lol I searched for who was favorite for 93 Finals and a 2+2 post came up...

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/46...vorite-787816/

Jordan is a 2x Olympic gold medalist, who exerted his will the most as the man on each team.

LeBron got a bronze medal the first time out, as a non factor. Must be this new fangled euro/asian talent pool.

Seems like that Jordan guy won a lot, did you know he had a game winner for an NCAA trophy too?

You do know that they win both gold medals even if MJ hadn't of turned up, right?

You mean in the game he was the 3rd best player on the court?

Doesn't matter if he was the last man on the bench, hitting a jumper with a championship on the line isn't anything to sniff at.

of course not.

LeBron was also NBA ready at 18 years old. Jordan wasn't good enough.

LeBron was also the better high school player than Jordan.

This should be included in greatest of all time basketball player. Being picked #1 should also be counted as well. Jordan didn't eviscerate the college level enough to be picked #1.

Then you have to count MJs ncaa title.

LeBron is physical God.

Could you actually go to the NBA straight from highschool in MJ's day? I honestly don't know.

No it shouldn't.

Being pick number 1 is irrelevant in GOAT discussions.

And college play is only a very very minor thing.

Also, MJ was seen as probably the best player in that draft (at worst 2nd best). I mean he won college player of the year the year he was drafted. It's just big men were drafted back then. Had the same draft happened today, he probably goes number 1. And LeBron (while in a loaded draft) didn't have anyone as great as Hakeem to be drafted against.

But as I said, where you were drafted is irrelevant. And college career is very very minor in the scheme of things.

Looks like it was possible to get drafted out of HS during that time it just wasn't common place.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NBA_high_school_draftees

KG started the straight outta HS era in 1995.

Harding 1962
Dawkins/Willoughby 1975
KG-1995

44 were taken out of HS all time (including 2 the last few years who had pro-grad work).

Guys of note:

Great Ones: KG/Kobe/Lebron/Amare/Dwight/Dawkins/McGrady
Good: Lewis/Chandler/Al Jeff/ByDUMB/Josh Smith
LOL: Curry/Swift

1983 draft wow:

Hakeem
MJ
Barkley
Stockton

Perkins/Thorpe/Willis

2003

Bron
Wade
Melo
Bosh

West/Korver/Hinrich

4 top 25 players all time including 3 top 15 on most peoples' lists in 1983. 2003 is pretty incredible as well and eventhough they have a similar # of likely HOFers; other than Bron, Wade is probably in the 20-30 range; Bosh/Melo are likely not top 100 players of all time.

Moses Malone skipped college in 1974.

They're both def top 100 if you don't adjust for era. I mean, Mitch Richmond is a HoFer.

84 draft is great as they would make a great team.

Hakeem
MJ
Barkley
Stockton

Only spot left is for a SF, and Perk could play there I guess.

Great team indeed , 3 players in line up of 1992 dream team and Hakeem was of course good enough to

Mitch Richmond is a boss. Used to rip up NBA live 95 with him.

RT,

Focusing on the hall of famers Jordan and LeBron faced in the finals seems pretty disingenuous considering lebrons only real competition in the finals. I'd be curious to better understand the whole picture in that regard. I haven't verified but this is interesting:



Jordan obviously played against much better competition since his road to the finals was so much more difficult. The truth is LeBron has only faced real competition about 7 times. Pistons and Celtics teams were past their prime and LeBron still found a way to quit/lose. Also more context needs to be added to the hall of famers discussion each player has been played. Like LeBron faced a thunder team that was way to young, the spurs core was passed their primes, and an injured warriors team last year.

I think it's interesting in the finals two of the times he won he barely did so with a lot of positive variance and hall of famers bailing him out. Of the 4 losses none of them were competitive at all. A classic skull ****ing 4 times in a row. Role players like deshawn Stevenson, Danny green, Jason Terry, iggy, etc all did very well because they were facing LeBron in the clutch.



To your point tho if LeBron goes into God mode against a healthy warriors team that added is, that is probably more impressive than anything Jordan has done.

NBA Live 95 was the best.

No offense bro but you lose a lot of credibility making arguments when you try and say LeBron faced better competition than Jordan. You're not really in a position to act righteous or holier than thou.

Cowardly jumping from super team to super team in an extremely weak east should be correctly accounted for. Having a losing record against the few times he had to face a great team is important considering the path to the finals is a cakewalk.

Also didnt you mention kyrie was simply good but not a star? Kyrie haters are really something. Please let me know if I am mis representing what you said at all.

You're right though I'd have bron >>> Kobe even if Kobe has a lot more alpha of a personality and is way more fierce of a competitor.

dan majerle ftw

check another box for MJ

playing blackjack over other vegas games i mean. not the insecurity

Just impossible to be the GOAT when you're always an underdog

some reddit kid did the math, and assuming $100 bet size you'd be down $33 betting for lebron in the finals and up 12 betting against him. would love to see preseason data as well and then obviously the stats on jordan

Not at all, it just means that player has a heavier work load.

Has Lebron faced any HoFer's in the East other than Bostons big 3?