Jordan says Kobe, not LeBron, could beat him in his prime

[TBBishop]

VIDEO: Jordan says Kobe, not LeBron, could beat him in his prime - CBSSports.com

Thought's?

My initial thought is that Jordan is, was, and always will be a jackass. My other thought is that LeBron is too big, too strong and too fast for Jordan. It doesn't mean that Jordan isn't the best, just that in a one-on-one situation there are people who could beat him.

 

[TurnUpTheHeat]

as a heat fan probably wasting my time trying to get you to take the blinders off...yes LeBron is a great player but the GOAT? I don't know about that. just think if you removed LeBron from the heat and inserted practically any top 20 wing player...Carmelo, George, Durant, kobe, paul pierce, etc then they probably win too. if LeBron was to get injured and miss 25 games the heat still win 20 atleast. if Jordan teamed up with Patrick ewing and Dominique wilkins that might be equivalent with what LeBron had to do to get a ring

I said a couple rings away from entering the conversation. Correct?

And I would agree with your other thought if Wade would have been healthy and if Bosh would have been playing well.

Reality was that James was forced to carry the load much of the time for all 3.
If you recall, for a period of time , people were saying the Heat looked like the old Cavs teams during the playoffs last year.

 

[geneh_33]

JOrdan could beat Lebron with one hand tied behind his back. LOL

I doubt Kobe could have beaten Jordan in his prime. Lebron would have been sucking wind. No flopping! LOL

 

[Jims_Doors]

Seriously weak sauce. Whoever put that together was a LeFlop nut hugger as well. Clearly...

Sorry that the truth hurts ya.

Understandable.

 

[geneh_33]

Threads like this are just a load of bull. There is no way of knowing who would beat who unless they played 1-on-1 in their prime.

You guys go ahead and enjoy the argument, though, like I know you will.

 

[HuskerCradle2Grave]

Sorry that the truth hurts ya.

Understandable.

Truth?

 

[trojanfan12]

I said a couple rings away from entering the conversation. Correct?

And I would agree with your other thought if Wade would have been healthy and if Bosh would have been playing well.

Reality was that James was forced to carry the load much of the time for all 3.
If you recall, for a period of time , people were saying the Heat looked like the old Cavs teams during the playoffs last year.

LeBron is 5 rings away from being in the conversation, Kobe is 2 rings away and even getting 7 probably isn't enough for either one!! MJ never lost a finals, Kobe and Lebron have each lost 2!!

 

[TurnUpTheHeat]

LeBron is 5 rings away from being in the conversation, Kobe is 2 rings away and even getting 7 probably isn't enough for either one!! MJ never lost a finals, Kobe and Lebron have each lost 2!!

Please stop with the ring count being your go to reason in these arguments, because if that is your argument, then Jordan isn't the person who we would be comparing anyone to, is he?

Teammates and circumstances also play heavily into eventual championships.

Different sport, but Eli has been in the league 6 years less then Peyton.
Eli has 2 rings. Peyton 1.

Peyton is the better player of the two by miles.

 

[HuskerCradle2Grave]

Please stop with the ring count being your go to reason in these arguments, because if that is your argument, then Jordan isn't the person who we would be comparing anyone to, is he?

Teammates and circumstances also play heavily into eventual championships.

Different sport, but Eli has been in the league 6 years less then Peyton.
Eli has 2 rings. Peyton 1.

Peyton is the better player of the two by miles.

Football =/= basketball...

 

[TurnUpTheHeat]

LeBron is 5 rings away from being in the conversation, Kobe is 2 rings away and even getting 7 probably isn't enough for either one!! MJ never lost a finals, Kobe and Lebron have each lost 2!!

Also, Jordan throughout his career played on 13 teams that made the playoffs.
You talk about James losses in the Finals, we'll how about their losses in series leading up to the Finals?
Jordan gets a free pass for his teams losing in round 1?
Or not even making the playoffs?


And, if your holding James' loss to the Spurs against him instead of praising him for getting that undermanned Cavs team to the point, then you are showing a lack of common sense and basketball knowledge.

 

[HuskerCradle2Grave]

Also, Jordan throughout his career played on 13 teams that made the playoffs.
You talk about James losses in the Finals, we'll how about their losses in series leading up to the Finals?
Jordan gets a free pass for his teams losing in round 1?
Or not even making the playoffs?


And, if your holding James' loss to the Spurs against him instead of praising him for getting that undermanned Cavs team to the point, then you are showing a lack of common sense and basketball knowledge.

You wanting Lebron to be the GOAT shows so much. It's just that he is not...

 

[HuskerCradle2Grave]

Their first season

LeBron James:

James averaged 20.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.6 steals and 0.7 blocks per game. He became the first rookie since Jordan to average at least 20.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game.

He also shot 41.7 percent from the field and he won the Rookie of the Year award. He made the All-Rookie first team, but he didn’t make the All-NBA team. He doesn’t have playoff stats because his team didn’t make the playoffs.

Michael Jordan:

Jordan averaged 28.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 2.4 steals and 0.8 blocks per game. He became the second rookie in NBA history to average at least 20.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game. He’s also the only rookie to average at least 20.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game.

Jordan shot an amazing 51.5 percent from the field and led the league in points. He won the Rookie of the Year award and made the All-NBA second team. In the playoffs, he played 4 games and averaged 29.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 8.5 assists per game while shooting 43.6 percent from the field.

Advantage: Jordan

Jordan clearly had a better rookie season. No debate here.

 

[HuskerCradle2Grave]

Second Season

LeBron James:

James had a great second season. He averaged 27.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 2.2 steals and 0.7 blocks per game while shooting 47.2 % from the field. He became the 5th player to average over 25.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game in a single season.

James also made the All-NBA second team, but his team didn’t make the playoffs.

Michel Jordan:

Jordan missed 64 games because he had a broken foot, but he averaged 22.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game and shot 45.7 % from the field in the 18 regular season games he played. Jordan’s best moment was in the playoffs, when he torched the great Boston Celtics for 63 points, which is still the NBA record for most points scored in a playoff game.

Jordan’s team got swept by the Celtics but he averaged 43.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists while shooting 50.5 % from the field in the 3-game series.

Advantage: James

Jordan had one of the greatest playoff performances ever, but he didn’t have a good regular season since he missed 64 games. James had a great season.

 

[HuskerCradle2Grave]

Third Season

LeBron James:

James would build on his great second season with a better third season. He averaged 31.4 points, 7.0 rebounds, 6.6 assists, 1.9 steals and 0.6 blocks per game and shot 48.0 percent from the field. He became the youngest player to average at least 30.0 points per game in a season, and one of three players to average at least 31.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game in a season.

Finally, his team made the playoffs, and he recorded a triple-double in his playoff debut when he scored 32 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and dished out 11 assists. He played in 13 games and average 30.8 points, 8.1 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game while shooting 47.6 percent from the field.

James also made the All-NBA First team.

Michael Jordan:

After just 3 seasons, Jordan would become the league’s best scorer. He averaged 37.1 points per game on 48.2 percent shooting, and won his first scoring title. It’s still the fifth highest scoring average in NBA history, and the highest by a player not named Wilt Chamberlain.

He became the second player to score at least 3,000 points in a season. He also averaged 5.2 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 2.9 steals and 1.5 blocks per game and made the All-NBA first team. He became the first player to record 200 steals and 100 blocks in a season.

In the playoffs, his team got swept by the Boston Celtics for the second straight season but he still averaged 35.7 points, 7.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game.

Advantage: James

It’s close. Jordan had one of the greatest scoring seasons ever, but I’m going to give it to James because he had a 31-7-6 season and a better postseason run.

So far James is winning 2-1.

 

[HuskerCradle2Grave]

Fourth Season

LeBron James:

For the fourth straight season, James would have a great all-around season when he averaged 27.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.6 steals and 0.7 blocks per game. He would continue his good accuracy from the field, with a 47.6 shooting percentage and he made the All-NBA Second team.

In the playoffs James averaged 25.1 points, 8.1 rebounds and 8.0 assists per game but only shot 41.6 percent from the field. He did have one of the greatest performances ever in Game 5 against the Detroit Pistons, when he scored 48 points—including 25 straight and 29 of his team’s last 30 points.

His team made the Finals, but he wasn’t great in that series. He only averaged 22.0 points on a terrible 35.6 percent shooting and his team got swept.

Michael Jordan:

In his fourth season, Jordan became the league’s best player. He had one of the greatest seasons in NBA history. He averaged 35.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 3.2 steals and 1.6 blocks per game. For the second straight season, he would record at least 200 steals and 100 blocks in a season, making him the only player to achieve this in multiple seasons.

He became the first player to lead the league in scoring and steals in the same season. He would also have a great shooting season, when he shot 53.5 percent—which is the highest shooting percentage for a scoring average of at least 35.0.

Jordan won almost every award. He won the Slam Dunk Contest, the All-Star MVP, the Defensive Player of the Year award (DPOY) and the regular season MVP. He was selected to the All-NBA and All-Defensive first teams. As of today, he is still the only player to win the scoring title and DPOY in the same season

In 10 playoff games, Jordan averaged 36.6 points, 7.1 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game

Advantage: Jordan

Jordan had one of the greatest seasons ever and clearly wins this one.

 

[HuskerCradle2Grave]

Fifth Season

LeBron James:

Losing in the Finals in his fourth season didn’t stop James from having one of the greatest all-around seasons in NBA history. He won his first scoring title,when he averaged 30.0 points per game on 48.4 percent shooting.

James would futher dominate the stat sheet with 7.9 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.1 blocks per game; and he was selected to the All-NBA first team. He became the third player to average at least 30 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists in a season.

His postseason run was also good, which included a 45-point performance in Game 7 against the Boston Celtics.

Michael Jordan:

Just like James did in his fifth season, Jordan would have one of the greatest all-around seasons in NBA history. He averaged 32.5 points per game on 53.8 percent shooting to go along with 8.0 rebounds and 8.0 assists per game. He also averaged 2.9 steals per game.

He’s the second player to average at least 30 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists in a season. Jordan would record 15 triple-doubles in this season—including 7 straight—which is the second longest streak in NBA history.

Jordan had a great postseason run. He played in 17 games and averaged 34.4 points, 7.0 rebounds and 7.6 assists per game.

Advantage: Jordan

Both had a great all-around season, but Jordan’s 32-8-8 season beats James’ 30-7-7 season. Jordan was also better in the playoffs.

 

[HuskerCradle2Grave]

Sixth Season

or the first time in his career, James would win the league MVP—and he deserved it. He averaged 28.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and 7.2 assists.

James would proceed to elevate his game in the playoffs. In 14 games he averaged 35.3 points, 9.1 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game. He had the second highest player efficiency rating (PER) in NBA playoff history, and his performance against the Orlando Magic is one of the greatest performances ever: in that series he averaged 38.5 points, 8.3 rebounds and 8.0 assists per game.

Michael Jordan:

Jordan had another great all-around season. He average an amazing 33.6 points per game on 52.6 percent shooting to go along with 6.9 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 2.8 steals and 1.0 blocks per game.

This season is special because Jordan added another offensive weapon to his game: the three-point shot. He shot 37.6 percent from the three-point line, which is a career high (without the shortened line). He led the league in steals for the second time in his career, and was selected to the All-Defensive first team.

Jordan’s sixth season was his most complete one, because he could score, grab rebounds, make plays, defend and shoot from anywhere on the court.

Jordan also had a great postseason run. In 16 games he averaged 36.7 points, 7.2 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game.

Advantage: Tie

It’s so close.

 

[HuskerCradle2Grave]

Seventh Season

LeBron James:

It’s all the same with James in this season, so I’m not going to repeat myself. He had another great all-around season, but this time he shot over 50 % from the field and averaged a career best 8.6 assists per game, which is a record for forwards.

Michael Jordan:

Jordan had another great season. There’s no point in repeating. However, he did shoot 53.9 % from the field, which is the highest for a perimeter player averaging at least 30.0 points per game.

In the playoffs it was different because Jordan finally won the Finals MVP. In the Finals against Magic Johnson and the Los Angeles Lakers, Jordan averaged 31.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, 11.4 assists, 2.8 steals and 1.4 blocks per game.

Jordan won the scoring title, league MVP and Finals MVP

Advantage: Jordan

Although James had another all-around season with 8.6 assists per game, Jordan had a better postseason run which included a Finals MVP.

 

[HuskerCradle2Grave]

Eight Season

LeBron James:

As always, James had a great regular season. What hurt James in this season was that after having good series against the Chicago Bulls and the Boston Celtics in the playoffs, he failed to deliver in the Finals.

Michael Jordan:

The only thing we need to know is that Jordan won the scoring title, league MVP and Finals MVP in the same season for the second straight time. Jordan’s stats and performances were great, which included the all-time record for most points in a single postseason and his six first-half three-pointers in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

Advantage: Jordan

Jordan clearly wins after James’ shortcomings in the Finals.

 

[HuskerCradle2Grave]

Ninth Season

LeBron James:

James won the MVP and he had another great regular season. This time he won the Finals MVP, and had one of the greatest postseason runs in NBA playoff history.

In Game 4 against the Indiana Pacers, a must-win for the Miami Heat, James scored 40 points, grabbed 18 rebounds and dished out 9 assists. Then, in Game 6 against the Boston Celtics—another must-win for the Heat—James scored 45 points, grabbed 15 rebounds and dished out 5 assists. He became the first player since Wilt Chamberlain in 1964 with at least 45 points, 15 rebounds and 5 assists in a playoff game.

After the Oklahoma City Thunder won Game 1 of the NBA Finals, James scored 32 points, grabbed 8 rebounds and dished out 5 assists to help his team tie the series. James averaged 39.0 points, 13.7 rebounds and 6.3 assist per game when his team was trailing in a series. He also averaged 28.5 points, 9.3 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game in the Heat’s 4 clinching games and he had a triple-double (26 points, 11 rebounds, 13 assists) in the title-clinching game.

James’ Finals averages:

28.6 ppg (47.2 FG percentage), 10.2 rpg, 7.4 apg, 1.6 apg, 0.4 bpg

Michael Jordan:

Jordan didn’t win the league MVP, but he led the league in scoring and steals. He won his third straight Finals MVP with another dominant finals performance. In Game 4 of the NBA Finals against the Phoenix Suns, Jordan scored 55 points, which is tied for the second most points in a Finals game. Jordan would average 41.0 points per game in that series, which is still the NBA record. He scored 40 or more points four times in that series.

Jordan’s Finals average:

41.0 ppg (50.8 FG percentage), 8.5 rpg, 6.3 apg, 1.7 spg, 0.7 bpg

Advantage: Jordan

It’s close, but I’m going to give it to Jordan because he averaged 41.0 points per game in the Finals.