Lebron had a bad series... Deal with it!

[dankok8]

That is not saying much considered LeBron was no where close to 100%, a healthy LeBron at 36 was getting MVP buzz, nobody you listed can say the same except maybe Karl Malone.

What are you talking about? All those guys except Duncan were strong MVP candidates at age 36+.

[SouBeachTalents]

Right but Mike retired at 35 on top of the world (10 scoring titles, 6 FMVPs, 5 MVPs). With "context" do you think he falls of a cliff, just a year later? Kobe came off an achilles tear, which realistically retired him in 2013. Kareem put up 22 playing alongside Magic. And probably averages more in today's game.

I agree that Bron is the best 36 year old. But if we're going to talk about injuries and context, we should do that with all of those players.

Jordan would be purely speculative. If LeBron who had been nearly indestructible up to this season could get an injury that clearly affected him, there's no way of knowing if the same wouldn't happen to a 36 year old Jordan coming off 3 straight title runs. I won't disagree if you think he still plays at a '98 level, but there's too many unknowns physically when you reach this age

[Spurs m8]

Those stats are actually twice as good as how he actually performed. Game 5 and game 6 were blowouts and he got most of his points in garbage time.

Yep.

The stats vs impact on court are not reflective of each other one.single.bit

It's actually at hilarious levels

[kuniva_dAMiGhTy]

Jordan would be purely speculative. If LeBron who had been nearly indestructible up to this season could get an injury that clearly affected him, there's no way of knowing if the same wouldn't happen to a 36 year old Jordan coming off 3 straight title runs. I won't disagree if you think he still plays at a '98 level, but there's too many unknowns physically when you reach this age

Sure, but realistically 35 to 36 is just one year. Don't think anyone seriously thinks Jordan would become a role player

Shit at 38, Wizards Jordan was getting MVP talk before busting up his knee.

[1987_Lakers]

What are you talking about? All those guys except Duncan were strong MVP candidates at age 36+.

Nobody seriously considered Wilt, Kareem, Duncan, & even Karl Malone to be the MVP of the league at 36, they might have gotten votes, but so did Peja in 2004. LeBron was a legitimate candidate to win it before the injury.

[SouBeachTalents]

Sure, but realistically 35 to 36 is just one year. Don't think anyone seriously thinks Jordan would become a role player

Lol, well only the trolls of this place would say that shit All I'm saying is if you told me even 3 months ago LeBron would look like that I honestly wouldn't have believed it

This was LeBron's last game before he got injured, he looks like a legitimately different player

[Gohan]

Sure, but realistically 35 to 36 is just one year. Don't think anyone seriously thinks Jordan would become a role player

Shit at 38, Wizards Jordan was getting MVP talk before busting up his knee.

Shhhh Jordan haters don’t want to talk about this

[TheCorporation]

Post a season 18 player with a better playoff series.

Hurry

[theman93]

That is not saying much considered LeBron was no where close to 100%, a healthy LeBron at 36 was getting MVP buzz, nobody you listed can say the same except maybe Karl Malone.

Opinion and can’t be proven. He looked completely healthy to me.

[1987_Lakers]

Opinion and can’t be proven. He looked completely healthy to me.

If it helps you sleep at night.

[Pip' N Rodman]

LOL @ the idiot in this thread saying MJ > LeBron because of some hypothetical 36 year old MJ doing better than LeBron this year

We all saw Jordan's Wizards years, they weren't pretty

[kuniva_dAMiGhTy]

Lol, well only the trolls of this place would say that shit All I'm saying is if you told me even 3 months ago LeBron would look like that I honestly wouldn't have believed it

This was LeBron's last game before he got injured, he looks like a legitimately different player

Lebron definitely wasn't the same.

Don't know if you can quantify it, but not having AD (who requires a lot of defensive attention) played a big factor too.

[SouBeachTalents]

Lebron definitely wasn't the same.

Don't know if you can quantify it, but not having AD (who requires a lot of defensive attention) played a big part too.

Hindered LeBron and no AD gave the Lakers no chance to win They needed LeBron & AD both healthy to have any legitimate chance of making another deep playoff run. I just find it funny the trolls are using this series to try to prove AD > LeBron, when AD without LeBron wouldn't have won this series either

[HoopsNY]

Nobody seriously considered Wilt, Kareem, Duncan, & even Karl Malone to be the MVP of the league at 36, they might have gotten votes, but so did Peja in 2004. LeBron was a legitimate candidate to win it before the injury.

36 year old Malone was putting up 26/10/4/1/1 on 51%, leading his team to 55 wins. In the playoffs he put up 27/9/3/1/1 on 52%. And keep in mind, this is at the height of the defensive era.

Utah just had the unfortunate circumstance of running into the deepest team in the game (Portland). Not to mention, he was 4th in MVP voting and won the MVP just the previous year.

Wilt was 4th in MVP voting in 1973. In 1972 he was the FMVP. It's not unreasonable to think he could win it that year, especially when he was coming off a championship and FMVP.

Kareem was on the Showtime Lakers at 36, was 4th in MVP voting, and the very next season, he won FMVP. The Lakers were in the finals that year and the previous year.

If MJ was a 25/6/5/2 player on 42% prior to injury at the age of 39, what's a 1999 MJ doing on a championship team at the age of 36, where he won MVP and FMVP just the year prior? Maybe 27/5/3/2 on 45%? That was the least offensive season in NBA history I believe due to the lockout, but he certainly would have been in the discussion for MVP, again.

The only one I would agree with you on is Duncan. And unlike Peja, the other guys are all-time greats and elite superstars.