We know the answer is because skills dont always translate to results, and Kevin Durant is as much an example of this as anybody....
The way these guys are talking KD should have twice as many scoring titles, his career scoring average should be 32+, and he should have an encyclopedia worth of 40 and 50 point playoff games...
LeBron has more playoff buzzer-beaters than anyone in history
LeBron has more postseason points than anyone in history
LeBron has a higher Game 7 scoring average than anyone in history
LeBRon has a higher elimination game scoring average than anyone in history
LeBron has more 40-point playoff games than anyone in history other than MJ
LeBron has more 30-point playoff games than anyone in history
LeBron has more iconic scoring games in must-win situations than everyone else in his era COMBINED
And he's done it all more efficiently than anyone else in the conversation, with less stacked teams most of the time, against better defenses
Outside of MJ he beats most of his rivals in all those categories even if you combine their numbers together
If anyone else had this resume they would being LAUGHED at for not calling that guy the GOAT scorer
But they have a grudge against Bron so they say "aesthetics" should determine the GOAT scorer
This is why some people still underestimate his talent. Theyll dismiss a Bron layup without understanding what it took to get himself in position to get the shot in the first place. Dude is constantly calculating where every defender will end up before plays even develop.
By the time he even begins his drive hes already deduced who will and won't be in position to rotate & contest his "bum ass layup" before he even gets to the rim to finish. They can't process so they just call it skill-less bully ball. Even with defenders draped on him he still has the unbelievable touch and focus to finish at full speed every time. He's long processed who will be able to collapse on him when he gets there and from what angle, so he knows what type of contact, when to tense up mid-air, or when to stay fluid to make sure he finishes the bucket; the little things ppl dont think about.. He makes it look too easy, thats the problem.
Been saying this repeatedly but you nailed it. They legit don't understand what's happening on the court, so they're left to relying on "aesthetics". The fact that LeBron is so objectively effective is a total mystery to them, it can't even make sense. They have all the understanding of basketball of a fourth-grader or a casual who just watches whatever is on TV.
East vs West. The level of competition KD faced in the playoffs has been way higher.
Did you not read the thread, this has been bushed repeatedly.
LeBron scores just as well against the West as he does against the East. In LeBron's era the East has has BETTER defenses (Detroit, Boston, Chicago, Indiana) than the West has had.
KD faced the Spurs 5 times, Mavs 3 times (twice when they were crap), Grizzlies 3 times, Rockets 3 times, Blazers twice, Lakers twice, Cavs twice, Clippers twice, Heat, Pelicans, Jazz, Nuggets, Warriors once each.
How many of those squads even had good defenses? The Grizzlies, maybe 2-3 of the Spurs squads he faced, 1 of the Mavs and 1 of the Warriors. Only 7-8 series against good defenses.
LeBron went up against the Draymond-Iggy-Klay (and either Bogut or KD) Warriors 4 years in a row, strong Celtic defenses 3-4 times, Spurs 3 times, an elite Pacers defense 3 times, an elite Bulls defense 3 times, Pistons 3 times, and the best Mavs defense once.
That's 20+ squads LeBron faced who had elite defense.
If you do it by average defense faced, by the number of top-3 defenses faced, by the number of #1 defenses faced, it doesn't matter what you use, LeBron has faced MUCH stronger defense in the playoffs than KD did.
