LeBron James is the Michael Jordan of our generation, without a doubt

Is the face of the NBA and Cleveland Cavaliers’ franchise, LeBron James, the Michael Jordan of our generation?

If there was no Michael Jordan before him, LeBron James, Godfather of the Cleveland Cavaliers, would be Michael Jordan.

However, there was a “Michael Jordan”, a destroyer of teams and bringer of rings. He won six rings, in six attempts. As Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue rightly pointed out when speaking to The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski, he’s the reason Hall of Famers like Charles Barkley and Patrick Ewing don’t have a ring.

"“Michael Jordan, the same way,” Cleveland Cavaliers coach Ty Lue told The Vertical on Friday night. “There’s a reason why guys like Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing and Reggie Miller don’t have championships, because of Michael Jordan. And now, in this era, because of LeBron James.”"

Jordan was a transcendent figure in the sport with his on-court play, his signature shoes and his role in the classic movie Space Jam. His showmanship and dominance made him the brand ambassador for the NBA.

Later, movies like “Like Mike” would send a subliminal message to the youngest generation that Jordan was the best player the game ever had. Even if they never watched him play, they would know who Jordan was and what he meant to the game.

He toyed with his competition. Taunted them. Terrorized them.

He was the greatest player in the game and after he climbed up the all-time leaderboards, the greatest player in NBA history.

James is on a path to do the same thing.

Nevermind that he’s won three rings in seven attempts. Two of the teams James took the NBA Finals (2007, 2015) were mediocre in comparison to any championship-level team Jordan was on. One of those teams (2014), featured the worst iteration of Dwyane Wade that we’ve seen in his 14-year career.

If Scottie Pippen had Wade’s knees or James’ teams in ’07 or ’15, well, Jordan might not be 6-0 in the NBA Finals.

Must Read: Who's To Blame For LeBron's 2011 NBA Finals Loss

In James’ two most recent Finals losses (2014, 2015), and his first Finals appearance (2007), the general consensus is that those losses aren’t on him.

The Dallas Mavericks squad that defeated a fatigued James in the 2011 Finals?

They swept Kobe Bryant’s Los Angeles Lakers in the second round. Bryant, the notorious scorer, only averaged 23.3 points per game and shot 22.7 percent from three-point range during the series.

Perhaps, the biggest story about the 2011 NBA Finals was how underrated that Mavericks team was.

In the three wins, James showed what makes him this generation’s Jordan. He beat the best and kept the others from even sniffing a ring.

First, he defeated the young Kevin Durant-led Thunder and started the beginning of the end for the franchise; then he defeated the San Antonio Spurs, the greatest basketball organization of this era; finally, he defeated the Golden State Warriors, who have fielded the best regular season team in NBA history and have been the most transcendent shooting team in NBA history as well.

On the way to the NBA Finals, the Paul Pierce-led Boston Celtics were forced to dismantle their core after losing to James and the Heat in both the 2010 and 2011 playoffs.

Pierce and Kevin Garnett eventually joined Deron Williams and Joe Johnson with the Brooklyn Nets. All four would lose to James in the 2014 playoffs. Johnson had previously lost to James in 2009.

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James didn’t keep Pierce and Garnett from winning a ring, as they won a championship in 2010. However, he did keep Johnson, who is 9th on the NBA’s all-time three-point leaderboard and has more than 20,000 career points, from winning one.

In 2009 and 2010, Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls lost to James and the Cavs and then James and the Heat.

Rose, who was under pressure to beat James and go to the Finals, not to actually be Jordan and win six rings (as James has always been), had his career derailed by injuries after being named the 2010-2011 NBA MVP at 22-years-old. If James didn’t exist, Rose could have eased himself back into MVP form.

However, the pressure of success pushed Rose to push his body to its breaking point time and time again. He was eventually traded to the New York Knicks after years mired by injury and disappointment.

Paul George is one of the best small forwards in the NBA and a player who was being called the best two-way player in the game before Kawhi Leonard came around, even while James was around.

George has lost to James four times in the NBA playoffs (2012, 2013, 2014, 2017) and is without a doubt the player most effected by James’ reign. In 2013, George and the Pacers took James and the Heat to seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals.

After dropping 28 points on James and the Heat in a Game 6 win, George was held to 7 points in Game 7.

James had 39.

The Pacers would lost to the Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals again the next year, this time in six games.

This is what George had to say following his most recent loss to James, as the Pacers were swept in the first round of the 2017 playoffs:

George is expected to opt out of his contract in the 2018 offseason and join the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Atlanta Hawks were swept by James and the Cavs for two straight postseasons (2015, 2016), the first time coming in the Eastern Conference Finals. They then traded Kyle Korver to the Cavs and could end up trading Paul Millsap in the offseason. They’re currently going through a front office change.

Former Hawks center Al Horford joined the Boston Celtics in the 2016 offseason, presumably for a better chance at defeating James.

For what it’s worth, the Hawks have been eliminated from this year’s playoffs after losing in the first round. The Celtics currently have a 2-1 lead on the Washington Wizards in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

The Celtics are doing their utmost to defeat James in the playoffs too, attempting to sign Kevin Durant last year and pair him with Horford before exploring trades for Jimmy Butler and Paul George this season.

The Toronto Raptors are on the verge of being swept by James and the Cavs for two straight postseasons as well, even after adding Ibaka via trade. Some are already expecting head coach Dwane Casey to be fired and three-time All-Star Kyle Lowry to leave in free agency.

With James around, DeMar Derozan could end up being the best Toronto Raptors player in franchise history but never win a ring.

Along the way to six straight NBA Finals appearances (and counting), James has been taunting his opponents. Toying with them. Terrorizing them.

Look at James taunting Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry after this blocked shot from the 2016 NBA Finals.

After the Finals, James caused a 73-9 team to add a former MVP in Durant.

Or James’ behavior against the Toronto Raptors in the playoffs.

Or the way he flexes and shoulder shrugs after tossing guys aside under the rim.

His answers in postgame press conferences that is always a Q&A session where reporters want James to explain his greatness for the millionth time, but differently. His answers overlap sometimes but there are, in fact, about a million reasons for James’ greatness.

As James’ teammate James Jones pointed out to USA TODAY Sports’ Jeff Zillgitt, James is trying to master every aspect of the game.

"And what is Jones seeing now through six games of Cleveland’s postseason run with James averaging 34.2 points, 9.2 rebounds and 7.3 assists while shooting 56.6% from the field and 48.4% on three-pointers?“He’s seeking mastery of the game on all levels”"

Shooting, post-play, playmaking, defense, mental acuity, leadership. James can do it all.

Some aspects of his game, like passing, three-point shooting, basketball IQ and post play, have reached levels that Jordan never reached.

(For his part, Jordan still has that squeaky clean Finals record James would never have while being a midrange assassin.)

Off-the-court, James is expected to star in “Space Jam 2”, the sequel to Jordan’s most famous film. He’s light years ahead of where Jordan was as an activist at this time. Despite the success of Jordan’s shoe line, James’ business savvy is unparalleled with his numerous stock investments, lifetime deal with Nike and his own shoe line. He’s also on the verge of being a Hollywood star, starring in films while also producing and directing various projects including films, game shows and a HBO documentary on Muhammad Ali.

He’s respected off-the-court in ways that Jordan can’t come close to, honestly.

In fact, I would offer up this comparison. Ali is seen as the best boxer ever and is infamous for what he meant to society. Jordan has been seen as the best basketball player ever.

James can be seen as the best basketball player ever and will be infamous for what he meant to society while also being a savvy business man bound for Hollywood stardom. Or politics.

As far as what he’s done on-the-court, James is the most dominant, influential, transcendent and unbeatable and unforgettable basketball player of this decade. He’s been “The Chosen One” since his junior year in high school. Drafted first overall by his hometown team in 2003 and surpassing all reasonable expectations for his career.

Meeting even the unreasonable.

If anything, the only reason James wouldn’t be seen as this generation’s Jordan is because he’s also this generation’s Ali.

Related Story: Will Dwyane Wade chase rings, join Cavs?

Do you think LeBron James is this generation’s Michael Jordan? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section or Twitter @KJG_NBA.

*All stats courtesy of www.basketball-reference.com