Mikal Bridges says LeBron would get 90 a game against 86' Celtics (Burning Bridges ?)

[mademan]

lmao. I see the myth of the ultra physical 80's where the paint was a boxing ring is gonna continue to persist.

[HotRocks34]

Exactly. So says the kid who wasn't even alive yet. I watched that Celtics team all through the 80s. LeBron would still be great. I don't doubt that. But, nothing like people think. He doesn't have the mental fortitude to take the pounding in the paint that those guys did. You had to be a dog to dominate in those days. I just don't think he has that in him. Case in point, Jason Terry punked him in the 2011 finals.

I completely agree.

Great post!

[Brofessor24]

Lol at the MJ fanboys getting triggered ITT.

MJ was an amazing player for sure. However, King James is still my guy.

[Sabas11]

Are y'all seriously debating the merits of this, someone claiming a player would average 90 a game You think this claim warrants a serious rebuttal?

Yes, we are. Exhibit A: The guy on page 1 who implied Bridges owed his NBA job to the '86 Celtics (wat) and was racist for making this comment.

One thing you should remember on RealGM: MJ is the undisputed GOAT and you DO NOT compare him unfavorably to Lebron.

[Johnny Bball]

All you have to do is look at the ESPN ratings for the Last Dance to know that LBJ will never be able to be Jordan. Not sure if/when he will ever figure that out.

[Nazrmohamed]

Why the defense of the 80's and early 90's gets conflated with the defense of the late 90's and early 00's, i will never understand. The 80's played at a faster pace than the break neck one that we have today, with worse athletes and much, much poorer defensive strategy.

Ya, Lebron would dominate

I don't think people truly grasp how much bigger Lebron is while at the same time being faster and more athletic.

Think of that player you loved back in the day who was the enforcer of your favorite goon it up squad. For me that's Charles Oakley. Lebron weighs more than he did and looks like an acrobat at the weight. Those aren't the things I'm worried about with Lebron. I just think teams like the Celtics in particular they had crazy size, high skill level, unselfish. Those Celtics teams you just couldn't hero ball them and that's why Jordan lost to them. Actually Lebron might have it easier with his all around skillset but I worry about his midrange shooting , that's about the only thing.

Actually I dont think Lebron ever had a team good enough to beat the 87 Celtics. It ain't even his fault. Damn that team was good. The Bulls had a better dynasty but single yr? Very underrated historically.

[DavidSterned]

lmao. I see the myth of the ultra physical 80's where the paint was a boxing ring is gonna continue to persist.

Eh, regular season defense was generally soft then just like it is now, but when teams upped their intensity levels in the playoffs the game got much more brutal than today, IMO. There were unquestionably more fights, hard fouls, and missed cheapshots and the tougher playoff rivalries from back then like Chicago/Detroit, Chicago/New York, Boston/LA, Boston/Philly, and Boston/Detroit have their reputations for a reason. What matchup from today even begins to compare to this?

Watch on YouTube

Watch on YouTube

[Liam_Gallagher]

I honestly hate when people compare current players and how they'd do in previous eras. It's apples and oranges. The only reason players are so good today is because the 80's set the platform.

They don't understand context.

[MotownMadness]

If LeBron isnt avg 90 per game in a soft era where a dude like Trae young is a 30ppg player then hes sure as hell not doing it a much more competitive era.

[CIN-C-STAR]

It's fine if you think Lebron is better than MJ overall, but he was never the pure scorer that mid-to-late '80s Jordan was.
The advantage that people argue Lebron has is his play making, not his scoring, and further, Lebron is not a long-distance shooter so he doesn't really have the skill set to exploit the Celtics relatively weak back court defense, especially outside of Dennis Johnson.
Tbh Harden would probably score more against the '86 Celtics than Lebron, though Lebron of course would impact the game more.
I mean, who cares and all, but this is a stupendously dumb take by Bridges.

[MotownMadness]

lmao. I see the myth of the ultra physical 80's where the paint was a boxing ring is gonna continue to persist.

Eh, regular season defense was generally soft then just like it is now, but when teams upped their intensity levels in the playoffs the game got much more brutal than today, IMO. There were unquestionably more fights, hard fouls, and missed cheapshots and the tougher playoff rivalries from back then like Chicago/Detroit, Chicago/New York, Boston/LA, Boston/Philly, and Boston/Detroit have their reputations for a reason. What matchup from today even begins to compare to this?

Watch on YouTube

Watch on YouTube

The game was so much more competitive and entertaining at the time.

Shoot the All star games back then were more competitive then todays league as a whole.

[Catchall]

LeBron is not a volume scorer of Michael Jordan's caliber.

This is the pro-Jordan argument. Jordan was a better pure scorer and clutch shooter than Lebron during an era with significantly less 3pt shooting, less floor spacing, and much more physical defense. He was also a better on-ball defender.

When the chips are down, can Lebron get you that game-winning bucket? The reality is that Lebron liked to drive and kick out. He doesn't seem to have the same clutch-scorer gene that MJ and Kobe had.

[Anticon]

LeBron is not a particularly gifted shooter and the Celtics were a good defensive team around the rim so not sure where this is coming from.

His playoff high is also 51 and he's played against some pretty so-so playoff teams over the years.

LeBron's dominance comes from his ability to command a team; scoring wise his impact is a bit more unique.

[Catchall]

lmao. I see the myth of the ultra physical 80's where the paint was a boxing ring is gonna continue to persist.

I'd like to see how well Lebron would score in the post against guys like Buck Williams, Karl Malone and Shawn Kemp, who get to be physical with him. His jump hook and fade-away jumper would need to be working because he's not getting all the way to the rim.

[Lockdown504090]

but he couldnt drop 20 on the mavs in 2011? i dont see much difference

[OfficialRef]

Holy smokes did this board have a meltdown over this comment

Durant going to GS didn't even have this kind of reaction

[bamheat]

Lebron probably would have swept the celtics.

[Catchall]

Lebron probably would have swept the celtics.

Does he get Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh and Ray Allen on his squad?

[BenoUdrihFTL]

Lol imagine LeBron playing with the floor-spacing of the 80s. Would look like the 2007 Finals

[Catchall]

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