Robert Mayer- USA Today Sports
A popular debate in the NBA right now is the classic LeBron James vs. Michael Jordan debate. LeBron clinched his second ring in the NBA Finals this year, which heated the debate back up again. The argument has been off and on since James was in high school, can you imagine being a teenager already drawing MJ comparisons? LeBron wasn’t your average teen, instead of worrying about video games or some girl in his class, all he worried about was where he was going to park his Hummer.
LeBron dominated the NBA this season, topping his campaign from last season, which is very hard to believe. James finished with 26.8 points a game, along with eight rebounds and seven assists a game. In 2011-12, the season of his first ring, LeBron finished with 27.1 points a game, with 7.9 rebounds and six assists. He had more points in 11-12, but he had more assists and rebounds this past year.
As you can see, LeBron had the regular season numbers, but did he deliver in the clutch, crucial games? Yes, he did. You might not want to hear this, but LeBron is clutch. In Game 6 of the NBA Finals this year, which was probably one of the best basketball games I have ever seen, James had a triple-double finishing with 32 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists. Then in the deciding Game 7, LeBron came through yet again with 37 points and 12 rebounds, on his way to his second ring.
Not only did LeBron dominate the regular season, but he came through in the clutch, like Jordan always did. After watching the last two NBA seasons, especially the Finals, it’s fair to ask the question, is LeBron better than MJ? Has the King surpassed His Airness?
It’s OK to think about it and to simply ask to question, but we can’t really answer that question. LeBron and MJ will never be able to play one-on-one with each other, while both of them being in their prime, plus LeBron’s career isn’t over yet. He might end up with Not 3, Not 4, Not 5, Not… OK, you get the point.
Comparing LeBron and Jordan right now isn’t fair to either party. Right now, it’s like comparing a nice house that is completely built, and the building of it has been done for quite some time now. Then, comparing that completed house to one that isn’t done being built yet. Though the house has potential to be better than the completed house, it isn’t finished yet. Of course, you would take the already finished house over the house still under construction.
In other words, lets take a deep breath, and enjoy LeBron James. Players like him don’t come around very often, and he is a once-in-a-generation type of player. Let the house finish being built, let it finish before we start comparing it to other houses. LeBron vs. MJ is a great debate, but let’s allow both houses finish before we actually start it.
