"Rings don't always define someone's career" -Leking

[DMAVS41]

All im saying is the series was lost on defense. If they are going to win with Jordan, it would be because he had a bigger defensive impact that series.

Okay...that is fine. And Jordan certainly was a better defender than Lebron at that time.

[BrickingStar]

Okay...that is fine. And Jordan certainly was a better defender than Lebron at that time.

Good thing it was lebron's defense that lost them the series

[SilkkTheShocker]

Okay...that is fine. And Jordan certainly was a better defender than Lebron at that time.

In hindsight, Brown should have just let Howard try to beat them on his own and stayed at home on the shooters. Like Atlanta did in 2011.

[SilkkTheShocker]

Good thing it was lebron's defense that lost them the series

The sad part is that if Mo Williams or even Big Z play just average, they probably win. Mo Williams got progressively worse each playoff series.

[PJR]

Of course it wouldn't negate the mismatches, but you people are acting like it wasn't a really close series.

Lets try this a different way. Do you think MJ was better than Lebron? And if so, try and quantify it as best you can.

Yes, I think Michael is better than LeBron. Raw ability and skills aside, I think he's possesses more mental fortitude as well. However I still hold enough perspective to know that basketball is a team game, and that matchups matter. Also coaching.

[DMAVS41]

In hindsight, Brown should have just let Howard try to beat them on his own and stayed at home on the shooters. Like Atlanta did in 2011.

Yea. You could always play that game though looking back. The truth is that the Magic caught fire and the Cavs outside of Lebron sucked. I'm of course not blaming Lebron or anything like that.

I'm just trying to point out that there was a player that is essentially universally accepted to be better than Lebron (certainly at that time) that might have been good enough to sway a series that was already extremely close.

[DMAVS41]

Yes, I think Michael is better than LeBron. Raw ability and skills aside, I think he's possesses more mental fortitude as well. However I still hold enough perspective to know that basketball is a team game, and that matchups matter.

Of course. There is no way to prove any of this stuff. My logic is simple. MJ was better than Lebron...and just had this ability in the playoffs that really I've only seen a handful of times.

And we are talking about a series that was extremely close. I think MJ finds a way to win game 4...and then the series in 7.

[BrickingStar]

Yea. You could always play that game though looking back. The truth is that the Magic caught fire and the Cavs outside of Lebron sucked. I'm of course not blaming Lebron or anything like that.

I'm just trying to point out that there was a player that is essentially universally accepted to be better than Lebron (certainly at that time) that might have been good enough to sway a series that was already extremely close.

and it wasn't MJ for it was Russell.

[Simple Jack]

Of course. There is no way to prove any of this stuff. My logic is simple. MJ was better than Lebron...and just had this ability in the playoffs that really I've only seen a handful of times.

And we are talking about a series that was extremely close. I think MJ finds a way to win game 4...and then the series in 7.

A few of the late plays in those games were out of LeBron's hands.

Also, would MJ have put together that 4th quarter in game 5 that LeBron did, in addition to the game winner earlier in the series? It's a guessing game at that point but it's hard to say anyone would have done better than what Bron did in that series, as a whole.