If MJ was 2-4 in the Finals would he be annointed GOAT?

[kentatm]

Or would we all be talking Kareem like we probably should?

[NBAGOAT]

depends how he played in them. Kareem does only have 3 FMVP's. Seeing how they were favored in most of their finals however, decent chance it be due to MJ underperforming and that could definitely move him below Kareem.

[bond10]

Kareem would take it.

[imnew09]

Lol 2-4... He would be left out at top 10 by those Lebron stans

[FreezingTsmoove]

Depends how he plays....

Look at Lebron. He bows out the finals like a little bitch year after year after year after year after year. Its not like hes losing a heartbreaking game 7 or losing a close game where his opponent just went bananas. Hes getting blown the **** out and leading horrible offenses.

[Quickening]

People were calling him goat when he was 1-9...

[GINOBILI!]

It depends on why he lost 2 in the Finals and why he made less Finals.

[Young X]

People were calling him goat when he was 1-9...That's because nobody gives a f*ck about losing in the first round when you don't have teams good enough to win championships and you're still developing as a player. It's about what you do in the prime of your career.

If Anthony Davis goes on to have this amazing career, you think anybody will care that he got swept by the Warriors when he was 22 on a mediocre team? Hell no.

[Mr. Jabbar]

no fvcking way :roll:

[andgar923]

Standards and expectations were lower before MJ went 6-6.

Depending on his performance in those series MJ would indeed be considered GOAT.

[BigBoss]

20 years from now when the LeBron stans are on welfare and paying child support with no time to defend him people will forget the regular season accomplishments, individual numbers, etc. Greatness and your place in the top 5/top 10 is defined by winning. It's about the rings.

6>5

5>2


1. MJ.
2. Kobe
22. LeBron.


2 for 7
#striveforgreatness

[Quickening]

That's because nobody gives a f*ck about losing in the first round when you don't have teams good enough to win championships and you're still developing as a player. It's about what you do in the prime of your career.

If Anthony Davis goes on to have this amazing career, you think anybody will care that he got swept by the Warriors when he was 22 on a mediocre team? Hell no.

Huh? I am not talking about developing as a player, before he won a championship a lot of people thought of him as the best player ever. It wasn't like he was in his early 20s when he got to his first finals and thus still developing. He was 28, his peak/prime had started 2-3 years earlier.

Maybe people had more perspective back then, and could distinguish between an individual players impact, and winning rings on the best team.

[Young X]

Huh? I am not talking about developing as a player, before he won a championship a lot of people thought of him as the best player ever. It wasn't like he was in his early 20s when he got to his first finals and thus still developing. He was 28, his peak/prime had started 2-3 years earlier.

Maybe people had more perspective back then, and could distinguish between an individual players impact, and winning rings on the best team.In that 1-9 stretch without Pippen you brought up, Jordan was still developing as a player and on bad teams. He was 21-24 and not in his prime. Nobody really cares about the first couple of years in a player's career.

[riseagainst]

20 years from now when the LeBron stans are on welfare and paying child support with no time to defend him people will forget the regular season accomplishments, individual numbers, etc. Greatness and your place in the top 5/top 10 is defined by winning. It's about the rings.

6>5

5>2


1. MJ.
2. Kobe
22. LeBron.


2 for 7
#striveforgreatness



pretty much this

[bigkingsfan]

No, Lebron would be.

[MP.Trey]

I mean, Wilt was considered the GOAT by some for a while, even some to this day. If MJ dominated in those losses he could be in the conversation.

Generally speaking though, 2 championships is not enough to consider you as the greatest in a sports history.

[bizil]

Peak-best player wise, he would still be considered the best perimeter player of all time. But GOAT wise, he wouldn't be the GOAT. But all those MVP's and stats in the regular season would still give him top 5-7 GOAT status though. So he would be like the Wilt of the perimeter guys in a sense. Two titles BUT were considered flat out the best player in the world in their era.

[Gileraracer]

No he'd be around top 50. But he won 6/6 :applause:

[G-Funk]

He would be ranked 8-11

[ClipperRevival]

Of course not. One of the main reasons why he is considered the GOAT is his dominance in the finals both team wise and individual wise. That carries a lot of weight. Coming up biggest when it matters most.

[FKAri]

MJ had shown enough to be considered the best ever pretty early on imo. If he never found Phil and was stuck on crap teams his whole career, he'd still probably be considered GOAT if he managed to at least win 1-2 rings.

[PickernRoller]

depends how he played in them.

Lmao.. fvucking NO. A billion times NO.

The simple, unfiltered, without a lick of BS or agenda answer is a BIG, PLUMP NO

NO debate.

[plowking]

That's because nobody gives a f*ck about losing in the first round when you don't have teams good enough to win championships and you're still developing as a player. It's about what you do in the prime of your career.

If Anthony Davis goes on to have this amazing career, you think anybody will care that he got swept by the Warriors when he was 22 on a mediocre team? Hell no.

Well LeBron lost at 21 in the finals, and that is held against him. :oldlol:

Your own explanation backfired. :oldlol:

[Magic 32]

2-5 (not going to wait) is BOTH an indictment of Lebron AND the East.

[La Frescobaldi]

he wasn't annointed. it's a consensus among fans but it's not unanimous really.

yes, he'd still be top 3 with jabbar and chamberlain, just like he is now.

[sd3035]

Jordan wasn't a loser, he would never have gone 2/7

[Marchesk]

Thing is that back in the 80s, the media wasn't crowning Kareem (or Bill or Wilt) the GOAT before Jordan's ascendancy. It was Bird or Magic.