Nation;5099132 said:
They were able to beat Jordan, but one can't say they were able to neutralize him either. Jordan averaged 32 points in the 90 playoffs losing to Detroit, 30 in 89, and 27 in 88. There was never anything close to this or the Dallas series in any of the few playoff series that Jordan lost.
The reality is this... The NBA not plays with 3 second defensive violation calls. During that era in particular, one could crowd the lane without any real repurcussions. The Spurs are playing off Lebron and clogging the lane in the context of this 3-second violation call. Lebron playing in that era would be a Lebron that would have to learn a jump shot very quickly. Pop is coaching this thing brilliantly.
Additionally, Lebron is essentially being guarded one-on-one by Leonard. If one pays attention, Lebron is getting his points in essentially garbage time and when Leonard is out of the game. Even in game 2, the Lebron's 'tear' came after the 15 point lead.
I think Lebron is over-rated and over-rated does not imply he isn't a great player. If you find somebody to match him physically, like a Leonard, then the inferior skill set to a guy like Kobe to score, let alone Jordan whose beyond the level of these guys, becomes very apparent.
