If Lebron continues to play at this level

[ZaaaaaH]

Individual talent/skill/domination/production/stats wise Lebron has been better than any SF in NBA history, since a long while ago....... only thing Bird could do significantly better was shoot, Lebron does everything else better with the most significant part being defense..... Bird has a more accomplished career tho, hence the higher place on the rankings....

Young Buck let me teach you something. Bird is ONE of the Elitist player who has the TOP notch instinct and feel for the game.

GTFO with ur stat Geek crap. Even on paper Bird was no joke especially when he does not dominate the ball much as LeBron.

Bird also has the competitiveness LeBron cannot even touch.

Bird can only shoot better then LeBron ? LOL













Young Buck

[Ikill]

Bird's first real big year happened at 28 years old (this was the first time he averaged over 25ppg and he was 27 years old before he averaged over 22ppg in the playoffs - Lebron only averaged under 25ppg once in a playoff run, and is close to 30ppg outside of that year - amazing when you consider that Bird major strength on Lebron is that Bird's a scorer). Lebron isn't 28 yet. If Lebron's first big year is ahead of him its going to be crazy - if it had Birds progression it would be something like 34ppg 9rebs and 10 asst - which would just flat out be the most impressive year by any modern player.

Bird had three super regular seasons and four super prolific playoff runs. Lebron has already had seven super regular seasons and five super prolific playoff runs. Lebron will likely pass Bird in total points next year despite not being a scorer.

In the championship run, Lebron just found a whole new dimension to his game and he was already the game's most versatile player without anybody on his level. Bird has the edge right now primarily because of his impact on the total game has been legendary. But as a player Lebron only has a handful of people in front of him.

I would only say two 2012 and 2009 but it depends on what you mean by super prolific

[OldSchoolBBall]

LeBron's 30p/7r/9a season was better than anything Bird could dream of...

Bird's 28/9/8 on 53% FG/61% TS while dominating the ball FAR less than Lebron says otherwise.

[KingBeasley08]

Lebron's peak is already better than Bird's. People tend to overrated old players like crazy

[Hands of Iron]

Bird's 28/9/8 on 53% FG/61% TS while dominating the ball FAR less than Lebron says otherwise.

Key point here, and roughly makes up for the possession argument. FGA's are also FGA's last time I checked. What's funny too is that the Celtics actually played at a pace that registered in the bottom half of the league throughout Bird's peak (84-88).

Also, where are all of the 50/40/90 seasons on 25+ PPG (Bird's volume was actually 28 and 30 respectively) in this super-easy shooting era? Far as I know, he's the only player to have a season such as that in NBA history. Twice, in consecutive years no less. Over his peak span (roughly five seasons or 390 games) he held down 27/10/7 on 50/40/90.

Then there's the actual skill sets and abilities to be measured.

[NumberSix]

Young Buck let me teach you something. Bird is ONE of the Elitist

Stopped reading.

[Hands of Iron]

Key point here, and roughly makes up for the possession argument. FGA's are also FGA's last time I checked. What's funny too is that the Celtics actually played at a pace that registered in the bottom half of the league throughout Bird's peak (84-88).

Also, where are all of the 50/40/90 seasons on 25+ PPG (Bird's volume was actually 28 and 30 respectively) in this super-easy shooting era? Far as I know, he's the only player to have a season such as that in NBA history. Twice, in consecutive years no less. Over his peak span (roughly five seasons or 390 games) he held down 27/10/7 on 50/40/90.

Then there's the actual skill sets and abilities to be measured.

Speaking of which: Lebron is probably amongst the top three freak athletes to ever hit the league, even relative to era. The fact that some unathletic white boy has a considerable case over him should tell you all you need to know in regards to skills. How the hell else did he do it? Arguably Numero Uno there.

[funnystuff]

So many Kobe stans in a thread titled 'If Lebron continues to play at this level'


One word...



Insecurity.

[NumberSix]

So many Kobe stans in a thread titled 'If Lebron continues to play at this level'


One word...



Insecurity.

[ZaaaaaH]

Stopped reading.

Im glad.

Dont want some fagggot who post up homosexual pictuers of other guys to start yappin it up.

Again You are one homo who loves guy pictuers on the net.

[ZaaaaaH]

Another one ...

[NumberSix]

Im glad.

Dont want some fagggot who post up homosexual pictuers of other guys to start yappin it up.

Again You are one homo who loves guy pictuers on the net.

[Hands of Iron]

why does it matter how their pace compared to other teams in the 80s, we are comparing bird to lebron, so how the celtics pace compares to other teams in the 80s is irrelevant. how you thought it was relevant is beyond me.

all of lebron's teams have played pretty close to a pace of 90 possessions per game, while bird's teams in the period you stipulated had an average pace of 106 possessions per game

this is a very significant difference

I didn't consider it relevant necessarily in comparison to Lebron but rather in Bird's individual case as people would have you believe his teams we're leading the charge of the fast-paced 80s and all of his points were in transition as a result of fastbreaks or what not. He was an elite scorer in the half court and did the majority of his work there.

Celtics:

1983-84: 99.7
1984-85: 101.6
1985-86: 101.2
1986-87: 98.6
1987-88: 97.9

Cavs/Heat:

2007-08: 90.2
2008-09: 88.7
2009-10: 91.4
2010-11: 90.9
2011-12: 91.2

Sure, there's a difference but then again Bird wasn't nearly as ball dominant either. There's certainly an argument to made in Lebron's favor in terms of the percentages, but to just mention pace and call it case closed is pretty ridiculous.

this hallowed 40/50/90 thing is pretty silly to me.

bird took far less threes, and far less free throws than bron. so while bird may appear more efficeint because he has those elite 50/40/90 numbers, the fact that lebron takes more free throws, and more threes, narrows the gap in efficeincy

bird shoots better from all three spots, but lebron takes more, of the better shots

cases like this are exactly why TS% is such a good stat to use.

another interesting case is daquan cook and ray allen, in 2010. ray shot better from the freethrow line, from 3, and from the field. but cook had a higher TS% because he took more 3s, and more FTs

You can call it hallowed, I call it unique. Do you honestly consider it a coincidence nobody else in NBA history has maintained those percentages on a volume of 25+ PPG over a season (with only Dirk in his MVP year achieving it by rounding his 24.6), much less 28 and 30? It's a pretty solid achievement imo.

[ZaaaaaH]

Dont get it ....

Must be some fagggot jokes

[chips93]

You can call it hallowed, I call it unique. Do you honestly consider it a coincidence nobody else in NBA history has maintained those percentages on a volume of 25+ PPG over a season (with only Dirk in his MVP year achieving it by rounding his 24.6), much less 28 and 30? It's a pretty solid achievement imo.

im not saying that it isnt a great achievement, it really is. im just saying that TS% is a better indicator of shooting effieciency that looking at FG%, FT%, and 3pt%