NBA: Should LeBron James be compared to Michael Jordan?

[BallSoHard4Cy]

I agree. He needs to step up and attack the basket. Unfortunately they are sagging off of him a ton and his jumper isn't falling. No competitive fire or drive can make a jumper fall. If he can't hit from 15 he is going to have a tough time against a great defensive team like the spurs.


I agree with the flopping being terrible. It truly is. But I understand why he does it. It is impossible for him to get a call without trying to sell it. Does that excuse it? Probably not. But if he thinks it would help his team win he is going to do it and if Jordan was put in a position like that I'm guessing he would.

Flopping aside, LeBron is a better defender than Jordan just due to his athleticism and size. That isn't really a fair comparison.

And I was talking the first retirement, after 3 championships. Jordan deserves no empathy for years missed out on because he quit the game. Twice. If you want to be dramatic about it you could say he quit on his teammates and fans and all that, which would certainly be a very big black mark if LeBron did something like that.

Also, charges nowadays are so ridiculous. The charge culture only encourages flopping and discourages scorers from attacking the basket, lest a scrub role player fall down on purpose and draw a cheap foul. But that is neither here, nor there.

as much as I am loving this discussion (rather than an argument) I'm going to bed because I have to go teach Drivers Ed in the morning.

 

[Rural]

Can anyone see Lebron doing this in the NBA finals? No way [video=youtube;QhjGINgNfoY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhjGINgNfoY[/video]

So, you enjoy someone being a ****?

 

[capitalcityguy]

^ except that few people intreprete this nonverbal as "being a ****". Odd take.

 

[dcxme1183]

^ except that few people intreprete this nonverbal as "being a ****". Odd take.

Define "few." 'Cause "no one I know" doesn't count. MJ was a jerk--his HOF speech alone demonstrates that. But that is neither here nor there when it comes to judging who the greatest was.

 

[jdoggivjc]

I agree. He needs to step up and attack the basket. Unfortunately they are sagging off of him a ton and his jumper isn't falling. No competitive fire or drive can make a jumper fall. If he can't hit from 15 he is going to have a tough time against a great defensive team like the spurs.


I agree with the flopping being terrible. It truly is. But I understand why he does it. It is impossible for him to get a call without trying to sell it. Does that excuse it? Probably not. But if he thinks it would help his team win he is going to do it and if Jordan was put in a position like that I'm guessing he would.

Flopping aside, LeBron is a better defender than Jordan just due to his athleticism and size. That isn't really a fair comparison.

And I was talking the first retirement, after 3 championships. Jordan deserves no empathy for years missed out on because he quit the game. Twice. If you want to be dramatic about it you could say he quit on his teammates and fans and all that, which would certainly be a very big black mark if LeBron did something like that.

Also, charges nowadays are so ridiculous. The charge culture only encourages flopping and discourages scorers from attacking the basket, lest a scrub role player fall down on purpose and draw a cheap foul. But that is neither here, nor there.

Jordan didn't have to flop - if he was breathed on wrong he was going to the line for a potential 4 point play.

 

[HFCS]

Nobody had brought it up! (specifically)

I did bring it up three different times but it blows a gigantic hole in the ridiculous comparison so you ignored it.

You just trivialized the biggest drop in scoring from regular season to finals in NBA history...and we're comparing that to a guy whose WORST finals game ever was 22 points. That's an incredibly good sign you've lost the argument.

 

[HFCS]

Jordan didn't have to flop - if he was breathed on wrong he was going to the line for a potential 4 point play.

Flopping is done on defense. LeBron falls down on purpose and cries that he's hurt when there's actually no contact.

You're confusing this with getting fouled going to the rim...and I suspect you were much too young to watch Jordan play if you think he didn't get hammered like no player in the history of the game.

 

[bringmagicback]

Define "few." 'Cause "no one I know" doesn't count. MJ was a jerk--his HOF speech alone demonstrates that. But that is neither here nor there when it comes to judging who the greatest was.

I love reading stories about MJ being a ****. There are thousands but my favorite is when working doing a movie or commercials, they would get all this food brought in for him and his "crew" body guards ect. He would go up and spit on and touch all the food so that nobody else could have any.

 

[Rhoadhoused]

I did bring it up three different times but it blows a gigantic hole in the ridiculous comparison so you ignored it.

You just trivialized the biggest drop in scoring from regular season to finals in NBA history...and we're comparing that to a guy whose WORST finals game ever was 22 points. That's an incredibly good sign you've lost the argument.

One bad game pulls that average down. That was a very bad game. No doubt. I'd the goal of the finals was to score 22 every game, I'm sure LeBron would have taken 30 shots until he got 22. But LeBron can control a game scoring 17 and having 10 assists. Scoring is not everything.

 

[Tre4ISU]

MJ in finals 6 for 6, 6 MVPS! That pretty much says it all.

I love how every Bulls fan fails to point out that Jordan was stumbling all over his **** in the conference finals until he got help.

 

[dcxme1183]

I love reading stories about MJ being a ****. There are thousands but my favorite is when working doing a movie or commercials, they would get all this food brought in for him and his "crew" body guards ect. He would go up and spit on and touch all the food so that nobody else could have any.

If you go to Google and type "Michael Jordan is" the very first suggestion isn't "the greatest of all time" or "the owner of the Charlotte Bobcats." No, the first suggestion Google gives is "a jerk".

 

[Gravy79]

The thing people don't think about is that right now they have about the same assist average in the finals. It's a fallacy that people keep repeating that James is some superior passer. Jordan could pass just as well but he is the best scorer of all time and people only remember that. Look at his finals average in the Lakers Series. Simply amazing.
31.2 ppg
11.4 app
6.6 rpg
2.8 SPF
1.4 bpg
56% FG

Actually the first three series were just amazing and no one can come close.

 

[Gravy79]

He is a physical freak but his numbers aren't something that no one has put up. Look at Birds stats in his prime or Magics.

 

[Clonefan94]

I just want a fair discussion. LeBron has a lot more to do to catch up to Jordan, but Jordan is already done and James is an athletic freak that will be able to play much better than Jordan could later in his career. James has 7 years left of elite ball IMO, at least. He has a very good chance to get the same amount of rings as Jordan and his stats are all better than MJ except PPG.

Just make it a fair fight when arguing and don't just say "MJ is a legend he never ever played a bad game ever end of story"

Make reasonable arguments, because there are a ton of them out there.

I don't know about this. James has a much larger frame than Jordan Did. Look at anyone with that kind of build and you realize it takes a toll. When they are in their prime, yes, things go really well for them, but it also goes downhill really quickly as well. Big men fall off quickly. That's why QBs and receivers in the NFL can sometims have careers pushing 20 years, but lineman are lucky to get 10. I'm not saying James is not a superfreak that won't be able to pull it off, only that time will tell. With his build, he's going to have to work extra hard later in life to stay in shape.

 

[Gravy79]

I love how every Bulls fan fails to point out that Jordan was stumbling all over his **** in the conference finals until he got help.

There isn't a player that has won the finals without help. So I don't see what your point is.

 

[CycloneRulzzz]

3 words: Mental toughness, killer instinct, heart. Lebron has none. When we get past that hurdle we can move on to actually comparing their basketball skills, which is an even easier argument.

Quit bringing common sense to this discussion.

 

[CycloneRulzzz]

I love how every Bulls fan fails to point out that Jordan was stumbling all over his **** in the conference finals until he got help.

Jordan's supporting cast in those finals outside of pippen, grant and rodman was a joke.

 

[dcxme1183]

Jordan's supporting cast in those finals outside of pippen, grant and rodman was a joke.

Yes, the league's all-time leader in 3PT% for both a single season and a career is a joke. I mean, after what we saw last night, it's obvious that 3 point shooting has no real effect on the outcome of a game...

 

[Tre4ISU]

There isn't a player that has won the finals without help. So I don't see what your point is.

That pretty much the point. Even the GOAT didn't do it by himself. The game was also different back then. It's just really hard to compare across eras. You could make a good argument that if physicality was demanded more, LeBron would have even more of an advantage if he had to adapt. That said, his roster right now isn't very good. Wade disappears, Bosh never appears. The only people giving him anything are Miller from 3 and Birdman in terms of hustle.

 

[ISUME]

That pretty much the point. Even the GOAT didn't do it by himself. The game was also different back then. It's just really hard to compare across eras. You could make a good argument that if physicality was demanded more, LeBron would have even more of an advantage if he had to adapt. That said, his roster right now isn't very good. Wade disappears, Bosh never appears. The only people giving him anything are Miller from 3 and Birdman in terms of hustle.

But in those years MJ "wasn't getting it done" he wasn't disappearing for a whole quarter like Lebron last night.