Does Lebron James have to......

[LIPTON BASH]

How about the Pistons? Bulls a few years ago? Those teams couldn't compete with Ewing's Knicks and Miller's Pacers? Really?

 

No they couldn't.

[PurplePride92]

Bad boy pistons. Knicks , Pacers , and Magic.

 

He was 1-3 againt the Bad Boys. Age and fatigue beat the Bad Boys as much as the Bulls did.

[LIPTON BASH]

Also let's not forget in the 80s bulls had to beat The Birds Celtics and also let's not forget the Hawks.

[Cats3x]

No they couldn't.

 

Not sure I buy that. That Pistons team was an NBA champ and beat a loaded Lakers team to do it and took the Spurs to 6 or 7 games. That's better than New York or Indy from that era ever accomplished.

 

That same Knicks team needed 7 games to beat a Jordanless Bulls team was not in their league? Ewing might be the most overrated player in NBA history. He gets compared to Robinson and Olajuwon but without playing in NY does that happen?

[LIPTON BASH]

He was 1-3 againt the Bad Boys. Age and fatigue beat the Bad Boys as much as the Bulls did.

 

The point is LeBron didn't play a team on that level.

 

There really isn't an argument against the fact LeBron is playing in the weakest Eastern conference in NBA history.

 

The entire time he has been in the NBA the west has been superior by a large margin. It was not the case in the 80s and 90s.

[Cats3x]

Also let's not forget in the 80s bulls had to beat The Birds Celtics and also let's not forget the Hawks.

The 80s Bulls never got to the Finals. Never beat Bird before his back broke down.

[PurplePride92]

The only challenge the Bulls got in the Eastern Conference Playoffs in their championship years was in 1998 against the Pacers. In 91,92, 93, 96 and 97 they never played a game 7 in the Eastern Conference Finals.

[Cats3x]

The point is LeBron didn't play a team on that level.

 

There really isn't an argument against the fact LeBron is playing in the weakest Eastern conference in NBA history.

 

The entire time he has been in the NBA the west has been superior by a large margin. It was not the case in the 80s and 90s.

 

An NBA champ? Sure he beat Detroit and Boston. Maybe neither were as good as the Bad Boys, but both were worthy opponents. LBJ beating Detroit with Boobie Gibson as his beat running mate might be the greatest athletic accomplishment of our time (only half kidding). Sasha Pavlovic started on that team.

 

So Jordan beat Detroit with Pippen and an excellent supporting cast. LBJ ended the Pistons dominance with the likes of Big Z and Krusty the Clown.

[PurplePride92]

The point is LeBron didn't play a team on that level.

 

There really isn't an argument against the fact LeBron is playing in the weakest Eastern conference in NBA history.

 

The entire time he has been in the NBA the west has been superior by a large margin. It was not the case in the 80s and 90s.

 

And my point is let's not act like MJ defeated teams that were on another level. The Big 3 in Boston would have been a pretty good team in the 90s as would the Bulls. The Magic when Howard led them to the Finals was a good team as well not to mention the Pistons teams in the mid 2000s.

 

Yes, the East is weaker now but don't overinflate how good the East was in the 90s. It wasn't that much better then. It was forgettable.

[PurplePride92]

The 80s Bulls never got to the Finals. Never beat Bird before his back broke down.

 

And never beat the Pistons until they broke down physically.

[Cats3x]

Number one reason that the comparison is valid: Purplepride has come to the dark side on the LeBron debate. Most relevant piece of information in the thread.

[Cats3x]

And my point is let's not act like MJ defeated teams that were on another level. The Big 3 in Boston would have been a pretty good team in the 90s as would the Bulls. The Magic when Howard led them to the Finals was a good team as well not to mention the Pistons teams in the mid 2000s.

 

Yes, the East is weaker now but don't overinflate how good the East was in the 90s. It wasn't that much better then. It was forgettable.

 

Let's be honest the four best teams of the 90s were Jordan's Bulls, Malone and Stockton's Jazz, Shaq and Penny's Orlando team, and the Rockets champ teams. Jordan only had to deal with one of those. Not counting his 1/5 season getting beat by the Magic, or the toxic next season in which Penny and Shaq hated each other.

 

Other than those four teams the rest were average. I don't think any other team would have won a title if they were transplanted into the last ten years. JMO but the myth tht Jordan's era was better is ridiculous and too nastalgic for my taste.

[PurplePride92]

Number one reason that the comparison is valid: Purplepride has come to the dark side on the LeBron debate. Most relevant piece of information in the thread.

 

For the record, I always qualified my Lebron statements by saying that I expect him to be the best to ever play one day. We are getting closer and closer to more people saying that.

 

I find it funny that people give MJ a pass on things from early in his career and hold those same type of things against Lebron right now.

 

People liking MJ more than Lebron doesn't make MJ a better player and that is what is happening. That's like me saying Kobe is better than MJ because I like Kobe more. There's no doubt in my mind that Lebron is better than MJ and if the Cavs win it all this year it will be a much bigger accomplishment at that level than anything MJ ever did.

[LIPTON BASH]

And my point is let's not act like MJ defeated teams that were on another level. The Big 3 in Boston would have been a pretty good team in the 90s as would the Bulls. The Magic when Howard led them to the Finals was a good team as well not to mention the Pistons teams in the mid 2000s.

 

Yes, the East is weaker now but don't overinflate how good the East was in the 90s. It wasn't that much better then. It was forgettable.

 

The Bulls lead by Rose and the big 3 Celtics would of been lucky to Crack the top 4 of the East in the 80s to mid 90s.

[LIPTON BASH]

Let's be honest the four best teams of the 90s were Jordan's Bulls, Malone and Stockton's Jazz, Shaq and Penny's Orlando team, and the Rockets champ teams. Jordan only had to deal with one of those. Not counting his 1/5 season getting beat by the Magic, or the toxic next season in which Penny and Shaq hated each other.

 

Other than those four teams the rest were average. I don't think any other team would have won a title if they were transplanted into the last ten years. JMO but the myth tht Jordan's era was better is ridiculous and too nastalgic for my taste.

 

Except that's false the Bulls beat the Magic lead Lakers , Clyde lead blazers and the Suns in Barkleys best year as a pro. Not To mention the Sonics lead by the glove and the rain man.