Clearly, many former NBA players share Jordan's sentiments. The NBA is a different league than it was 20 years ago with social networking and AAU teams allowing these players to get to know each other years before they become millionaires.
But it also begs the question: Will anything LeBron does from this point on change the public's perception of him? Will it matter how many rings he retires with? Has this summer tarnished the image that he has worked so hard to build? LeBron may go onto win as many titles as Jordan, but those rings will not carry as much weight as they would have in Cleveland.
He clearly cares a lot about how he'll be remembered when he hangs up the sneakers, but public opinion on him has taken such a drastic turn that it will take a lot for him to be remembered in a positive light. Enjoy our content? Join our newsletter to get the latest in sports news delivered straight to your inbox! As it turns out, Jordan gave the OK to use the footage on the same day that LeBron and the Cleveland Cavaliers were celebrating their championship with a parade through the streets of Cleveland.
Was LeBron getting one ring closer to matching his mythical six titles a driving force in Jordan wanting to create something that would truly capture his greatness? Or was this just a weird coincidence? Probably the latter, but as competitive as Jordan still is, you can't rule out the former as a possibility. Either way it's an interesting anecdote to the story.
So, again, it's fitting that he factors into this story as well. Tollin previously made a documentary about the misunderstood star titled simply, "Iverson. The fact that Tollin was involved in "Iverson" sealed the deal. The last page of the presentation was a look at the documentaries, movies and shows Tollin and his company, Mandalay Sports Media, had done. Tollin wondered if this was going to work for or against him. Like the timing with the Cavaliers' championship parade that morning, it was impossible to know.
Jordan took his glasses off, looked up and said, "I watched that thing three times. The other came four years later in a sweep, also over the Cavs.
He won a Finals game -- Game 1 in against Utah -- with a buzzer-beater. He capped his Bulls career a year later with something close to a walk-home shot over Bryon Russell. LeBron's most famous Finals shot might be a long 2 to put Miami up four with It doesn't have the resonant splendor of a typical championship-clincher; the Spurs almost conceded it, as they did most LeBron jumpers.
James then sealed the championship with a steal. His most famous Finals moment is a defensive play -- his epic chase-down rejection of Andre Iguodala in the frantic waning minutes of Game 7 in against the Warriors. On Cleveland's most important offensive possession of that game, LeBron ceded center stage to Irving.
Jordan owned center stage, always. He passed only when the defense dictated it. Maybe LeBron doesn't have a flashbulb Finals shot. Look deeper, and you see a volume of high-stakes, late-game dominance to rival Jordan.
The fourth quarter and overtime of Game 6 in -- with Miami down against San Antonio -- is one of the greatest all-time stretches of pressurized athletic performance. LeBron scored or assisted on 29 of Miami's final 38 points if you count LeBron passes that led to shooting fouls , including the first 17 as the Heat erased a point deficit. He was everywhere on defense. He single-handedly willed the Heat back. He also committed two addled turnovers in the last minute of regulation that nearly cost Miami the game.
He drained the must-have triple with In Game 7, LeBron canned three long 2s in the last -- including the series-clincher. It has been overshadowed by Irving's shot and LeBron's block, but James scored 11 of Cleveland's 18 points in the fourth quarter of Game 7 in the Finals -- including eight straight in the middle to turn a four-point deficit into a two-point Cavs lead.
James shot 0-of-4 in the wild last of that game. Everyone was missing; the score froze at for almost four straight minutes.
LeBron barely missed a dunk over Draymond Green -- who fouled him hard -- with He iced the championship at the line. His back-to-back point performances -- on of combined shooting -- in Games 5 and 6 may not get their "clutch" due because the Cavs had the audacity to blow out the Warriors.
LeBron won a conference finals game -- Game 1 against Indiana in -- with a layup at the buzzer. He won another -- Game 2 against Orlando in -- with a triple at the buzzer. In one point, rebound masterpiece in the conference finals, LeBron ended the Celtics and maybe saved the Heat Big Three. He bulldozed for two go-ahead layups in the last minute of regulation. When the Warriors threw this defensive alignment at LeBron in the final seconds, he lasered an impeccable pass to George Hill :.
The Warriors fouled Hill. He made the first to tie it. He missed the second, and JR Smith happened. Golden State rolled in overtime, and swept. Those results render LeBron's performance more footnote than is fair: 51 points, 8 assists, and 8 rebounds on of shooting -- including 13 points on 6-of-7 shooting in the fourth quarter.
LeBron exceeded 40 points in eight of Cleveland's 21 playoff games in Jordan's clutch dossier is impeccable. We rewatched it with "The Last Dance.
Look again at that photo of LeBron surveying Golden State's defense. Durant and Green are not guarding people. They are guarding space. That was against the rules in Jordan's career. Where is James supposed to go? Would you have him barrel into four bodies and throw up some flailing floater? Most of the discussion of the differences between the Jordan and LeBron eras has focused on the physicality of the s and s.
Perimeter defenders hand-checked Jordan. The Pistons body-slammed him, and got penalized with common fouls. Perhaps big men had it easier then, as John Hollinger of The Athletic wrote Friday in noting how Jordan towered over other s perimeter stars -- though Larry Bird and Magic Johnson ruled the s. The earlys ban on hand-checking opened the drive-and-kick game -- LeBron's wheelhouse.
It hastened the rise of the 3-pointer. James has made 1, more 3s, accounting for more than the total scoring gap between them about 3, points in LeBron's favor, regular season and playoffs combined. Jordan would have taken more 3s today. He would have generated more as a passer.
But the abolition of illegal defense has turned isolation basketball into a chore. If you're going to do this, then do it right. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to settle the GOAT argument with your buddies. This conversation starts with the six-fingered argument straight from the movie "Bad Teacher. Aside from Bill Russell, who won 11 NBA championships with the Celtics, nobody else can claim to be the consummate best player on the best team. Jordan returned in March , and the Bulls lost in six games to the Magic in the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs in May.
Chicago swept Orlando in the playoffs the following season. A strong argument could be made Jordan could have won eight straight championships if he did not retire. Perhaps the most impressive part of this run is those legends who didn't get a ring because of Jordan. Half of the Olympic "Dream Team" doesn't have a championship ring.
The Eastern Conference went through James for almost an entire decade. How much do you value simply reaching the Finals but not winning it all? Does that diminish them as players?
0コメント