“Under the Michael Jordan model, you’re allowed to miss the playoffs, you’re just not allowed to lose in the Finals” - Nick Wright says missing playoffs would be small ding in LeBron James’ "GOAT legacy armor"
Analyst Nick Wright defended LeBron James’ GOAT legacy by using Michael Jordan’s logic in Tuesday’s episode of ESPN's “First Things First.” The conversation concerned what missing this year's playoffs could do to James’ legacy.
Nick Wright said:
“Under the Michael Jordan model, you’re allowed to miss the playoffs. You’re just not allowed to lose in the Finals.”
Wright then said:
“It should hurt his legacy. But because Jordan missed the playoffs, and Jordan lost in round one, you’re allowed to do it. So I guess it won’t.”
How would missing the playoffs impact LeBron’s legacy?
"It'd be a small ding in LeBron's GOAT legacy armor. Under the Jordan model, you're allowed to miss the playoffs. You're just not allowed to lose in the Finals. ... If you can't win the title, lose early!" — @getnickwright https://t.co/Zi0qFX4bXE
If LeBron James misses the playoffs, will that affect his legacy as the GOAT?
Michael Jordan, who played 15 seasons, is a six-time NBA champion and was the Finals MVP in all six of those series. What's more, Jordan never lost a Finals.
Jordan's team bowed out in the first round three times (from 1985-87). He lost twice in the conference finals, both times to the "Bad Boys" Detroit Pistons. And he lost twice in the semifinals – once to the Pistons and again in 1995, after he had just unretired. Jordan went 119-60 (66.5%) in the playoffs.
LeBron James is a four-time champion and four-time Finals MVP. "King James" has played in 10 Finals. James' first-round loss to the Phoenix Suns last season was the first time in his career that he had lost in the beginning round. To make it worse, the Lakers were the defending champions. James (65.4%) is 174-92 in the playoffs.
James is averaging 29.1 points, 7.9 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game in his 19th season.
The Lakers (27-31) are in ninth place in the Western Conference after entering the season with high expectations.
While James has played like many of the players in MVP contention this season, his name is left out due to his team's poor performance. Anthony Davis has been dealing with injuries for a great portion of the season, and Russell Westbrook is buckling chemistry. It is beginning to look like Los Angeles may miss the playoffs.
James has a resume close to that of Jordan's. Aside from discrepancies in win rates and playoff arguments, the two stand relatively close. Jordan has a larger playoff presence, and James has a larger stamp on point totals and averages.
In any case, it seems like James' legacy is safe when "Jordan’s playoff logic" is applied.