when you compare the finals opponents of Lebron, Jordan and Kobe

[Reece]

They aren't. And we have yet to a playoff performance without Bron for the other "number one option".

We know their Finals records. We also know the different levels of competition each player faced in the Finals. If we make it about the playoffs altogether like the poster I quoted asked, you'll see that when facing better teams all 3 of these players have failed equally.

Bosh and Love are number one options. With that logic anyone who didn’t win a ring weren’t number one options in hindsight. Was Barkley not a number one option? Patrick Ewing? Gary Payton? Reggie Miller? Clyde Drexler? If Love was still in Minnesota with all the guys they have now, they’d be a dangerous team. If Bosh was still in Toronto with all the guys they have now, they’d be a dangerous team. Both dudes were averaging like 22 & 8. That’s Tim Duncan numbers.

 

[Professor Emeritus]

Imagine Kobe or Jordan playing with an elite perimeter player and big for 8 years straight

Which 8 years are those?

Kobestans don't count so good.

Kobe going back to back with a skeleton crew of a soft euro and guys like Sasha, Farmar, Shannon Brown and Fish playing significant roles is truly a modern marvel

Pau Gasol outplayed Dwight Howard and Kevin Garnett in back-to-back Finals, but now he's a "soft Euro"?

Kobe had the best frontcourt in basketball, the best coach in basketball, and the Lakers matched up well against squads with huge holes in them.

Imagine how many years LeBron could have shot 41% for the Finals and still had his squad drag him to a ring.

 

[Trojan 24]

Which 8 years are those?

Kobestans don't count so good.





Pau Gasol outplayed Dwight Howard and Kevin Garnett in back-to-back Finals, but now he's a "soft Euro"?

Kobe had the best frontcourt in basketball, the best coach in basketball, and the Lakers matched up well against squads with huge holes in them.

Imagine how many years LeBron could have shot 41% for the Finals and still had his squad drag him to a ring.

My bad 7, I forgot Byrie bounced on em. Those back to back Durant dagger 3s got me confusing years

 

[PL368Z]

5-3 or 3-6

Hmm

3 Fmvps or 2 Fmvps
0 Pippens or 3 Pippens
4 Mvps or 1 sympathy Mvp

 

[Trojan 24]

3 Fmvps or 2 Fmvps
0 Pippens or 3 Pippens
4 Mvps or 1 sympathy Mvp

I got Bron at a Negative 1 FMVP

 

[Professor Emeritus]

Yeah the same guy who won finals mvp as a rookie, playing all positions while said mvp was hurt. The same guy who made 9 finals in 13 seasons. It’s a fact that Jordan, Kobe or Bronx finals opponents don’t even compare to who magic had to face.

He won ONE game with Kareem hurt, it was a fantastic game, but don't talk like Jamaal Wilkes didn't score 37 in that game too.

The reason Magic made 9 Finals in 13 years was because the Western Conference was WOAT in that era. He should have made more Finals - he had to have the legit worst game by a GOAT in playoff history to go down to a team with the losing record in the 1st round even with KAJ leading all scorers with 32.

2-14 from the field, 6-11 from the line, 9 turnovers, and were STILL up 1 with 30 seconds left when he missed two free throws, gave up the game-winner, and then airballed the potential game-winner on the other end.




The two Celtics wins were great, though KAJ was the Finals MVP for one and those were ultra-stacked Laker teams where Magic could count on KAJ and Worthy for 20-25 each. But two of the other three Finals were against a Sixers team before they even got Moses Malone, that team had no business winning a ring. Then in the last Finals the Lakers nearly lost to a Pistons team there for the first time until Worthy put together two dominant performances in games 6 and 7 to pull away with the Finals MVP.

In 1982, Magic was the 5th leading scorer and didn't even lead the team in assists, and they still won that Lakers team was so stacked.

Career averages of 19-8-11 in the Finals.

Only played in two Game 7's in the Finals, blew the first one and needed Worthy to show out and be the MVP in the 2nd one.

I just can't call that the GOAT.

 

[Cadillac]

LeBron fans are so pathetic

 

[Reece]

Imagine Kobe or Jordan playing with an elite perimeter player and big for 8 years straight



Kobe going back to back with a skeleton crew of a soft euro and guys like Sasha, Farmar, Shannon Brown and Fish playing significant roles is truly a modern marvel

I know right, shyt really not fair. Winning changes perception so easily. People putting Bron above Kobe, and on Jordan's level when he stacked the deck to give himself more firepower than both of them had. Imagine Prime Kobe playing with Wade and Bosh. Kobe gonna drop like 35 points, Wade gonna drop like 32 points and destroy the other team's players on D, Bosh gonna get his too. Boston could barely handle Kobe, they wouldn't have known what to do with Kobe and Wade lighting them up at the same time. Same thing with Kyrie and Love. Wouldn't be fair for the league if Kobe had that sort of help from 2005 and onward. Imagine Jordan playing with Wade. Lord Jesus And Bosh? It was bad enough with Pippen and he wasn't half as talented as Wade. They would've ran Phoenix, Portland, Seattle and the Jazz out the stadium. Imagine Stockton and Russell trying to guard Jordan and Wade

 

[TheNig]

Average number of wins/year of all their finals opponents

Lebron: 62.0
Mj: 61.1















Kobe 56.1

who is the odd one out?

Another excuse as to why LeBron's Finals record ain't shyt.

 

[YoungMoneyCashMoneyBoy]

Seasons as a #1 or #2 Seed:

Lebron
'06-'07 (2) Finals, L
'08-'09 (1), ECF, L
'09-'10 (1), ECS, L
'10-'11 (2), Finals, L
'11-'12 (2), Finals, W
'12-'13 (1), Finals, W
'13-'14 (2), Finals, L
'14-'15 (2), Finals, L
'15-'16 (1), Finals, W
'16-'17 (2), Finals, L
Record: 3-7

Kobe
'99-'00 (1), Finals, W
'00-'01 (2), Finals, W
'03-'04 (2), Finals, L
'07-'08 (1), Finals, L
'08-'09 (1), Finals, W
'09-'10 (1), Finals, W
'10-'11 (2), Finals, L
Record: 4-3

Steph
'14-'15 (1), Finals, W
'15-'16 (1), Finals, L
'16-'17 (1), Finals, W
'17-'18 (2), Finals, W
Record: 3-1

Jordan
'90-'91 (1), Finals, W
'91-'92 (1), Finals, W
'92-'93 (2), Finals, W
'95-'96 (1), Finals, W
'96-'97 (1), Finals, W
'97-'98 (1), Finals, W
Record: 6-0

Whether its finals record or record as a 1 or 2 seed when you're expected to make the finals, only one player flawlessly delivered

 

[Trojan 24]

I know right, shyt really not fair. Winning changes perception so easily. People putting Bron above Kobe, and on Jordan's level when he stacked the deck to give himself more firepower than both of them had. Imagine Prime Kobe playing with Wade and Bosh. Kobe gonna drop like 35 points, Wade gonna drop like 32 points and destroy the other team's players on D, Bosh gonna get his too. Boston could barely handle Kobe, they wouldn't have known what to do with Kobe and Wade lighting them up at the same time. Same thing with Kyrie and Love. Wouldn't be fair for the league if Kobe had that sort of help from 2005 and onward. Imagine Jordan playing with Wade. Lord Jesus And Bosh? It was bad enough with Pippen and he wasn't half as talented as Wade. They would've ran Phoenix, Portland, Seattle and the Jazz out the stadium.

Kobe did it with just Euro Love, imagine if he had Byrie instead of Fish

 

[Reece]

Kobe did it with Euro Love, imagine if he had Byrie instead of Fish

Kyrie would've made Jameer Nelson look foolish.

He would've had Rajon Rondo looking dumb out there.

LA would have won in 2008, and might have won in 2007 or 2011 too because San Antonio wasn't that good that year. Dallas would've been harder but, if Kobe had Love/Kyrie or Wade/Bosh you never know what might've happened.

 

[Professor Emeritus]

My bad 7, I forgot Byrie bounced on em. Those back to back Durant dagger 3s got me confusing years

At the idea of counting 2014, 2015, 2016, or 2017 either.

Counting Love as elite in years when he didn't even contribute as much as an Odom or a MWP.

Be an "elite big" who can't play defense and averages 40% from the field for his postseason career.

Place Kobe on those teams and they go 1 for 8, don't even make the Finals in 2012, 2015 or 2018.

 

[Trojan 24]

At the idea of counting 2014, 2015, or 2016 either.

Counting Love as elite in years when he didn't even contribute as much as an Odom or a MWP.

Place Kobe on those teams and they go 1 for 8, don't even make the Finals in 2012, 2015 or 2018.

Dipo stopping Kobe from getting to the finals?

 

[Professor Emeritus]

Dipo stopping Kobe from getting to the finals?

Leandro Barbosa did.