Durant vs. LeBron 5 years into career

[lilgodfather1]

Regular Season Stats

Durant - 380 games played
LeBron - 391 games played

Durant - 96% of possible games played
LeBron - 95% of possible games played

Durant - 38.1 mpg
LeBron - 41.1 mpg

Durant - 14,476 minutes played
LeBron - 16,088 minutes played

Durant - 7259 FGA
LeBron - 8272 FGA

Durant - 3396 FGM
LeBron - 3858 FGM

Durant - .468 FG %
LeBron - .466 FG %

Durant - 1544 3PA
LeBron - 1573 3PA

Durant - 562 3PM
LeBron - 510 3PM

Durant - .364 3PT%
LeBron - .324

Durant - 2988 FTA
LeBron - 3382 FTA

Durant - 2624 FTM
LeBron - 2463 FTM

Durant - .878 FT%
LeBron - .728 FT%

Durant - 349 ORB
LeBron - 501 ORB

Durant - .9 ORPG
LeBron - 1.3 ORPG

Durant - 2164 DRB
LeBron - 2193 DRB

Durant - 5.7 DRPG
LeBron - 5.6 DRPG

Durant - 2513 TRB
LeBron - 2694 TRB

Durant - 6.6 rpg
LeBron - 6.9 rpg

Durant - 1073 assists
LeBron - 2572 assists

Durant - 2.8 apg
LeBron - 6.6 apg

Durant - 462 steals
LeBron - 693 steals

Durant - 1.2 spg
LeBron - 1.8 spg

Durant - 365 blocks
LeBron - 312 blocks

Durant - 1 bpg
LeBron - .8 bpg

Durant - 1194 turnovers
LeBron - 1300 turnovers

Durant - 3.1 TOPG
LeBron - 3.3 TOPG

Durant - 9978 points
LeBron - 10689 points

Durant - 26.3 ppg
LeBron - 27.4 ppg

Playoff Stats

Durant - 43 games played
LeBron - 46 games played

Durant - 1790 minutes played
LeBron - 2049 minutes played

Durant - 41.6 MPG
LeBron - 44.6 MPG

Durant - 851 FGA
LeBron - 981 FGA

Durant - 396 FGM
LeBron - 425 FGM

Durant - .465 FG%
LeBron - .433 FG%

Durant - 254 3PA
LeBron - 208 3PA

Durant - 88 3PM
LeBron - 60 3PM

Durant - .346 3PT%
LeBron - .289 3PT%

Durant - 383 FTA
LeBron - 481 FTA

Durant - 327 FTM
LeBron - 357 FTM

Durant - .854 FT%
LeBron - .742 FT%

Durant - 39 ORB
LeBron - 64 ORB

Durant - 294 DRB
LeBron - 304 DRB

Durant - 333 TRB
LeBron - 368 TRB

Durant - .9 ORPG
LeBron - 1.4 ORPG

Durant - 6.8 DRPG
LeBron - 6.6 DRPG

Durant - 7.7 RPG
LeBron - 8 RPG

Durant - 136 assists
LeBron - 334 assists

Durant - 3.2 apg
LeBron - 7.1 apg

Durant - 48 steals
LeBron - 75 steals

Durant - 1.1 spg
LeBron - 1.6 spg

Durant - 51 blocks
LeBron - 36 blocks

Durant - 1.2 bpg
LeBron - .8 bpg

Durant - 127 turnovers
LeBron - 185 turnovers

Durant - 3 topg
LeBron - 4 topg

Durant - 1207 points
LeBron - 1267 points

Durant -28.1 ppg
LeBron - 27.5 ppg


Accomplishments

Durant - 3 x playoff appearances
LeBron - 3 x playoff appearances

Durant - 1 x finals appearance
LeBron - 1 x finals appearance

Durant - 3 x scoring title
LeBron - 1 x scoring title

Durant - 3 x all star
LeBron - 4 x all star


Durant - ROY
LeBron - ROY

Durant - 1 x ASG MVP
LeBron - 2 x ASG MVP

Durant - 5 x POTM
LeBron - 8 x POTM

Durant - 3 x All NBA 1st team
LeBron - 2 x All NBA 1st team

Durant - 0 x All NBA 2nd team
LeBron - 2 x All NBA 2nd team



To me it is insane how close these two have been in the early parts of their careers. Everyone knew coming in LeBron was better in the first 5 years, but it's incredibly close. The only huge advantages that either one possesses over the other is passing for LeBron, and shooting for Durant.

I will say that Durant kind of got screwed by the lockout in terms of his raw totals through the first 5, and I suspect a lot of things would be much closer if it wasn't for him getting screwed out of 16 games, but never the less the totals "wins" for each player is 43 for LeBron, and 20 for Durant with 3 ties for a total of 66 categories.

I'm not going to tell you anything you don't know here, but we are watching two of the best players in NBA history here.

As a side note LeBron has 3 2000/500/500 seasons in his first 5 years, where as Durant has none, which should show you just how rare a season like that is considering Durant is an all time great talent. The only two players I can think of off hand that have 2000/500/500 seasons other than LeBron are Robertson, and Jordan, although I am not sure how many either has. Maybe someone can enlighten me on this, and also tell me who else has some (I assume Bird, but don't want to check).

LeBron's current total is 6 such seasons not sure what the record is.

[Jax]

Remember Bron entered the league as a teenager and Durant played 20 something games less because of the lockout.

[maybeshewill13]

Wow very close.. Thanks OP, interesting.

[28renyoy]

Remember Bron entered the league as a teenager and Durant played 20 something games less because of the lockout.

Lebron turned 19 in December of his rookie year. Durant turned 19 in September during the preseason.

Also a major reason Lebron is ahead in several raw stats is more minutes played. And durant edge in efficiency, referenced by a massive edge in TS%, needs to be noted

[plowking]

That's fantastic and all but watching Bron over the five years and watching Durant over the five years, you can tell there is a clear gap between the two. Durant wasn't close to being the player Lebron was the first 5 years of his career.

[secund2nun]

Durant is amazing, but Lebron is a level above him. He lifts the play of everyone around him because of his passing. Durant dominates as individual player and does help out others assist totals, but it's not the same.

[28renyoy]

Amazing that Lebron has 1000 more fga and 400 more fta yet durant is only behind in scoring by 700 points. Just shows how much better of a scorer durant is

[Ikill]

That's fantastic and all but watching Bron over the five years and watching Durant over the five years, you can tell there is a clear gap between the two. Durant wasn't close to being the player Lebron was the first 5 years of his career.
How was he not close the only advantage Lebron had was passing Durant was clearly a better scorer and was much better in the playoffs.

[avonbarksdale]

stats don't tell everything

[pauk]

The only huge advantages that either one possesses over the other is passing for LeBron, and shooting for Durant.


Lebron over Durant: Passing, Court Vision (no its not the same thing as passing), Ballhandling, Defense, Versatility, Athleticism, Leadership/IQ/Intangibles

Durant over Lebron: Shooting

Its basically a scoring shooter vs all-round/overall player...

[Kyle_korver]

lets not forget lebron was drafted before the rule changed..

[plowking]

How was he not close the only advantage Lebron had was passing Durant was clearly a better scorer and was much better in the playoffs.

Hes a better rebounder, passer, defender, etc. Everything except for scoring. And when it comes to scoring, for all the praise Durant gets for being better, hes not really scoring more.

[28renyoy]

Lebron over Durant: Passing, Court Vision (no its not the same thing as passing), Ballhandling, Defense, Versatility, Athleticism, Leadership/IQ/Intangibles

Durant over Lebron: Shooting

Its basically a scoring shooter vs all-round/overall player...

You're literally the most ignorant poster on this site. The "laker fans" you insult make posts in jest, you actually believe the stupidity that you post and then use sock accounts for agreement. It's just pathetic

[b0bab0i]

This thread
http://www.angryduck.com/pictures/2012_10/wake-up-prank.gif

[Suckafree]

Goddamit.... I knew this would turn into a bunch of you guys arguing over whos better.

I saw this thread as basically an appreciation post of what we are currently witnessing. It isn't out of the question that these two could both end up top 10 players.

Amazing stuff from both these guys regardless.

[All Net]

Hes a better rebounder, passer, defender, etc. Everything except for scoring. And when it comes to scoring, for all the praise Durant gets for being better, hes not really scoring more.

This true

Durant is the best scorer in the league but Lebron is damn close. Not a huge difference at all. Where as the difference with passing and defending is bigger when comparing than scoring is. That said top 2 players in the game for a while no doubt.

[ripthekik]

KD :applause:

[Pacers4ever]

This true

Durant is the best scorer in the league but Lebron is damn close. Not a huge difference at all. Where as the difference with passing and defending is bigger when comparing than scoring is. That said top 2 players in the game for a while no doubt.
Yep but I wanted to add since Durant is a shooter and leebron is a driver I've always felt lebrons scoring is more valuable in the sense that both of them are close in that category but not only is lebron more efficient but the way he scores tires the defense a lot more and that can put a strain through the opposing team the entire game. Also for some reason when I was watching the finals it felt like durant points were really empty in comparison to lebrons.

[west_tip]

Thanks for posting this thread - really enjoy reading that informative, stats rich OP.

[TimmyDuncan]

Lebron over Durant: Passing, Court Vision (no its not the same thing as passing), Ballhandling, Defense, Versatility, Athleticism, Leadership/IQ/Intangibles

Durant over Lebron: Shooting

Its basically a scoring shooter vs all-round/overall player...

Durant over Lebron : Clutchness

[I<3NBA]

Durant over Lebron : Clutchness
he was clutch all right in the Finals. that helped them :lol

btw OP, can you post the same stats but over their total NBA seasons played and not just 5 years into the game? would be interesting to see if Durant has been able to close the gap or if Lebron increased the gap even more.

[nayte]

he was clutch all right in the Finals. that helped them :lol

btw OP, can you post the same stats but over their total NBA seasons played and not just 5 years into the game? would be interesting to see if Durant has been able to close the gap or if Lebron increased the gap even more.


Hasn't Durant only played five seasons?

[SpaceJammeR]

shows you that lebron's overall game is far superior than durants. you can add that lebron plays his ass off on both ends of the floor, with a lot more minutes, and can guard a lot of different positions. but i like durant. hopefully he get's better overall. them working out together will help out a lot tho.

[kNIOKAS]

Good post. I've always felt Durant was phenomenal but Lebron's first years made everybody coming after him a bit less impressive. And yes, they are so close it's scary. I wouldn't have thought the shooting numbers are so similar. It's just wow.

Lebron in his first years was a genius and had unseen athleticism to go with it. Durant doesn't run his team, but he has a body that's impressive on its own right. I think Durant has the ability to develop all around game which would be even better than Lebron's. Just that it seems Labran has it better in being point guard/floor general.

[dunksby]

LeBron has always had the ball with him 24/4 so obviously he is gonna have better assist numbers, Durant plays off the ball so punishing him for having less assists is stupid. On the other hand Durant has too many TOs for someone who does not distribute the ball for the team, now that's a legit reason to criticize KD for and praise LeBron for his handles.

[PyrrhusX]

Aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh KD.
We all know Bron is a monster and no one disputes that he will be higher than Durant on the GOAT lists, but as a KD fan I just hope he continues to improve his game (ie. On both ends where he has the length to make it happen).

But still, props to Lebron for beasting.

[Dragonyeuw]

Lebron over Durant: Passing, Court Vision (no its not the same thing as passing), Ballhandling, Defense, Versatility, Athleticism, Leadership/IQ/Intangibles



To me, both of these guys have good leadership qualities, IQ and 'intangibles'. These are really immeasurable qualities. We can see than Durant is the more gifted shooter, and that Lebron is the better rebounder/defender/passer. The eye test tells us this, as well as stats which in this case are good way to compare the two. Otherwise, I'm not sure you can really say one's 'IQ' for the game is superior to the other. They're different kinds of talents, different strengths. One could say that Durant's scoring IQ is higher than Lebron's but again, how do you quantify/qualify something so intangible?

[PyrrhusX]

To me, both of these guys have good leadership qualities, IQ and 'intangibles'. These are really immeasurable qualities. We can see than Durant is the more gifted shooter, and that Lebron is the better rebounder/defender/passer. The eye test tells us this, as well as stats which in this case are good way to compare the two. Otherwise, I'm not sure you can really say one's 'IQ' for the game is superior to the other. They're different kinds of talents, different strengths. One could say that Durant's scoring IQ is higher than Lebron's but again, how do you quantify/qualify something so intangible?

I totally agree with you.
And also, I beleive some people in this topic are taking Lebron NOW rather than Lebron 5 years into the league.

[ripthekik]

he was clutch all right in the Finals. that helped them :lol

btw OP, can you post the same stats but over their total NBA seasons played and not just 5 years into the game? would be interesting to see if Durant has been able to close the gap or if Lebron increased the gap even more.
Well he didn't perform as bad as Lebron in 11'. :confusedshrug:
And Durant only played 5 season, what do you want? :facepalm Anything to make lebron look better right?

[BuffaloBill]

I think KD is a decent all around player.



He did lead all SFs in points, rebounds, and blocks last season. Pretty good for a guy who can only score.

[lilgodfather1]

I totally agree with you.
And also, I beleive some people in this topic are taking Lebron NOW rather than Lebron 5 years into the league.
I believe you are right. As someone who had watched likely 90% of LeBron's games to that point of his career, and someone who has seen maybe 50% of Durant's total games at this point in his respective career I would say exactly what the stats say, i.e. these two players are at a talent level far exceeding other players who would be considered superstars by the masses. It's not a knock on any individual player, but these are two of the top 10 talents in basketball history imo.

I didn't know where to find advanced stats like TS, EFG, PER, etc and honestly I was kind of tired of looking at stats lol. If someone wants to post them be my guest this thread wasn't built with an agenda although some may think it was.

One thing that was extremely glaring when I was looking at the raw stats was the difference in their passing is absolutely massive. I guess I never really realised how great LeBron's passing has been until I compared it to Durant. LeBron had 31 less assists in his first two seasons than Durant did in his first five. I knew LeBron was an all time great passer already, but I didn't know how far above other transcendant talents he actually was.

Here is some career totals for Durant's 9th season based on his last seasons totals. I.e. if he keeps up last years numbers for the next 4 seasons what his numbers will look like at the same point in time as LeBron is currently in.

Points

Durant - 19,162
LeBron - 19,045

Assists

Durant - 2221
LeBron - 4751

Total Rebounds

Durant - 5137
LeBron - 4943

Minutes Played

Durant - 27137
LeBron - 27497

Steals

Durant - 888
LeBron - 1194

Blocks

Durant - 789
LeBron - 582

Turnovers

Durant - 2440
LeBron - 2299

Games played

Durant - 708
LeBron - 688

This is wrong though it will not happen this way because there is literally almost a 0% chance that Durant will play 4 full 82 game seasons. If he does though according to last seasons averages then this is what his raw stat totals will be, almost all of them well ahead of LeBron...

I'm just going to do this for points. If we take Durant's point total 19,162 - (20 (games) *28 (ppg)) = 18,602 total points in 688 games.

The second is likely far more realistic in terms of the points Durant will actually have scored by the end of his 9th season because the first one assumes perfect health for 328 games.

These two players will both likely be in the top 5 of scoring when they retire, and both could be in the top 10 for non big man rebounders. Pretty impressive stuff from two phenominal players.

[lilgodfather1]

Well he didn't perform as bad as Lebron in 11'. :confusedshrug:
And Durant only played 5 season, what do you want? :facepalm Anything to make lebron look better right?
Losing in the finals will always be a knock on Durant just like it was on LeBron when he drug the Cavaliers to the finals in 07. The only difference between the two is that the Thunder were never considered underdogs in any of the series they played, where as the Cavs were considered huge underdogs except for in the first round.

Personally I don't understand the oh what a loser he lost in the finals argument, but it is a cross that a player has to bare. I would much rather lose in the finals than in the first round, but I guess that's just common sense and has no place in sports.

[Ikill]

Hes a better rebounder, passer, defender, etc. Everything except for scoring. And when it comes to scoring, for all the praise Durant gets for being better, hes not really scoring more.
There rebounding is pretty much the exact same 6.9 to 6.6 and in 08 Lebron was a decent defender but he wasn't much better than Durant. He might not be scoring more but he is scoring more efficiently and he's been much better in the playoffs.

[Meticode]

Put stats aside, a young LeBron was way more exciting to watch for me personally.

[Ikill]

Durant and Lebron were close during the first 5 years but Lebron still had a lot more room for improvement than Durant does because he had more flaws in his game. Thats why he was able to explode in 09 because he finally worked on his game.

[lilgodfather1]

Durant and Lebron were close during the first 5 years but Lebron still had a lot more room for improvement than Durant does because he had more flaws in his game. Thats why he was able to explode in 09 because he finally worked on his game.
Absolutely. Durant 5 years in is more polished than LeBron is 9 years in imo. If LeBron ever fully figures it out then there will likely be no stopping him from hitting FG% near 60. I don't know if he will or not, but I would love to see it. His PPG could go up while taking less shots.

[ripthekik]

Losing in the finals will always be a knock on Durant just like it was on LeBron when he drug the Cavaliers to the finals in 07.

Now hold on a minute.

NBA Finals 2012 is not a knock on Durant. In fact, many people will probably praise him for it, because he led his team to the finals at age 24, and played so well in his first finals. He showed no sign of fear at all, that's why after the finals ended, there were so little criticism of him.

This also worked the same way for Lebron, not much people criticize him for losing his first NBA finals.


The only difference between the two is that the Thunder were never considered underdogs in any of the series they played, where as the Cavs were considered huge underdogs except for in the first round.

Cavs were huge underdogs?? Are you effing serious??:facepalm
http://i43.tinypic.com/v8elpi.jpg
they had 60+ wins, the league's best record, one of NBA's best players, and now they're underdogs?? What else will you say to make Lebron look better?

[Dragonyeuw]

Comparing them after 5 years is basically comparing last year's Durant vs Lebron in 2007-8. Lebron's ability to assert his physicality on a game is something that Durant can never match, so comparing to that end is pointless. In terms of skill-level, personally I think 2012 Durant>2008 Lebron. Lebron back then was still relying alot on physical gifts and was still raw in some respects. Lebron's game is based on versatility whereas Durant at his core is a more natural scorer.

[lilgodfather1]

Now hold on a minute.

NBA Finals 2012 is not a knock on Durant. In fact, many people will probably praise him for it, because he led his team to the finals at age 24, and played so well in his first finals. He showed no sign of fear at all, that's why after the finals ended, there were so little criticism of him.

This also worked the same way for Lebron, not much people criticize him for losing his first NBA finals.


Cavs were huge underdogs?? Are you effing serious??:facepalm
http://i43.tinypic.com/v8elpi.jpg
they had 60+ wins, the league's best record, one of NBA's best players, and now they're underdogs?? What else will you say to make Lebron look better?
I said the 07 Cavs were underdogs... When talking about the 5 year careers of them what is the point of talking about LeBron's 6th and 7th season when the Cavs were not underdogs what so ever. Tons of people criticize LeBron for his first finals appearance at 23, and yes he played very badly in it, but at 23 with that Cavs roster they should not have sniffed the finals. At least with the Thunder last year they had legitimate pieces around KD so you could never say that the Thunder were underdogs. Maybe in the finals, but most on ISH were calling for a Thunder win so I don't really see it.

[plowking]

There rebounding is pretty much the exact same 6.9 to 6.6 and in 08 Lebron was a decent defender but he wasn't much better than Durant. He might not be scoring more but he is scoring more efficiently and he's been much better in the playoffs.

Wrong. Lebron had been better.

[plowking]

ripthekik how about showing ESPN predictions for the 2012 finals? Of course you don't. Lebron won as the underdog against the Thunder.

Thats a knock on Durant if you're going to be consistent. Bookie favorites and with the ESPN panel.

[ripthekik]

ripthekik how about showing ESPN predictions for the 2012 finals? Of course you don't. Lebron won as the underdog against the Thunder.

Thats a knock on Durant if you're going to be consistent. Bookie favorites and with the ESPN panel.
Because I don't have it. That pic there I got from someone else too.
I think everyone was just surprised by Thunders beating the Spurs, and thinking they can actually beat the Heat.

But realistically, anyone who has watch the game for years will know Heat was no underdog. Thunder had a more filled-out team, but what was their average age and playoff experience? They also actually only have 3 legit scorers, and as everyone saw, Harden disappeared, and they were left with 2. Heat had the best NBA player, top 2 SG, all star PF, great defender Shane Battier, and great shooters.

I wanted the Thunder to win, but did I think they had an upperhand going into the series? Hell no. Besides the point.. anyways, Durant played really well in his first finals, he showed up when his team didn't at times. He came through in the clutch. I've been here after the finals, I have hardly seen any thread criticizing him for his finals performance.

[Ikill]

Wrong. Lebron had been better.
and why do you say this

[plowking]

and why do you say this

I watched both play.

Lebron was creating memories and highlights from the get go. Triple double right off the bat. Had a great start to his playoff campaign. Next season is right there in the finals with an extremely poor cast.

[Ikill]

I watched both play.

Lebron was creating memories and highlights from the get go. Triple double right off the bat. Had a great start to his playoff campaign. Next season is right there in the finals with an extremely poor cast.
So dominating against 40 win wizard teams that were also terrible defensively is supposed to make him better than Durant who has dominated 50 and 60 win teams. Lebrons 07 playoffs is incredibly overrated he had one legendary game but he was shit for the rest of the playoffs. The main reason they got to the finals was because of the Cavs defense and because the east was weak. Lebron played like shit against the 08 Celtics while his team still took them to 7 games.

[28renyoy]

Here are your per 36 stats including efficiency for years 1-5

RS:
Durant: 25/6/3 3 TOV 58 TS%
LeBron: 24/6/6 3 TOV 55 TS%

Playoffs:
Durant: 24/7/3 2 TOV 59 TS%
LeBron: 22/6/6 3 TOV 53 TS%

[RaininTwos]

So dominating against 40 win wizard teams that were also terrible defensively is supposed to make him better than Durant who has dominated 50 and 60 win teams. Lebrons 07 playoffs is incredibly overrated he had one legendary game but he was shit for the rest of the playoffs. The main reason they got to the finals was because of the Cavs defense and because the east was weak. Lebron played like shit against the 08 Celtics while his team still took them to 7 games.
I seriously don't understand why people treat those Wizards team like they were pure shit these days.

[28renyoy]

I seriously don't understand why people treat those Wizards team like they were pure shit these days.

Probably because they were a 41 win team on 07, 41 in 07, and 43 in 08. Not to mention arenas and butler didn't even play vs Cleveland in 07.

As for 07 lebrons finals run, he shot below 43% in 16 of those 20 playoff games. He shot below 40% in 11 of the 20

[Ikill]

I seriously don't understand why people treat those Wizards team like they were pure shit these days.
they were terrible defensively but good on offence they were injured during the 07 playoffs

[lilgodfather1]

Here are your per 36 stats including efficiency for years 1-5

RS:
Durant: 25/6/3 3 TOV 58 TS%
LeBron: 24/6/6 3 TOV 55 TS%

Playoffs:
Durant: 24/7/3 2 TOV 59 TS%
LeBron: 22/6/6 3 TOV 53 TS%
Surprisingly close. I'm incredibly impressed with how Durant stacks up against LeBron tbh. I always knew Durant was the better shooter so his TS is going to be better, but it's surprising how similar their stats are in the RS per 36.

Playoff records:

Durant - 24-12
LeBron - 26-20

LeBron won more games, but lost more games. Both teams won the exact same amount of series (5-5). Pretty impressive stuff.

LeBron was obviously helped out by playing in the East, which at the time was very weak outside of the Pistons, but his teammates were dreadful until 07-08 in which the monster 11 player trade took place that netted the Cavs Wallace, West, and Smith. Some might reference Larry Hughes as a good sidekick, but let's be honest Larry couldn't stay on the court, he had family troubles, and during the run to the finals was actually injured for the finals which helped lead to the sweep.

As for Durant he has some pretty great teammates, which is more than LeBron can say (Harden is better than Hughes was...), but the bulk of their success can be attributed to him. Without his scoring ability the team would be in bad shape, and there is no way in hell they make it past the Lakers in the second round this year. Westbrook's emergance as a legitimate top 5 player has to get some credit as well though.

I would like to play a hypothetical game since i'm pretty interested in other's opinions here. If we switch LeBron & Durant's first five years so LeBron is on the Thunder, and Durant is on the Cavs do things change drastically either way, stay roughly the same, or do both teams fall apart?

The rosters don't change so in Durant's rookie year (03-04) the Cavs don't draft Howard even if you think they would have been the worst team in the league they still end up with ****ing Luck Jackson.

To me it seems like the Cavs would falter because LeBron really was the PG for that team once they became "good", where as Durant just doesn't have that type of ability. Maybe once they signed Hughes he could play the point because I damn sure know that Eric Snow wasn't a very good one lol.

As for the Thunder I think they would be better in LeBron's rookie year (07-08), but they still wouldn't make sniff the playoffs. The next year with RW on board they're slightly better likely not top 5 pick territory like in reality, but I doubt they make the playoffs still in the West.

The only major difference I can honestly see is last season's WCF I fully believe the Thunder would have went to the finals instead of the Mavs, but this gets tricky because do we say Durant is on the Heat instead of LeBron, or is LeBron vs. LeBron in the finals lol. If Durant is on the Heat (and technically this would be year 8 Durant aka something we have no idea who the kid will be at that point) I don't think Durant would be able to guard him effectively (but I could be wrong year 8 Durant could be DPOY :confusedshrug: ) because of LeBron's speed at that point in his career. As for this season the Thunder could very well have won with an inferior player (07-08 was LeBron's "superstar season" imo) if it wasn't for Harden's Houdini act so if LeBron was on the Thunder this season I don't think it would change because of Harden.

[Raymone]

Differences between them..

One of them needs an elite guard in his backcourt to carry him when he underperforms.
One of them requires constant bailout calls from the refs to score.
One of them flops and drives through the paint looking for a whistle instead of a shot.
One of them needs a stacked team around him to have any success in the post-season.

[KG215]

Differences between them..

One of them needs an elite guard in his backcourt to carry him when he underperforms.
One of them needs a stacked team around him to have any success in the post-season.
Since these are bout Durant...

What, exactly would you call Dwyane Wade and LeBron's supporting cast as it pertains to these two? And I'm not even saying Wade has to bail LeBron out or he needs a stacked team. I just find it funny you criticize Durant for these two things when LeBron plays with Wade, Bosh, and probably an even better supporting cast than Durant.

[Scholar]

Goddamit.... I knew this would turn into a bunch of you guys arguing over whos better.

Thread title has "Durant vs. LeBron" in it. How can you possibly be surprised?

Besides, this is ISH. Someone can make a thread titled "Carmelo Anthony will win the scoring title this year," and suddenly there will be 50 out of 150 posts arguing that LeBron could win one easily while Durant might lose this year because of "Chuckle Chuckbrook."

[Scholar]

A thread titled "Which NBA Player do you think eats p(u)ssy the best?" would have all men in it arguing that LeBron eats it better over KD because LBJ's huge forehead would allow him to do freaky shit to a girl's p(u)ssy that KD couldn't do.

[LongLiveTheKing]

Since these are bout Durant...

What, exactly would you call Dwyane Wade and LeBron's supporting cast as it pertains to these two? And I'm not even saying Wade has to bail LeBron out or he needs a stacked team. I just find it funny you criticize Durant for these two things when LeBron plays with Wade, Bosh, and probably an even better supporting cast than Durant.
He's talking about the first 5 years.

[knicksman]

durant vs lebron will just turn into another bird vs magic where bird is considered the best player but at the end of their careers, magic would be on another level than bird. Bird is the all around player like lebron.

[KG215]

He's talking about the first 5 years.
You're probably right, and I apologize if that's the case. Could've swore I saw him or someone else post the exact same thing in a different thread, though, that wasn't about their first 5 years.

[arifgokcen]

durant vs lebron will just turn into another bird vs magic where bird is considered the best player but at the end of their careers, magic would be on another level than bird. Bird is the all around player like lebron.
Thats as horrible as a comparison can get.Bird and magic won 8 titles out of 13 when they were going head to head almost every finals and won 6 MVPs during that span.They were both incredible all around players.

Durant is more of a scorer and will never reach that status.His potential isnt as high as magic,bird and lebron.

[knicksman]

Thats as horrible as a comparison can get.Bird and magic won 8 titles out of 13 when they were going head to head almost every finals and won 6 MVPs during that span.They were both incredible all around players.

Durant is more of a scorer and will never reach that status.His potential isnt as high as magic,bird and lebron.

durant is the scorer version of magic. he is a pure scorer same with magic who is a pure pg. SAme with jordan esp 2nd 3peat jordan who didnt really averaged more than 5 apg. But look at the record.

[che guevara]

durant vs lebron will just turn into another bird vs magic where bird is considered the best player but at the end of their careers, magic would be on another level than bird. Bird is the all around player like lebron.
The only reason that happened is because Bird's back and ankles were destroyed after the '88 season, while Magic went on to play 3 more elite seasons. The effective portion of Bird's career was over after just 9 seasons, while Lebron is currently in his 10th season, and still right in the middle of his prime. After this season is over, they'll be equal in the number of elite seasons (9), and barring a serious injury, Lebron will add at least 3-4 more to that.

[tazb]

LeBron didn't care about being efficient in his first few years whereas Durant clearly cares (I've never seen Durant attempt a halfcourt buzzer beater) and he looks at his stats even during the games.

Could you imagine if LeBron finishes his career with 30,000 points, 10,000 rebounds and 10,000 assists. :eek:

[knicksman]

The only reason that happened is because Bird's back and ankles were destroyed after the '88 season, while Magic went on to play 3 more elite seasons. The effective portion of Bird's career was over after just 9 seasons, while Lebron is currently in his 10th season, and still right in the middle of his prime. After this season is over, they'll be equal in the number of elite seasons (9), and barring a serious injury, Lebron will add at least 3-4 more to that.

magic already had 5 titles at the end of 88 season and magics career too is cut short.

[knicksman]

LeBron didn't care about being efficient in his first few years whereas Durant clearly cares (I've never seen Durant attempt a halfcourt buzzer beater) and he looks at his stats even during the games.

Could you imagine if LeBron finishes his career with 30,000 points, 10,000 rebounds and 10,000 assists. :eek:

and 6 mvps with 1 ring.. Whoa thats a great accomplishment man

[fozi]

LeBron is more of a complete player than Durant and clearly the best player in the NBA by far..

But Durant is more clutch and more of a jump shooter threat than LeBron ..


I'd give Durant two more years to see where he is, because till this very point Durant never was as dominant as LeBron is now ..


Not to forget LeBron played in Cleveland as the only star with good supporting cast while Durant has Westbrook who wants his share equally ..




LeBron didn't care about being efficient in his first few years whereas Durant clearly cares (I've never seen Durant attempt a halfcourt buzzer beater) and he looks at his stats even during the games.

Could you imagine if LeBron finishes his career with 30,000 points, 10,000 rebounds and 10,000 assists. :eek:


but eventually LeBron cared about stats ...

And this is a reason why i dislike certain players who look at the scoreboard during games ..


I appreciate players like Westbrook and kobe who stats aren't in their interests as much ..

[dh144498]

and 6 mvps with 1 ring.. Whoa thats a great accomplishment man

the guy is just not a winner. :oldlol:

[retaxis]

winners or losers, if you make it into the NBA your a god damn winner

[jcsrplumply]

LeBron didn't care about being efficient in his first few years whereas Durant clearly cares (I've never seen Durant attempt a halfcourt buzzer beater) and he looks at his stats even during the games.

Could you imagine if LeBron finishes his career with 30,000 points, 10,000 rebounds and 10,000 assists. :eek:
Yeah. Durant really cares about his shooting % - hell he even said it is better to turn it over than to miss it.

[dunksby]

Yep, these two have been the best players in the league for a few years now, LeBron is obviously the better player still while KD has been improving other aspects of his game quickly. All in all LeBron and Durant play on another level compared to the rest of the league.

[lilgodfather1]

durant vs lebron will just turn into another bird vs magic where bird is considered the best player but at the end of their careers, magic would be on another level than bird. Bird is the all around player like lebron.
It's not similar to Magic/Bird at all. LeBron is closer to Magic, and Bird than Durant is skill set wise. Bird was all around great (well except on D), and Magic was the best passer ever at his position. Durant is a great scorer. His best comparison would be a great scorer, but not much more. Can't say Jordan because Jordan was also a good passer, can't say Bird because again Bird was a great passer. It'd be insulting to Durant to compare him to Gervin.

Anyways back to the task at hand. Bird/Magic was special. They competed for titles nearly every year of their career, and they dominated the NBA. LeBron/Durant isn't really like that at this point. They've competed for one title, and LeBron is the only one truly dominating the NBA at this point. Durant can score like few others, but winning the scoring title is not much more than a novelty if you're not winning titles, and MVPs.

This could very well go down as a 7 x MVP, 4 x FMVP, vs. a 2 x MVP, 2 x FMVP. If that were the case, people wouldn't think it was an argument. One guy is going to end up as the only guy in the 30k/10k/10k club, and the other is going to end up as one of the handful in the 30,000 point club.

[Asukal]

It's not similar to Magic/Bird at all. LeBron is closer to Magic, and Bird than Durant is skill set wise. Bird was all around great (well except on D), and Magic was the best passer ever at his position. Durant is a great scorer. His best comparison would be a great scorer, but not much more. Can't say Jordan because Jordan was also a good passer, can't say Bird because again Bird was a great passer. It'd be insulting to Durant to compare him to Gervin.

Anyways back to the task at hand. Bird/Magic was special. They competed for titles nearly every year of their career, and they dominated the NBA. LeBron/Durant isn't really like that at this point. They've competed for one title, and LeBron is the only one truly dominating the NBA at this point. Durant can score like few others, but winning the scoring title is not much more than a novelty if you're not winning titles, and MVPs.

This could very well go down as a 7 x MVP, 4 x FMVP, vs. a 2 x MVP, 2 x FMVP. If that were the case, people wouldn't think it was an argument. One guy is going to end up as the only guy in the 30k/10k/10k club, and the other is going to end up as one of the handful in the 30,000 point club.

Oh really? becoz he is white? lol! :facepalm

[lilgodfather1]

Oh really? becoz he is white? lol! :facepalm
No because he wasn't a good defender. Later on in his career he became decent, but he was neer elite on defense like LeBron, and Durant currently are.

[Boomerang]

Lebron blows that skinny chopstick out of the water

[Asukal]

No because he wasn't a good defender. Later on in his career he became decent, but he was neer elite on defense like LeBron, and Durant currently are.

Bird is not a good defender wow nice info... :facepalm

[Jax]

So we gonna disregard the fact that Lebron came to the league an 18yo teen, only cared about giving a show and still is the Goat?:bowdown:

[The_Yearning]

You forgot the most important stat OP

Impact:

LeBron: >9000
Durant: Depends how good Westbrook is playing

/thread.

[Frozen1]

You guys say that they are close, i say they aren't.

Lebron has the same scoring averages as durant, but instead of 3 APG, he has 7APG, and that's a huge difference. Durant has a luxury that only now Lebron have, pad his FG% only shooting on makable shots.

Lebron had to carry a bunch of scrubs, and Durant in his first 5 years played with another two stars and top 10 nba playes. All these factors contribute on stats.

[lebeast666]

KD first 6 years:

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2744/4117752911_60ef3b1980_z.jpg

[Chuckbrook]

Thread title has "Durant vs. LeBron" in it. How can you possibly be surprised?

Besides, this is ISH. Someone can make a thread titled "Carmelo Anthony will win the scoring title this year," and suddenly there will be 50 out of 150 posts arguing that LeBron could win one easily while Durant might lose this year because of "Chuckle Chuckbrook."
:roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:

[lilgodfather1]

Bird is not a good defender wow nice info... :facepalm
He routinely guarded the weakest offensive forward on the opposite team. His limited amount of defensive team selections agrees with me. I didn't say he was terrible, he just wasn't good at it until later in his career.

[LeBird]

Bird was worse towards the end of his career because of his injuries. Bird was one of the best team defenders in the league and good to very good man-to-man depending which years you're talking about.

[tazb]

and 6 mvps with 1 ring.. Whoa thats a great accomplishment man

Yeah cause we can predict the future. :facepalm

[lilgodfather1]

Bird was worse towards the end of his career because of his injuries. Bird was one of the best team defenders in the league and good to very good man-to-man depending which years you're talking about.
Yes injuries certainly took their toll on Bird. The type of problems he had would take their toll on anybody though. I wonder if Medical care has developed to the point that they could have fixed Bird's back? Imagine if he could have came back at 80%, and played 3 or 4 more years at that level, instead of coming back at 60%, and being in too much pain to play. If that had happened I don't think LeBron would have a very good shot at passing him, and the GOAT discussion wouldn't be so one sided. Can't change the past though, unfortunately.

[dh144498]

You guys say that they are close, i say they aren't.

Lebron has the same scoring averages as durant, but instead of 3 APG, he has 7APG, and that's a huge difference. Durant has a luxury that only now Lebron have, pad his FG% only shooting on makable shots.

Lebron had to carry a bunch of scrubs, and Durant in his first 5 years played with another two stars and top 10 nba playes. All these factors contribute on stats.

:roll:
that's exactly what Lebron does. His primary concern is to protect his FG%. :facepalm

[knicksman]

You forgot the most important stat OP

Impact:

LeBron: >9000
Durant: Depends how good Westbrook is playing

/thread.

Thats why on their first 6 years, durant is more successful??

Durant first 6 years already made the finals while lebron didnt unless you count the time when the east was so weak. And if lebron didnt teamed up with wade/bosh, durant would have a ring by now while lebron wouldnt have any finals appearance.

[Lebron23]

Thats why on their first 6 years, durant is more successful??

Durant first 6 years already made the finals while lebron didnt unless you count the time when the east was so weak. And if lebron didnt teamed up with wade/bosh, durant would have a ring by now while lebron wouldnt have any finals appearance.


LeBron already won an MVP Award in his 6th NBA Season. He also averaged 38-9-9 againts the Orlando Magic in the playoffs with Mo Williams as his 2nd scoring option.

LBJ will be a 4x NBA MVP, and 2x NBA Finals MVP at the end of this season.

[knicksman]

LeBron already won an MVP Award in his 6th NBA Season. He also averaged 38-9-9 againts the Orlando Magic in the playoffs with Mo Williams as his 2nd scoring option.

LBJ will be a 4x NBA MVP, and 2x NBA Finals MVP at the end of this season.

Who cares about mvps? The fact is he didnt get out of the east. LBJ will be 4x mvp and 2x nba finals mvp but 0.5 ring still

[Lebron23]

Who cares about mvps? The fact is he didnt get out of the east. LBJ will be 4x mvp and 2x nba finals mvp but 0.5 ring still


The Orlando Magic were just a better playoffs team than LeBron's Cavaliers. They were hitting their outside shots in Conference Finals. Rashard Lewis also failed the drug test in the off season.

And LeBron will have the same number of championships as the Knicks.

[knicksman]

The Orlando Magic were just a better playoffs team than LeBron's Cavaliers. They were hitting their outside shots in Conference Finals. Rashard Lewis also failed the drug test in the off season.

And LeBron will have the same number of championships as the Knicks.
excuses excuses :sleeping .,.

[knicksman]

It's not similar to Magic/Bird at all. LeBron is closer to Magic, and Bird than Durant is skill set wise. Bird was all around great (well except on D), and Magic was the best passer ever at his position. Durant is a great scorer. His best comparison would be a great scorer, but not much more. Can't say Jordan because Jordan was also a good passer, can't say Bird because again Bird was a great passer. It'd be insulting to Durant to compare him to Gervin.

Anyways back to the task at hand. Bird/Magic was special. They competed for titles nearly every year of their career, and they dominated the NBA. LeBron/Durant isn't really like that at this point. They've competed for one title, and LeBron is the only one truly dominating the NBA at this point. Durant can score like few others, but winning the scoring title is not much more than a novelty if you're not winning titles, and MVPs.

This could very well go down as a 7 x MVP, 4 x FMVP, vs. a 2 x MVP, 2 x FMVP. If that were the case, people wouldn't think it was an argument. One guy is going to end up as the only guy in the 30k/10k/10k club, and the other is going to end up as one of the handful in the 30,000 point club.

durant was the scorer version of magic. Magic is the pure pg while durant is the pure scorer. Same with jordan. Look at the stats of 2nd 3 peat jordan, his stats are almost the same with durant who only managed 4 apg. Yet his team is performing much better by winning 72 and 69

[SamuraiSWISH]

LeBron from 2004 - 2008 is clearly the better player. And this was before LeBron started playing legit 1st team caliber defense (2011) ... after 2008, the difference between them as players becomes even more apparent.