The best things that could've happened to LeBron James' legacy are the injuries to Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving.
After James' 37-point, 18-rebound, 13-assist performance in Game 3 against the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday night, his Cleveland Cavaliers teammates Kendrick Perkins and J.R. Smith brought up the until-now forbidden comparison to the game's recognized greatest player:
Kevin Love playoff injury a blessing for the Los Angeles Lakers?
Michael Jordan.
"The only thing that he's missing is a couple more championships and then it's a wrap," Kendrick Perkins told Northeast Ohio Media Group. "Right now we have arguably the best player to ever play the game. I'm just saying man. I'm not taking anything away from Jordan, but all (James is) missing is titles. A couple of more titles and that's it."
LeBron James jokes Kevin Love is NBA MVP
Adds Smith, who joined the Cavaliers at midseason from purgatory with the New York Knicks:
"That's one hell of a debate. Honestly, in my opinion, if it's not Jordan then it's him," J.R. Smith told NEOMG. "It used to be no question. It was a landslide. It was Jordan. Now, you have to consider my boy."
ESPN.com countered, however, that Jordan supporters simply need to quote a phrase from "How I Met Your Mother" star Jason Segel by saying, "that six rings is THE ONLY ARGUMENT I NEED, KENDRICK!"
Jordan, after all, went 6-0 in Finals Appearances. James is 2-3 with a sixth all but assured this season, but the Cavaliers will be underdogs to likely opponent Golden State.
Which is where the injuries to James' teammates may come into play. James received all sorts of criticism when he left the Cavaliers in 2011 to join a superstar trio in Miami with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.
Never mind the fact that the Heat didn't even make the playoffs and that the Cavs are a mere formality game from sending LeBron to his fifth straight NBA Finals appearance - something Jordan never did. King James was joining Irving and bringing in Love to help the Cavaliers chase down that elusive title for the city, again proving that James needed help to get a championship.
But if he can deliver a title without Love, who's out for the postseason with a shoulder injury, and with a limited Irving due to an injured knee, that by all means, James will have earned the right to be in the discussion with Jordan.
© Copyright 2024 Sports World News, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
