A Black Mamba Is No Match For A King

In the 1960's you had Russell and Chamberlain, in the '80's it was Magic and Bird, in the new millennium it's all about Kobe and LeBron. There isn't a person around lacking an opinion on this "great debate." Right or wrong, people pick a side, and there's no flip flopping, you're either a Kobe guy or a LeBron guy; you can not be both.

LeBron James has been called the chosen one and an unstoppable force in today's NBA. LeBron James is a monster, a machine, and a titan on the hardwood. LeBron shuns anyone and everyone that comes in his way and embarasses everyone with him on his journey; whether it be a Gold Medal or an MVP, it doesn't matter, LeBron is there to compete.

He is a god amongst mere mortals, sometimes you just have to look at his game and wonder if this guy is real. I have had to pinch myself several times to wonder how? How is he so good? A question that every basketball player wishes they could answer, but for now, the answer is an unknown.

LeBron makes everyone around him better. Unlike Kobe, LeBron has never had the luxury of playing with multiple future Hall of Famers, while Kobe has played with four players that are either in, or will be in the HOF. He's never had the best coach in the history of the game on his sidelines, and LeBron is yet to play with somebody that's been included in an all-star game.

One thing casual fans always seem to say is, "LeBron needs a defensive team around him to win a title." That my friends, is wrong. He could win a title with an offensive minded team, a defensive minded team, whatever team it doesn't matter. If you surround LeBron with a respectable supporting cast, and a coach that won't completely shut down half way through a playoff series, you'll win a title, period.

I'm also sick of hearing that Kobe is light years ahead of LeBron on the defensive side of the floor, because that simply isn't the case anymore. Considering that LeBron defended the other team's best scorer every night, played the free-safety role better than anyone since Scottie Pippen, defended four different positions, allowed his team to play small or big, and always seemed to have one momentum-altering block per game,  I don't see how you couldn't give LeBron the nod on the defensive side of the floor.

Some people may say, "Oh, well all of that may be well and true, but LeBron is still a terrible on ball defender," again, that's wrong. Let's take a gander at a few of the players stats that LeBron was defending in the playoffs, shall we?

Tayshaun Prince's first round playoff stats:

PPG: 3.8 APG: 3.3 RPG: 3.5 FG%: .259 OWS(Offensive Win Shares): -0.4 PER: -0.4

Joe Johnson's conference semi-finals stats:

PPG: 15.0 APG: 4.3 REB 4.5 FG%: .419 OWS: -0.3 PER: 12.5

As you can see, Joe Johnson and Tayshaun Prince both exposed LeBron James for what he really is; an average help-side defender, who doesn't have the defensive skills, to hang with the best players of league, on that side of the floor.

I really hope you can sense the sarcasm.

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