Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James: NBA Greatness vs. Scottie Pippen Silliness

Ex-Chicago Bull Scottie Pippen recently compared Michael Jordan and LeBron James, insinuating that the Miami Heat star is the better scorer, if not player.  In a stunning display....

Some people bought into this foolishness.

Granted, Pippen played beside Jordan in Chicago, and he had a better than front-row view of the consensus best NBA player of our generation. 

Considering the communal bond of sweat, sacrifice and "six" that the two accomplished together, it comes as even more of a shock to hear the words from his mouth.  Some would argue that he meant James to be the better "athlete" and Jordan to be the "best player." 

In either case, I sense some jealousy.  What else could it be?  Nothing in the history or the numbers supports the notion.

Calling somebody jealous is a scathing remark, but I can fathom no other explanation for such a bold, unwarranted claim.

The concept of being better is not an argument of near-equal caliber.  You have to understand that to boast this claim.  Better is better, and to split hairs is pointless.  To affirm the notion of LeBron as a superior athlete, you'd have to be able to clearly construct a sequence of factors that indicates his superiority.

LeBron better than Mike?

I beg for an answer to the one-word question on many of our minds:  HOW?

I understand that his teammate would have the most intimate knowledge of Jordan's talents, and the same could be said for any Chicago Bull of the late 1980s through Jordan's final season in 1998.  The games are where the testaments to greatness are written; stat-filled practices are published in no annals.  Games are televised; we see the action as much as anybody.  We all had the glory of watching both of these great athletes play in remarkable basketball games.  Truly, aside from strategies that only team members would be privy to, we had an excellent—if not better—view to gage these phenoms.

I'm not saying the argument can't be made for the "King's" superior athleticism or his overall offensive talent.  I AM saying there's no way a rational person can make a decisive argument to even imply that LeBron James could be better than Michael Jordan.

And, by no rational person, I obviously must include Scottie Pippen, who must have been daydreaming his way through two three-peats.  Perhaps it was delusions of grandeur that evoked such envy...

The results were not muddied! It was clear Jordan was the finest player in the NBA through his prime and into retirement.  His final play with the Bulls was a career defining moment, stripping the ball from Karl Malone, the best opposing player on the court, and not even giving the Salt Lake crowd the courtesy of hitting the rim.  His last shot won the Bulls' sixth NBA Championship.

Before that moment, I'll never forget Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals.  The Jazz had won two straight games to tie the series, and this pivotal game was tied nearing the end of regulation.  No road team had yet to win in those finals, but Jordan hit a critical three-pointer in the final minutes of a 90-88 Bulls victory.  He had 39 points and 11 rebounds.  He also had the flu.  After vomiting all day, he nearly took an IV-drip during the game.  And he delivered a near-knockout to the Jazz.

Conversely, I'll never forget the Game 5 where LeBron James showed his swagger.  Against the Boston Celtics, the Cleveland Cavaliers were being outclassed.  The game continues to be shown in frequent syndication for LeBron's lazy approach, and his intention to fight through adversity was not illustrated by any on-court evidence.  It was obvious that James had pushed the team further than they should have gone, much like Jordan in his early career.  For Jordan, the Pistons were the hurdle.  Unlike Jordan, LeBron seemed lackadaisical.  At best, he was out of sorts, and—at worst—he had quit on the team he'd carried. 

For "Mike," there were handshakes and sportsmanship.  Another year and another postseason, it was silence for LeBron James, whose absence from accountability after a playoff loss to the Orlando Magic had fans infuriated. 

Attitude is a huge factor toward being the best.  It's that commitment to a craft which elevates a player to the highest level.  As determination and sportsmanship are concerned, edge: Jordan.

Nevertheless, the purest of arguers would take a look at ice-cold numbers, which are impervious to persuasions such as attitude and Scottie Pippen.  The fact is that LeBron, at this point in his career, is slightly better at grabbing rebounds but sparingly, ousting Jordan in the category by about 0.8 rebounds per game.James is also better from the arc, hitting over 30% of his three-point attempts.  Jordan hit just under 30% of these efforts.

These are hair-line edges, but in the largely important category of free-throw shooting and scoring inside the arc, Jordan reigns as supreme.  Men who stand on the perimeter tend to watch the game, so the value of being able to score down low is immense. 

It seems like every other game has a clutch free throw or ten, and in the most rudimentary of basketball skills, James connects on less then three-fourths of his free throws.  Jordan was consistently an 85 %free throw shooter, a decided edge in the clutch. 

It's also simple math that refutes James as a better scorer, as Jordan's 35 points per game in the playoffs is far superior to LeBron's 28.  Jordan hit more than half of his shots, while James hits less than half with consistency.

The next argument naturally relates to the teammates.  Yes, James played with the Cavaliers, but the stats above reflect a time frame before Jordan was annually surrounded by a 65-win team.  In fact, now that he is in Miami, LeBron should have no excuses.  I think one could easily argue Dwyane Wade as a top-tier NBA player, superior to Scottie Pippen, who played a great deal of his career supporting Mike.  In fact, Scottie's final eight seasons in Chicago can be summed up with a simple formulaic truth:

No Jordan=No Ring (or No Playoffs); Jordan=Ring

In LeBron's case, it's not as easy to discern who supports who...Dwyane Wade continues to put up impressive numbers, and he won a title with the Heat before the King graced South Beach. 

Are we going to argue Dwyane Wade is better than Michael Jordan?

Both men are given consideration for their defensive play, but Jordan was considered one of the finest defenders in the game.  He brought his skill set to the forefront when his steal against Malone, mentioned above, set Chicago up for a second three-peat.  Simply, LeBron awaits his legacy-defining moment.  Jordan retired on his, say...seventeenth defining moment?

Oddly, that's one thing both have in common—breaking hearts in Cleveland.  MJ's shot to oust the Cavs in Game 5 of the 1989 playoffs was another one of those "it" moments for the man they call "Mike." 

The final argument for Jordan's clear superiority is perhaps the simplest of all:  six NBA Championships.  Sure, it's about the team, but every champion athlete has to admit that without some semblance of a team they'd have fallen short.  The fact is that Jordan's personal role in every finals was critical, and he secured career-greatness in each trip with individual performances that brought the Bulls to historical heights.  LeBron has to hope that this era, the Wade-Bosh-James era, is the most fruitful of his life.  Otherwise, there's no reason to even debate this topic. 

I heard the most idiotic rebuttal on the radio this morning, asserting that Dan Marino is superior to Terry Bradshaw in the same way that LeBron is to Jordan.  I agree that Marino is better than Bradshaw, but the hogwash of this argument is the difference between the games.

In football, Bradshaw's titles were largely predicated on a defense that he had no part in and a style of play that catered to his skill set.  Marino's team was ironically built by Don Shula in none of the ways that the coach developed his championship teams, foregoing the focus on balance and defense.  Rose-colored glasses blinded Shula into believing Marino's passing game could do it alone, thus dooming Dan's championship aspirations from the start.

Basketball is a different game, where each player has a larger impact on both offense and defense.  The phases of the game are fewer, and as one man of a unit of five, each player's role is more clearly influential on the outcome of games.  In other words, while Marino passed for 400 yards and lost, Jordan could score points and contribute to the same defense that was holding his lead.

Basketball allows great two-way players to shine.    

Now that his supporting cast is "sufficient," LeBron can attempt to close the statistical gap, win five or six championships, and show the indomitable spirit of a man he'd be wise to look up to. 

Then, and only then, could this debate really be waged with any sort of equity for the outmatched LeBron James.   With the pieces in place for NBA greatness, the "King" would do well to stop and think the next time he wants to lag or act like he's never been there before.  Sometimes, a simple shoulder shrug suffices.  He should say to himself, "I wanna' be like Mike."

Who knows?  Ten years and six titles later, maybe he will be...

And for Scottie Pippen and the rest of the crew, who are so certain of James' superiority, I'd be careful.  It's a hot topic now, but what if he loses?    And if he wins, what if he would have lost?

Keeping in perspective how fluid legacies can be, the media will chastise him.  This conversation will end and any notion of his superiority to Jordan will be left for the meek.

Jordan is better.  And as for potential...it's always wise to just wait and see!