LeBron James is an indisputably great player. He has been a legitimate contender for the MVP award in virtually every season of his career. James received the honour four times before his 30th birthday and a good case can be made that he should win the 2015 MVP.
Yet, despite James’ greatness, despite his immense individual accomplishments and despite his two championship rings, there is something missing that is not missing from the sport’s other great multiple-time MVPs/multiple-time champions like Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.
Russell, Abdul-Jabbar, Johnson, Jordan and Bryant did not always win (though Russell came close, with 11 championships in 13 seasons) but they were rarely, if ever, the reason that their teams lost.
James at his best may be as good as anyone who has ever played but there have been some baffling occasions when, at the biggest moments, James was not at his best.
How could the game’s best and most talented player just disappear in Game 5 of the 2010 Eastern Conference semi-finals versus Boston?
James’ Cleveland Cavaliers had posted the best record in the league and enjoyed home court advantage but in that pivotal contest James came up empty with 15 points on 3-14 field goal shooting. That is the kind of game in which Jordan or Bryant would have scored 40 or 50 points or Johnson would have produced a line like 22 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds.
In 2011, James took his talents to Miami and during the NBA Finals he was not only outplayed by Dirk Nowitzki but for long, critical stretches of the series he was outplayed by Jason Terry.
James is often classified as a pass first player even though he has the third highest scoring average (27.4 ppg) in regular season history and the fifth highest scoring average (28.0 ppg) in playoff history. James is a dominant scorer who also happens to be a gifted passer; he and his teams have enjoyed their greatest playoff success when James has accepted the responsibility of being a big-time scorer.
In 2012 and 2013, James lived up to expectations by playing at an extremely high level while leading the Miami Heat to back-to-back titles.
Miami’s run ended as Kawhi Leonard, previously considered a good but not great player, outplayed James and won the 2014 Finals MVP as Leonard’s San Antonio Spurs dethroned the Heat.
James could have stayed in Miami and tried to lead the Heat to a fifth straight NBA Finals appearance – a feat that has not been accomplished since Russell’s Boston Celtics advanced to 10 straight finals (1957-66) – but instead he returned home to Cleveland and the comforts of a younger, presumably more talented supporting cast.
When James’ Cavaliers started slowly, James proclaimed that he was in “chill mode” and it seemed reasonable to wonder if physical ailments and/or mental fatigue had taken the edge off of James’ game.
Once the calendar turned from 2014 to 2015, James flipped from “chill mode” to, as NBA Radio commentator Tom Byrne called it, “kill mode” and again became a dominant player as the Cavaliers posted the best record in the league (26-6) since January 15.
Jordan did not have a “chill mode.” He insisted that he gave his all in every game because at each arena there might be someone who is seeing him for the first and possibly only time. Jordan wanted each such person to know just how great he is.
Jordan played in all 82 games in nine of his 15 seasons. He missed 64 games because of a broken foot in his second season (1985-86) and he only played in 17 games in 1994-95 when he returned to the NBA after his minor league baseball sojourn.
Jordan only played fewer than 80 games in two other seasons. In his final season, he played all 82 games, dragging a gimpy leg up and down the court at 39 years of age.
LeBron James has already accomplished a lot and if he stays healthy he probably has another half dozen excellent seasons left in his career – but he just seems somehow to lack that ‘it’ factor that oozes out of Russell, Abdul-Jabbar, Johnson, Jordan and Bryant.
Ilias Mavromatis
Guest
I will say James picked a particularly bad example for those who know that game. Yes, Jordan did not touch the ball in the last play against Phoenix, but before that Jordan was the only Bull who could score in the fourth quarter while everyone else was falling apart under pressure. The Bulls scored 12 points in the fourth quarter, including Paxson's three, and I'm pretty sure the other nine points were all from Jordan. And Jordan played 44 minutes, scored 33 points, had 8 rebounds and 7 assists. Paxson and Kerr was wide open because MJ was doubled in the finals, Ray Allen made a 3 after Lebron bricks 2 three ponts atempt.
David Friedman
Expert
Express34Texas: You understand the point I made in my article and that I expanded upon here in the comments section. Game fives at home in a tied series are huge and they are games that great players can/should lead their teams to victory. As you note, game five of the 2010 Finals was actually played in Boston due to the 2-3-2 format, so in 15 opportunities Magic/Jordan/Kobe never lost a game five at home in a 2-2 series. You are also right on target about LeBron's Finals resume. No one is "blaming" LeBron for making it to the Finals five times but LeBron was outplayed by role players in two Finals losses (and he did not distinguish himself in 2007, either). In a 2010 article (http://20secondtimeout.blogspot.com/2010/05/kobe-bryant-adds-to-his-glittering.html) I mentioned several of Bryant's playoff accomplishments, including the one you pointed out regarding setting the NBA record by scoring at least 30 points in eight straight road closeout games. Bryant's playoff resume is not just a little better than LeBron's; it is much better in terms of length, total accomplishment, individual accomplishment (numerous significant records, including the 30 point games in road closeouts) and team success (five championships).
k
Guest
I might add... what Lebron, Bird, Magic, Pippen, Bird, Thomas, Ginobili and a few others have and had in spades, that neither Jordan nor kobe ever had, was the ability to make everyone else maximize their potential and play better. Jordan learned along the way, but still, the one coordinating the offense in the championship years was Pippen, not him. Lebron had that from the very first game he played in the NBA
k
Guest
I think Lebron is a great player with great vision and uncanny physical attibutes. Still, people keeps comparing him to jordan, when in fact their games are very dissimilar. For one, Michael Jordan would not pass the ball in critical situations even if double teamed (although exeptions happenned), while Lebron would pass it if another player was in a better postion. In this regard his style of play compares much better to Scottie Pippen, Larry Bird, Grand Hill, Hardaway, Ginobili and other very capable scorers that just happened to have a pass first mentality. And with the advent of social media, no player in history has received as much scrutiny as this kid and actually DELIVER and in some way exceed the ridiculous expectations people and him had put on himself. Just for this, he deserves all the posible respect and admiration. On the other hand, as great as he is, i commonly hear people just dont like him. Wether its his demeanor or his game people dont relate to him. He is a freak of nature, with the speed of a point guard, the vertical jump and skills of a shooting guard, the body of a very big power forward. Who can have that? but that is not his fault. What i think the problem is is one of authenticity... the guy just tries too much. He tries to speak cool, to look cool. And his game is just not as smooth as the players mentioned above, so his movements dont seem so natural, because again, he tries to play in ways that dont suit his physical attributes (what about a post game?) I just hope that now he enters the last part of his prime, he´ll be able to adjust his game, just as jordan did.
express34texas
Guest
Those were very interesting points in the home game 5 scenario when the series is tied 2-2. It's such a huge game. And especially when the 2010 Cavs were heavy favorites. I know most James' fans aren't used to hearing anything remotely negative about him, but I also agree how obvious it was that he wasn't very playing hard, shouldn't be that hard to see. You have a point about the Finals' records; however, I think going 2-3 is better than 2-0. However, James played miserably in all 3 of his Finals' losses, including getting outplayed by role players in 2 of them(Terry in 11, and Leonard in 14). That is just unheard of from the supposed all-time greats. It's one thing if he plays hard and another great player just outplays him, but this is totally different. Just one thing about the 2010 LAL/BOS series. Since it was the finals, and it was still 2-3-2 format, game 5 was in Boston. That brings the Kobe/Jordan/Magic outcomes to 15-0 in home game 5's when tied 2-2. The bottom line is that these players brought the goods in pressure situations. I think Kobe holds the record for closeout road playoff games scoring at least 30 points @ 8. Would've been 9, but game 6 in the NO series in 2011 wasn't that close.
David Friedman
Expert
Iain: I know because I was there, because I spoke with the players, the coaches and other personnel involved in the series and because I watched what happened with my own eyes after years of watching many other LeBron performances with my own eyes. Do you think if you were playing your hardest or just dogging it no one would be able to tell the difference without a psychology degree and a lot of investigation? Kobe went 5-2 in the Finals and he also carried Smush Parker/Kwame Brown to the playoffs twice. LeBron twice had the top seed in the East without even making it to the Finals. LeBron has gone 2-3 in the Finals. Those are just some of the reasons I can say with confidence that LeBron's playoff resume does not measure up to Kobe's. I could--and have--written about this subject at much greater length in articles for various publications during that era.
David Friedman
Expert
Iain: I did not even mention 2007 in my article, though it has been discussed here in the comments section. In 2004, the Lakers suffered injuries to Malone and Fisher, plus Payton suddenly aged 200 years and could no longer guard anyone. (I am waiting for someone to challenge my statement by saying that during the NBA Finals in 2004 Payton did not literally age 200 years, so my statement is biased). Phil Jackson has said that the Malone injury was the number one factor in the series and that Kobe had to wear himself out on defense because Payton was so deficient. Without Kobe, the injury-riddled 2004 Lakers would have been swept in the 2004 Finals. You can say that he did not play well or did not play as well as usual but he did not quit; he did not play fundamentally differently than usual.
Iain Quinn
Guest
Game 4 of the 08 finals down 2-1, at home, Kobe goes 6-19 for 17 points, lakers lose. Game 6 on the road, 7-22 for 22 points, lakers eliminated. Lebron in the game 5 2010 3-14.... In the game you claim he quit, and was standing listlessly on the perimeter, he somehow managed to attack the hoop enough to get to the line 12 times.... Did he play well? No. But to say he quit is your personal opinion, nothing more.
Iain Quinn
Guest
For gods sake I accidentally posted early, then tried to edit into a much larger post, went outside the 10 min limit and lost it all. Main point was that the lakers were heavy favourites in 04 while the cavs were underdogs in 07. Kobe had shaq who put up 26 on 60% shooting, but instead of dumping the ball inside or attacking the basket he launched bad jumpers... After 11 free throw attempts a night he took only 5 in the 04 finals.... When Lebron didn't attack in 2010 you say he quit.... So what do you call Kobe's 04? Surely they need to be held to the same standards? Lebron had 22 7 and 7 at 36%, big Z was next on the scorers list with 12 at 50% Kobe had a couple of viable alternatives in 04 - attack the basket or feed shaq. What exactly were Lebrons alternatives in 07? He had no other superstar like shaq or even another all-star like a Chris Bosh to split the defences attention. To be honest I think it's harsh to say either were the reason their teams went down, they took what they could against teams that were very good defensively, but if you're going to say Lebrons 07 series is evidence that he doesn't belong in the MJ, Russell, Bird, Magic discussion, you have to say the same for Kobe's 04 series.
Iain Quinn
Guest
How do you know he wasn't injured or sick? How do you know that he didn't receive some devastating personal news right before the game? I agree that he doesn't measure up to Jordan (who does) but I don't see how you can say Lebrons playoff failures are any worse than Kobe's. 2004 finals he shot 38% while averaging 22 pts, 3 boards and 4.5 assists... Hoisting bad jumper after bad jumper instead of attacking the bucket,
David Friedman
Expert
Fitzy: Jordan averaged 36.7 ppg in the three game fives he had at home with the series tied 2-2. His lowest scoring game of the bunch came in a blowout or he would have scored more. You are missing the larger point that I made. Magic, Jordan and Bryant went 15-1 in such games. The greatest of the great win such games. I disagree with you that it is impossible to tell if a player has quit. You can tell if a player is playing hard or if he is dogging it. I don't know why James quit and will not speculate about that but I know what I saw.
David Friedman
Expert
Pete: Here is some information about Kobe Bryant’s performances in game fives at home with the series tied 2-2: Utah, 2008: 26 points, six rebounds, seven assists in a Lakers win. The Lakers won the series in six games. Houston, 2009: 26 points, four rebounds, three assists in a Lakers win. The Lakers won the series in seven games. Denver, 2009: 22 points, five rebounds, eight assists in a Lakers win. The Lakers won the series in six games. Oklahoma City, 2010: 13 points, three rebounds, seven assists in a Lakers win. The Lakers won the series in six games. Phoenix, 2010: 30 points, 11 rebounds, nine assists in a Lakers win. The Lakers won the series in six games. Boston, 2010: 38 points, five rebounds, four assists in a Lakers loss. The Lakers won the series and the championship in seven games. New Orleans, 2011: 19 points, 12 rebounds, four assists in a Lakers win. The Lakers won the series in six games. Denver, 2012: 43 points, six rebounds, five assists in a Lakers win. The Lakers won the series in seven games. Bryant played in eight game fives at home with the series tied 2-2. His teams won seven of those game fives and all eight of those series, meaning that when a playoff series went deep and his team enjoyed home court advantage Bryant found a way to help his team prevail. He did not quit and he was never the reason that his teams lost such series. Bryant averaged 27.1 ppg in those games. Bryant also played in five game fives on the road with the series tied 2-2. Bryant’s teams went 2-3 in those game fives but ended up winning three of the five series. Bryant averaged 28.4 ppg in those game fives. I should not have said that anyone would go for 50 points in a given playoff game, because 50 point playoff games are pretty rare—but the substance of my assertion was that Magic, Jordan and Bryant would do what they did best and find a way to lead their teams to victories in those situations. Magic went 5-0 in such games, Jordan went 3-0 and Bryant went 7-1 (but his team went on to win the series in which they lost in game five). Thus, Magic, Jordan and Bryant went a combined 15-1 in game fives at home and their teams won all 16 series when they had home court advantage and were tied 2-2. This should make it clear just how big of a blemish that game five versus Boston in 2010 is on LeBron James’ resume. When all-time great players face a 2-2 situation at home they come through and carry their teams to victory. James quit and his team went down in flames. Throw in James’ performances in the 2007, 2011 and 2014 Finals and you have a lot more subpar efforts/outcomes than one would expect to see from a player of James’ caliber.
Fitzy84
Guest
By putting those stats and showing jordan scored 40 or more once you have shown your statement of mj would've scored 40 or 50 is in fact bs . On the other statement of lebron quit you do not know that unless he has come out publically and admitted it or said it to you personally it is not fact you can write in my opinion but treating it as fact because a group of guys behind a keyboard said it is makes no sense Thanks
Johnno
Guest
Epic post back to Pete's epic post Dave love it.
David Friedman
Expert
Pete: Here is some information about Magic Johnson’s performances in game fives at home with the series tied 2-2: Philadelphia, 1980: 14 points, 10 assists, 15 rebounds in a Lakers win. The Lakers won the series and the championship in six games. Boston, 1985: 26 points, 17 assists, six rebounds in a Lakers win. The Lakers won the series and the championship in six games. Dallas, 1986: 29 points, 14 assists, seven rebounds in a Lakers win. The Lakers won the series in six games. Utah, 1988: 20 points 13 assists, three rebounds in a Lakers victory. The Lakers won the series in seven games. Dallas, 1988: 15 points, 20 assists, six rebounds in a Lakers victory. The Lakers won the series in seven games. So, in my article I said that in a hypothetical game five at home with the series tied 2-2, Magic would go for 22 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds. Magic faced that situation five times in his career and he averaged 20.8 ppg, 14.8 apg and 7.4 rpg. I think that it is safe to say that my statement is “based in fact.”
josh
Roar Rookie
I don't know if Jordan would have handled the social media, as well as James has.
astro
Guest
Think you're being a bit nostalgic here, JP. This stuff about Lebron not have the same "feel" for the game, or as David calls it in his article, 'it factor', is just your perspective and personal beliefs towards Lebron vs the others. There's simply no evidence for it. I'm 35, so remember the glory days of the 90s well, but when I talk to my 18yr old brother-in-law, he thinks Kobe and Lebron "look" and "feel" much more exciting and have much more "it factor" than the greats we're talking about. Again, just his perspective. As for today's game being softer, and defences being weaker, we have plenty of evidence to show this is nonsense. Again nostalgia gets in the way. Its very true that today's game doesn't have the great centres of the past, but rule changes allow teams to stack the paint in ways they couldn't previously, so when Lebron beats his man and gets to the hole, he might not face Ewing or Hakeem, but he has a tougher time scoring. Zach Lowe has the best breakdown of this: http://grantland.com/features/packing-paint-nba-defensive-strategy-forcing-coaches-rethink-their-offense/
Astro
Guest
Fair enough, but surely Hakeem is not ahead of him?
David Friedman
Expert
JP: Thank you for taking my article at face value and considering what I actually said.
David Friedman
Expert
Pete: Thank you for taking the time to read my article and write such an in depth comment. While I appreciate your time and effort, I disagree with several of your statements/conclusions. In 2010, LeBron James' Cavs had the best record in the NBA and owned home court advantage throughout the playoffs. They played Boston in game five at home. In a tied series, the game five winner wins the series about 80% of the time (I should have specified tied series in my earlier comment but I thought that was obvious, since that was the relevant situation). James quit and the Cavs were blown out. You don't have to be a master psychologist to know that James quit. Just watch how James normally plays and watch that game. Imagine how hard you or anyone else would play if your life were on the line; imagine how hard you would play if you did not care about the outcome. Do you really think that it would take a psychology degree to be able to discern the difference? I think that it is not as difficult as you suggest to gauge if someone is playing hard or if someone is quitting. For comparison purposes, the only actual games from Jordan's career that are close to matching this situation (2-2 series, game five at home) are as follows: Cleveland, 1989 (this was an elimination game, since the second round series at that time lasted five games not seven, and Jordan played on the road since Cleveland had home court advantage in the series): 44 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 17-32 field goal shooting, 101-100 Chicago win. Detroit, 1989 (this game was played on the road, not at home): 18 points, 9 assists, 5 rebounds, 4-8 field goal shooting, 94-85 Detroit win. Detroit also won game six. Detroit 1990 (this game was played on the road, not at home): 22 points, 8 assists, 4 rebounds, 7-19 field goal shooting, 97-83 Detroit win. Detroit won the series in seven games. The Bulls were so dominant during their 1991 championship run that they never had a 2-2 series. New York, 1992: 37 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 11-23 field goal shooting, 96-88 Chicago win. Chicago won the series in seven games. Cleveland, 1992: 37 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds, 13-28 field goal shooting, 112-89 Chicago win. Chicago won the series in six games. Portland, 1992 (this game was played on the road): 46 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 14-23 field goal shooting, 119-106 Chicago win. Chicago won the series in six games. New York, 1993 (this game was played on the road): 29 points, 14 assists, 10 rebounds, 11-24 field goal shooting, 97-94 Chicago win. Chicago won the series in six games. The Bulls had a 3-1 lead in the 1993 Finals when they lost game five (so it does not fit in with the 2-2 series situation described here). Jordan had 41 points in that defeat and then the Bulls won the title in game six. Orlando, 1995 (this game was played on the road): 39 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 15-28 field goal shooting, 103-95 Orlando win. Orlando won the series in six games. The 1996 Bulls were so dominant they never had a 2-2 series during their championship run. Utah, 1997 (this game was played on the road): 38 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 13-27 field goal shooting, 90-88 Chicago win. Chicago won the series and the title in six games. Indiana, 1998: 29 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 12-20 field goal shooting, 106-87 Chicago win. Chicago won the series in seven games. So, I said in my article that in a hypothetical game five situation at home with a 2-2 series I thought that Jordan would go for 40 or 50 instead of quitting like LeBron James did. Jordan actually faced three such situations in his career, scoring 44, 37 and 29 in three wins for a 36.7 ppg average. That 29 point game was a blowout or else Jordan would/could have scored more. Jordan also had five game fives on the road in a 2-2 series. That is a tougher task, of course, playing on the road against a team with a better record. In those games, Jordan averaged 32.6 ppg and his teams went 2-3. Jordan did not quit in any of those games and he was not the reason for the three losses. James played poorly against the Spurs in 2007 but that was early in his career and the Cavs were not favorites. That series has been mentioned in the extensive comments section following my article but I did not include it in my article. Somehow you missed not only the title of the Leonard article (Kawhi Leonard wreaking havoc on LeBron) but also the points about how well Leonard denied James the ball and forced James to do things he did not want to do. If you don't like that particular article, you can google LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard to find plenty of articles about how well Leonard played against James. My point about James' shooting versus passing is that James and others like to characterize him as a pass-first, Magic Johnson-type player. The reality is that James is a shoot-first player who is also a gifted passer. That is to his credit as an all-around player but James won his two championships (and took the Cavs to the 2007 Finals) when he accepted the burden of being a big-time scorer. His teams need him to score. The passing is a bonus. If you look at James' scoring averages in his NBA Finals' appearances, you will see the clear correlation between his increased scoring and his team's increased success. Saying that James is a pass-first player is code for saying that he is not selfish and also a way to excuse the games when James does not score a lot by saying he was looking to pass. When a player averages 28-30 ppg during the regular season and playoffs and then, in the biggest games, decides to pass to teammates who have hardly shot the ball all season long that is not being unselfish. That is quitting and/or being scared of the moment. That is why Wade told James flat out that James had to score more and be more aggressive in the playoffs, not just in the regular season. Jordan retired in 1993 after going 3-0 in the NBA Finals. Retiring is not quitting. Maybe you need a new dictionary. LeBron James quit at home in game five of a winnable playoffs series while playing for the team with the best record in the league. Jordan retired in the offseason after his father was shot and killed. Then Jordan came back less than two years later and won three more titles. I don't know why you and other people take such umbrage at the mere thought of comparing James to a few of the greatest players ever or why you and others think it is necessary to twist numbers, facts and history to somehow supposedly defend the honor of a player who I said is one of the best ever and who deserves this year's MVP.