Michael Jordan Was One Thing LeBron James Can Never Be: INVINCIBLE

The G.O.A.T. debate will rage on, but Michael Jordan as a favorite is forever untouchable

The NBA Finals are here at last, and legacies are on the line. And there is no bigger legacy than that of LeBron Raymone James. LeBron is the all-time playoff scoring leader, a two-time gold medalist, a four-time MVP, and a three-time NBA champion. He is many, many great things.

But is he as great as Michael Jordan? Is he the Greatest Of All Time?

1. LeBron improved his team faster

Jordan had a very linear career arc, as much as “arcs” can be linear. He made the playoffs each of his first three seasons without winning a series, going 1–8 with three teams that were 38–44, 30–52, and 40–42 and should never have been in the playoffs. In his fourth season with the Bulls he finally won a series, then lost in the Conference Finals his fifth and sixth seasons, then finally broke through and made it to the NBA Finals in 1991, his seventh season.

LeBron missed the playoffs only twice, going 35–47 and 42–40 his first two seasons. He won his first playoff series his third year, then took the Cavs all the way to the Finals in just his fourth season.

LeBron got to the second round one year before Jordan, the Conference Finals two years before him, and the NBA Finals three years before him. The contrast is even starker when you consider that Jordan was three years older when he entered the league. That put him at age 28 when he finally played his first Finals game. LeBron led his team to the Finals as a 22-year-old.

2. But Jordan won the big one faster

Of course just getting to the Finals is not enough, and LeBron lost that Finals appearance while Jordan won his. LeBron didn’t make it back to the Finals again until his eighth season, and he didn’t win a ring until his ninth.

Jordan won his first championship two seasons before LeBron. LeBron was technically a year younger at age 27 but it took him more chances to reach the top of the mountain.

3. LeBron has done it for longer

LeBron’s already played in 212 career playoff games to just 179 for Jordan. Jordan played only seven more playoff games than Dwyane Wade and nine more than Paul Pierce. LeBron will pass Shaq in these Finals and nearly catch Kobe, and he could still add another 5+ years to his totals.

Round one was best-of-five in Jordan’s day, but that’s not all of the difference. LeBron won more early in his career and tacked on extra playoff games that way, and he’s also played slightly longer series so that’s an extra game here and there. Of course the big difference is Jordan took off a season and a half in the middle of his prime while LeBron just kept trucking.

LeBron has played 11+ playoff games in twelve consecutive seasons now. Jordan played 11+ playoff games five times, then had a two-year gap, then did it three more times before re-retiring from the Bulls.

You can choose your own conspiracy theory on why Jordan took a 21-month hiatus in the middle of his prime. Whatever the reason, he got a massive physical and mental break LeBron has never had.

LeBron just keeps on grinding, like no one else in NBA history. Russell’s Celtics made all those Finals but did it in a smaller league and in a playoffs with only two rounds. Kareem lasted a couple decades but didn’t always make a deep run. LeBron goes deep every single year, and that matters.

4. LeBron has been slightly better as an underdog

But they’re LeBron and Jordan, so they obviously haven’t had a ton of underdog opportunities.

Jordan is 3–7 in his career as a Vegas betting underdog. He’s won 20 games and lost 30. His greatest underdog achievement was taking a 6-seed Bulls team to within two games of the Finals in 1989, upsetting two teams along the way. His 3-seed ‘90 Bulls team pushed eventual champion Detroit to Game 7, then he won his first title the following year as a slight underdog to the veteran Lakers.

LeBron is 3–5 as a series underdog, with 21 wins and 26 losses. He took the Pistons to Game 7 as a 4-seed in 2006, then upset them as a 2-seed to make the Finals the following season. LeBron has had a weird penchant for playing the Finals as an underdog — we’ll get back to that — but has two underdog wins, the first as a slight dog against the Thunder in 2012 and the second of course against the 73–9 Warriors last year.

LeBron’s underdog record is slightly better than Jordan’s, but the sample is pretty small. Both were too good to be an underdog very often.

5. Both have been excellent in Game 7s

Though again, neither has a ton of experience.

Jordan was 4–1 in Game 7s in his career (including one deciding Game 5 in the first round under the old format). That includes 2–1 as the underdog. His only Game 7 loss ever was to the 1990 Pistons — and he never lost another playoff series outside of the rusty ‘95 return season.

LeBron is 4–2 in Game 7s, including 1–1 as the underdog. He’s gone to Game 7 as the favorite twice as often and lost once as the favorite in his final game before joining the Heat.

LeBron won two Game 7s in the Finals, last year and 2013.

Jordan never won a Finals Game 7 — because he never had to.

6. Jordan played on more all-time teams

Bird and Magic had the incredible Celtics and Lakers teams in the ‘80s. Russell had his Celtics of yore. Duncan’s Spurs had some incredible teams. Players in the Mount Rushmore discussion of all-time greats are supposed to play on all-time great teams.

Jordan’s 1996 Bulls are considered by many the greatest team of all time. They went 72–10 in the regular season, an NBA record until last year, then 15–3 in the playoffs. Their 87 total wins ranks second all time behind only last year’s Warriors.

But that wasn’t Jordan’s only great team. All but one of his championship teams would be among the greats all on their own. Jordan also had a 69–13 champion and a 67–15 one, plus another with 62 wins and still another with 61. Only 31 teams in NBA history have won at least 75 games in one season (including the playoffs), and Jordan’s Bulls did it five times.

LeBron really only has one all-time team. His 2013 Heat squad went 66–16 in the regular season and then 16–7 in the playoffs (though they went to Game 7 in both of the final rounds and wouldn’t have won the title if not for a magical Ray Allen shot). LeBron won 66 games one other time in 2009 but didn’t make the Finals. Only one other season has he even won 60, bowing out in the second round that year. The 2013 Heat were one of only 12 teams in history to win 80+ games in a season, but it’s also LeBron’s only team of the 31 in history to win 75 or more.

If LeBron gets credit for grinding year after year in the playoffs, then Jordan gets credit for grinding out incredible runs in the postseason and in the regular season.

LeBron’s played on a superteam of his own creation seven straight years since leaving Cleveland but averaged just 56–26 in that stretch. Jordan’s Bulls averaged 65–17 over his title run.

Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and Tim Duncan each had three 75+ win teams in their career. Jordan had five. LeBron has only one.

Where are all of LeBron James’ all-time great teams??

7. Jordan beat more all-time teams

Here’s a list of those 31 teams in NBA history to win 75 games in a season (including the playoffs):

67 Sixers… 71 Bucks… 72 Lakers… 73 Celtics… 83 Sixers… 84 Celtics… 85 Lakers, 85 Celtics… 86 Celtics… 87 Lakers… 88 Lakers… 89 Pistons… 91 Bulls… 92 Bulls… 93 Suns… 96 Bulls, 96 Sonics… 97 Bulls, 97 Jazz… 98 Bulls, 98 Jazz… 00 Lakers… 03 Spurs… 05 Spurs… 08 Celtics… 09 Lakers… 13 Heat… 14 Spurs… 15 Warriors… 16 Warriors… 17 Warriors

If you’re a basketball fan, you immediately know every single one of those teams. These teams are truly great. Teams don’t win 75 games very often.

It’s not entirely fair to the older teams since the playoffs went to four rounds in 1984, so focus on the 26 teams since then. Twenty of them were champions.

Only six teams have ever won 75+ games without winning a championship — and Michael Jordan is responsible for four of them. Jordan’s last four Finals opponents all hit the 75 win mark, but he beat them all anyway. LeBron has beaten only one 75+ win team (so far).

8. But LeBron beat THE all-time team

Only 12 teams have ever won 80+ games in a single season (assuming this year’s Warriors win at least once more).

Jordan has three of those all-time greats seasons with 82-, 84-, and 87- win champions, more than anyone in history. LeBron has just the one — though he is of course responsible for the only 80+ win team not to win a title.

Beating last year’s Warriors, whose 88 wins in a season is the most in NBA history, is something LeBron will always have over Jordan. MJ never beat such a dominant team.

Though, that’s a bit of twisty logic. Of course Jordan never beat a massively dominant team — Michael Jordan was the dominant team.

Why does it feel like LeBron is always the underdog when it matters most?

9. Jordan dominated the NBA Finals, but LeBron always seems to fight an uphill battle

Jordan played in six NBA Finals. He was the favorite five times and a slight underdog in one, his first against the Lakers. He went 6–0.

This is LeBron’s eighth NBA Finals. It’s the sixth time he comes in as the underdog. Can you imagine Michael Jordan being an underdog in the NBA Finals once he reached peak cutthroat Jordan even once, let alone six times?

Jordan was the favorite in the Finals, and he played like it. His team only ever trailed in the series in two of the six Finals. Both of those teams it was an 0–1 deficit after Game 1, and his Bulls went a combined 8–1 after falling behind. Jordan went into a Finals game with a series lead 22 times. He was playing from behind only twice.

LeBron has been a very stark contrast. His team has only led in the series in three of seven Finals, and he’s trailed at some point in all of them. LeBron has played a Finals game with a series lead only five times. He’s played from behind an incredible 18 times.

Jordan played with a Finals series lead 79% of the time. LeBron has trailed in the series in 53% of his NBA Finals games. Underdog or not, that is an incredibly damning comparison.

10. Michael Jordan is one thing LeBron James can never be — absolutely invincible as the favorite

As a series favorite, Jordan played 81 games with the series lead. He only ever played five games in his career while trailing as a favorite, and his teams won all but one of them. Jordan as a favorite only trailed after two games once, when his Bulls went down 0–2 on the road to the Knicks in 1993. They didn’t lose another game that series. Michael Jordan has never trailed a series as a favorite after four games. And he’s never lost.

Lebron has played 96 games as a series favorite (71% compared to 79% for Jordan). He’s played 18 games as a favorite while trailing the series. LeBron as a favorite has trailed after three games seven different times.

Jordan as a series favorite lost three Game 1s. LeBron has lost seven. In fact, Jordan as a favorite only ever trailed at any point in the series three times ever, just 11% of the time. LeBron as a favorite has trailed in 10 different series, a whopping 31% of the time. LeBron as a favorite is almost three times as likely to need a comeback as Jordan.

Of course, LeBron is not exactly a loser. He’s an incredible 29–3 all time as a series favorite. That’s really, really good.

Michael Jordan as a series favorite is 27–0. TWENTY-SEVEN AND OH.

LeBron lost three straight years in high-profile upsets as the favorite. The first was in the Conference Finals to the Magic in 2009 (though LeBron was notably brilliant). Then he lost in the second round to Boston in 2010 in his final game before leaving Cleveland, then as a Finals favorite against the Mavs in 2011. LeBron was the favorite in each of those series and didn’t even make it to Game 7 in any of them.

Michael Jordan never lost a playoff series as a favorite. Ever.

LeBron James is immense. He is incredible. He has the all-time NBA Finals upset and has a chance to do it again. He did it faster than Jordan and he’s done it longer, and he’s unlikely any player we’ve ever seen on a basketball court.

But Michael Jordan is the G.O.A.T. winner. He was invincible.

And no matter what LeBron does now, he can never match that.

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