The GOAT debate usually ends with NBA fans arguing very passionately with one another. In the modern era, it has boiled down to a contest between Michael Jordan and LeBron James, although most fans still choose the Bulls legend.
Phil Jackson is naturally far from an unbiased individual in this debate, Michael Jordan was key to helping him win six championships after all. But he knows more about basketball than most people as the most successful coach in the league’s history. And he gave a simple reason as to why MJ is ahead of LeBron James.
“You know, it’s a funny thing, you can’t take anything away from either player,” Jackson said on Stacey King’s Gimme The Hot Sauce podcast. “You can only turn to the fact that Michael went to the Finals six times and won six championships. And it’s kind of funny, how many 7 games in the Finals series did Michael have to go to? He never did, it never happened. We won in six at the most.”
This is what it always comes down to eventually with the GOAT debate, The main differentiator between LeBron James and Michael Jordan is simply that Jordan was unbeaten in the Finals with a 6-0 record, while James has lost six Finals and won only four. The logic is simple but it is hard to argue with. That’s not to say that there aren’t valid points against this argument either.
Julius Erving Presented A Counterpoint To This Argument In The GOAT Debate
It’s tough to definitively claim that either player is the GOAT, although Michael Jordan does have the better case. And while the Finals argument has been made by some of the greatest minds in basketball, a true great in Julius Erving also opposed it.
“What you guys are missing is the game is a team sport,” Erving said during an appearance on Undisputed. “So individuals don’t win championships, teams win championships. And you’re only as good as the team can take you… So 3-5 doesn’t mean anything, I’m more impressed with 8 Finals than I am with the record in the Finals. If he was 0-8 in the Finals, it would still be an amazing achievement. That’s like going to 8 Super Bowls.”
Michael Jordan and LeBron James are both in a league by themselves when it comes to achievements in basketball. Picking a GOAT is a divisive topic and everyone will have their opinions, but Phil Jackson did make a simple and obvious point.
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