Not one, not two, not three, not four, not five, not six...

[Shanemansj13]

Lebron will win 7 titles by the end of his career and with the stats and accolades he has and will accomplish WILL become the best ever.

 

[ChrisperJ10]

Ok...

 

[recon]

Lol

 

[antone112]

So the Cavs have won three?

 

[UTVolCountry]

Stop it.

 

[BOTSLAYER]

Last I check there was a guy with 11...

I would put LBJ ahead of Russell though if he won 6 or 7...maybe 5 just due to the times where the league has waged war against stacked teams aka the Heat.

IMO he needs 4 and 2 more MVPs to be ahead of MJ and Kareem.

 

[bone3421]

but he wont win them with the heat like he stated.............................

 

[BOTSLAYER]

but he wont win them with the heat like he stated.............................

probably not...and I do not care

 

[bone3421]

Last I check there was a guy with 11...

I would put LBJ ahead of Russell though if he won 6 or 7...maybe 5 just due to the times where the league has waged war against stacked teams aka the Heat.

IMO he needs 4 and 2 more MVPs to be ahead of MJ and Kareem.

he will need more than that to pass mj/kareem...........you have to understand how much easier it is today

no hand check,weaker defense........lebron is good but mj/kareem would be unstoppable in todays
lesser nba

i wish they would let hand checking and banging back into the nba......imo

 

[TurnUpTheHeat]

he will need more than that to pass mj/kareem...........you have to understand how much easier it is today

no hand check,weaker defense........lebron is good but mj/kareem would be unstoppable in todays
lesser nba

i wish they would let hand checking and banging back into the nba......imo

I don't know what you were watching to make you feel anything about the Heats last 3 series was easy.

I'm not saying James is better or not better then the players you are naming. Its nothing but subjective opinion anyway. To even be mentioned in conversations with MJ/Kareem= You are pretty damn good.

Also, the rule changes effect every player and every team , so it. Is what it is.
Some parts of the game may be easier now, but some may be harder.

Why is it that rules changes can be used to devalue something in a conversation but then on the other hand, so many Laker fans ( not saying you are one) will throw out the 16>2 (now 3) nonsense when championship were much easier to win back in the Minneapolis Laker days, etc..?

 

[bone3421]

didnt say the heat won easy........said the offensive part of the game is easier in todays game

would love for some banging/defense allowed back into the game...........in my opinion jordan/kareem/barkley/olajuwon,etc..... could score 40+ a game with the way they call games and the lack of defense

 

[bone3421]

the argument was how much lebron needed to pass/join mj and kareem.......

dont think the titles were easier to win back then like you say.....less teams,more talent on teams

granted the players are probably better on a whole,but the greats i dont think would have that much of a problem today

not knocking anything turnup just opinions........but the changes in the rules have made it easier to score,the nba didnt like seeing those slow games in the 90's even though the fans loved it

you cant tell me with a straight face that the guys that played back then with handchecks,getting knocked down when they drove,grabbing jerseys wouldnt have scored more in todays nba

 

[Black Adam]

homer much...?

 

[trojanfan12]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TI13kclVidU]Leave LeBron Alone - YouTube[/ame]

 

[tlance]

he will need more than that to pass mj/kareem...........you have to understand how much easier it is today

no hand check,weaker defense........lebron is good but mj/kareem would be unstoppable in todays
lesser nba

i wish they would let hand checking and banging back into the nba......imo

Sorry, but this has to be put to bed right now.

It is true that hand-checking was allowed in Jordan's era, but team defense was not better. I do not understand why people think the game was more physical back in the 80's. That is simply false.

The Bad boy Pistons were revolutionary for their tough minded, physical brand of basketball. They spawned the Knicks, but aside from those two teams, very few teams from the early 90's and before played with the level of physicality that teams like the Pacers, Bulls and Grizzlies use today.

Just because you can't use your hand to impede the progress of a ball handler does not make the game less physical today. There is far more body to body contact on drives allowed now than ever before.

There is a reason why immensely skilled players like Jimmer Fredette have trouble cracking an NBA rotation today. He would have absolutely thrived in the 80's.

 

[TurnUpTheHeat]

the argument was how much lebron needed to pass/join mj and kareem.......

dont think the titles were easier to win back then like you say.....less teams,more talent on teams

granted the players are probably better on a whole,but the greats i dont think would have that much of a problem today

not knocking anything turnup just opinions........but the changes in the rules have made it easier to score,the nba didnt like seeing those slow games in the 90's even though the fans loved it

you cant tell me with a straight face that the guys that played back then with handchecks,getting knocked down when they drove,grabbing jerseys wouldnt have scored more in todays nba

I agree with a lot of what you are saying, as far as the changes in the game, but scoring is just a part of James game. He is also one of best defenders in the league and has defended all 5 positions. So, if he could defend using the old rules, how much better would he be on that end of the court?

And as far as less teams, more parity back then, I disagree. I looked back at this once before and there I believe more teams were under .500 then there were teams over .500.

It was easier to stack teams and keep them because the salaries were so small compared to now.

 

[tlance]

:rollseyes:

the argument was how much lebron needed to pass/join mj and kareem.......

dont think the titles were easier to win back then like you say.....less teams,more talent on teams

granted the players are probably better on a whole,but the greats i dont think would have that much of a problem today

not knocking anything turnup just opinions........but the changes in the rules have made it easier to score,the nba didnt like seeing those slow games in the 90's even though the fans loved it

you cant tell me with a straight face that the guys that played back then with handchecks,getting knocked down when they drove,grabbing jerseys wouldnt have scored more in todays nba

The rules are different today. That does not make the players better or worse, or the road to a title any easier. Players adapt to the rules. Back then, teams were not allowed to play real help defense because of the illegal defense rules. Defensive 3 second rule is challening, but not as restrictive as the old illegal defense rule.

Personally, I think it is much harder to score over a 7 footer in position to help than it is with a defender tugging on your jersey and a late rotating big.

 

[trojanfan12]

Sorry, but this has to be put to bed right now.

It is true that hand-checking was allowed in Jordan's era, but team defense was not better. I do not understand why people think the game was more physical back in the 80's. That is simply false.

The Bad boy Pistons were revolutionary for their tough minded, physical brand of basketball. They spawned the Knicks, but aside from those two teams, very few teams from the early 90's and before played with the level of physicality that teams like the Pacers, Bulls and Grizzlies use today.

Just because you can't use your hand to impede the progress of a ball handler does not make the game less physical today. There is far more body to body contact on drives allowed now than ever before.

There is a reason why immensely skilled players like Jimmer Fredette have trouble cracking an NBA rotation today. He would have absolutely thrived in the 80's.

Gotta disagree here!! The game was definitely more physical in the 80's and 90's than it is today (with the 90's being the most physical)!! The Pistons were not all that revolutionary. They simply took what was already being done by teams like the Celtics and Spurs of that era to a higher level. In the 80's and 90's guys that were having success driving to the basket were put on their backside. The rule, especially in the playoffs, was "No Layups"!!

Handchecking was allowed, there were no flagrants, there were no "clear path" rules, etc. The NBA has tried to remove much of the physicality that was allowed in the 80's and 90's and they have been successful.

I will agree though, that in this seasons playoffs and finals the refs did "let them play" more than they have in most other playoff series in the 2000's.

 

[tlance]

I agree with a lot of what you are saying, as far as the changes in the game, but scoring is just a part of James game. He is also one of best defenders in the league and has defended all 5 positions. So, if he could defend using the old rules, how much better would he be on that end of the court?

And as far as less teams, more parity back then, I disagree. I looked back at this once before and there I believe more teams were under .500 then there were teams over .500.

It was easier to stack teams and keep them because the salaries were so small compared to now.

Good point. Parity makes it much harder to win. Back in the Celtics day, it was more or less a forgone conclusion as to who would win. There were only 2 or 3 other teams that had a glimmer of hope each year.

Looking at next season, the Pacers, Bulls, Spurs, Thunder, Grizzlies all have a great chance to dethrone the Heat. There will likely be 1 or 2 other teams that crop up as the season progresses.

 

[tlance]

Gotta disagree here!! The game was definitely more physical in the 80's and 90's than it is today (with the 90's being the most physical)!! The Pistons were not all that revolutionary. They simply took what was already being done by teams like the Celtics and Spurs of that era to a higher level. In the 80's and 90's guys that were having success driving to the basket were put on their backside. The rule, especially in the playoffs, was "No Layups"!!

Handchecking was allowed, there were no flagrants, there were no "clear path" rules, etc. The NBA has tried to remove much of the physicality that was allowed in the 80's and 90's and they have been successful.

I will agree though, that in this seasons playoffs and finals the refs did "let them play" more than they have in most other playoff series in the 2000's.

There are not as many hard fouls today because of the rules. That is definitely true.

The average play, however, allows far more contact than ever before in today's NBA, so long as the defender is making a basketball play and not simply trying to take someone out Kevin McHale style.