Put Lebron in the NBA when MJ played. Way more physical and nobody cried to the refs, they just looked for there chance to get you back on a following play. Now put MJ in the NBA when Lebron played!
Jalen Rose reaction to Jay Williams saying Lebron would dominate MJ 1-on-1
- Thread starter Smashcat
- Start date
Don't care. Jordan got the best whistle of any player who ever laced em up.
Faster? Not even close. Jordan's game was predicated on speed and slashing.
Does MJ lose two finals when he's surrounded by Bosh/Wade like LeBron did? MJ = 6/6 when it mattered most.
There's no way the bigger, stronger, equally as athletic, superior ball handler and shooter would win a contest predicated on those things because of a poster I had on my wall when I was 10 because nostalgia and feelings beat physics and empirical evidence.
Thankfully it didn't always matter in the first round of the playoffs.
I mean I’m the biggest Jordan honk ever but you take Lebron and put him in those Bulls teams and they win more games. Can’t say the same for putting Jordan on these Cavs teams.
One on one... eh. Tough to call.
One on one... eh. Tough to call.
No, I agree, the show sucks. Jalen Rose is horrible and Beadle is a “suck” enabler.
Different times for different players. Jordan didn't have to be the man night in and out to win games. Lebron is a force to be reckoned with. I still take Jordan if I'm picking a team.
I think MJ is the greatest player to ever play the game. I think LBJ is either 2 or 3 depending on how much you think of Wilt..I mean Wilt avg 50 and 25 is a season. In a one on one game though it's a real tough match up for MJ based on just the size difference. 40 lbs of muscle and 3 inches of height in the same athletic body is a lot to overcome, especially if LBJ just bullies MJ to the rim. In a best of seven series I think LBJ wins but I'd never pick LBJ to start my team, he'll lose more NBA finals than he'll ever win.
MJ all day every day... LeBron is a beast physically and skill-wise, but he's also soft as a bowl of mashed potatoes when it comes nut-cuttin' time. Was recently watching some old MJ videos from back in the day, and the elevation on his normal jumper is unreal -- shooting over a slightly taller LeBron would not be an issue. MJ was also a premier defender who made the NBA All-Defensive team on multiple occassions. LeBron simply doesn't have enough Alpha Dog in him to compete with MJ head-to-head. I thoroughly enjoy watching LeBron because he's the only player I've seen in my lifetime to even approach the greatness of MJ, but he's no MJ. This was solidified for me during last season's Finals in Game 4 when LeBron deferred to Korver when the season was literally on the line. Was it the right basketball play? Probably. Was it a winning basketball play? Obviously not... Jordan doesn't pass in that situation, and Jordan would gladly shove the knife in Stephanie & Co. because HE WOULD HAVE EITHER SCORED, GOT TO THE LINE, OR BOTH...LeBron, not so much.
That was my point. Lebron is better than MJ (I believe) in 5 on 5
But MJ would win one on one
WildcatfaninOhio
All-American
Well, Jay is right MJ is what 54?...If both were 30 I'll take MJ...No way LeBron could stop layups, but Lebron would just back Jordan down and score so IDK
Nice try.... was the season/finals on the line in either of those situations? Nope... at worst, finals would be tied if the role player doesn't make the shot, not going down a virtually insurmountable 3-1 deficit like LeBron was content to chance with Korver in the corner. Hell, LeBron was chastised by Kobe for not not nuttin' up for a game winner in a freakin' All-Star game, LOL!!! Again, LBJ made the right basketball play, but not a winning basketball play.
Lest we forget: the first "Super Team" of LBJ, Wade, and Bosh lost in 6 games to the freakin Dallas Mavericks! The average fan couldn't name one other player on that Mavs team beyond Dirk Nowitzki... A Jordan team does not lose that series. Period!
Like I said, when it came nut-cuttin' time, Jordan's resume speaks for itself, LeBron's not so much.
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Game of 1 on 1? I’d take Lebron. All time player? Jordan but Lebron is 2 imo.
If the show wants to up their ratings, someone would ask Jalen to go in depth on his "Uncle Tom" comment about kids going to Duke. I would watch.
well yes, except for all of the examples that disprove your completely arbitrary theory, it's 100% accurate.
LeBron may or may not win one on one, but I'm taking Jordan every single time when it comes to starting my personal Dream Team.
You chose to bring out the Kerr and Paxson examples... I pointed out that there wasn't nearly as much riding on those shots when MJ deferred as to when LBJ deferred.
LBJ, Wade and Bosh lost the Finals in 6 games to Nowitzki and a stable of role prayers and a washed-up Jason Kidd. A Jordan-led Finals team ain't losing to the Fighting Dirk Digglers, LOL!
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I believe LeBron James is the GOAT.
This discussion will be moot in a few years as LBJ doesn’t appear to be slowing down.
This discussion will be moot in a few years as LBJ doesn’t appear to be slowing down.
List for us the guys Jordan lost to three times in the first round. Or twice in the conference semifinals. Or twice in the conference finals.
How many of them are as good historically as Dirk?
Also that 73 win Warriors team that LeBron beat would have blistered the Bulls because open threes beat fadeaway twos.
Maybe. But the NBA is a different league and the middle way down is nowhere comparable to the 80's and 90's. I couldn't even imagine what the Bulls of that era would do to a team like Boston today.
And that's really the point imo. I think LeBron is a top 2-5 player of all time, but Jordan is GOAT. I like LeBron and hate Jordan btw. I' taking Jordan in the playoffs no questions asked.
Opinion not fact. Evidence shows the 1996 Bulls team > the 2016 Golden State team. Cleveland only won that series because the NBA intervened after that series was 3-1..by suspending Draymond Green. Changed the whole series. So bogus.
Could Lebron beat Jordan? Sure. He has the size and speed to beat him, but DOMINATE?? I think not. Lebron is better than Jordan was, because of his combination of size, strength and speed. Lebron being greater than Jordan is still up for debate. I think out 10, Lebron wins 6.
Why? LeBron has more points, more assists, more rebounds, more game winners, more finals appearances, less first round losses, etc.
17-28 shooting for LBJ tonight...no need to have Rodman, Cartwright, etc to rebound your 5-35 shooting so you could finish with 40 off 30 free throws
Why do people keep saying he'd lose because of size and speed and strength and I guess height and on and on.
Jordan beat faster stronger and taller players. That's the point about Jordan. It didn't matter. He had an element that I think LeBron is close to But not quite the same. Mj shouldn't have been as good as he was, but he was.
And I really cannot stand michael Jordan and won't even wear his shoes because he played at UNC. Been that way since the 90's as a kid so. Makes my opinion right.
Jordan beat faster stronger and taller players. That's the point about Jordan. It didn't matter. He had an element that I think LeBron is close to But not quite the same. Mj shouldn't have been as good as he was, but he was.
And I really cannot stand michael Jordan and won't even wear his shoes because he played at UNC. Been that way since the 90's as a kid so. Makes my opinion right.
Because Jordan was totally unstoppable through a long stretch. LeBron probably won't win another unless he joins a super team again, so nah. Not interested in taking LeBron over Jordan in the playoffs.
To be fair, Lebron has played 50 more games than Jordan (which is almost 30% more). Lebron also never played a team with more than 44 wins in the first round, until he played this Pacers team. Jordan scored 49 and 63.....and lost both games. I like Lebron, but don't just go on mere numbers, when one has played much more than the other. In the first part of Kareem's career, they only had three rounds, and not four.
This is not Jordan vs. Lebron..this is old heads vs. new heads. Most new heads think LeBron is better..most old heads think Jordan is better. And I don't mean old and young people. I mean people that love the new pussified NBA vs. the people that love the old rough and tough NBA of the late 70s to the early 2000s. Put Jordan in THIS NBA and he owns it even more than he did his NBA..put LeBron in the 80s and 90s and sure, his freakish athleticism and size would be amazing but the moment he got decked by Robert Parrish or elbowed by Bill Laimbeer or Patrick Ewing or Charles Barkley or Dennis Rodman or gang tackled and put to the floor by the rest of the bad boy Pistons and such or ran over by Shaq..he'd lose his shit and whine and whine and whine. Even his flopping wouldn't save him.
Because LeBron won more earlier in his career and didn't take two years off to play baseball. If he had quit for two seasons folks would crucify him for not loving the game or having competitive drive
Or did Jordan get "suspended" by the league? Lebron won earlier because he wasn't playing a 59 win team like Jordan did his first three playoff rounds. In the 80's, the East was tougher than the West. Lebron's teams might have had better records, but for the entirety of Lebron's career, the East has been weak. Of course, the Bulls had 30 wins in 86' and got into the playoffs (to be fair, Jordan was hurt for much of that season).
LeBron lost his share of early series in his career as well, and in his defense, he generally had a crap team assembled around him before his return to Cleveland, but so did Jordan. Getting that first Cleveland team to the Finals before Kyrie and Love arrived was impressive, along with beating that 73-win GSW team. But even with that epic win, he still doesn't have the most memorable shot in Cleveland history (although arguably one of the greatest defensive plays in Finals history), and many argue that the Cavs would have lost that series if Draymond hadn't been suspended. I really do pull for LeBron because he is an incredible player and has represented the NBA well --- and because I despise GSW! Very rarely do we see someone as hyped as LeBron actually exceed expectations.
I'm not a LeBron hater... he's one of the most talented players I've ever watched, maybe even the most physically gifted when compared to any of the all-time greats. But for me, there's always been that "little something" missing in his game despite all he's accomplished. I guess all I'm saying is that if my life depended on correctly choosing the winner of a head-to-head matchup between MJ or LBJ, I'm choosing MJ because he'd do whatever it would take to win because he'd play as if HIS life depended on winning, and IMO, I'm not so sure I can say the same about LBJ. In my mind, that settles the GOAT debate for me.
I disagree on that one brother. I trust MJ to do whatever it takes to win. It would be a fun fun thing to watch though, right?
