2 lost against GSW.

He averaged a real triple double and he only had Mathew Dellavadova.