The only thing more divisive than the current political climate is the current sporting climate.
Kneel or don’t kneel in the NFL? Is an expansion team winning the Stanley Cup after eight months of existence good or bad for the NHL?
In the NBA that conversation for the better part of the last decade has been LeBron James or Michael Jordan.
Even Kobe Bryant tried to weigh in by sliding himself in the conversation. Sorry, Mamba. This is an A and B conversation so see yourself out.
For better or worse, Bill Russell and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar have been eliminated from consideration by the general public.
Like political theatre, this sport debate is so divisive because the two sides can’t even agree on a common set of facts to debate. The definition of “great” is different for both sides.
If you’re in Jordan’s camp you argue the fact that he won six championships and never lost in the Finals, or even let his championship series go seven games. You probably discredit LeBron’s three rings by mentioning he relied on Kyrie Irving and Ray Allen to hit huge three-point shots, or by pointing out he’s lost in the Finals five times. Then you follow up with the note that Jordan has been MVP in all six of his championship runs.
If you’re in the LeBron camp you counter with the fact that his six-foot-nine 250-pound frame allows him to guard all five positions and means he would beat the six-foot-six 220-pound Jordan in a hypothetical game of one-on-one. Or that LeBron has never been eliminated at home prior to the NBA Finals. Or that the last four times James has been down 3-2 in a series he’s won. The James argument centres around the fact that he has had a vice grip on the Eastern Conference winning eight consecutive Eastern Conference finals. An astounding 78 per cent of the players currently in the league weren’t in the NBA the last time James didn’t make the Finals.
Most Jordan supporters would be surprised to learn that LeBron’s 33.5 points in his 21 elimination games is greater than Jordan’s 31.3 in his 13. James is 14-9 in elimination games to Jordan’s 6-7 elimination game record.
Here is a compromise: Let’s not wade in to that war because it’s a battle not worth fighting. The same old straw man arguments and sports barbershop talk tropes are used to prove the side of the argument you are inclined to believe. No matter what side of the aisle you’re on there isn’t much I (or LeBron) can do to change your mind.
But one thing we might be able to civilly debate using both analytics and the eye test is what player at his apex performed at a higher level.
Not who had the greater career, or legacy.
This post-season has shown James is currently playing basketball at a level higher than we’ve ever seen. Yes, even higher than Jordan in his prime.
Jordan’s best post-season was arguably 1991-92, the year of his second championship. That year he averaged 34.5 points on 49.9 per cent shooting, with .514 effective field goal percentage, 6.2 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 0.7 blocks.
James still has a round to play against a tough opponent, but he’s averaged 34 points on 54.2 per cent shooting and .582 effective field goal percentage, 9.2 rebounds, 8.8 assists and 1.1 blocks.
With still at least four games left, James has amassed seven 40-point games, three triple doubles and two game-winning buzzer beaters this post-season. All this while being asked to initiate his team’s actions on offence and guard the oppositions best player on defence. Jordan had seven 40-point games in 1986 when he was 26. The only man to have more in one post-season is Jerry West with eight, also at the age of 26 back in 1965.
James currently leads his team in all major categories, something Jordan wasn’t able to do playing beside a swiss army knife like Scottie Pippen.
This is the most assists he’s ever averaged in a post-season with arguably his worst cast of teammates. James scored or assisted on a career high 55 per cent of the Cavs’ points this post-season.
Those who want to point to the clutch disparity between James and Jordan should know this is the first time James has made more than one game-winning buzzer beater in the post-season.
The best advertisement for this was the way James dispatched the Boston Celtics.
James laid on the ground exhausted during the Eastern Conference trophy presentation after another masterful 35 points, 15 rebounds, nine assists and two blocks. Boston was 10-0, in the playoffs up to that point at home.
In a road Game 7 in the Eastern Conference finals James played an entire playoff game for the fifth time in his career. His team is undefeated when he does so. But this was the first time he’s done it since he was 26. He’s now 33 years old.
Not just the game seven in Boston, he also played all 82 games in the regular season and is up to his 100th game of the season. Game 1 of the Finals will mark the most games he’s ever played in a season. James is now at 235 playoff games and counting.
It’s tough to call this his peak as he’s shown no signs of slowing down.
[relatedlinks]
Sometimes, I think we conflate the myth of Jordan with the actual man. Jordan was the best branded athlete in the modern-day world. So much so that his off shoot of Nike is known solely as “Jordan Brand.”
I feel blessed to have lived in an era where I saw both Jordan and James in their prime. Some of the revisionist history we have out of nostalgia towards the man we think Jordan was is based on a marketing mystique that makes us forget he was human. He missed big shots, and he had teammates the contributed to his greatness.
If you’re a millennial like me, the way you’ve been socialized is to want to say Jordan at his best is better than James. Especially since the internet age and 24/7 media coverage means the push alerts about “the King” have given me LeBron fatigue.
It’s hard to fathom someone is better than Jordan when you’re walking down the street in Air Jordan sneakers and have a Space Jam poster in your rec room.
The numbers tell a different story.
Even if we can’t agree on who the greatest of all time is or who has the greatest legacy, can we agree that Lebron’s playoff run is the best ever? Due to his latest playoff heroics, we have at least four more games against the Golden State Warriors to discuss as the heir apparent makes his case.
