Question For Our Older Users

[Milkyway!]

I've watched nearly every game of the Miami Heat's Playoff run this year, and I've been getting more and more into basketball this year. I think it's quickly becoming my favorite sport to watch taking the place of Baseball. I really enjoy Lebron James, and how well he's dominated this year.

As I watched him dominate the first half, hold a decent tempo throughout most of the 2nd half, and make some clutch plays in the 4th quarter in game 3 tonight my father looked over at me and said, "I really don't like Lebron James. He's made out to be "great," but I've never seen him truly take a game and dominate the way Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and Michael Jordan did back in my day."

This small anecdote leads to my question. Did they truly dominate the tempo of a game as he said, or is my father just delusional stuck in his realm of watching highlights for 20 years giving him the illusion that these men truly did dominate a game comparatively speaking to the likes of Lebron James?

 

[shattered dreams]

Lebron plays a different game than the scoring legends of the past. I don't know if it is worse or better but it is certainly different. I didn't watch game 3, or a lot of other games for that matter, but the only game I remember seeing Lebron dominate like some of the scoring legends was game 6 this year vs the Celtics. Before the Decision debacle I actually liked Lebron more than some of these great scorers since he had a better all around game. Now I am more in the camp of the great ones build a team around themself. Lebron doesn't usually dominate a game but he is willing to give it up to others when it is better. That probably is a good thing but it isn't always clear that he makes the best decisions there. Is the person he is giving the ball up to really more likely to score than himself taking a contested shot? I am not always convinced that is the case.

 

[Poop Master Flex]

The situation is different. Lebron isn't "head and shoulders" above everyone else either like Magic, Bird and Jordan were.

For example, it seemed during every NBA finals in the 80's it really came down to a match up between Bird and Magic as they had a legendary rivalry. Jordan was just simply better than anyone he played and dominated against everyone because that was Jordan, he simply couldn't be stopped.

Lebron could very well be as dominating and at times he certainly is but then again Lebron doesn't need to be as dominating with Wade and Bosh. I will say though when Wade and Bosh don't show up to play Lebron has no problem picking up the slack. Lebron does his job and does exactly what he should do. Really what more can you ask for?

Lebron isn't in a situation where he has to put the whole franchise on his shoulders. Although he isn't "as dominating" he also doesn't need to be. Jordan, Bird and Magic all had great teams behind them but in all cases there teams weren't nearly as effective if these 3 guys didn't play as well as they did. Lebron can play like shit and he will have a safety net in Wade, Wade has won a title and did it mostly himself after all.