If that's your angle, if you put LeBron in the 80s and 90s he averages 50/20/10/3/3 and that might be conservative.
Will Bron END UP the GOAT?
- Thread starter 829305
- Start date
If that's your angle, if you put LeBron in the 80s and 90s he averages 50/20/10/3/3 and that might be conservative.
Nah, not in the 80's or 90's. Too much hand checking, the game was a lot more physical, and there were great athletes playing the game at this time. If you changed your time frame to 50's and 60's, your numbers would be a little more accurate.
Being physical would make it that much easier for LeBron at his height/weight to straight up abuse other SFs on both sides of the court.
Also, scoring was higher in the 80s and 90s than it has been during LeBron's career. What's with the myth of the 80s being some slugfest low scoring era?
Since LeBron joined the league:
Season high average league scoring: 106.3 ppg
Number of seasons under 105 ppg: 13 of 15
Number of seasons under 100 ppg: 8 of 15
Number of seasons between 1980 and 1989 of less than 108 ppg: 0
Season high average league scoring: 106.3 ppg
Number of seasons under 105 ppg: 13 of 15
Number of seasons under 100 ppg: 8 of 15
Number of seasons between 1980 and 1989 of less than 108 ppg: 0
She banged him with a stap-on in the butt, how he likes it, but you were pretty close.
The shoes don't hurt either. Who else in all of sports has the kind of pull in the industry like Mike, and he hasn't played a meaningful game in two decades?
ok, so you refuse to answer my question.
Rather just pout like a little baby and move the goalposts around. Have fun, I got better things to do.
Something I wonder about these comparisons outside of skill, is also the overall increase in athleticism and the progression of athletes in general to keep pushing the boundaries.
Jordan was obviously very athletic, they didn't call him Air Jordan for nothing.
But was there anyone back then that was built like Lebron? 6'8", 250lbs, athletic af. Were there any Kevin Durants back then? 6'11" sniper that can score from any level? Were there any Russell Westbrooks?
I feel like the NBA is better overall in today's game, than it was back in the 90's, which was better than the 80's, which was better than the 70's, etc.
Look at other sports for examples. Tony Hawk was a king back in the 90's, for being the first to land a 900 in a halfpipe competition. Now 900 aint shit, you better be pulling at least a 1260.
Same with snowboarding, Shaun White hit a 1080 when he won gold back in the first Olympics that allowed snowboarding half pipe - now you have to pull multiple 1080's and at least one 1440 - just to get on the podium.
Or look at Olympic sprinters. In the 1980 Olympics, 10.25s won Gold for the 100m dash. Usain Bolt won gold in the 2008 Olympics, at 9.69s. 6 of the 8 finalist runners in the 100m final all ran sub-10 seconds.
Jordan was obviously very athletic, they didn't call him Air Jordan for nothing.
But was there anyone back then that was built like Lebron? 6'8", 250lbs, athletic af. Were there any Kevin Durants back then? 6'11" sniper that can score from any level? Were there any Russell Westbrooks?
I feel like the NBA is better overall in today's game, than it was back in the 90's, which was better than the 80's, which was better than the 70's, etc.
Look at other sports for examples. Tony Hawk was a king back in the 90's, for being the first to land a 900 in a halfpipe competition. Now 900 aint shit, you better be pulling at least a 1260.
Same with snowboarding, Shaun White hit a 1080 when he won gold back in the first Olympics that allowed snowboarding half pipe - now you have to pull multiple 1080's and at least one 1440 - just to get on the podium.
Or look at Olympic sprinters. In the 1980 Olympics, 10.25s won Gold for the 100m dash. Usain Bolt won gold in the 2008 Olympics, at 9.69s. 6 of the 8 finalist runners in the 100m final all ran sub-10 seconds.
You literally said you don't follow football, so your opinion on the importance of Super Bowl rings is somewhere between wet dog shit and dried dog shit.
I think its a combination of both humans and sports evolving. For example, no, there wasn't a Kevin Durant in the 90's. There was no LeBron in the 90's. But there didn't have to be. They barely shot three pointers back then. Every season, more and more threes are shot, so when kids grow up seeing three pointers being shot, they realize that's what players in the game do now.
Same thing with running and the Olympics. There are training methods and technology we have now that we didn't 20 or 30 years from now. Given that as well as humans continuing to evolve, you get better times now.
Exactly what I was trying to say to Jimbo. The level of athletes has been and will continue to be on an upward slope.
Exactly, and LeBron is THE physical freak in an era of physical freaks. You put an average 2018 NBA starter back in 1980 and he would one of the most athletic players in the league. You put LeBron James back in the 80s and it just wouldn't be fair. He is ALREADY a size/speed mismatch against the superior athletes of today. Wind the clock back 20-30 years and it would just get silly.
Also, what was your point about handchecking defenses? Were you under the impression that league scoring is higher than back than? Because that is demonstrably false. I listed the scoring stats for you. Here they are:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_stats.html
In 1980 the United States didn't compete in the Olympics. We had several guys that would've beaten a 10.25. The world record was 9.9 by that point and 10 seconds was first broken in the 1960's. Also, they didn't have the starting blocks that they used today a long time ago. Some believe Jesse Owens was a 9.9 guy in the 1930's. But I get your overall point. I do think athletes in track compare much better with today's best compared to any other sport with their old vs. today. Simple things like running, jumping, throwing, etc. have pretty much always been a focal point for athletic competitions throughout history whereas most pro sports we see today are relatively new. It's just today's track stars have much much better knowledge of training, eating and they have better equipment.
I honestly wasn't sure one way or the other. All I'm saying is LBJ isn't averaging 50 unless he plays before 1970.
The 1980's was much more fast paced than today's game and that of the 1990's. They averaged like 100 possessions per game vs. the high 80's around 20 years ago. I think today is in the mid 90's. Lebron would've thrived but 50 per game is probably a stretch.
Very very few players back then would have the size/strength/speed needed to keep LeBron from the rim. Emphasis on very.
It's amazing what actually looking at the numbers can do instead of just reguritating talking abouts.
Another fun fact: There were more free throws shot per game in the 80s and 90s than now, contrary to what people believe.
baby pouting it is, enjoy.
Expected more out of you, but now I know. Expectations will be lowered.
Are you saying that because I stopped following football 3 years ago I no longer possess the knowledge to discuss the sport in general terms? For instance, my opinion that playing 5v5 for the entire game is different than playing 11v11 and only being out there for half the game?
Am I wrong, did the rules of football change in the past 3 years and now QBs also play defense? Is it 7v7 now like Iowa high school?
*Says he has better things to do*
*Back saying the same thing as before*
"QBs aren't important when it comes to winning Super Bowls because I say so even though I don't follow football."
Stellar take, dude.
That's kind of my point though... During the 80's and 90's, Jordan was a complete tier above almost every single person in the NBA athletically.
Today's NBA is much deeper, with more skilled and more athletic players pretty much across the board.
Are you saying you really think LBJ could average 50 in the 80's? Or were you just giving a random number to make a point? No troll, I honestly can't tell
Yea, I agree with your second point. However, just simply watching some of Jordan's dunks and moves while in the air, you can tell he'd be the most athletic dude playing today, too. If not the most, right up there.
Definitely agree. I'm more making the argument against his competition.
The Bulls last 2 titles, they beat a starting lineup of:
John Stockton - 6'1" (34 years old in 97, 35 in 98)
Karl Malone - 6'9" (33 / 34)
Jeff Hornacek - 6'3" (33 / 34)
Byron Russell - 6'7" (26 / 27)
Greg Ostertag - 7'2" (23 / 24)
Was a single player in that starting lineup, even above average athletically?
Would that Jazz team even make it out of the first round of today's Western conference playoffs?
Don't get me wrong, Stockton and Malone were great. The rest were... meh. Same thing with the Supersonics in 96... Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp were great, but everyone else on their roster was pretty forgettable.
Nobody cares, take this shit to the football board. This is a board for basketball junkies, so don’t compare football players to basketball players. I don’t give one ish about football.
Lebron Already lost his chance when he got swept by Spurs in 2007. MJ the GOAT had a perfect 6/6 record in NBA finals, at 100% winning percentage he’s undefeated in the finals. If you lose once in the finals, the best you can be is #2 all time.
What were they more skilled at?
Shooting? Better now.
Passing? Possibly more skilled back then, with Stockton, Magic, etc.
Handles? Kyrie > ______
West is 11 for 11. And I think a teammate of his was also. Guess Jordan will have to settle for 3rd.
I was just fishing. I do think they had a little more basketball IQ back then. Obviously not everyone, but on average.
Edit- I do think it has improved recently though.
Edit- I do think it has improved recently though.
Perfect finals record is a necessary condition to surpass MJ, but it’s not a sufficient condition, just simple logic.
Next post I'm gonna say the current players only care about money, the 80s and 90s guys just wanted to win.
Similar threads
