MJ: I could beat LeBron 1-on-1 in my prime

#76
#76
Call me MISTER bandwagon!

It's probably more of just not disliking many teams, honestly. In all sports, I can recognize greatness and also enjoy certain players/aspects of teams while staying pretty level-headed. May come from not having a SUPER favorite in some sports.
 
#77
#77
n_huffhines said:
I think the frequency of hard fouls from the 80s and 90s is exaggerated. Yeah it was more physical because of hand-checking, etc. but if going into the paint was as dangerous as everybody says then all the players would have been hurt all the time.
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Nah. LeBron is playing against complete garbage players, leading to garbage teams, and is a star that FINALLY gets some favorable treatment from the referees. No wonder he looks so good.
 
#78
#78
I'll just apologize now without even reading what was said.

Let bygones be bygones.

But... I'd never summarize you in one sentence, Baker. I like you. You've always been a cool dude.

Do I like Lebron? No. I do acknowledge he is the best player in the world right now. Maybe even in the 2nd greatest ever. I Don't even like the Bulls, I hate them. I still acknowledge MJ as the greatest though.

So... sorry for being a jerk. I get heated over sports but I know you're a cool guy and so are a lot of the people here. No harm, no foul. :hi:
 
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#79
#79
Some people dont understand that the game is different now. If he played in the 80's and 90's then he'd be used to the hard fouls and it wouldn't be a problem.
 
#80
#80
TOP said:
I'll just apologize now without even reading what was said.

Let bygones be bygones.

But... I'd never summarize you in one sentence, Baker. I like you. You've always been a cool dude.

Do I like Lebron? No. I do acknowledge he is the best player in the world right now. Maybe even in the 2nd greatest ever. I Don't even like the Bulls, I hate them. I still acknowledge MJ as the greatest though.

So... sorry for being a jerk. I get heated over sports but I know you're a cool guy and so are a lot of the people here. No harm, no foul. :hi:
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No, I understand. There's a graduate psychology thesis somewhere out there re: LeBron's effect on your psyche. Don't even mean that in a bad way... just that you're die hard for the Pacers and last playoffs only fueled the fire against him.

You probably hate him a little too much, I probably am a little too quick to talk him up too much because of all the irrational hate thrown his way.

If he did exactly what he does and acted, today, how Jordan acted throughout his career, he would be hated, IMHO. :hi::hi:
 
#81
#81
MJ on that booger sugar would probably take 'Bron 1 on 1 tbh
 
#82
#82
Notorious B.E.N said:
Some people dont understand that the game is different now. If he played in the 80's and 90's then he'd be used to the hard fouls and it wouldn't be a problem.
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It's actually more a societal problem than a shift in the way basketball is played. Lebron is a prima Donna whiney *****, just like most of his/my generation.
 
#84
#84
TOP said:
This discredits your opinion entirely.

Go look up the Knicks and Pacers roster.

Ewing and Miller would both have rings if not for the Bulls. And those same Knicks and Pacers would probably beat the Heat today. Wade is washed up, Bosh blows and Lebron is a freak. But Lebron only wins because who is he competing against? My Pacers... their starters were 22, 22, 26, 26 and 32. That was his competition to the finals. then in the finals, the Spurs are what? 30-40 across the board outside of Leonard.

Lebron is facing trash competition.
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Michael Jordan was one of the handful of the very best players in the history of basketball. Nobody on the Knicks and Pacers was in the top 40 or 50. I'm not saying there weren't really some good teams back then, just that none of those teams were led by truly great players. Which is what the NBA was all about. Russell had Wilt; Magic had Bird. Jordan didn't have anybody like that, and that's a shame.

I like how you hate LeBron so much that when I lamented Jordan didn't have anybody on his level to go up against, you automatically replied with an anti-LeBron screed, even though Magic/Bird is what I was talking about.
 
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#87
#87
MJ: I could beat LeBron 1-on-1 in my prime

Of course MJ would say that. Duh. What do people expect? Jordan probably would have too.
 
#88
#88
TOP said:
That's up for debate though.

I'm bias but come on... he knocked off Stockton, Malone and Russel.

And here's my bias... Reggie Miller, Rik Smits, Dale Davis...it's not like they were nobodies. Patrick Ewing? A player I'm pretty sure the commissioner rigged the draft for...

Let's not act like MJ played nobody and on top of it, the game was more physical. MJ could score 40 every night today if he wanted to. Or have you not heard Lebron whine about being fouled hard. Um... the league calls even ticky tack touch fouls today. There is a reason The Bad Boys existed and flourished previously. Lebron whines about half assed fouls. Michael Jordan was playing teams that could get away with clotheslining you.
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I hate to tell you this, but in the grand scheme of things Dale Davis and Rik Smits were nobodies.
 
#89
#89
005 said:
Ewing is probably top 50, right? Maybe I'm way off.
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Ewing's probably somewhere right around 50. The point is that he's so far down the ladder he barely counts, as far as Jordan's concerned. Jordan's on anybody's all-time team. It would have to be a whole all-time league of 10-12 teams for Ewing to get in.
 
#90
#90
TOP said:
I'll just apologize now without even reading what was said.

Let bygones be bygones.

But... I'd never summarize you in one sentence, Baker. I like you. You've always been a cool dude.

Do I like Lebron? No. I do acknowledge he is the best player in the world right now. Maybe even in the 2nd greatest ever. I Don't even like the Bulls, I hate them. I still acknowledge MJ as the greatest though.

So... sorry for being a jerk. I get heated over sports but I know you're a cool guy and so are a lot of the people here. No harm, no foul. :hi:
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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJVt8kUAm9Q[/youtube]
 
#92
#92
TOP said:
You're an apologist because you just stated he's playing better basketball than Jordan.

Have you forgotten Lebron choking games away in the 4th quarter? Go look at the Mavs series for reference.

When has MJ ever choked on the biggest staged?

The Answer: Not even once, let alone twice.
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That's because James is playing better than Jordan did in the late stages of his career.

Also, lamenting about how physical the league was back then is overblown. It was a more physical game but to pretend that a player with James' skill and size couldn't or wouldn't have adapted is just silly.

Jordan never "choked" because he shot the ball so much in the early stages of his career that he had the stats to refute a choke job, even though his teams struggled. By the time they were championship material he could have an off night and they'd still win by 10+.
 
#93
#93
TOP said:
I'll say it one more time before I'm out.

Lebron on multiple occasions has whined publicly about how hard he's fouled.

Today, I watch fouls being called on point guards for bumping other point guards outside the perimeter while all they're trying to do is run a play.

If Lebron thinks he's being fouled hard today because of the occasional hard foul, he should realize that he'd be hammered everytime he has the ball back in Jordan's era.

They allowed hard fouls back then and more players were inclined to do so. Look how many times players like Durant and Melo go to the line... they're freaking jump shooters.

I honestly believe the Wade and Rose are given too many foul calls when they drive to the basket. But given how many free throws guys like Durant and Melo get, Rose and Wade should be going to the line 10+ times a game.
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You're either misremembering what the NBA was like back then or you're going off the stories of others.

It wasn't the WWE.

More physical for sure but nothing that would have rendered James' play.
 
#94
#94
TOP said:
This discredits your opinion entirely.

Go look up the Knicks and Pacers roster.

Ewing and Miller would both have rings if not for the Bulls. And those same Knicks and Pacers would probably beat the Heat today. Wade is washed up, Bosh blows and Lebron is a freak. But Lebron only wins because who is he competing against? My Pacers... their starters were 22, 22, 26, 26 and 32. That was his competition to the finals. then in the finals, the Spurs are what? 30-40 across the board outside of Leonard.

Lebron is facing trash competition.
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A worthy rival wins occasionally.

Jordan didn't have a rival. Plain and simple. That doesn't take anything away from his achievements.

James doesn't have one either. Unless you consider Durant his rival. Which would be a pretty weak.
 
#96
#96
You like Ray Allen better than Reggie? I would take Reggie. Much more efficient scorer and was better scoring off the dribble, IMO. Turned it over less. Bigger body on D, but probably about equal defensive skill.
 
#97
#97
n_huffhines said:
You like Ray Allen better than Reggie? I would take Reggie. Much more efficient scorer and was better scoring off the dribble, IMO. Turned it over less. Bigger body on D, but probably about equal defensive skill.
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Agree 100%
 
#98
#98
Both Reggie and Ray are two of my favorites to watch all-time. Can't go wrong with either.

Loved Reggie's 12' baseline leaner off the glass. A long 6' 7" SG is almost impossible to guard the way he would set up the spacing on that shot. It's almost like the perimeter equivalent of the sky hook.
 
#99
#99
n_huffhines said:
You like Ray Allen better than Reggie? I would take Reggie. Much more efficient scorer and was better scoring off the dribble, IMO. Turned it over less. Bigger body on D, but probably about equal defensive skill.
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Ray wasn't always just a spot up shooter. Ray is a better defender and rebounder.

Much more efficient scorer?
Bigger body on defense?

Reggie was a rail.
 
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