Lebron James is Not Michael Jordan

Lebron James is not Michael Jordan.  He is not Kobe Bryant.  He is not Magic Johnson. The comparisons to these players are to be expected because each player was considered "the best" at various times.  However, Lebron's game is a collection of skills.  That being said, his game three performance against the San Antonio Spurs was awful.  If he does not play better, the Spurs will be the new NBA champions.

Today, the internet was full of stories about game three, and more specifically, Lebron's performance.  People said that Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant would never have that kind of game on such a big stage.  There is a certain degree of truth to that statement.  However, what defines a "good game" varies.  Does scoring 40 points constitute a good game?  What about scoring 18 points, grabbing 18 rebounds and recording 10 assists?  It really depends.  Jordan and Bryant were born to be scorers.  Lebron, on the other hand, does not specialize in any one particular area.  Instead, he is a generalist, if you will.  One of my co-workers made a really good point about Lebron today.  He said that if a team needs a basket in crunch time, Lebron cannot necessary manufacture a bucket.  He said fundamentally that is what makes him different from MJ and Kobe, who were born scorers and shot-makers.

Lebron's play against the Spurs has been  puzzling.  Leonard and Danny Green are daring Lebron to make jump shots.  The Spurs are essentially playing a zone defense against Lebron and Wade.  Neither player is making them pay for it.  I give Popovich some credit for his very simple yet effective defensive scheme.  However, I have to point the finger at Lebron for not being more assertive.  Although he is not a great shooter, he is more than capable of making jump shots.  In fact, this year, he shot about 57% from the field.  He seems to be over analyzing every move.  Again, Leonard is a good defender, but let's face it, great offense always trumps good defense.  

How much of the blame for the Heat's struggles should be placed of Lebron's shoulders?  That is a loaded question.  He is the best player in the world and his team is struggling, so he has to be blamed for a great deal of the problems.  I am not a big fan of judging a player by their points per game average.  However, I also know that great players give their teams whatever is needed to win.  In my opinion, Lebron has been too passive this series.  He is deferring to lesser players and not dominating Leonard and Green.  I would like to see him post-up and take advantage of his size and strength advantage.  

The other players on the Heat roster have been woefully inefficient.  Shane Battier has forgotten how to shoot a jump shot.  D. Wade is injured and Bosh is not mentally tough.  Chalmers has been inconsistent.  If these guys were playing up to or close to their regular season averages, this series would be nearly done.  With these guys regressing under the stress of playing for an NBA title, the Heat needs Lebron to be more like MJ and less like Magic.  They need him to score 30 points each night.  They need him to dominate.  So, although Lebron is not Michael Jordan, he needs to do his best impersonation of MJ if his team is to have a chance to defeat the Spurs.


Peace