Top 5 Reasons for Jordan Over Lebron

[riseagainst]

i don't understand why the OBVIOUS has to be consistently posted here...we all know no one is catching MJ, it's a rare feat.

Lebron can peak as high as #2, but will probably finish #4-8...can we just dead this rhetoric already?

nevertheless, since when has being 2nd best to only MJ been labeled such a bad thing...well, then again, losing in the Finals as opposed to not making the playoff's seems to be so much more detrimental to a player on ISH

i see what you did there.

[russwest0]

6. Didn't ring chase in his prime... twice.

[dh144498]

you only need 2/5 of those reasons to realize that MJ is better than lebron.

[mehyaM24]

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/3435...ichael-jordan/

here's a great article dispelling the nonsense in the OP with 8 reasons why lebron is a better all around player than jordan

1. Defensive Versatility

Jordan used his speed and athleticism to shut down opposing perimeter players and generate turnovers. But James is just as athletic and he is capable of dominating almost any opposing player from point guards to power forwards. He is even capable of playing against some centers on defense.

To illustrate the difference between Jordan and James, let’s imagine the 2013 Heat playing against the Bulls in Jordan’s heyday.

The Heat might use 3 or 4 different players to defend Jordan in order to save James’s energy. But you can bet James would defend Jordan the best and guard him during the crucial phases of the game.

The Bulls would not have Jordan guarding James because of James’s ability to overpower him close the basket.


2. Versatility Allows Coach to Dictate Match-ups

Since James can play point guard on offense and center on defense, his coach can exploit any number of mismatches, rest anyone he wants, and dictate the personnel the other team has to have on the floor.

This versatility is hard to understate, and it is the real reason James should have been the defensive player of the year for several years.

3. Destroying the Point of Attack

James may be at his best against opposing point guards, whom he seems to swallow up with his ridiculous size and speed.

Point guard is often the hardest position for anyone to guard because of the way most teams throw screen after screen at the opposing defender. James often just cuts off the screener and the ball handler at once, as he did to Tony Parker in the 2013 finals and 2011 MVP Derrick Rose in the conference finals, effectively grinding these teams’ entire offense to a halt.

4. Foul Rate

Sending an opposing player to the free throw line is the easiest way to give the other team easy points, as most players shoot their highest percentage from there. Michael Jordan committed a foul an average of once every 14.7 minutes he was on the court. James commits a foul once every 21.1 minutes he is on the court, giving the opposing team fewer easy opportunities.

5. James Is a Better Three-Point Shooter

James’s three-point field goal percentage is only 1 percent higher than Jordan’s, but James takes an average of three times as many shots from behind the arc than Jordan did.

James’s three-point percentage has gone up for the last three consecutive years, reaching over 40 percent last year. That is considered an elite level that forces other teams to send a player out at James and opens up opportunities closer to the basket for his team-mates.

6. James Is a Better Passer

James has averaged 6.9 assists per game for his career, while Jordan averaged 5.3 assists per game. The fact that James is probably a better passer, and certainly a more willing passer; also highlights how James is better able to involve his teammates in the game and move the ball around to find the best shot.

This also demonstrates that…

7. James Is a better Teammate

Jordan was said to use intimidation to instill fear in his teammates to try and get the best out of them.

James is known to use encouragement and shows his trust in his teammates by passing them the ball throughout the game in order to instill confidence in them.

In a revealing interview with ESPN sports analyst Chris Brussard this past off-season, James said, “I love seeing the success of my teammates more than anything.” He said he wants his team to feel like a family.

Jordan is famously quoted: “There is no ‘I’ in ‘team,’ but there is in ‘win.’”

Who would you rather work with?

8. James Is a Better Rebounder

Jordan averaged 6.2 rebounds per game in his career, while Lebron is averaging 7.3 so far. With James’s superior size, it’s easy to see why he is a better rebounder.

In Closing

The people who see James as a better player often think of him as a bigger and stronger version of Jordan.

I think it is more complicated than that. Jordan was a superior mid-range player and scorer, whose inexhaustible drive to win made him better and better when the stakes were high.

James is a more versatile player and has a more devastating physical presence. However, he has been more susceptible to feeling pressure and failing to come through in big moments. I can’t wait to see what else he is able to accomplish. Whether you think Jordan is better or James is better, joining the debate is equally fun. It is too bad we cannot see them play against each other and we can only imagine it.

[3ball]

This post ^^^^^^^^^ is pretty elementary-thinking.

Lebron is a less versatile scorer, which hurts his ability to fit in with teammates - so for example, he can't accomodate Wade by playing exclusively off-ball, because his numbers and production will dip... whereas with Jordan, the coach could put him anywhere on the floor and know that Jordan's production would not drop off - this is because Jordan had goat-level scoring ability in EVERY aspect of scoring, hence him being the more versatile scorer that fit better with ANY kind of teammate.

Lebron's Assist Advantage is Negligible, Especially Given How Much Less He Scores - He averages 0.6 more assists per 36 minutes than Jordan in the playoffs (5.6 to 5.0) - this is a small amount and you would expect Lebron to have some advantage in this category given HOW MUCH LESS HE SCORES - it is remarkable that Jordan is neck and neck with Lebron passing-wise, WHILE scoring so much more... Jordan scores 25% more per 36 minutes in the playoffs, while generating almost the same number of assists... Of course, when it matters most, Jordan passes better than Lebron ever has - 1991 Finals when MJ averaged 11 assists to go with 33ppg.

Lebron Rarely Guards PF's, Let Alone the Decent Ones - The media lauds Lebron for guarding PF's, but he only gets occasional spot-duty for a few possessions, and only on bad PF's that are not a threat - the one time Spo put Lebron on a decent PF, he got destroyed and the Heat had to change up the game plan (David West in Game 1 of 2014 ECF)... and it was a rarity for Lebron to guard a real PF like David West... he never guards Dirk or Duncan or Zach Randolph for example... ever... so it has become unbelievably overblown that Lebron guards PF's, because he really doesn't - let me know the next time he guards Dirk or Duncan.. i'll be waiting.

Before 2012, Lebron shot 32% from three-point land, just like Jordan - so for the first 9 years of his career, he was no better than Jordan... Lebron only recently caught on to the 3-point shooting craze and improved his shooting starting in 2012, so his improvement was a function of the era we are in... Jordan would ALSO have done this - one year he experimented shooting the 3 in 1990 - he shot 37.5% on three attempts per game.

Jordan Had to Shut Down PG's as a Standard - People laud Lebron for shutting down Derrick Rose in a series - people only took note of that because Lebron doesn't play PG or SG... but that would have been standard for Jordan - he was a SG and had to guard PG's all the time.

Lebron is not a better teammate - Unlike Lebron, Jordan's teammates always played great alongside him - the story was never about Jordan's teammates underperformance as it frequently is with Lebron... and as previously mentioned, Lebron doesn't have Jordan's scoring versatility, so he can't fit in with teammates as well (such as play primarily off-ball so Wade can be more comfortable the way point-forward Pippen was)... also, Lebron doesn't have Jordan's leadership qualities where he will be hard on teammates and force them to play up to his level like Jordan did.

[riseagainst]

This post is elementary-thinking compared to the op.

Lebron is a less versatile scorer, which hurts his ability to fit in with teammates - so for example, he can't accomodate Wade by playing exclusively off-ball, because his numbers and production will dip... whereas with Jordan, the coach could put him anywhere on the floor and know that Jordan's production would not drop off - this is because Jordan had goat-level scoring ability in EVERY aspect of scoring, hence him being the more versatile scorer that fit better with ANY kind of teammate.

Lebron averages 0.6 more assists per 36 minutes than Jordan in the playoffs (5.6 to 5.0) - this is a small amount and you would expect Lebron to have some advantage in this category given HOW MUCH LESS HE SCORES - the fact that Jordan is neck and neck with Lebron passing-wise, WHILE scoring so much more is remarkable... Jordan scores 25% more per 36 minutes in the playoffs, while generating almost the same number of assists... Of course, when it matters most, Jordan passes better than Lebron ever has - 1991 Finals when MJ averaged 11 assists to go with 33ppg).

The media lauds Lebron for guarding PF's, but he only gets occasional spot-duty for a few possessions, and only on bad PF's that are not a threat - the one time Spo put Lebron on a decent PF, he got destroyed and the Heat had to change up the game plan (David West in Game 1 of 2014 ECF)... and it was a rarity for Lebron to guard a real PF like David West... he never guards Dirk or Duncan or Zach Randolph for example... ever... so it has become unbelievably overblown that Lebron guards PF's, because he really doesn't - let me know the next time he guards Dirk or Duncan.. i'll be waiting.

Before 2012, Lebron shot 32% from three-point land, just like Jordan - so for the first 9 years of his career, he was no better than Jordan... Lebron only recently caught on to the 3-point shooting craze and only improved his shooting starting in 2012, so his improvement was a function of the era we are in... Jordan would ALSO have done this - one year he experimented shooting the 3 in 1990 - he shot 37.5% on three attempts per game.

People laud Lebron for shutting down Derrick Rose in a series - people only took note of that because Lebron is bigger... but that would have been standard for Jordan - he was a SG and had to guard PG's all the time.

Finally, Lebron is not a better teammate - as previously mentioned, Lebron doesn't have Jordan's scoring versatility, so he can't fit in with teammates as well (such as play primarily off-ball so Wade can be more comfortable the way point-forward Pippen was)... also, Lebron doesn't have Jordan's leadership qualities where he will be hard on teammates and force them to play up to his level like Jordan did - which brings up another point - Jordan's teammates always performed great alongside him - their underperformance was never the story like it frequently is with Lebron.

[JT123]

How is this guy making threads when he doesn't even have 100 posts yet?
Something tells me this guy is one of Jeff's gimmick accounts.

[Lebronxrings]

This post ^^^^^^^^^ is pretty elementary-thinking.

Lebron is a less versatile scorer, which hurts his ability to fit in with teammates - so for example, he can't accomodate Wade by playing exclusively off-ball, because his numbers and production will dip... whereas with Jordan, the coach could put him anywhere on the floor and know that Jordan's production would not drop off - this is because Jordan had goat-level scoring ability in EVERY aspect of scoring, hence him being the more versatile scorer that fit better with ANY kind of teammate.

Lebron's Assist Advantage is Negligible, Especially Given How Much Less He Scores - He averages 0.6 more assists per 36 minutes than Jordan in the playoffs (5.6 to 5.0) - this is a small amount and you would expect Lebron to have some advantage in this category given HOW MUCH LESS HE SCORES - the fact that Jordan is neck and neck with Lebron passing-wise, WHILE scoring so much more is remarkable... Jordan scores 25% more per 36 minutes in the playoffs, while generating almost the same number of assists... Of course, when it matters most, Jordan passes better than Lebron ever has - 1991 Finals when MJ averaged 11 assists to go with 33ppg).

Lebron Rarely Guards PF's, Let Alone the Decent Ones - The media lauds Lebron for guarding PF's, but he only gets occasional spot-duty for a few possessions, and only on bad PF's that are not a threat - the one time Spo put Lebron on a decent PF, he got destroyed and the Heat had to change up the game plan (David West in Game 1 of 2014 ECF)... and it was a rarity for Lebron to guard a real PF like David West... he never guards Dirk or Duncan or Zach Randolph for example... ever... so it has become unbelievably overblown that Lebron guards PF's, because he really doesn't - let me know the next time he guards Dirk or Duncan.. i'll be waiting.

Before 2012, Lebron shot 32% from three-point land, just like Jordan - so for the first 9 years of his career, he was no better than Jordan... Lebron only recently caught on to the 3-point shooting craze and only improved his shooting starting in 2012, so his improvement was a function of the era we are in... Jordan would ALSO have done this - one year he experimented shooting the 3 in 1990 - he shot 37.5% on three attempts per game.

Jordan Had to Shut Down PG's as a Standard - People laud Lebron for shutting down Derrick Rose in a series - people only took note of that because Lebron is bigger... but that would have been standard for Jordan - he was a SG and had to guard PG's all the time.

Lebron is not a better teammate - Unlike Lebron, Jordan's teammates always played great alongside him - the story was never about Jordan's teammates underperformance as it frequently is with Lebron... and as previously mentioned, Lebron doesn't have Jordan's scoring versatility, so he can't fit in with teammates as well (such as play primarily off-ball so Wade can be more comfortable the way point-forward Pippen was)... also, Lebron doesn't have Jordan's leadership qualities where he will be hard on teammates and force them to play up to his level like Jordan did.

you do realize jordan had a MUCH better supporting cast right?

[Beastmode88]

you do realize jordan had a MUCH better supporting cast right?

Who did MJ have during his first 3peat?

[mehyaM24]

AND another piece, detailing specifically why lebron > jordan
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1...-said-and-done

LeBron James will eventually surpass Michael Jordan as the best NBA player ever.

Two years ago, after the Miami Heat failed to beat the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals, the argument that the “Chosen One” was better than the greatest of all time was inconceivable.

Now that the 2012-13 Miami Heat have had one of the best regular seasons in league history, the debate has come back from the grave, but this time, with some credibility.

James won his fourth league MVP award this past week and received 18 first-place votes for the Defensive Player of the Year and had many believing he should have won that award instead.
[*]With the season LBJ has had, many think that he has the ability to take over the No. 1 spot as the greatest basketball player to ever walk this earth.
[*]In life, like records and rules are meant to be broken, rankings are subject to change. Just because something is labeled the greatest of all time doesn’t mean it will last at the top spot forever. Something better eventually comes along and takes over.
[*]That’s what LeBron is in the middle of doing.
[*]He dominates the opposition to a degree we haven’t seen since Jordan in the mid-90s. He’s a scoring machine who is also a walking triple-double.

If James continues his dominance in the NBA, Jordan's status at No. 1 could fall.
[*]While he’s certainly this generation’s version of MJ, LeBron is far from becoming the great one himself. Jordan was too good for too long, and this is only LeBron’s 10th year in the league.

However, that doesn’t mean overtaking Jordan can’t be done.
[*]So what does LeBron need to do to pass Jordan? It’s simple. OK, maybe not simple in the minds of you and me, but for LeBron, it is certainly achievable. And with how he has improved these past few seasons, it’s extremely possible.
[*]While James is far from Jordan in terms of legacy, the numbers don’t lie. He is every single bit the player Jordan was if we look at the stats. The biggest hindrance to the discussion is that James doesn’t have the titles Jordan had at this point in both of their respected careers.
[*]Let’s first take a look at overall career stats.

Jordan: 30.1 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 5.3 APG, 50 percent shooting, 33 percent three-point shooting, six championships, five MVPs, 10 scoring titles

LeBron: 27.6 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 6.9 APG, 49 percent shooting, 33 percent three-point shooting, one championship, three MVPs, zero scoring titles

Right now, LeBron is close to MJ when it comes to per-game stats. But when it comes to titles and sustained excellence, it’s all Jordan.

For James to pass MJ, he has to keep up the dominance we have been accustomed to seeing for the next five years, all while winning at least four more championships in the process.
[*]That means he has to continue to be the best NBA player into his mid-30s.

In five years, James will be 33 and in his 15th NBA season. To be able to continue putting up the numbers he has for such a long period of time can be difficult to even the greatest of players.
[*]Jordan was able to keep his numbers steady for the duration of his career with the Bulls, even after coming back from a year-and-a-half hiatus because of his baseball stint (per Baseball-Reference.com) after the 1993 season.
[*]LeBron has shown he has been able to increase his level of play each season he has been in the league. He has shown this season that he is nowhere near the end of his prime. Actually, he’s getting better. If anybody can keep up 27-7-7 averages for the next five seasons, it’s LeBron James.
[*]The biggest advantage to LeBron’s career is also his biggest disadvantage: coming into the NBA fresh out of high school.

Jordan dominated the college level for a couple years at the University of North Carolina. He was able to mature his game and use college as a stepping stone to the pros. When he was drafted, Jordan was ready for the NBA, and his stats prove it.
[*]James, on the other hand, chose to skip college and immediately join the professional ranks.

He didn’t have the preparation Jordan had, which takes away from his early career statistics.

Take a look at both players’ numbers through their first 10 years:

Jordan: 32.3 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 5.9 APG, 51 percent shooting, 30 percent three-point shooting, three championships, three MVPs, seven scoring titles

LeBron: 27.6 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 6.9 APG, 49 percent shooting, 33 percent three-point shooting, one championship, three MVPs, zero scoring titles

But if James needs to continue putting up numbers for the next few years, then coming into the league at age 18 was the best decision he ever made. It allows James to remain in his prime longer. Although he is in his tenth year as a pro, James remains full of youth and doesn’t show signs of slowing down.
[*]While Jordan was and forever will be a more dangerous scorer, LeBron is something we have never seen before.

James doesn’t have a position. Offensively he handles the ball, hits threes, drives to the basket and can post up all while being the team’s main distributor. On defense he can guard anyone from a healthy Derrick Rose to a super-scorer in Kevin Durant.
[*]While LeBron can’t score like Jordan, he can do everything else at a better rate. In 2012-2013 he has become a better rebounder, better passer and more efficient player than Jordan ever was.

James is already having one of the best years in NBA history, but he’ll only pass Jordan if he continues on that same pace for the next few years.

Not only that, but LeBron has to hold off Kevin Durant in that time span, someone who has been knocking on the door to take away LeBron’s top spot.
[*]To some, it might be impossible, but at the level James is playing at right now, the task may be easier than one might think.

So I’m going to come right out and say it: LeBron James will eventually surpass Michael Jordan as the greatest player in NBA history.

[riseagainst]

[QUOTE=mehyaM24]AND another piece, detailing specifically why lebron > jordan
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1...-said-and-done

LeBron James will eventually surpass Michael Jordan as the best NBA player ever.

Two years ago, after the Miami Heat failed to beat the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals, the argument that the

[JT123]

[QUOTE=mehyaM24]AND another piece, detailing specifically why lebron > jordan
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1...-said-and-done

LeBron James will eventually surpass Michael Jordan as the best NBA player ever.

Two years ago, after the Miami Heat failed to beat the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals, the argument that the

[Magic 32]

This post ^^^^^^^^^ is pretty elementary-thinking.

Lebron is a less versatile scorer, which hurts his ability to fit in with teammates - so for example, he can't accomodate Wade by playing exclusively off-ball, because his numbers and production will dip... whereas with Jordan, the coach could put him anywhere on the floor and know that Jordan's production would not drop off - this is because Jordan had goat-level scoring ability in EVERY aspect of scoring, hence him being the more versatile scorer that fit better with ANY kind of teammate.

Lebron is not a better teammate - Unlike Lebron, Jordan's teammates always played great alongside him - the story was never about Jordan's teammates underperformance as it frequently is with Lebron... and as previously mentioned, Lebron doesn't have Jordan's scoring versatility, so he can't fit in with teammates as well (such as play primarily off-ball so Wade can be more comfortable the way point-forward Pippen was)... also, Lebron doesn't have Jordan's leadership qualities where he will be hard on teammates and force them to play up to his level like Jordan did.

Poor Wade. Betrayed and diminished by a monster.

[Beastmode88]

[QUOTE=mehyaM24]AND another piece, detailing specifically why lebron > jordan
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1...-said-and-done

[LIST=1][*]LeBron James will eventually surpass Michael Jordan as the best NBA player ever.
[*]Two years ago, after the Miami Heat failed to beat the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals, the argument that the

[riseagainst]

Poor Wade. Betrayed and diminished by a monster.

dam... it saddens me to see Wade like this. He was robbed and then betrayed by who he thought was a loyal friend.