Bill Laimbeer: James Over Jordan
The NBA Finals are set. The Cleveland Cavaliers will play the Golden State Warriors for the NBA Title. Game 1 is still six days away, which means much will be written about each team and the main players on each. LeBron James easily over shadows every other player on both teams.
James will be playing in his fifth consecutive NBA Finals and has been compared to many of the greats before him, but never more often than to Michael Jordan.
On Thursday morning, former Detroit Pistons superstar and current head coach of the New York Liberty Bill Laimbeer was asked when the conversation not surprisingly drifted towards the question – Jordan or James?
Without hesitation, Laimbeer said he would take James over Jordan. Laimbeer said James can do more than Jordan. Michael could score, make the big shot and look spectacular doing it with the dunks, but LeBron is able to go out score 25 to 30 points and grab 18 rebounds and dish out 15 assists if that is what he chooses to do. If he wanted to just score he likely could scored 50.
Therefore, that triple treat is phenomenal and with his size, he physically dominates making his play very impressive.
Laimbeer and his Bad Bay teammates on the Pistons played the Bulls in four consecutive postseasons. The Pistons won the first three, in part by focusing the entire series on Jordan and working him down physically.
However, Laimbeer does not think a similar game plan would work against LeBron. He said instead of you knocking LeBron down he would knock you down. The man is one of a kind – 6-foot-8, 285 pounds, jumps incredibly, strong and runs like a deer. Laimbeer said he was in awe of LeBron.
However, the NBA Titles question pops its head. If Golden State were to defeat the Cavaliers, then LeBron’s record for NBA titles would drop to 2-4.
Laimbeer does not hesitate to say that the team LeBron has around him could not have been led by Jordan to the finals. He insists that only LeBron has the ability to lead a team that does not have any other stars on it to the Finals.
LeBron, says Laimbeer, came into the NBA knowing how to involve every teammate on the floor, but Jordan did not. The Bulls had to build a talented team around Jordan for him to make it to all the NBA finals he did.
The argument of who is better Jordan or James will continue for years to come. However, it is amazing that one third of those polled still believe Jordan at 52 could take LeBron right now.
