is Lebron the best player since MJ?

[Blackout]

 

 

Lebron isn't the only quitter

[PLO]

I think LBJ is the best since Jordan, no matter that the Cavs will get dusted in 5 in the Championship Finals.

[Miss Lonelyhearts]

I think LBJ is the best since Jordan, no matter that the Cavs will get dusted in 5 in the Championship Finals.

What's the weather like in the universe where LeBron loses a playoff series in five games? Golden State is one of the greatest teams of all time, but they're not the KG Celtics. They're not the Spurs. They have to run hot the whole series or get significant help from J.R. because they just don't have any answers for LeBron. I think Cleveland wins in 5 or 6.

[Matt39]

What's the weather like in the universe where LeBron loses a playoff series in five games? .

We were living in it just last year

[Larz]

yes

[Miss Lonelyhearts]

We were living in it just last year

Ok, let's bet.

[pdxgreen]

Probably. I think of the greatest players as single handedly being able to change the outcome. LeBron is able to do that. Jordan was able to do that. I am a Blazer fan so I have seen a lot of great players kick our _ss. My dad swears that Bill Russell is the greatest player ever and I believe him.

[Matt39]

Ok, let's bet.

Nah. Series will go at least 6. The league isn't very strong this year.

[drdetroit]

I think it's a 7-game series.

[Klecko73isGod]

If LeBron leads a Cleveland-based sports franchise to a championship he will officially be the best athlete in the history of the world. Period. 

[SMC]

If LeBron leads a Cleveland-based sports franchise to a championship he will officially be the best athlete in the history of the world. Period. 

That's overstating it a bit, but LeBron, under those circumstances, will catapult himself into the stratosphere of Ruth, Thorpe and Ali

[RutgersJetFan]

Windhorst's article this week on Lebron was decent. Didn't even realize, LeBron has now won 15-straight Eastern Conference playoff series. He's the first Eastern Conference player to make five-straight Finals appearances since the 1960s Boston Celtics.

 

Cleveland has been at the bottom of the league for four years, they added one player and now they're in the Finals again. If Cleveland can actually pull this off it will be one of the most impressive things any athlete has ever done. And anyone who would still legit put Duncan over him is out of their mind.

[Jetsfan80]

Windhorst's article this week on Lebron was decent. Didn't even realize, LeBron has now won 15-straight Eastern Conference playoff series. He's the first Eastern Conference player to make five-straight Finals appearances since the 1960s Boston Celtics.

Cleveland has been at the bottom of the league for four years, they added one player and now they're in the Finals again. If Cleveland can actually pull this off it will be one of the most impressive things any athlete has ever done. And anyone who would still legit put Duncan over him is out of their mind.

Meanwhile you have this year's Warriors team being ranked a top 5 team all-time based on at least one metric. This is shaping up to a pretty outstanding NBA Finals.

[RutgersJetFan]

Meanwhile you have this year's Warriors team being ranked a top 5 team all-time based on at least one metric. This is shaping up to a pretty outstanding NBA Finals.

 

If you're Cleveland I don't think you have any other option than to put Lebron on Curry and make the rest of their team beat you. Of course, Kerr is going to be expecting that, so it's going to be awesome to see what he cooks up.

[drdetroit]

As far as pure athleticism goes Lebron is probably the greatest athlete in basketball ever and pro sports in general.

[drdetroit]

If you're Cleveland I don't think you have any other option than to put Lebron on Curry and make the rest of their team beat you. Of course, Kerr is going to be expecting that, so it's going to be awesome to see what he cooks up.

You don't shumpert or smith guarding Curry that is a waste of time I saw enough of that as a Knicks fan.

[Jetsfan80]

If you're Cleveland I don't think you have any other option than to put Lebron on Curry and make the rest of their team beat you. Of course, Kerr is going to be expecting that, so it's going to be awesome to see what he cooks up.

 

The Warriors are going to be so easy to root for.  I loved Steve Kerr growing up, because he most closely matched my play style.  I love Stephen Curry because he's a NC kid (where I've lived the last 11 years) and it was great watching Davidson's run to the Elite 8.  I never dreamed he'd be a top 5 player in the world, an MVP, and that he'd be going up against LeBron in the finals, but here we are. 

[Blackout]

BRON BRON

[JustInFudge]

Wont lie, even as broke as LeBron was yesterday in the 2nd half, that was an amazing performance.  He was looking like Magic out there.  Completely in control of everything and everything thing he does on the court causes a reaction.  I havent seen a single player command the entire floor like that since Magic.

 

If he pulls this off, I'll change my position on the guy.  There were times last night where I felt like I was watching the best ever.

[SMC]

Wont lie, even as broke as LeBron was yesterday in the 2nd half, that was an amazing performance.  He was looking like Magic out there.  Completely in control of everything and everything thing he does on the court causes a reaction.  I havent seen a single player command the entire floor like that since Magic.

 

If he pulls this off, I'll change my position on the guy.  There were times last night where I felt like I was watching the best ever.

Yeah, I understand not liking LeBron, but if he pulls this off this would be one of the greatest sporting feats in the history on North American sports.  You can't root against that.  It's historic.

 

He was great out there, even with his lack of efficiency, and under the circumstances, it's great to root for him.

[JustInFudge]

Yeah, I understand not liking LeBron, but if he pulls this off this would be one of the greatest sporting feats in the history on North American sports.  You can't root against that.  It's historic.

 

He was great out there, even with his lack of efficiency, and under the circumstances, it's great to root for him.

 

I'll never be able to "root for him" but I respect his greatness.  Dude couldnt hit sh*t but he was still carrying the team.  It was something I've never seen before...it was everything else he was doing! With JR Smith doing everything in his power to give that game away.  Like I said, it was one of the more impressive performances I've ever seen and he was as broke as a joke in the 2nd half.   

[T0mShane]

I know I'm going to sound like a grumpy old man here, but I was watching that game last night thinking about how hard Jordan would have tortured a wimp like Klay Thompson if he started getting hot like he did. Lebron doesn't seem to care all that much about personal matchups, but Michael feasted on that kind of thing. It's hard to imagine him not going absolutely apesh*t if/when Curry or Thompson or Draymond Green tried to check him in the fourth quarter.

[Blackout]

i really think JR Smith was point shaving 

[Miss Lonelyhearts]

If you put Jordan on this Cavs team instead of LeBron they get swept about a hundred percent of the time.

[Matt39]

If you put Jordan on this Cavs team instead of LeBron they get swept about a hundred percent of the time.

 

Swapping prime Lebron for prime Jordan where the opposing teams best player doesnt show up, I'd imagine he could have pulled a win last night too.

[BroadwayJoe12]

If you put Jordan on this Cavs team instead of LeBron they get swept about a hundred percent of the time.

 

I love me some Bron, but I have a very hard time buying this. Prime Jordan, like Game 1 of the '92 NBA finals type Jordan, I don't think anyone on the Warriors could stop him.  Jordan would have eaten that Klay alive. 

[Miss Lonelyhearts]

Bull ******* sh*t the both of you. Jordan goes 11 for 35 sometimes too and when he does he doesn't go /15/11 or whatever and they sure as hell don't win.

[Matt39]

Bull ******* sh*t the both of you. Jordan goes 11 for 35 sometimes too and when he does he doesn't go /15/11 or whatever and they sure as hell don't win.

 

Jordan had a few playoff triple doubles if memory serves. If were using last nights particular game- matching what Lebron did wouldnt be all that difficult for Jordan...especially considering Curry was dreadful. The assist is a sh*t stat anyway.

[BroadwayJoe12]

Bull ******* sh*t the both of you. Jordan goes 11 for 35 sometimes too and when he does he doesn't go /15/11 or whatever and they sure as hell don't win.

 

Why are we assuming Jordan goes 11 for 35, just because Bron had an off shooting night? I can name a dozen times where Jordan puts up crazy numbers of 40+/10+/6+ or 30+/6+/10+.  You argument was that if you swapped prime Jordan for prime Bron, Jordan is swept every time, not if Jordan shot 11-35 on this Cavs team they get beat every time. 

[T0mShane]

If you put Jordan on this Cavs team instead of LeBron they get swept about a hundred percent of the time.

Not defending the Cavs squad LeBron is playing with, but I'm saying that Jordan would have ripped Klay's heart out of his chest and fouled him out by halftime.

[JustInFudge]

Not defending the Cavs squad LeBron is playing with, but I'm saying that Jordan would have ripped Klay's heart out of his chest and fouled him out by halftime.

 

Definitely.  Jordan could have carried them in that moment too.  Curry was awful.  Never him seen him that bad.  And for all the love Bron gets for passing to the open man, Jordan did it too. Steve Kerr and John Paxson are only memorable because Jordan kicked them a couple of wide open game winners.  

 

The only other thing I think about when looking at Bron's career compared to the other all time greats, is the NBA is ******* terrible.  It really is hard to watch at times.  Bron's NBA compared to Magic's or Jordan's...its not even the same game. 

[CTM]

LeBron > everybody else ever. Right now. By a laughable margin when all is said and done.

 

 

[T0mShane]

Definitely. Jordan could have carried them in that moment too. Curry was awful. Never him seen him that bad. And for all the love Bron gets for passing to the open man, Jordan did it too. Steve Kerr and John Paxson are only memorable because Jordan kicked them a couple of wide open game winners.

The only other thing I think about when looking at Bron's career compared to the other all time greats, is the NBA is ******* terrible. It really is hard to watch at times. Bron's NBA compared to Magic's or Jordan's...its not even the same game.

When Curry tied a Finals game in the final seconds on an uncontested finger roll, I imagined every player who ever played against those 90's Pistons team throwing up in their laps.

[SMC]

When Curry tied a Finals game in the final seconds on an uncontested finger roll, I imagined every player who ever played against those 90's Pistons team throwing up in their laps.

It's odd, really.  In the 80s, they played a tougher defense because of all the grabbing was allowed, but it seemed as if everyone could score unlike today.  The Pistons ushered in defensive era, but they had scorers.  The 90s Knicks were really the first to be all D and no O.  There was an overall skill (as opposed to talent) dip in players of the 90s and I'm not sure why.  Perhaps it was because NBA scouting changed with the emphasis on wingspans and verticles.  The overall skill level has never recovered, hence the need for changes to what is permitted on defense in the guise of "opening up the game."

[Miss Lonelyhearts]

BELIEVELAND