LeBron did get his team to the finals in his 2nd season where it took Jordan several years and help from Pippin to get there.
1996 Bulls vs 2017 Warriors
- Thread starter snowcraig2.0
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4th year. That was impressive, but the east was really bad. It was like the old Big 12 North. You knew whoever made it would get destroyed by the West.
Yeah I'm sure Lebron would've cruised through Isaiah's Pistons and Bird's Celtics and Ewing's Knicks. Lol.
It took Jordan a while to even get out of the first round dude. They had to get Pippen to even do that.
I don't care how bad the east was. He was in his 2nd year and that cavs team wouldn't have won 20 games without him. Would the Bulls have made the finals every year they won it if the would have been in the West? Although there was always a thorn in their side in that conference they really only faced a touch match when they got to the ECF. I mean the Knicks were good, the Pacers were really good one year, but that's really it. The West was way better top to bottom in the 90s I'm not suggesting the Bulls weren't great but they weren't astronomically better than every great team in NBA history. If Karl Malone could have made free throws Utah would have taken them to a game 7 at the Delta Center.
He didn’t even make the playoffs until his third year. I don’t know why you keep insisting he was in the championship in his second.
The Bulls bigs would have gotten cooked in the modern NBA. That being said Jordan would have been even better than he was in the 90s. Impossible to keep out of the paint and you know he would have worked in his 3 ball until it was unstoppable.
Worked his 3 ball? Your either a shooter or you aren't. He wasn't a great 3 point shooter even when the line was 3 ft. Closer. He could h
I've gotten to the rim for sure
But I thought today's players were so much bigger and faster and stronger and more athletic and better shooters and better passers than those schlubs from the 90s? Why all of a sudden would Pippen make a difference and be so much better as opposed to the teammates Lebron has from today?
JFC dude. So basketball is the only sport where guys arebt stronger and faster than the 90s? You're probably the type of guy who can't even watch horse racing without talking about Secretariat.
So why all of a sudden does MJ getting Pippen make all the difference when in your opinion Lebron's teammates have all been bigger and faster and more athletic?
Pippen wasn’t the Pippen everyone remembers until year 4. He didn’t even start a game his rookie year and played only 20 mpg. Did Pippen turn into a great player? Yea. That’s why they won championships. Sort of like why LeBron didn’t win a championship until he had Wade, Bosh, and Ray Allen. Or Love and Kyrie. Or Anthony Davis.
No, Jordan was just so dominant at his peak that he made it his teddy bear. I accept arguments that LeBron is the greatest ever, due to his sustained greatness/longevity…but there has never been anyone as good as peak Jordan (in his MVP seasons).
And he's the reason Lebron was Lebron and Kobe was Kobe and so many other greats were who they were. One of the best insights I heard, can't remember from who but it's not mine, was that Dr. J took the NBA game above the rim, and Michael Jordan kept it there. All of the greats who came later were 100% influenced and modeled their game after MJ. He did it first, he showed what professional basketball could be, a blueprint that all the others have followed. That's why he'll always be the GOAT.
I’m not sure I agree that this is what makes Jordan the GOAT. If he is the GOAT, it’s because he was able to be the best scorer in the league and one of the best defenders in the league for so many years…and averaged 30 points per game and made 50% of his shots…as a guard. He was also absolutely tenacious.
But what makes a player the GOAT is hard to nail down. LeBron has been a top 5 player in the NBA for a long time. His consistency and longevity are super impressive.
Anybody who was able to watch Jordan and Lebron (as adult viewers) should know that Jordan was better. Not even close really. It's just dumb to argue otherwise. LOL.....
