MrPainfulTruth wrote:Disrespecting Kobe, Dirk, Steph, Timmy, KD, Kawhi and Giannis like they didnt clearly dominate LeBron in their head to head match ups is just embarrassingly ignorant.
LeBron vs the Field All-Time W/L (Reg Season & Playoffs)LBJ v Duncan (15-21)
LBJ v Curry (26-30)
LBJ v Kawhi (16-20)
LBJ v Dirk (18-14)
LBJ v Kobe (16-6)
LBJ v KD (24-19)
LBJ v Giannis (17-6)
Production-wise ...against Duncan, LBJ led in ppg, ast, stls;
...against Curry, LBJ led in ppg, rbs, ast, and blks;
...against Dirk, LBJ led in ppg, rbs, ast, and stls;
...against Kawhi, LBJ led in ppg, rbs, ast, and blks;
...against Kobe, LBJ led in ppg, rbs, ast, stls, and blks;
...against KD, LBJ led in rbs, ast, stls, and blks;
...against Giannis, LBJ led in ppg, ast, and stls.
Lebron's toughest matchupsPure win‑loss metric: Tim Duncan (15‑21) is the toughest; it’s LeBron’s worst winning percentage and only matchup where he trailed both on the scoreboard and in rim protection/rebounding categories.
Volume‑adjusted view: Stephen Curry edges Duncan for “sustained difficulty” (largest sample – 56 games – and still a sub‑.500 result). Curry also imposes the greatest offensive pace pressure, inflating LeBron’s minutes and usage in Finals runs.
Average categories led: 3.8 of 5. He’s never out‑produced in fewer than three categories, underscoring the all‑around load he carries.
Scoring burden: LeBron trails only Durant in points per game among the group; against everyone else he’s the top scorer and primary creator (ast leader in every matchup).
Defensive & glass work: LeBron leads in steals in five of six duels and in blocks vs four opponents—showing he’s often the most versatile defender on the floor in addition to directing the offense.
Framing Kobe, Dirk, Steph, Timmy, KD, Kawhi, or Giannis as having “clearly dominated” LeBron crumbles once you separate narrative from numbers. LeBron owns the statistical upper hand in at least three major box‑score categories against every one of them—often scoring and play‑making while matching or beating them on the glass and in defensive stats. Only Duncan and Curry finish with a win‑loss edge, and even there LeBron’s individual production still outpaces theirs. In the smaller Kobe and Giannis samples he posts a .730‑plus win rate; versus Durant and Kawhi he’s above .500 while stuffing the stat sheet. In short, some rivals carved out series‑by‑series victories, but none “clearly dominated” the player who, across every matchup, remained the most versatile force on the court. We can also clearly see why the Warriors were so adamant in their recruitment of KD. LBJ's head-to-head matchup against Curry looks significantly different if we remove KD from the equation.
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