LeBron can never be Michael Jordan

The critics have been out in full force after LeBron James' choke-job against Detroit in game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals Monday night. James failed to get to the free-throw line and scored only 10 points, but he received the most criticism for passing up a game-tying shot to get a teammate a clean look at a game-winning three-pointer. But the real complaint people have against James is that he's not Michael Jordan. And no matter what James ever does, he never will be.

The critics have been out in full force after LeBron James' choke-job against Detroit in game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals Monday night. James failed to get to the free-throw line and scored only 10 points, but he received the most criticism for passing up a game-tying shot to get a teammate a clean look at a game-winning three-pointer. But the real complaint people have against James is that he's not Michael Jordan. And no matter what James ever does, he never will be.

James has been roundly criticized after passing up the final shot of the game. The argument is that the true superstars elevate their games in the final moments. According to the critics (which seem to grow after every blunder), LeBron proved he didn't have that desire to have the ball in his hands to decide the outcome of the game. In other words, he wasn't selfish enough. The fans and commentators who have been piling on James all ask the same question: WWJ(ordan)D?

It's as if they almost believe that if Jordan were in that situation, he would have jumped from behind the three-point line and ended the game with basketball's first three-point dunk. They conveniently forget the times that His Airness himself passed in the final seconds to give his teammates great looks at game-winning shots. The only difference here is that players like Steve Kerr and John Paxson made their shots while Donyell Marshall let LeBron down by missing a wide-open look.

LeBron's critics like to forget where Jordan was when he was LeBron's age. Jordan led his Chicago Bulls to a lackluster 38-44 record and a first-round exit when he was 22. Given that Jordan, unlike James, played college ball before jumping to the NBA, perhaps a more accurate comparison would be Michael Jordan in his fourth season. Jordan's Bulls went 50-32 in his fourth season and were knocked out in the conference semifinals by Detroit. LeBron's Cavaliers, in his fourth season in the NBA, at least made it to the conference finals before being knocked out by Detroit (while it hasn't happened yet, it's all but a certainty after Cleveland blew a golden opportunity to win in Detroit).

Jordan supporters may hate to admit it, but LeBron James is better than Michael Jordan was at this stage of his career. Think about that. LeBron came into the league with more pressure than anyone in the history of the NBA. The odds were stacked against him being able to handle things mentally and become a superstar, let alone it happening this quickly. He didn't just live up to the ungodly amount of hype; he surpassed it. Even the most ardent Jordan lovers have to concede that if LeBron isn't quite as good as fourth-season

Jordan, he's at least in the discussion. And by "in the discussion," I don't mean briefly, as in "LeBron James is not worthy to be in this discussion we are having." It doesn't matter if James is that good, though, because he simply can't be Michael Jordan.

Jordan is untouchable. He plays by a different set of rules. He can have extramarital affairs and no one cares. He can have an overwhelming gambling problem but people see it as Jordan "living life" and having a grand old time. He's in a class of his own. That won't stop the comparisons though. LeBron doesn't have nearly the help that Jordan did on his championship teams, yet he's expected to win like Jordan.

No matter what James does he will always be compared unfavorably to He Who Cannot Be Compared To. If LeBron passes on the last shot, he will be criticized for not taking the shot like Jordan would have. If LeBron takes the shot, he will be criticized for being selfish, unlike the great Michael Jordan. If LeBron saves a drowning man from a pool, he will be criticized for foiling a suicide attempt and not respecting the wishes of the man to leave this world in peace. "Jordan would've known better," they will say.

There is no standard or set of criteria that must be met for James to reach Jordan's level. There is nothing that James can achieve that will make them equals. Jordan fans may point to the MVPs and championships, because James has neither, but they will abandon that once James starts winning titles. Unfortunately for LeBron, no matter how many titles he wins, there will still be people saying "he's no Michael Jordan."

Mark Chalifoux is a sports columnist for The Athens NEWS. He can be reached at mark_chalifoux@hotmail.com