LBJ needs a song and then they're equal:
The Spurs were the equivalent to the Oakland Raiders to me.....sorry Slick. It was Stockton to Malone
Jordan was an all-time great defender (10 NBA first-team and one time DPOTY). LBJ is not on his level in that regard.
Jordan was a better scorer in an era that allowed handchecking and better rim protection. So Jordan is superior as an offensive player and a defensive player.
You don't have to compare postseason accolades. What I'll say for LBJ is this - no single player on his team overcomes the Spurs the first time. And when he first played the Warriors with a busted and injured team...no one is winning that one, either. But, if we are going to write things out of history, then it's fair to point out how the Spurs choked away a win the first time they played against Miami, and that the Warriors choked away their win two years ago (now).
For another frame of reference, LBJ passed MJ in postseason points this year...with eleven more games played.
And if the response is 'well Jordan had better teams', stuff it. Scottie Pippen was a great player. I've not seen too many people put him in a top ten argument, let alone top twenty. The Bulls had great teams, but what put them over the top, what made them arguably the best ever, was Jordan. What's lost in the shuffle is that we forget about Jordan's passing ability, which is underrated, how good of a rebounder he was in a league filled with giants, and how dominant a defender he is. And people will say that 'well LBJ gets more assists and rebounds.'
Well, Jordan played scoring guard. LBJ plays point forward. LBJ is a forward, they're supposed to get more rebounds than a guard. When you account for everything in their game, Jordan was strictly better. Jordan beat Magic's Lakers, the bad boy pistons, and a Utah Jazz team that is considered some of the greatest teams to never win a ring. They just happened to run into the damn Jordan Bulls.
You just knew that Jordan would simply take over a game if it was close at the end or they were losing. He was amazing to watch, and created an excitement that really no other player (other than maybe Bird or Magic) has matched before or after. Kind of like Elway - you just knew at some point he was (most of the time) going to do what was necessary to win.
If I had to choose, I'd pick Jordan first, with LBJ a close second. But, like I said I think the argument is silly. They're both fantastic players.
MJ pushed off on Russell.
Jordan's game had a style to it that LeBron doesn't have.
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