Lebron 2-4 in the Finals

 Wilt was also 2-4.  Still my number 2 guy all time.  

Or a tie for second between Wilt, Russell, Kareem, and Magic.  You could probably put LeBron there now or tied for sixth with Larry Bird, Duncan, Kobe, and Shaq

 Wilt was also 2-4.  Still my number 2 guy all time.  

Or a tie for second between Wilt, Russell, Kareem, and Magic.  You could probably put LeBron there now or tied for sixth with Larry Bird, Duncan, Kobe, and Shaq

 Magic Johnson also has 4 finals loses, but okay. 

Personally, I think LeBron’s unique abilities really hinders him, because as we’ve seen so many times in his career, he just ices his team mates by being a one man show. People call it greatness, and it is in that respect, but his teams haven’t been able to get over the hill because of it at times (this case, obviously isn’t the case). I’m not a LeBron fan by any means, but I don’t think losing to supurior teams is that degrading of a thing. 

 Magic Johnson also has 4 finals loses, but okay. 

Personally, I think LeBron’s unique abilities really hinders him, because as we’ve seen so many times in his career, he just ices his team mates by being a one man show. People call it greatness, and it is in that respect, but his teams haven’t been able to get over the hill because of it at times (this case, obviously isn’t the case). I’m not a LeBron fan by any means, but I don’t think losing to supurior teams is that degrading of a thing. 

 Don’t you mean 2-6 ? 2007 and 2011 he lost too. Lebron is the modern day Wilt.

 Don’t you mean 2-6 ? 2007 and 2011 he lost too. Lebron is the modern day Wilt.

his tendency is to pass in the 4th quarter.  He knows himself well enough that he isn’t confident taking shots.  Lebron let’s face it, will never be a consistently good shooter.  He was exhausted by the end of the series and thats explainable.  The man relies more on his athleticism than his skill.  He’s not a good enough shooter to overtake a series, and unfortunately playing in so many Finals back to back, has exhausted him to the point where his athleticism becomes less of a factor.  

He’s not the shooter Steph Curry or Lebron or MJ were, who could rely on their shot to get buckets if needed, and didn’t need to constantly attack the rim, which is exhausting.

Let’s face it he’s a tweener.  I think Kyrie being out hurt him because he coudlnt’ play in the paint, where I think he’s at his best (game 6 vs. celtics).  But within the constructs of a team, he’s not a good enough shooter to be considered a great guard.  He’s a good passer but he’s not a good enough shooter as a guard in a 7 game series.  Also He may not be consistently good enough, or big enough, in the paint to be a back to the basket guy.  He’s neither of them.  He needs to recognize mismatches like when Steph Curry is on him, and immediately go to the paint.  He’s at his best if his entire team recognizes the mismatch.  He can’t be asking for the ball at 18 feet when Steph Curry is on him.  His shot is just too clanky for him to be relied upon as the ultimate offensive weapon.  He gets fatigued because he has to do too much.  If his shot was consistently better, he’d have legs to do it in the 4th quarter.

Good luck Lebron.  

his tendency is to pass in the 4th quarter.  He knows himself well enough that he isn’t confident taking shots.  Lebron let’s face it, will never be a consistently good shooter.  He was exhausted by the end of the series and thats explainable.  The man relies more on his athleticism than his skill.  He’s not a good enough shooter to overtake a series, and unfortunately playing in so many Finals back to back, has exhausted him to the point where his athleticism becomes less of a factor.  

He’s not the shooter Steph Curry or Lebron or MJ were, who could rely on their shot to get buckets if needed, and didn’t need to constantly attack the rim, which is exhausting.

Let’s face it he’s a tweener.  I think Kyrie being out hurt him because he coudlnt’ play in the paint, where I think he’s at his best (game 6 vs. celtics).  But within the constructs of a team, he’s not a good enough shooter to be considered a great guard.  He’s a good passer but he’s not a good enough shooter as a guard in a 7 game series.  Also He may not be consistently good enough, or big enough, in the paint to be a back to the basket guy.  He’s neither of them.  He needs to recognize mismatches like when Steph Curry is on him, and immediately go to the paint.  He’s at his best if his entire team recognizes the mismatch.  He can’t be asking for the ball at 18 feet when Steph Curry is on him.  His shot is just too clanky for him to be relied upon as the ultimate offensive weapon.  He gets fatigued because he has to do too much.  If his shot was consistently better, he’d have legs to do it in the 4th quarter.

Good luck Lebron.  

 Basketball is a team game. Being undefeated in the Finals doesnt make you the best ever in means you had the best team that year. Lebron in 2007 with Drew Gooden and Big Z and 2015 with Mozgov and JR smith as his best players are teams that do not have the talent to win the championship. Instead of looking at the negative of wow he couldn’t win a championship, it should be looked as a positive of how he got to the Finals with so little talent. By all this ridculous logic, Lebron should of lost in the conference finals these years so people with flawed logic don’t use it against him in legacy talk because they are looking for the negative and not the positive. 

 Basketball is a team game. Being undefeated in the Finals doesnt make you the best ever in means you had the best team that year. Lebron in 2007 with Drew Gooden and Big Z and 2015 with Mozgov and JR smith as his best players are teams that do not have the talent to win the championship. Instead of looking at the negative of wow he couldn’t win a championship, it should be looked as a positive of how he got to the Finals with so little talent. By all this ridculous logic, Lebron should of lost in the conference finals these years so people with flawed logic don’t use it against him in legacy talk because they are looking for the negative and not the positive. 

 This is the same crap as QB’s getting credit for wins and losses. I don’t know when it happened but its super annoying. 

If James goes to next five NBA Finals and wins them all, his team would have made it to 10 straight NBA Finals and won 7 of them. Your saying you wouldn’t reevaluate the "greatest ever" idea? 

Who the hell cares if he’s the greatest ever. Those who think he is probably aren’t going to change their minds no matte what stats the detractors throw at them. Those who don’t think he’s the greatest won’t change their minds no matter what he does, so when does it end? 

The Cavaliers were outmatched by Golden State. That’s not entirely James’ fault. He’s a terrible GM sure, but cmon people…his team losing shouldn’t take away how extraordinary he played. Jordan wouldn’t have carried this team to a championship. Magic wouldn’t have, Wilt wouldnt have. Nobody would have. 

Do I think James is the best ever? No. I don’t like him, I get tired of the attention he gets and his act in general. But for goodness sakes he’s far and away the best player in the league. Who cares about the rest of it. 

 This is the same crap as QB’s getting credit for wins and losses. I don’t know when it happened but its super annoying. 

If James goes to next five NBA Finals and wins them all, his team would have made it to 10 straight NBA Finals and won 7 of them. Your saying you wouldn’t reevaluate the "greatest ever" idea? 

Who the hell cares if he’s the greatest ever. Those who think he is probably aren’t going to change their minds no matte what stats the detractors throw at them. Those who don’t think he’s the greatest won’t change their minds no matter what he does, so when does it end? 

The Cavaliers were outmatched by Golden State. That’s not entirely James’ fault. He’s a terrible GM sure, but cmon people…his team losing shouldn’t take away how extraordinary he played. Jordan wouldn’t have carried this team to a championship. Magic wouldn’t have, Wilt wouldnt have. Nobody would have. 

Do I think James is the best ever? No. I don’t like him, I get tired of the attention he gets and his act in general. But for goodness sakes he’s far and away the best player in the league. Who cares about the rest of it. 

As it stands right now, his record in the Finals is a mark against him.

If he was the greatest of all time, he would have beaten the Spurs last season, you can’t argue that he was outmatched in that series.

Similarly, you can’t give him a pass against the 2011 Mavericks, that was a terrible performance.

Against the Spurs in 2007 and the Warriors in 2015 you can forgive him for not winning, because it was exceedingly unlikely in either case after Kyrie went down.

But, just making it to the Finals isn’t good enough when you consider how terrible the Eastern Conference was at the top this season.

I also think his constant undermining of his coaches publicly is holding him back as a player.

Blatt is a very good coach, but he doesn’t have clout to properly coach Lebron or implement a system to get the other guys going anymore because of how much power Lebron has in the organisation and the league.

He was at his best in Miami when he played within the system in 2012, moving off the ball, making cuts.

I always think of an old Jordan ad where he says "I’m scared of what I won’t become, you’re scared of what I could become".

Jordan was at his best when people weren’t sure when he was going to flip the switch and go all out, not when he was doing everything for his team like when he was younger.

The idea that Jordan would take over was more potent than the reality of how much of a burden he could carry.

The same can be said about Lebron in reverse.

The more he dominated the ball and tried to hero-ball his way to victory, the less effective and potent he became as a player.

The same can be said of Westbrook.

Steph Curry is the perfect example of a "what I could become" player – even when he’s not shooting that well, he puts such fear into opponent teams that he could light up at any second that they have to treat him like he’ll hit every shot, which opens up the game for his team.

My point is, when Lebron stands apart from his team and puts himself above the game he is selling short his ability to dominate.

Please note, this isn’t just talking about this series, where, admittedly, he didn’t have much of a choice, but his general tendency since he started winning MVPs and inability to lead without submerging the identity of the team.

As it stands right now, his record in the Finals is a mark against him.

If he was the greatest of all time, he would have beaten the Spurs last season, you can’t argue that he was outmatched in that series.

Similarly, you can’t give him a pass against the 2011 Mavericks, that was a terrible performance.

Against the Spurs in 2007 and the Warriors in 2015 you can forgive him for not winning, because it was exceedingly unlikely in either case after Kyrie went down.

But, just making it to the Finals isn’t good enough when you consider how terrible the Eastern Conference was at the top this season.

I also think his constant undermining of his coaches publicly is holding him back as a player.

Blatt is a very good coach, but he doesn’t have clout to properly coach Lebron or implement a system to get the other guys going anymore because of how much power Lebron has in the organisation and the league.

He was at his best in Miami when he played within the system in 2012, moving off the ball, making cuts.

I always think of an old Jordan ad where he says "I’m scared of what I won’t become, you’re scared of what I could become".

Jordan was at his best when people weren’t sure when he was going to flip the switch and go all out, not when he was doing everything for his team like when he was younger.

The idea that Jordan would take over was more potent than the reality of how much of a burden he could carry.

The same can be said about Lebron in reverse.

The more he dominated the ball and tried to hero-ball his way to victory, the less effective and potent he became as a player.

The same can be said of Westbrook.

Steph Curry is the perfect example of a "what I could become" player – even when he’s not shooting that well, he puts such fear into opponent teams that he could light up at any second that they have to treat him like he’ll hit every shot, which opens up the game for his team.

My point is, when Lebron stands apart from his team and puts himself above the game he is selling short his ability to dominate.

Please note, this isn’t just talking about this series, where, admittedly, he didn’t have much of a choice, but his general tendency since he started winning MVPs and inability to lead without submerging the identity of the team.

 I definitley agree with you on the hero ball thing. I think it makes it more difficult to play with him than people think. 

That said, HE didn’t lose to Spurs last year. His team did. He didn’t not beat the Spurs. His team didn’t beat the Spurs. People need to stop making a team sport about one guy losing to a team. 

Agree on the making the Finals argument. The East is terrible…but we can only use that against him for so long. Hypothetical if his team goes to 8-9-10 straight finals in an era where Free Agency is almost as big a focus as the actual season, credit is due because he will be the catalyst of those teams. 

I’m not trying to make this a James should be the best player ever debate, because that’s not even what I believe. But blaming one guy who just put up the numbers he did for losing a series and saying he CANT be the greatest ever because he lost series to superior teams is closed minded. 

You make really good points on him monopolizing the offense, throwing coaches under the bus etc. and I agree. I’ve grown tired of his act. He seems fake to me, and wants everything to be about him (which it almost always is) and he’s a drama queen.

 He played HIS game this series–monopolizing the offense, gambling, controlling everything– and teams aren’t as good that way no matter what individual is running the show, but he didn’t really have a choice. The second best player for the Cavs was probably Tristan Thompson. He is clueless on what to do with the ball if he’s 12 feet or further from the hoop. JR Smith is downright useless if he isn’t hitting 3s, and his shot selection isnt conducive to hitting 3s consistently. 

 I definitley agree with you on the hero ball thing. I think it makes it more difficult to play with him than people think. 

That said, HE didn’t lose to Spurs last year. His team did. He didn’t not beat the Spurs. His team didn’t beat the Spurs. People need to stop making a team sport about one guy losing to a team. 

Agree on the making the Finals argument. The East is terrible…but we can only use that against him for so long. Hypothetical if his team goes to 8-9-10 straight finals in an era where Free Agency is almost as big a focus as the actual season, credit is due because he will be the catalyst of those teams. 

I’m not trying to make this a James should be the best player ever debate, because that’s not even what I believe. But blaming one guy who just put up the numbers he did for losing a series and saying he CANT be the greatest ever because he lost series to superior teams is closed minded. 

You make really good points on him monopolizing the offense, throwing coaches under the bus etc. and I agree. I’ve grown tired of his act. He seems fake to me, and wants everything to be about him (which it almost always is) and he’s a drama queen.

 He played HIS game this series–monopolizing the offense, gambling, controlling everything– and teams aren’t as good that way no matter what individual is running the show, but he didn’t really have a choice. The second best player for the Cavs was probably Tristan Thompson. He is clueless on what to do with the ball if he’s 12 feet or further from the hoop. JR Smith is downright useless if he isn’t hitting 3s, and his shot selection isnt conducive to hitting 3s consistently. 

 Yet another fail on the biggest stage for Lebron.  38% FG%….awful.  A disappearing act in a crucial game 4.  Pts/Rbs/Ast numbers were there, but why wouldn’t they be?  They just played against one of the fastest paced teams in the league.  Also, Lebron played PG, and literally dribbled down the clock and played ISO bball far too often.  His numbers are going to accumulate.  At least he didn’t completely give up like he did in game 5 last year against SA.

 Yet another fail on the biggest stage for Lebron.  38% FG%….awful.  A disappearing act in a crucial game 4.  Pts/Rbs/Ast numbers were there, but why wouldn’t they be?  They just played against one of the fastest paced teams in the league.  Also, Lebron played PG, and literally dribbled down the clock and played ISO bball far too often.  His numbers are going to accumulate.  At least he didn’t completely give up like he did in game 5 last year against SA.

 Magic lost 4 times in the Finals but he won 5 Championships. I don’t think Lebron is going to win 3 more titles.

Lebron has lost 4 times already and twice with Wade, Bosh and very good role players.

Also he did have Kyrie for Game 1 which they lost and they were up 2-1 with two wins with Delly starting at PG.

I think his greatness wasn’t there after Game 2. His shots weren’t falling as much .and he didn’t dominate as much except when it came to rebounds. The number game is a little crazy because he had the ball and ran the offense on every play whether it be a post up iso or pass on the perimeter or drive to the rim.  The difference was Kerr put Iggy in the starting lineup and he limited Lebron a lot. He couldn’t bully him in the paint like he could against Thompson, Barnes or anyone else.  The mins was a little ridiculous you have a guy who is that big playing 45 mins every game basically and running the offense on every play. The coaching staff and Lebron should have gotten together and tried to conserve him some in the 1st half so he could finish stronger. 

The Cavs needed Lebron to have a Game 6 like he did in Boston 2012 when he had 45 and set the tone for the game early. I think he did his best in Game 5 but the small ball was too much and he didn’t have the energy after just 1 day off.

 Magic lost 4 times in the Finals but he won 5 Championships. I don’t think Lebron is going to win 3 more titles.

Lebron has lost 4 times already and twice with Wade, Bosh and very good role players.

Also he did have Kyrie for Game 1 which they lost and they were up 2-1 with two wins with Delly starting at PG.

I think his greatness wasn’t there after Game 2. His shots weren’t falling as much .and he didn’t dominate as much except when it came to rebounds. The number game is a little crazy because he had the ball and ran the offense on every play whether it be a post up iso or pass on the perimeter or drive to the rim.  The difference was Kerr put Iggy in the starting lineup and he limited Lebron a lot. He couldn’t bully him in the paint like he could against Thompson, Barnes or anyone else.  The mins was a little ridiculous you have a guy who is that big playing 45 mins every game basically and running the offense on every play. The coaching staff and Lebron should have gotten together and tried to conserve him some in the 1st half so he could finish stronger. 

The Cavs needed Lebron to have a Game 6 like he did in Boston 2012 when he had 45 and set the tone for the game early. I think he did his best in Game 5 but the small ball was too much and he didn’t have the energy after just 1 day off.

LeBron still has a ways to go til his career is over. Just remember Elgin Baylor, Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, and John Stockton are all top 15 players of all time – and none of them won any rings let alone 2 like LeBron.

The 2007 and 2015 teams LeBron brought to the finals wouldn’t have won 25 games without him in their regular seasons. 

I view him as 2-2 with 2 more coming with an * (had complete jokes of players with him)

LeBron still has a ways to go til his career is over. Just remember Elgin Baylor, Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, and John Stockton are all top 15 players of all time – and none of them won any rings let alone 2 like LeBron.

The 2007 and 2015 teams LeBron brought to the finals wouldn’t have won 25 games without him in their regular seasons. 

I view him as 2-2 with 2 more coming with an * (had complete jokes of players with him)

 LeBron has been in every finals since the last time kobe played in a playoff game way back in 2012.   

Why all the hate?

We were able to watch a amazing performance from the best Basketball player I have ever seen play. At the end of the day it was not enough to win the championship. But it was still amazing.

 LeBron has been in every finals since the last time kobe played in a playoff game way back in 2012.   

Why all the hate?

We were able to watch a amazing performance from the best Basketball player I have ever seen play. At the end of the day it was not enough to win the championship. But it was still amazing.

The only reason the Cavs were in the finals in the first place is LeBron… he contineously drags his team as far in the play-offs as possible; don’t blame him for that!

The only reason the Cavs were in the finals in the first place is LeBron… he contineously drags his team as far in the play-offs as possible; don’t blame him for that!

 How on earth do you blame this guy for this years loss and the 07′ loss. Are you kidding me? Ppl were all expecting a sweep by the 67 win team….he made it go to 6. Now all of you act like that isnt an accomplishment in itself

 How on earth do you blame this guy for this years loss and the 07′ loss. Are you kidding me? Ppl were all expecting a sweep by the 67 win team….he made it go to 6. Now all of you act like that isnt an accomplishment in itself

 Thats all it really is. Shows the importance of scorers. Lebron also can be forced into being a jump shooter wich is not really what he specializes in. He is a great,great player but GOAT top 5 ever talk I have to say 2-4 finals hurts. It is what it is. Big stage failure more often than not. The 2 he won I thought Bosh and his timely shooting was their savior. Lets not forget he had Wade too. He still dropped what 2 finals with that squad.

 Thats all it really is. Shows the importance of scorers. Lebron also can be forced into being a jump shooter wich is not really what he specializes in. He is a great,great player but GOAT top 5 ever talk I have to say 2-4 finals hurts. It is what it is. Big stage failure more often than not. The 2 he won I thought Bosh and his timely shooting was their savior. Lets not forget he had Wade too. He still dropped what 2 finals with that squad.

I read above or in another thread LBJ’s kryptonites are skill and system ball. I’ve NEVER been a fan of his hero ball/ball dominant ways. I didn’t like it the first time he was in CLE and I still don’t like it. It’s the ultimate "I’m the superstar and you’re the role player" style of play. Whether he plays with stars or real role guys, they all mostly end up spread out standing on one side of the floor while he isolates. Yea, LeBron will drive and kick it out to you when the D collapses or he’ll catch you cut, but how can you make your teammates better or just get the max out of their abilities when you suffocate the offense? The offense is stagnant/stiff. It’s all about LeBron playing hero ball. Always about LeBron. Yea, that style of play will always get him his numbers and put the failures on his teammates after they stop making the catch and shoot jumpers. During this series, watching the Cavs run no real offense or sets was hard to watch. Ppl say, "Well, he had to." BS… No he didn’t. Not everything had to be a clearout isolation hero ball moment on the left wing. 

I don’t blame LBJ for the loss (who could with the injuries/lack of talent CLE had) and he’s THE only guy who can lead a team this far playing this way, but I just am not a big fan of his style of play. I don’t think you can beat GREAT teams that way.

I read above or in another thread LBJ’s kryptonites are skill and system ball. I’ve NEVER been a fan of his hero ball/ball dominant ways. I didn’t like it the first time he was in CLE and I still don’t like it. It’s the ultimate "I’m the superstar and you’re the role player" style of play. Whether he plays with stars or real role guys, they all mostly end up spread out standing on one side of the floor while he isolates. Yea, LeBron will drive and kick it out to you when the D collapses or he’ll catch you cut, but how can you make your teammates better or just get the max out of their abilities when you suffocate the offense? The offense is stagnant/stiff. It’s all about LeBron playing hero ball. Always about LeBron. Yea, that style of play will always get him his numbers and put the failures on his teammates after they stop making the catch and shoot jumpers. During this series, watching the Cavs run no real offense or sets was hard to watch. Ppl say, "Well, he had to." BS… No he didn’t. Not everything had to be a clearout isolation hero ball moment on the left wing. 

I don’t blame LBJ for the loss (who could with the injuries/lack of talent CLE had) and he’s THE only guy who can lead a team this far playing this way, but I just am not a big fan of his style of play. I don’t think you can beat GREAT teams that way.

 Just like Shaq was, just like Jordan was, just like Bird / Magic were, just like Kareem & Wilt & so on… It’s a team game & just getting to the Finals is an extraordinary accomplishment… Historically, NO player has EVER taken his team to an NBA Final w/o an All Star level #2 & #3 option & James has now done it twice (2007 & 2015)… I know so of his comments are irritating & speak to some deep insecurity but Kobe made similar remarks & so have many other big time stars who have been treated like Royalty since Middle school & truthfully don;t know how to deal w/ Any criticism b/c unlike most of us, they have Never had to….

 As far as this Ridiculous Jordan 6 Rings in 6 tries argument… Jordan NEVER won a Single Playoff Series on his own – that’s why he has no Finals defeats.. Look it up… Without BOTH Pippen & Grant / Rodman Jordan FAILED to lead the Bulls to a Single playoff series victory… In 93 the Bulls won 57 games W/ Jordan. In 94 W/O Jordan, the Bulls won 55 games & Pippen finisded 3rd for MVP… Kobe – after begging the Lakers to dump Shaq plyed 3 seasons in between Shaq leaving & Gasol arriving… In those 3 seasons, Kobe led the Lakers to 34 wins, 45 wins & 42 wins & Kobe also FAILED to win a Single Playoff Series w/o Shaq or Gasol… In 2004 – Shaq’s final year w/ L.A. the Lakers won 56 games & reached the NBA Finals – the VERY next season 2005, w/o Shaq, Kobe led the Lakers to 34 wims & no playoffs… After winning Only 45 & 42 wins in 06 & 07 the Lakers were bounced in the first round by Phoenix Both years & Kobe Demanded a trade that summer of 2007… After acquiring Gasol the Lakers immediatley returned to a 57 win season… This is Not a knock on Either M.J. or Kobe – they were both All Time Great Super Stars but No One wins NBA Titles alone… the 2015 Finals should underscore that… No one on Golden State is anywhere near Lebron’s talent level, but G.S. won b/c they had a Great TEAM… Despite the nonsense "best winner" stat assigned to Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlian had a Lifetime AVERAGE of 40 points & 20 rebounds when facing Bill Russell – not the rest of the League – Averaged against the Boston Celtics & All Time Great defensive player head to head Chamberlain AVERAGED FOURTY points & TWENTY rebounds Every single time he strapped up against Chamberlain… Russell’s #’s head to head against Chamberlain Plummeted b/c Chamberlain was a once every thousand years type of Freak show talent (at 7’1” 300 lbs, Chamberlain ran the HURDLES for the Kansas Jayhawks Div 1 track squad AND it is Well documented that Chamberlain bench pressed 550 LBS – that’s not a mispreint – 550 LBS!) But Russell – a great player in his Own right, had 5 – FIVE – teammates who would eventually reach the NBA Hall of Fame… Boston had the Better team & this is a Team game…

It’s difficult to judge different eras when you Have seen it Live, but for people who did not actually witness these teams from the 80’s or 90’s stick to making judgements based on what you actually saw… I remember a time when Jordan was considered a great scorer but someone who would Never win… Jordan Grew into a great player & a great leader & he turned into that player through years of failure… Just like Steel is made from scalding all the oxygen out iron ore w/ epic heat… Jordan Earned his greatness by constantly taking beatings from the Sixers, Celtics & Pistons… They punished Jordan & literally beat all the mental & physical weakness out of him… Lebron is learning those Same lessons now… Remember at This age Jordan had 3 Finals appearances & just finished his year off / baseball vacation to avouid Gambling investigations.. Let’s see what James does over the next 5 years… Jordan – after missing that 94′ season – returned in 95, healthy & rested – & had his @ss stomped by the 95 Orlando Magic… Jordan realized that Bulls team could NOT compete w/ Shaq & Penny’s Orlando Magic, so they went out & got Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman… It’s team game floks…

  (Sorry for the long post & please forgive me for all the caps…) 

 Just like Shaq was, just like Jordan was, just like Bird / Magic were, just like Kareem & Wilt & so on… It’s a team game & just getting to the Finals is an extraordinary accomplishment… Historically, NO player has EVER taken his team to an NBA Final w/o an All Star level #2 & #3 option & James has now done it twice (2007 & 2015)… I know so of his comments are irritating & speak to some deep insecurity but Kobe made similar remarks & so have many other big time stars who have been treated like Royalty since Middle school & truthfully don;t know how to deal w/ Any criticism b/c unlike most of us, they have Never had to….

 As far as this Ridiculous Jordan 6 Rings in 6 tries argument… Jordan NEVER won a Single Playoff Series on his own – that’s why he has no Finals defeats.. Look it up… Without BOTH Pippen & Grant / Rodman Jordan FAILED to lead the Bulls to a Single playoff series victory… In 93 the Bulls won 57 games W/ Jordan. In 94 W/O Jordan, the Bulls won 55 games & Pippen finisded 3rd for MVP… Kobe – after begging the Lakers to dump Shaq plyed 3 seasons in between Shaq leaving & Gasol arriving… In those 3 seasons, Kobe led the Lakers to 34 wins, 45 wins & 42 wins & Kobe also FAILED to win a Single Playoff Series w/o Shaq or Gasol… In 2004 – Shaq’s final year w/ L.A. the Lakers won 56 games & reached the NBA Finals – the VERY next season 2005, w/o Shaq, Kobe led the Lakers to 34 wims & no playoffs… After winning Only 45 & 42 wins in 06 & 07 the Lakers were bounced in the first round by Phoenix Both years & Kobe Demanded a trade that summer of 2007… After acquiring Gasol the Lakers immediatley returned to a 57 win season… This is Not a knock on Either M.J. or Kobe – they were both All Time Great Super Stars but No One wins NBA Titles alone… the 2015 Finals should underscore that… No one on Golden State is anywhere near Lebron’s talent level, but G.S. won b/c they had a Great TEAM… Despite the nonsense "best winner" stat assigned to Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlian had a Lifetime AVERAGE of 40 points & 20 rebounds when facing Bill Russell – not the rest of the League – Averaged against the Boston Celtics & All Time Great defensive player head to head Chamberlain AVERAGED FOURTY points & TWENTY rebounds Every single time he strapped up against Chamberlain… Russell’s #’s head to head against Chamberlain Plummeted b/c Chamberlain was a once every thousand years type of Freak show talent (at 7’1” 300 lbs, Chamberlain ran the HURDLES for the Kansas Jayhawks Div 1 track squad AND it is Well documented that Chamberlain bench pressed 550 LBS – that’s not a mispreint – 550 LBS!) But Russell – a great player in his Own right, had 5 – FIVE – teammates who would eventually reach the NBA Hall of Fame… Boston had the Better team & this is a Team game…

It’s difficult to judge different eras when you Have seen it Live, but for people who did not actually witness these teams from the 80’s or 90’s stick to making judgements based on what you actually saw… I remember a time when Jordan was considered a great scorer but someone who would Never win… Jordan Grew into a great player & a great leader & he turned into that player through years of failure… Just like Steel is made from scalding all the oxygen out iron ore w/ epic heat… Jordan Earned his greatness by constantly taking beatings from the Sixers, Celtics & Pistons… They punished Jordan & literally beat all the mental & physical weakness out of him… Lebron is learning those Same lessons now… Remember at This age Jordan had 3 Finals appearances & just finished his year off / baseball vacation to avouid Gambling investigations.. Let’s see what James does over the next 5 years… Jordan – after missing that 94′ season – returned in 95, healthy & rested – & had his @ss stomped by the 95 Orlando Magic… Jordan realized that Bulls team could NOT compete w/ Shaq & Penny’s Orlando Magic, so they went out & got Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman… It’s team game floks…

  (Sorry for the long post & please forgive me for all the caps…)