As the NBA gears up for the 2013 post-season, the Miami Heat
will look to repeat last year’s achievement of triumphantly throwing the ball
high into the air in victory in the last game of the season – as a side note, I
never see that ball land back on the court. Where does it go? Who gets to keep
it?
More to the point, as the playoff match-ups begin to be
analyzed and the favourites assessed, I wonder if this will be another year
where LeBron James chips away at Jordan and Kobe’s tallies to sit alongside
them, or possibly alone at the apex of basketball’s best. Can he match them?
Can he better them?
It is a question that began when he entered the league and
is still deliberated today - will LeBron James finish his career as the best
ever, and what does he need to achieve to do so?
When he was ushered into the spotlight as an 18 year old
rookie with the physique and look of a 28 year old, LeBron dazzled analysts and
fans with his power, speed, ability to play with grown men, and most
importantly, the potential to be crowned the best ever in the modern game. The
progression of his career has been a footnote to whether he could fulfill his
initial assessment of erasing the magic of Mike, the mastery of Kobe, and
replacing them as the NBA’s greatest ever.
To understand the task ahead of him, Jordan and Kobe’s
respective numbers must first be accounted for.
Michael Jordan won 6 championships with the Bulls even with
his year and half hiatus where he played terrible baseball for the Chicago
White Sox’s triple A affiliate, but hey, everyone makes bad decisions, just
look at Kobe’s hair in 2000.
In his career Jordan averaged 30.1 points per game. Beyond
the statistics, Jordan is noted as one of the best defensive guards ever, a belief
that is often overshadowed due to his offensive proficiency. Moreover, he was
always a big performer in clutch situations – a trait not all the elite were
blessed with.
When he played he seemed to jump higher, run faster, and
stay in the air longer than was thought possible, and when his body couldn’t
take that sort of physical punishment anymore, under the guidance of Phil
Jackson, he adapted his game and became an unstoppable threat from the
perimeter and his play became much smarter and elegant, as opposed to his
earlier displays of pure power and speed.
He also made millions start dribbling a ball with their
tongues ridiculously hanging out of their mouths, and created a brand of shoes
that still makes millions for Phil Knight to this day. Do you remember those
Reebok Ewing 33s? Nobody wanted those. Everyone wanted Air Jordans.
Kobe Bryant has not been able to match Mike’s commercial
empire, but he has come close on the court.
In his 17 year career, Kobe has amassed 5 championships, and
an average of 25.5 points per game. Like Jordan, he has also been a clutch
performer, playing his best basketball when it matters most. His defense is not
his strongest suit, however his points total and tally of rings clearly places
him among the best. Yet with the sun setting on his playing days and his knees,
ankles, and heels giving way, LeBron lurks close behind.
In 10 years, LeBron James has scored a total of 21,000
points, giving him an average of 27.6 point a game. In that time, he has only
won one championship with the Miami Heat and made himself a pariah in his home
state of Ohio and many other parts of North America with his ridiculously
televised move to South Beach. Although foolish and pretentious at times, it is
his not his numbers that have awed the masses, but the way in which he has
accumulated them.
LeBron stunned the game because as an 18 year old, he played
with more speed, power, and sheer force than seemed natural. When he drives to
the basket, he does so with supremacy, and yet grace. His outside game is
refined and potent and his defense is considered by some, the best in the
league. Essentially, there’s one word that comes to mind when describing his
play – dominant.
He has all the ingredients to become the best ever. The
points total will come, but what is a little more elusive, are the championships.
He needs to win more titles in order to usurp his predecessors.
Detractors may comment that he has better support in Dwyane
Wade and Chris Bosh, but Jordan had Scotty Pippen and Ron Harper. Kobe as well
has had a long list of supporting actors that also included Harper, in addition
to Robert Horry, Derek Fisher, Lamar Odom, and Bryant’s good buddy, Shaquille
O’Neal. Fundamentally, all three players in question have had great teammates,
so the quality of respective teams cannot be debated.
The argument comes down to championships and impact on the
game. Currently, Michael Jordan remains the most influential and decorated, but
James has the second half of his career to try and take Mike of his thrown. It
can be done, but it won’t be easy. LeBron needs to continue what he’s done thus
far, and match the Bulls great for his trophies.
LeBron James can be better than Jordan and Kobe, he just needs
the titles and longevity. That, and one hell of a shoe.
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