Persons who believe Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time tend to point to his undefeated record in the NBA Finals as a major leg up over the likes of LeBron James and others.
Jordan went 6-0 in the Finals, and he was named Finals MVP in all six championship seasons.
But former NBA center and LeBron teammate Kendrick Perkins thinks the Finals argument can easily be turned on its head.
Perkins tweeted out a side-by-side comparison of Jordan's statistics in his last three Finals wins with James' stats in his last three Finals losses.
Numbers like this is what makes this Bron/MJ thing up for debate. It’s not open and shut like people try it make it. When you look at numbers like this, it makes the ring talk clearly more about TEAM than individuals!
Bron is my GOAT and I’m standing on it, carry on! pic.twitter.com/QgDEdkOr46
— Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) May 14, 2020
Each of LeBron's last three Finals losses came at the hand of the Golden State Warriors.
LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers were without Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love for the first of those three losses, while the next two both came after Kevin Durant joined the Dubs.
Indeed, LeBron can hardly be blamed for his efforts. In fact, many still argue he should have been named the 2015 NBA Finals MVP, despite the Cavs losing the series. The award went to Andre Iguodala, instead.
Then again, this comparison is a bit selective and not really encompassing of each player's legacy.
For example, while Jordan might have been less efficient in his first three Finals appearances, he was superhuman during the first Chicago Bulls three-peat. Meanwhile, LeBron floundered in his first year in the Finals as a member of the “Big 3” in Miami.
But Perkins seems to be implying there is more to the debate than the Finals win-loss record, which is a perfectly fair point to argue.
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