Shannon Sharpe recently added another point to the neverending Jordan vs LeBron debate. While people often dismiss LeBron based on his Finals record alone, he has beaten some pretty steep competition in the three times he has won.
His first Finals victory against Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2012 Finals. Obviously that team was young and stacked with taken, but James and the Heat were able to dispose of them in just five games.
His second Championship came the very next year in a hard-fought battle with the experienced San Antonio Spurs. With Tim Duncan (one of the greatest big men ever), Gregg Popovich, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili, the Spurs were a huge threat and had already won several titles together in seasons past.
His third, and most impressive, Finals win came over the 73-win Warriors. Led by Steph Curry, they were called the greatest team ever before LeBron James and the Cavs beat them from down 3-1 that year.
That’s a pretty nice track record and one that Shannon Sharpe recently used to give James an edge over Jordan in the GOAT talk.
https://twitter.com/undisputed/status/1244653148653760522
But Sharpe’s argument is a bit flawed. In the 1991 Finals, MJ beat Magic Johnson and the Lakers in five games. Most have Magic above Curry, Duncan, and Durant on the All-Time list.
Not to mention the many other players he prevented from winning a Championship during his run. The list includes Isiah Thomas, Karl Malone, John Stockton, Charles Barkley, Clyde Drexler, Reggie Miller, and Dikembe Mutombo.
Seriously, when it comes to basketball, there isn’t much that Jordasn doesn’t have going for him.
