Jordan/LeBron one on one

[Prometheus]

okay so ESPN started bringing this up a lot back when LeBron was doin that 6 straight games with 30+ on 60%+, and everyone kept yappin about who would win in a 1 on 1 contest. and I'm a fan of bron but this question was offensive to me. my friends are all hockey fans and hardly anyone I know personally gives two shits about basketball, so I've been itchin to put in my two cents on this issue, so here goes

LeBron would get his ass handed to him so bad, I can't see him having any desire to keep playing after 4 or 5 games against Jordan. put them both in their primes, and this is not even close. at all.

first of all, 1 on 1 has almost nothing to do with who is a better basketball player at the professional level. I think Carmelo Anthony would beat magic Johnson, but not even a stan on crack would say he's a better player. so let that be understood right from the get go, that I'm not saying the disparity between them as overall players is as astronomical (though I still think it's clear that mj was better by a decent margin), just that in a one-on-one contest, it would be so lopsided that I honestly think LeBron might be moved to tears. and here's why:

though they are very different players, with different advantages over one another, EVERY single one of Jordan's advantages would not only apply to a game of 1on1, but would be magnified in it, whereas every advantage of bron bron's (except for his size/strength) would be either diminished or irrelevant.

first, there's the difference between speed and quickness. end to end, LeBron is one of the fastest players I've ever seen. obviously that's why he's so dangerous in transition, because once he gets a head of steam he has that wide-receiver type speed. I think it's safe to say in the open court he could run faster than mj. but LeBron is NOT quick. I'm talking about his first step, change of direction, ability to pivot quickly. Jordan on the other hand? his first step was absolutely superb, one of the quickest we've ever seen. that fastbreak speed would have no relevance whatsoever in a game of 1on1, whereas quickness off the dribble is everything

then of course you have the one decisive advantage that LeBron has - he's a superior passer/playmaker. and no I'm not stupid saying Jordan was a ballhog or anything, and he was a tremendous playmaker when he wanted to be (he was especially adept at knowing when to distribute and when to take over), had 8 apg the one year, and totally trolled magic in the finals with 11 per game, but we all know lbj is an elite playmaker. scouting reports dating back to his high school days praised his ability to pass, and it has been his most important talent since day one. but would this matter in a game of 1on1? obviously not.

now has anyone failed to realize by now that LeBron's handles are kind of sloppy? his offense in the pick and roll or in the post is great, but I've never seen him as a tremendous iso player. he typically only takes guys off the dribble when he gets a favorable switch, and often is forced to turn away or give up the ball when a defender guards him too close on the perimeter. mj? no one's gonna question his ability to take defenders off the dribble. GOAT iso player next to maybe Iverson and kobe (and Durant is well on his way).

then there's a more subtle detail that not a lot of people seem to pick up on: their leaping styles. Jordan liked to hop off of both feet, LeBron almost always takes off in stride from his left leg. go watch all of their signature dunks, mj liked to plant both feet and spring, whereas LeBron almost never does that. why does this matter? it makes mj less predictable. if he's close enough to the basket as he goes for his gather, by planting both feet he could either go for the dunk, layup, or pull up for the shot. bron on the other hand is very easy to read when he drives. if his momentum is carrying him toward the hoop, he jumps off of one leg and you know he's trying to finish at the rim, and it's much easier to time.

also, as is evidenced by bron's shot charts on the season (and which results in his ridiculous fg%), he likes to either score inside or take the catch-and-shoot three. if mj can guard him close enough to stop the three, and also not allow him to get to the hoop, he's gonna have to rely on his midrange game... does he have one though? it's certainly nothing special. I see a few midrange jumpers from time to time, but his % from that area is not so good, and he's certainly not known for it. do I even need to describe mj's midrange game? maybe... the greatest of all time? for all of the defensive greatness, for all of the posterizing, all of the acrobatic layups... what made mj the best ever was his midrange game. his elite quickness, ability to stop on a dime and pull up with tremendous elevation, and his pin-point accuracy on such shots are what really made him the most unguardable offensive force of the modern era (perhaps ever... I never actually watched chamberlain). as 1on1 is pure isolation ball, this would be absolutely crucial.

now LeBron is known as a great defender (although this reputation is suspect, and is certainly no consensus on this board), but that's because of his versatility, ability to guard multiple positions on the floor, and his off the ball defense. he's great at providing help defense, and you can plug him in almost anywhere. but once again, in a game of 1on1 against another wing player, this is totally irrelevant. mj on the other hand? as a defender he ate his man alive. he was great at playing the passing lanes, but no one questions that he's also one of the GOAT man to man defenders. once again... advantage mj

finally we come to the most obvious advantage of all: the mental game. now haters take it way too far, and the narrative really is blown way out of proportion. lbj's stigma as a "choker, beta, quitter" etc. is tired and ridiculous. the guy has more than proven himself in pressure situations since that 2011 catastrophe. see boston 2012, indy 2012/13, the headband game, game 7 last year, yada yada. we all know he can get it done... sometimes. but would even the most hardcore of bron stans deny that he certainly loses his focus sometimes? I mentioned this in another thread recently, and was applauded for it by multiple people, but most of you probably didn't see it: LeBron is sooo non-confrontational. every time someone gets in his face and makes shit personal, he tightens up. he's a nice guy, it's simply not in his nature to really go to war against another man and be ruthless about it. kobe at the all star game is a perfect example. swaggy p xmas mvp is another, but it happens ALL THE TIME. it really is crazy how often the game's best player is prone to getting punked by anyone who wants to bring it that night. again, I'm not saying he's a total b*tch, and we've certainly seen him rise to the occasion many times, but non-confrontational is very obvious. Jordan on the other hand??? the single most ruthless, cold-blooded, competitive lion in sports history. it's to the point that no one even questions it. anyone watch that special on the dream team last year? that gym was full of hall of famers, and every single one of them told the story that "well magic was coming at him, and it didn't take much before Michael got that look... once we saw that, we knew it was give him the ball and get the hell out of the way" and then on open court you had magic Johnson talkin about how "well we never really passed the torch to Jordan... he just kind of took it". the dude was an absolute monster at heart. the contrast between the two of them is laughable in this regard. once mj got a few buckets on him, the trash talk would escalate to the point that I don't think it's unreasonable at all to imagine bron crying, or at least having that totally zoned-out look he had against dallas.

the only thing that might save LeBron is his size. so lbj would most likely try to resort to posting up. but if a defender can get his center of gravity low enough, he can deny deep position even against a defender much bigger. don't believe me? go look up the defense rodman used to play on shaq. bron would have to try and back him down all the way from the 3pt line. there's no way it would be a reliable strategy.

all things considered, I think I've made a pretty convincing argument. if they played 5 games, mj would win all 5. if they played 100 games, mj would win all 100. first game mj wins 11-5, lbj posts up successfully a few times, spins and gets a lefty layup, maybe hits a few fades, but that's it. gets stripped tryin to hit the turnaround several times, gets the ball stolen outright on the dribble, and mj blows by him over and over again. game 2 the anxiety starts to set it, LeBron loses his focus like we've often seen, mj the shark smells the blood in the water, only picks up the intensity, 11-2. game 3 the humiliation starts to set in, 11-0. LeBron gives up and has his chauffer drive him home, then goes on national tv and talks about how it's okay that he lost because all the people watching in the gym have to go back home to their normal lives anyway. mj goes on to bang LeBron's mom. the end

[GoranDragon]

They play 5 games Jordan win 3. Lebron would take 2.

It's basically a toss-up.

[Milbuck]

They play 5 games Jordan win 3. Lebron would take 2.

It's basically a toss-up.

[GoranDragon]

Lebron has size advantage you fool.

[navy]

They wouldnt be able to stop each other one on one to be honest. Jordans mid range is a little bit better so Ill go with him 6/10.

[JebronLames]

Lebron all day.

[Angel Face]

Obviously the guy with killer instinct and the consensus GOAT.

[GoranDragon]

They wouldnt be able to stop each other one on one to be honest. Jordans mid range is a litle bit better so Ill go with him 6/10.

This.

[SHAQisGOAT]

Damn! That big of an essay over a discussion that even hypothetically sounds dumb (it's 5 vs 5).

Anyways, if it happened, Jordan would win most of the time, quicker on the half-court, more agile, better footwork, better mid-range game, better post-game too. Lebron has the size advantage but his post-game doesn't take a huge advantage out of it like others do, more on drives.

[ssginc]

I don't know about Lebron crying, but I suspect that by the 4th or 5th game he'd be ready to take his ball and go home. lol

Besides all that your assessment of the two players is spot on, except for the part about James being a "superior" playmaker. He plays that role more often than Jordan did, but that doesn't make him superior. Take the 89 season as a case in point, when MJ was asked to assume the playmaker/PG role during the last half of the season; he responded with double-digit Assists in 19 of the Bulls' final 26 games, including a streak of 12 straight and 17 in 19 games. Jordan could have been the greatest PG / playmaker ever if he wanted to. In that respect he took a back seat to no one.

I also disagree with the notion that James is a superior passer, but since there is no way to substantiate the argument one way or the other I'll just leave it at that.

[CelticBaller]

I'm not reading that barrage of shit

[Mr. Jabbar]

[SamuraiSWISH]

[ssginc]

lol classic!

[Deuce Bigalow]

1701 words