Jeff Van Gundy – “The LeBron-Jordan thing is now a debate”
We’ve been hearing the LeBron James vs. Michael Jordan comparisons for years but many old school hoops fans scoff at such a comparison.
Yet, with the way that LeBron James has dominated the Eastern Conference for the last seven seasons, they may just have to get used to the comparisons. If the Cleveland Cavaliers can defeat this star-studded Warriors team, those same critics may be forced to bow before The King.
Former New York Knicks and Houston Rockets head coach, and current color commentator Jeff Van Gundy, seems to think LeBron James is closing the gap on Michael Jordan. Here’s what he told Zach Lowe on his recent podcast, The Lowe Post.
"“If they get to the Finals and beat this Warriors team, the LeBron- Jordan thing is now a debate. I know that’s sacrilegious … If he has four rings to six, and he beats a 73-win team and then beats that same team again with Kevin Durant … and he’s on pace to be perhaps the leading scorer in the history of the NBA and one of the three-four best passers ever … I’m out of ways to describe it and praise it … If they actually pull this off, that conversation now begins in earnest.”"
Van Gundy is right, from a numbers perspective, James is right on par with Jordan.
Consider that LeBron James is the youngest player ever to score 28,000 points, the only player in the history of the league to average at least 27 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists for their career, and 1 of only 4 players in NBA history to win at least 4 MVP Awards, the comparisons start to make sense.
Oh, and did I mention that James is 1st all-time in career box plus-minus, 2nd all-time in player efficiency rating, and 7th all-time in win shares?
That’s the advanced analytics’ way of saying that when LeBron is on the floor, he contributes to more winning plays than any other player in the game.
“What About The Rings?”
Critics will point to James’ four Finals losses as too big of a chink in his armor to stand next to Jordan, who boasts a 6-0 Finals record. They use it as evidence of Jordan being the ultimate winner.
Well, James has never lost a first-round playoff series but Jordan lost in the 1st round three times. I would say that it’s better to lose in the Finals than not to make it. Van Gundy doesn’t think the extra rings make a huge difference.
"“The conversation is relevant right now, whether he wins another championship or not.” He’s playing at peak prime production and efficiency this late in his career … The conversation is already relevant. I’m not going to go as much on championships … If you’re going to talk about best careers, there’s no way you can say it’s not close. It’s close. Already. If he runs off another two-three years like he’s going at right now, you’re talking about 17 years like this? It’s going to be amazing.”"
For the record, James is already on track to pass Jordan in multiple statistical categories.
He’s just 140 points behind Jordan for the top spot among the all-time playoff scoring leaders and he needs only 6 steals to pass Jordan (who critics say is a better defender) in postseason steals.
James is already ahead of Jordan in postseason rebounds and assists.
On the regular season’s all-time scoring list, James is only 3,505 points behind Jordan. Barring injury or decline, James will be ahead of Jordan for 4th on the list, hunting down Kobe.
When James retires and it’s all said and done, that’s when we will be able to take a step back and really evaluate his career. I think his final numbers will put him at the top of the hill.
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When LeBron is ready to hang it up, who do you think will be crowned the greatest to ever play? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section or Twitter @KJG_NBA.