LEBRON VS. MICHAEL. LET’S SETTLE THIS.

Who is the greatest? The envelope please…

Former NBA superstar Isiah Thomas recently said LeBron James is a “much better basketball player” than Michael Jordan. Isiah, who is in the basketball Hall of Fame, may be trying to attract a wider audience by saying something so outrageous and ludicrous. His statement is one of the dumbest, most ill-informed sports comments ever expressed because NO ONE is a much better basketball player than Michael.

Anyone who currently employs Isiah to provide “expert” analysis may want to reconsider having him on-board. Provocative is one thing. Plain stupidity is quite different and, in a bygone era, ignorant comments like Isiah’s were paid no mind and quickly brushed aside.

Isiah’s foolishness notwithstanding, the debate about who is better, Michael or LeBron, is worthwhile to consider as the basketball season winds down.

As recently as two years ago, without hesitation, I would have said MJ is greater than LeBron. At that time, most fans and experts affirmed Michael’s status as the greatest of all time (GOAT). But with his astonishing performance this season, LeBron has forced a re-evaluation of who the NBA’s GOAT is.

Winning is the only thing

Michael has a big advantage when it comes to winning. He took the Chicago Bulls to the NBA Finals six times. And he won the championship all six times. MJ was MVP of The Finals a record six times (LeBron has been MVP of The Finals three times).

A couple of things to consider. First, MJ won his titles with the same franchise. He, along with his teammates, developed over several years and, after disappointing beatdowns by the Boston Celtics and (literally) by the Detroit Pistons, the Bulls finally broke through. MJ’s Bulls twice three-peated as NBA champs, from 1991-93 and again from 1996-98.

Only Jordan’s foray into baseball – baseball! – stopped the Bulls from winning eight consecutive titles.

As a freshman at North Carolina, MJ hit the game-winning shot in the 1982 NCAA championship game, beating another heralded frosh, Patrick Ewing, and Georgetown.

LeBron, on the other hand, has been to the NBA Finals nine times, including an amazing eight in a row. His finals record is 3-5 and likely will drop to 3-6 after this year’s hook-up with Golden State.

LeBron’s situation is not as fluid as Jordan’s. LeBron took Cleveland to the finals early in his career and then skipped town to team up with superstars Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh. LeBron “taking my talents to South Beach” smacked of selling out his hometown Cleveland franchise.

The Cavs enormously loyal fan base immediately (and understandably) turned against LeBron. They burned his jersey in the streets. A near-riot occurred in Cleveland the night of his announcement. No one in the history of free agency – in any sport – has caused so much commotion.

The (accurate) perception was LeBron took the comfy route to an NBA championship. Go to South Beach and play with All-Stars, and good buddies, Wade and Bosh and ride a turbulent-free path to multiple titles.

Not surprisingly, LeBron and the Miami Heat immediately made it to The Finals. Surprisingly, Dirk Novitzki and the Dallas Mavericks beat the Heat for the championship. The Heat did bounce back the following two years, winning consecutive titles. But in 2014, in their fourth straight Finals appearance, Miami lost to the San Antonio Spurs.

Whispers turned into loud talk; LeBron choked under pressure. His finals record stood at 2-3 compared to MJs perfect 6-0.

In a move that likely saved his legacy, LeBron returned to Cleveland, only to lose to the Golden State Warriors in the 2015 Finals. The following year, LeBron and the Cavs prevailed over Golden State, before losing to the Warriors again last year, leaving The King with a 3-5 won-lost record in the title round. Unless he performs a miracle, LeBron will be 3-6 after the 2018 Finals.

LeBron did win three titles in high school, before jumping straight to the pros.

By any measure, MJ easily gets the nod when it comes to winning. And that’s what America is all about right, winning?

The age of data

The generation of everyone gets a trophy just for showing up, is also the generation fueling the rise of data analytics. In some quarters, the data is more valued than winning, which partly explains the overdone fascination with James Harden, arguably the most overrated superstar in the NBA today.

Data lovers throughout the land, with a big assist from ESPN, promote Harden so much it defies credulity. Winning is shuffled into the background, as data junkies get lost in the search for more and more analytics to wax about.

Modern athletes like LeBron and Harden benefit from the obsession with data. (I’m not anti-data, per se, but for example, when watching a baseball game, I don’t really care if the batter’s historical batting average is .350, at home, on Tuesdays in the month of July, when facing a bearded left-handed relief pitcher.)

In a more traditional sense LeBron, like Michael was, is a stuffer of the stat-sheet. And their per game regular-season career averages are similar:

Michael leads in points/game 30.1 to 27.2. LeBron leads in rebounds/game and assists/game 7.4 to 6.2 and 7.2 to 5.3, respectively. Michael leads steals/game 2.4 to 1.6. Jordan also leads in blocked shots/game .83 to .80 and committed fewer turnovers/game, 2.7 to LeBron’s 3.5. LeBron leads in minutes/game 38.8 to 38.3. LeBron has 73 career triple-doubles to Michael’s 31. (Stats source: nba.com).

Michael made the NBA First Team All-Defense Team 9 times compared to 5 for LeBron. LeBron has been named First Team All-NBA 12 times compared to Michael’s 10.

Category-wise, it’s a dead heat. They each lead in 5 of the 10 categories included above. However, the nod goes to LeBron based on his commanding 73-31 lead in triple-doubles.

Supporting cast

Jordan played alongside Hall of Famers Scotty Pippen and Dennis Rodman. LeBron has played with future Hall of Famers Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh and possibly Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love (if Kyrie and Love can ever stay healthy).

This year, what LeBron did was amazing. He took a team made up largely of barely-role players and led them to the NBA Finals.

Other than Love, who does Cleveland have? J.R. Smith and Kyle Korver? George Hill and Jeff Green? Tristan Thompson? At best role players. At best a team that, sans LeBron, would be looking forward to the upcoming NBA lottery draft.

LeBron, literally, must lead his team in scoring, rebounding and assists just about every game for the Cavs to have a chance to win. Not just in The Finals. In any game, whether its preseason, regular season, playoffs or The Finals.

MJ had Pippen, Rodman (arguably the greatest rebounder in NBA history) and Horace Grant, along with the great coach Phil Jackson strategizing on the sidelines. LeBron’s coaches? Tyron Lue (zzz...), Dave Blatt (zzz…), Mike Brown (zzz…) and Erik Spoelstra (zzz…). As it is, LeBron damned near coaches his team, too.

Michael had the benefit of continuity. LeBron created self-imposed disruption by bouncing from Cleveland to Miami and back.

Who made the players around them better? By sheer force of will, MJ did, demanding that his teammates play as good as their potential allowed, all the time. How else do you explain otherwise journeymen like Jud Buechler, B.J. Armstrong and Steve Kerr thriving in Chicago?

Killer instinct

LeBron, as has been well-documented, appears to play without the killer instinct of MJ, Larry Bird, Kobe Bryant, and Magic Johnson. Isiah (yes, I’m complimenting Isiah) also had killer instinct. Maybe it’s because LeBron didn’t have a male figure to emulate in his household as a kid, or older brothers to rough him up. On the other hand, Michael’s late-father apparently was as ruthless a competitor as MJ.

To his credit, LeBron taking what resembles a rag-tag collection of teammates to The Finals demonstrates he has acquired, if not killer instinct, a recognition that his talent and drive enable him to propel just about any group of teammates to the championship round. Jordan never did this.

Intangibles

The opposite of Michael, LeBron is fearless and engages in what is happening in America, confidently firing back at Donald Trump, speaking out about race relations, and the dismantling of America’s most fundamental norms.

MJ operates apolitically and is all about protecting his endorsements. It’s maddening to watch MJ turn the other way when he should speak up for the voiceless. Michael is mute when it comes to the issues that will define what America will become in the future.

And MJ benefitted from no social media back in the day. His alleged philandering remained at the rumor stage. In today’s environment, Jordan would have been subject to a tidal wave onslaught from Twitter and Facebook users.

LeBron has shown outstanding character as a family man and stays out of situations that befall too many athletes. LeBron is comfortable with who he is, and his celebrity within American culture. We should all appreciate that LeBron has chosen not to be like Mike, instead actively using his powerful platform, in constructive ways, to critique and influence the broader national dialogue.

Who’s the Greatest?

MJ clearly gets the nod from the standpoint of winning, which always will be the most important data point. LeBron gets the edge re: stuffing the stat sheet, by way of his comparative triple-double prowess. LeBron is a better all-around basketball player, able to play anywhere on the court, posting up, hitting threes, driving for thunderous dunks, rebounding at a high level and making big-time defensive plays.

Sorry Bulls fans, LeBron has surpassed MJ as the greatest all-around player the game has ever seen, while Michael retains the title as the greatest competitor and fiercest winner.

OK, so who do you want to have a beer with?

Michael seems somewhat shallow, like he could only converse about basketball, golf and gambling. LeBron appears to have more depth, able to speak to a variety of topics such as pop culture, music, the film industry, fine wine, politics and sports.

Pick the spot LeBron, the beer is on me.

Douglas FreelandJune 7, 2018