Jordan first, then air between rest
I’m not going to simplify this debate as many do, by looking at rings with the manic hunger my partner does when within sprinting distance of a jewellery store. Djimi Traore has a Champions League medal but that shiny gong didn’t make him a better footballer than Thierry Henry.
But Michael Jordan’s 6-0 record in NBA finals is, as it suggests, unbeatable for LeBron.
James has dragged his teams through playoff matches they shouldn’t have won but when the title was on the line, Jordan never failed.
His detractors will provide the Scottie Pippen/ Dennis Rodman argument – that MJ had a greater supporting cast.
That may have been valid until LeBron took his talents to South Beach and teamed up with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.
That trio lost two NBA finals – including a 2011 defeat to the Dallas Mavericks, a team with only one all-star – Dirk Nowitzki.
In that 4-2 finals defeat, James averaged 17.8 points per game and had just eight points in game four when the Heat surrendered a 2-1 series lead.
James has physical gifts that Jordan didn’t – but Jordan was still a more prolific scorer and a devastating defensive presence. Jordan was the first high-profile player to obsess over his training to eke everything out of his body. James has only once played in all 82 games in a regular season – Jordan did nine times.
LeBron has better stats as a passer and rebounder. Yet Jordan’s job was to score and to defend – it’s not like he couldn’t pass. In the 1988-89 season, Jordan played 11 games for the Bulls at point guard and produced 10 triple doubles, averaging 33.6 points, 11.4 assists and 10.8 rebounds.
This debate should always boil down to a simple schoolyard game – who would you pick first for your team?
What if your fortune or your life depended on it? You’d look at LeBron and think but you’d point at MJ.