NZB2323 wrote:MacGill wrote:Yup - it certainly is possible. I have him in the top 10 right now but aside from fantastic regular season and some post season campaigns, he has some of the worst top 10 player post season meltdowns of any of the greats. When you realize that in the nba you don't have to be the best at everything on your team to become the best player and/or have the greatest impact you'll understand why others, even if modern statistical measurements don't show them as such, were superior players as they could work within a system, while exceling their own game and teammates beyond a simple statisical measurement that looks more and more empty each year as this era continues to balloon to heights not seen since the 60's.
Only if you compare him to Jordan. Everyone else has stinkers:
Lebron 2011 Finals: 18, 7, and 7, 54.1 TS%, 13.7 GmSc
Kobe 2004 Finals: 23, 4, and 3, 45.6 TS%, 11.6 GmSc
Shaq 2007 1st round: 18, 9, and 1, 52.9 TS%, 11.3 GmSc
Hakeem 1990 1st round: 19, 12, and 2, 47.8 TS%, 17.1 GmSc
Curry 2016 Finals: 23, 5, and 4, 58 TS%, 13.1 GmSC
Duncan 2011 1st round: 20, 3, and 5, 50 TS%, 10.6 GmSc
Magic 1981 1st round: 17, 14, and 7, 44.1 TS%
Kareem 1973 1st round: 23, 16, and 3, 44.7 TS%
Wilt 1969 Finals: 12, 25, and 3, 50% FG, 36.4 FT%
Russell 1967 Division Finals: 11, 23, and 6, 35.8 FG%, 67.9 FT%
Bird 1983 ECF: 18, 14, and 7, 41.2/20/73.1 shooting splits
That's what seperates Jordan. His worse series is probably in 1995 coming back from baseball, but even that wasn't that bad:
Jordan 1995 ECSF: 31, 7, and 4, 53.9 TS%, 21.6 GmSc
I guess you could say Hakeem wasn't that bad, but he had a real stinker in 1998 also. You could say he was past his prime, but he was the same age as Jordan who won Finals MVP that year.
If anyone knows how I could find the GmSc stats for Magic, Kareem, Wilt, Russell, and Bird in those series I would appreciate it.
Also, Lebron put up great stats from 2007-2016, which is similar to the 1990s in terms of scoring. And even today's numbers aren't as inflated as 1962.
And Wilt is the opposite of a player who could work within a system. Dude refused to practice before noon for a season.
Oh, I am more than aware that others have had 'stinkers' but not on the level as Lebron, and especially not as many when you incorporate his entire PS career. Finals aside, where he has had more than a few underwhelming performances, there have been ECF's where he has come up short as well. The point for me, no other player as you mentioned above is viewed as underachieved with the extreme level of talent that they played with then him. Amazing stats is par for the course when you're considered an all-time great and with LBJ having more control than any other superstar in the history of the league, he falls on the shorter side. He is far more of a Wilt to me than a Russell or MJ. Regardless if he was the ultimate one man show, in a team sport, his individual production can be replicated by others, even if it looks different or is not at as high of a level.