When I watch basketball I want to see my stars take over the game and tell everyone to get out of the way in the fourth quarter. Jordan would just demand the ball for most of the fourth quarter and he was going to be responsible whether or not his team lost. Granted Jordan did pass to John Paxon for a clutch three and he ended up assiting Steve Keer in several games, but the Jordan that developed into that player also hit clutch shot after clutch shot to get to that moment. Cleveland fans can all too well remember the drive left and pull up at the foul line to put a dagger in Craig Elo, Mark Price and Brad Daugherty's season. Who can forget Jordan's cross over game winning shot against Bryan Russell in game six of the NBA finals in 1998?
Lebron James is fun to watch, but many great players without rings were fun to watch. Lebron James is going to be judged on the court by the number of rings he wins fair or unfair. Majic Johnson, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Bill Russell Kareem Abdul Jabar, Hakeem Olajuwan may never have been the physical specimen Lebron James is, but they all have more hardware than he has to this point in his career. Experts may say that lebron is the best in the NBA, but until he can win a finals my vote still travels to the man in LA that people can recognize as Kobe.
The NBA is not a league I follow all year, but i do watch during the playoffs. The playoffs are where NBA legends are made and the regular season highlight real player is exposed. Lebron has the skill to be that legend, but will he demand the ball when the next opportunity comes or pass it off to a name I will never remember?
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