I forgot the excuse for why Lebron can't dominate Kawhi

[ShawkFactory]

By "hell", do you mean getting thoroughly dominated to a greater extent than any one defender has ever been dominated in the modern era?

Next to the word "domination" in the dictionary should be a picture of what Jordan did to Starks.

But MJ dominated Starks largely because of his size/power advantage, not any quickness advantage..

Whereas MJ dominated Rodman because of the quickness - this is why you rarely see coaches make Rodman, Kawhi or other frontcourt players futilely defend guys like Westbrook, Monta Ellis or MJ.

Compared to normal this isn't true.

During the first 3-peat he played 27 games against the Knicks, averaging 30.3 PPG on 45%. Compare that to his normal 32.2 and 52% during those 3 years total and it's pretty clear than John Starks and the Knicks game him trouble (relatively speaking). And there's a couple outlying performances sprinkled in there. In general he was well below his average play.

He's still the GOAT and still did well, but there's no shame in saying that someone made life harder for him than he was used to.

[Paul George 24]

Bran > MJ > Kobe

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Vkq9BcZQqY

LEAIRBALL

[Paul George 24]

Lebron averaged 27-10-6-2 against Kawhi in the playoff. I'd say he did okay.

PAD STATS IN GARBAGE TIME

[Paul George 24]

What series were you watching??

LeBron averaged 25.3 ppg on 45 FG%, 10.9 rpg, 7.0 apg, 2.3 spg, and 0.9 bpg.in the 2013 NBA Finals

Lebron averaged 28.2 on 57.1 FG% 7.8 rpg, 4.0 apg, 2.0 bpg, and 0.4 spg in the 2014 NBA Finals.

PAD STATS IN GARBAGE TIME CALLED DOMINANT

[dunksby]

MJ wouldn't be able to dominate Kawhi either, 6' 6" 227lbs 7' 3" wingspan and agile on his feet is nothing to **** with

[Paul George 24]

MJ wouldn't be able to dominate Kawhi either, 6' 6" 227lbs 7' 3" wingspan and agile on his feet is nothing to **** with

NICE JOKE.............

[clipps]

Lebron is playing in an ungodly strong era where Leonard's D completely out classes the mere mortals in weak eras like MJ, Pippen, Prime Artest, Bowen, Kobe stopper, Bad Boy Pistons, etc.

[JerrySeinfeld]

What series were you watching??

LeBron averaged 25.3 ppg on 45 FG%, 10.9 rpg, 7.0 apg, 2.3 spg, and 0.9 bpg.in the 2013 NBA Finals

Lebron averaged 28.2 on 57.1 FG% 7.8 rpg, 4.0 apg, 2.0 bpg, and 0.4 spg in the 2014 NBA Finals.

post his stats vs kawhi leonard as opposed to his total stats which include garbage time padding vs the spurs bench

[sportjames23]

You don't think Kawhi would make MJ's life tough? He would. He is as good a defender as Starks, Dumars, the late Bobby Phils.

[3ball]

During the first 3-peat he played 27 games against the Knicks, averaging 30.3 PPG on 45%.

When the Bulls needed it most, MJ had several massive, one-of-a-kind, historic games against the Knicks.. These huge games demonstrate the GOAT level of domination MJ was capable of against Starks and that team - that's why no one looks at the 30 PPG average.. They look at how Jordan played against Starks when the Bulls NEEDED it - that's what people remember - and during those times, MJ dominated Starks as much as anyone has ever dominated anyone at anything..

Lebron isn't really capable of this kind of bludgeoning - and overall, he dominates a small fraction as often as MJ did.. For example, we all know that Lebron's best playoff games are his 45 point game against the Celtics and his 48 point game against Detroit in 2007.. Well, Jordan had SO many games like that, he'd recorded a series of GOAT-level games against each team, like the Knicks for example.. The stats show Jordan had by far and away the most big games (45 or more points) against top defenses - it's not remotely close:

http://www.insidehoops.com/forum/sho...d.php?t=255273

Jordan's performance against top 5 defenses in the playoffs is unmatched and well-documented: Out of the 17 times he's faced a top 5 defense in the playoffs, his lowest average was 27 PPG... Otoh, out of the 12 times Lebron has faced a top 5 defense in the playoffs, he's averaged less than 27 PPG seven times, and his career playoff PPG is only one point higher, 28 PPG.

MJ's the GOAT and he still did well

For anyone else, it's goat to average 30 PPG against the best defense in the league - but it was so standard for Jordan, that you misperceive it as him just "doing well".

I mean, I'm not saying Lebron has to thoroughly dominate Kawhi and hit a game-winner on him in the playoffs, the way Jordan did Rodman, but it shouldn't be too much to ask Lebron to dominate Kawhi a liiiiiittle bit.. Instead, it's the opposite - Kawhi was Lebron's defensive assignment, yet Kawhi gets honored as playing the best of anyone in the Finals..

[Tycriss]

[sdot_thadon]

Jordan

[TheMan]

You don't think Kawhi would make MJ's life tough? He would. He is as good a defender as Starks, Dumars, the late Bobby Phils.

MJ consistently dropped 30-40 and even 50 point games on Dumars and Starks

There isn't a single player that I could say that could stop Jordan one on one, MJ is the GOAT offensive wing player.

[TheMan]

LOL

In this gif it looks like LeBron is going "aw shit, him again?".

LBJ is a GOAT player and if he had MJ's killer instinct, he could throughly crush Leonard IMO, he's just not wired that though.

[swagga]

LOL that's debatable. He did help MJ have some of his worst games but all I remember is MJ dropping double nickels on him. That's what makes MJ the best, sure you could force a bad game from him (game 3 with Bulls down 0-2 in 1994). But next game he is coming back and dropping 40+. Stopped at least 1-2 championships for the Knicks, hate the SOB

starks was too emotional to be a good defender, too easy to get into his head, as we saw it with miller, jordan, etc. And those horrible games were because of a team effort, you don't shut down somebody 1v1, unless you are some godly defender like tony allen, gary payton and so on. Btw, gary payton gave MJ the business.