34% of fans think MJ would beat Lebron 1-on-1 right now

[longislandcuse]

I will never forget the legal pick set by Tyson Chandler that sent Lebron to the floor like he just took a .50 caliber bullet to the neck. Ended up being a foul on Chandler (flagrant?) and Lebron was totally fine 20 seconds later. Any respect I had for him, was lost at that point. I'll still acknowledge he's one of the best ever, but I hate his personality on the court (don't care for it much off the court, either).

His flail when getting hit by the iron curtain that is JR Smith a few years back was undoubtedly the most awful basketball thing i've ever seen.

 

[longislandcuse]

That's the problem...noone draws fouls in the NBA. Bunch of nancies.

They still foul and play physical, the only difference is that, what should be common fouls, are now technical fouls and what should be technical fouls are now ejections. The refs are ruining it, not the players.

 

[Brooky03]

His flail when getting hit by the iron curtain that is JR Smith a few years back was undoubtedly the most awful basketball thing i've ever seen.

idk what's worse: that he does crap like that and thinks it's okay or that the refs can't tell the difference.

 

[skurey]

I don't get it. Well I do but I'm going to keep arguing anyway.

People complain about Pitt and Louisville's clutch and grab D but in the NBA apparently that is
considered real defense.

 

[Brooky03]

I don't get it. Well I do but I'm going to keep arguing anyway.

People complain about Pitt and Louisville's clutch and grab D but in the NBA apparently that is
considered real defense.

One extreme to the other. The college game is too physical and the pro game is not physical enough. NBA basketball is like soccer. College basketball is like rugby.

 

[TinyManInside]

quality analyzing...but i can refer to about 300 pictures like the one below where the defenders spread like the seas for Moses when guys go to the rim in the NBA. Imagine one of the Pistons in the late 80s early 90s letting that go? HAHAH NOT A CHANCE


View attachment 42831

It's impossible to even know how they would react. There was literally no one in the league at that point with the combined size/strength/speed/skillset of LeBron. Slamming a 6'8" 200 lb guy to the ground is a lot easier than getting in front of 6'8 250 LBJ barreling through the lane at top speed.

LeBron + 90s era illegal defense rules = waaaay easier for him to be effective in the paint.

 

[TinyManInside]

I don't get it. Well I do but I'm going to keep arguing anyway.

People complain about Pitt and Louisville's clutch and grab D but in the NBA apparently that is
considered real defense.

well said.

 

[Brooky03]

It's impossible to even know how they would react. There was literally no one in the league at that point with the combined size/strength/speed/skillset of LeBron. Slamming a 6'8" 200 lb guy to the ground is a lot easier than getting in front of 6'8 250 LBJ barreling through the lane at top speed.

LeBron + 90s era illegal defense rules = waaaay easier for him to be effective in the paint.

But, as there are today, there were still plenty of players who could match his size and strength at the rim. The difference is, in the 90's they'd go up hard and essentially tackle him and probably stick an elbow in his eye if they could. That would be a common foul then and everybody would say it was a good, hard foul and you have to protect the rim. Nowadays, that's a flagrant foul or an ejection; so players just don't risk it. There's also seemingly more of a stigma with getting dunked on now than there used to be (probably because of social media) so players get the hell out of the poster picture.

 

[TinyManInside]

Honestly I'm not really interested in who would win 1-on-1. That's not really basketball to me. Basketball is 5 guys working together to beat the other team's 5 guys.

The only thing I know is that I've been watching hoops since about 1982 and MJ and LeBron are clearly the 2 best players I've seen over that stretch of time. I'll take MJ as 1A but LeBron's career isn't over yet.

 

[Knicks411]

I also seem to remember reading a lot about how no one wanted to get in Barkley's way when he was coming the down court on a fast break.

 

[jekelish]

I also seem to remember reading a lot about how no one wanted to get in Barkley's way when he was coming the down court on a fast break.

I remember hearing a story about one specific instance, during Team USA tryouts...I wanna say in 1984? Can't remember which Olympics it was for. Anyway, John Stockton was this scrawny little dude no one was overly familiar with (in terms of his peers not really knowing anything about him), and everyone was just kind of standing around in shock after he took a charge from Barkley on a fast break. And according to Stockton, he pretty much swore "Never again."

 

[Knicks411]

I remember hearing a story about one specific instance, during Team USA tryouts...I wanna say in 1984? Can't remember which Olympics it was for. Anyway, John Stockton was this scrawny little dude no one was overly familiar with (in terms of his peers not really knowing anything about him), and everyone was just kind of standing around in shock after he took a charge from Barkley on a fast break. And according to Stockton, he pretty much swore "Never again."

That's a great story, when I saw Stockton's name I figured for sure the punchline would be him doing something dirty.

Had to be 84, would have been right after those guys were drafted I guess.

 

[Macky44]

They still foul and play physical, the only difference is that, what should be common fouls, are now technical fouls and what should be technical fouls are now ejections. The refs are ruining it, not the players.

i Can get on board with that, but its still unwatchable.

 

[Macky44]

I don't get it. Well I do but I'm going to keep arguing anyway.

People complain about Pitt and Louisville's clutch and grab D but in the NBA apparently that is
considered real defense.

I personally like the D in the college game. They can tone it down a notch..but it's at least playing basketball. The NBA has turned more into a broadway show than a sport.

 

[Cusefan0307]

I personally like the D in the college game. They can tone it down a notch..but it's at least playing basketball. The NBA has turned more into a broadway show than a sport.

I know it's late, but do yourself a favor and watch Golden State/Memphis tonight at 10:30 and then tell us what you think of NBA defense.

 

[Knicks411]

Much prefer the contact in the NBA to college. Do people really like seeing a lot more hard fouls like we saw "back in the day" in the NBA?

 

[Cusefan0307]

Man I grew up a huge Knicks fan but they weren't very skilled. I don't know if those 90's teams would be able to score 90 a night in today's NBA.

 

[Knicks411]

Man I grew up a huge Knicks fan but they weren't very skilled. I don't know if those 90's teams would be able to score 90 a night in today's NBA.

Same, I didn't realize at the time how ugly it was because I was 10 years old in 1994, but man.

 

[scottynguyen]

Skip Bayless@RealSkipBayless
If MJ got in shape he'd beat LeBron 1 on 1 on heart, will, killer instinct, all-time clutchness. LeBron would crumble vs his idol.

 

[Jeremy L.]

Honestly I'm not really interested in who would win 1-on-1. That's not really basketball to me. Basketball is 5 guys working together to beat the other team's 5 guys.

The only thing I know is that I've been watching hoops since about 1982 and MJ and LeBron are clearly the 2 best players I've seen over that stretch of time. I'll take MJ as 1A but LeBron's career isn't over yet.

This. You could argue either way who the greatest of all-time will be (when LeBron's career is over). I think as fans, what does it matter who the best is? We have to appreciate what Michael did and what LBJ is doing now to the game of basketball. They've paved their own paths. They've effected the game of basketball in their own ways that we may never see again.

 

[longislandcuse]

Much prefer the contact in the NBA to college. Do people really like seeing a lot more hard fouls like we saw "back in the day" in the NBA?

I do. I think the NBA is wayyyyyyy too soft. I like some shoving, tension and hard fouls.

 

[Knicks411]

I do. I think the NBA is wayyyyyyy too soft. I like some shoving, tension and hard fouls.

Interesting. To each his own, but that stuff does nothing for me.

 

[Eric15]

The thing people forget is that nobody beat Michael.

With the exception of the 1983 and 1984 UNC seasons, and the 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1995, 2002 and 2003 NBA seasons, that is true.

 

[OttoinGrotto]

With the exception of the 1983 and 1984 UNC seasons, and the 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1995, 2002 and 2003 NBA seasons, that is true.

You can leave.

Nobody beat Michael. His teams might have lost, but Michael never did.

 

[Eric15]

You can leave.

Nobody beat Michael. His teams might have lost, but Michael never did.

And baseball, and NBA ownership, and gambling and his first marriage...

Just kidding, guys!