Jordan or LeBron?

The debate has been going on for a minute now, with due credit to LeBron James as a player - he is arguably the closest we are getting to a decent comparison (although there are others that are arguably so as well). Quite recently, the gates of discussion re-opened when Scottie Pippen: 

“Michael Jordan is probably the greatest scorer to play the game,” Pippen said Friday on “Mike & Mike In The Morning” on ESPN Radio. “But I may go as far as to say LeBron James may be the greatest player to ever play the game because he is so potent offensively that not only can he score at will but he keeps everybody involved.”

This is a pretty bold statement to make. And Pippen got a lot of rap for it. Granted that we can give the title "greatest player to ever play the game" to Jordan - taking note that there are contending questions of Oscar Robertson, Julius Erving, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Bill Russell, Jerry West - with respect to versatility as a player in the sense of possessing all the skills (scoring, ballhandling, passing, defensive ability, etc. etc.) and overall impact on the game. But other than Bill Russell, I don't think anybody else has six championships. Now, with LeBron's first trip to the finals and Dallas just taking the lead 3-2 with a win in Game 5. LeBron has yet to make a claim, on the basketball court, to the question: "who's better?"

Many have compared LeBron and  Michael, primarily comparing stats correlated with age. LeBron entered the league much younger than Jordan did, but in my view that point becomes insignificant as a point of comparison. Once you enter the league, you begin with a blank slate. There have been too many players who carried a lot of pre-NBA hype and turned out to be nothing more than limp disappointment. The NBA is a class of its own. 

Jordan entered the league in 1984 and won his first championship in 1990 with plenty of accolades on the way. LeBron entered the league in 2003 and is at the finals in 2011 with plenty accolades as well. Jordan took 6 years to win after being stymied by the Detroit Pistons for the previous two. Lebron has taken 8 to get there. Apart from any of the stats and the comparability between Jordan and LeBron. The debate really boils down to this: passion and drive to win the game and close. Michael Jordan's determination and how he took over the game down the stretch has not been paralleled by any player today in the league. Although Dwayne Wade and Kobe Bryant make strong cases, they still do not come close. Wade's only convincing statement was Miami's last trip to the finals. Kobe has not been the strong closer, he's been known to be struggling down the stretch in key games. I don't ever recall Michael Jordan failing to get the job done when it was needed. Yes, the Bulls lost a few games during the playoffs but never has he failed to take over the game during those six championships. 

My response to Scottie Pippen: the well-roundedness of a player means nothing without the drive and passion to win. In the past five games of the NBA finals, LeBron James has a TOTAL of eleven points. In games four and five combined: two points. LeBron has not reached Jordan status. LeBron is NOT, at least not now - and who knows about the future - "the greatest player to play the game." In fact, he has yet to make any kind of promise to even be making a claim to "the greatest player to play the game."  The stats don't really matter - LeBron had a very quiet triple double in the game. A triple double doesn't win championships. No one has any right to be in that discussion without championship rings. So far, we know: Jordan got it done. LeBron has not. The only redemption LeBron has left in that debate at this point, is for Miami to win the series and LeBron being a key player down the stretch - either scoring or facilitating the win. In other words, he has to be Jordan these next two games.

Jordan is still "the greatest player to play the game."

When Lebron has six championships and averages 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists during the playoffs of those six championships, let me know. Until then, this debate should rest.