Does Lebron James have to......

[75center]

No doubt in my mind MJ is the best and I don't see there being anything Lebron can accomplish to change it. To me it's MJ, Oscar, Lebron.

[ggclfan]

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.

Six weeks or so ago PP92 got on me when I said the LBJ was the best player on the planet and not Russell Westbrook...glad he has seen the light:)!!!

[ggclfan]

I would still take Michael over LBJ but the gap is closing fast. What LBJ is doing with Love out and Kyrie injured is pretty amazing...

[ggclfan]

The poster before talking about the Celtics in the 80's was right. If Bias does not OD, Bird may have 6+. Bias was just what that team needed...a young freakish athlete to go with all the old guys who could still play...

[Cats3x]

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.

 

Those Lakers were on their last legs. The fact that Suns team got to the Finals tells you all to need to know about the NBA in that era. Barkley was an alltime great but that team doesn't get to the Finals in this era IMO.

[Randy Parker]

My guy '92 is on fire in this thread. It's a thing of beauty.

[PurplePride92]

Six weeks or so ago PP92 got on me when I said the LBJ was the best player on the planet and not Russell Westbrook...glad he has seen the light:)!!!

 

Nope. I qualified that by saying "right now":D and at the time he was. Russ was out of his mind in February-March.

[gametime]

LeBron James is a better basketball player than Michael Jordan. There. I said it...

[Jumper_Dad]

The thing in my mind that will always be a blemish on LBJ record to know fault of his own is the fact during his career the Eastern conference has been the worst conference in the history of the NBA.

 

Since LBJ has left High School the west has won 6 titles and the east has won 5...that's a pretty even split.

 

The west has been all Spurs with a couple from Kobe and one from Dirk...the west has had one really dominant team over that period, the Spurs.

[bugatti]

Yes. "The great ones never let that happen." That's what you said. The Bulls got mollywhopped by the Pistons in 1988 and 1989.

 

Why is MJ allowed to lose and grow and Lebron isn't? That doesn't make sense.

I honestly don't think you believe the two situations are remotely the same. You're smarter than that. I'm not saying he had to win, but to be punked and have a multiple time MVP throw in the towel out of fear is not normal from the all time great.

 

And for for the record, I think LeBron can get to the top, but that was as embarrassing and pathetic display of hoops you will ever find and it weighs heavily in this debate.

[LIPTON BASH]

Since LBJ has left High School the west has won 6 titles and the east has won 5...that's a pretty even split.

 

The west has been all Spurs with a couple from Kobe and one from Dirk...the west has had one really dominant team over that period, the Spurs.

 

The West has been much deeper and it's really not even a debate is it ?

[Voice of Reason]

If LeBron leads the Cavaliers to the title this year, it puts him ahead of MJ for me. Just getting this team to the finals is probably a bigger accomplishment than anything MJ or LeBron did previous to this.

[Jumper_Dad]

The West has been much deeper and it's really not even a debate is it ?

 

Hasn't translated to any more titles though, really.

[bugatti]

The West has been much deeper and it's really not even a debate is it ?

No, it really isn't. Regardless of what the Finals' record reflects, the fact is, since the early 2000s, teams in the west need to be around the upper 40s to 50 wins to make the playoffs, in the east multiple teams make it below .500. Let's not overthink this. That doesn't mean the top 1-2 teams can't annually compete in the west, but it is a much rougher road to win in the west than the east.

[gametime]

The West has been much deeper and it's really not even a debate is it ?

 

Did the Spurs and Lakers have to play all of those teams on the way to an easy title? And if it was easy, why doesn't the West have a huge advantage in rings since LeBron entered the league?

 

Who gives a crap how good team 8 and 10 is? This is about the top, and the top has been better in this era. It really isn't close...