In 2018, LeBron James broke Michael Jordan‘s record for consecutive double-digit scoring games. MJ’s record stood at 866, and LeBron passed that mark in late March during the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 107-102 win over the New Orleans Pelicans.
LeBron’s fans praised the feat, calling it a testament to his rule over his basketball era. However, his detractors, including then-Undisputed host Skip Bayless, questioned LeBron’s dominance because of his underwhelming 3-5 NBA Finals record. Jordan’s “Dream Team” teammate Clyde Drexler refuted Bayless’ claim.
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“I played against Michael, and Michael was phenomenal. I mean, there’s nothing I can say. I love the guy, absolute great character,”said Drexler. “But you’ve got to look at eras. Michael dominated his era. LeBron dominated his era. I’m one of those guys who don’t want to compare eras. You have to deal with what’s in front of you. And look at LeBron’s numbers, and look at Michael’s numbers. They’re similar.”Â
MJ needed Hall of Fame help
Jordan backers always point to LeBron’s paltry Finals record as to why he can’t be the greatest player of all time. But Drexler said it’s hard to compare their performances in the NBA Finals because one, winning the championship is a team effort, and two, they played in different eras with different competition.
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However, Drexler let Bayless know that if he was thinking that James is 3-5 in the NBA Finals because he can’t carry his team to success, Clyde let Skip know that LeBron led the Cavaliers once to the NBA Finals without a future Hall of Famer on his team.
Meanwhile, Jordan was 1-9 in the playoffs and 0-3 in playoff series without Hall of Fame sidekick Scottie Pippen. He never played in a championship series without Pip on his team.
“LeBron, I think, made it to the Finals with a couple of guys we can’t even remember. Michael had Hall of Famers playing with him. Think about that,” added Drexler.
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LeBron carried a ragtag Cavs teams
Of course, Drexler was talking about 2007, when LeBron led the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 50-32 season and the second-best record in the Eastern Conference. Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Drew Gooden, and Larry Hughes were the next best players on his team.
Although the Cavs were swept by the San Antonio Spurs in the 2007 NBA Finals, many felt they overachieved that year with LeBron doing the heavy lifting. He did the same in 2018 when he again took the Cavs, where, like in 2007, they were swept by the KD-boosted Golden State Warriors.
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In that Finals series, the only other double-digit scorer on the Cavs was Kevin Love, who averaged 19.0 points per game. James averaged 34.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, 10.0 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game in the championship series. Looking at the lineup, the only player on the team who might make the HOF is Love, but that may be debatable.
Meanwhile, Drexler drew flak for his comments, with Jordan supporters calling him a hater. However, the Portland legend made a good point about not comparing the two because they played against different competitions.
Also, he was right about James leading a team without a HOF player to the Finals, while Jordan never got there without one. That, however, doesn’t make LeBron the GOAT. But neither does LeBron’s now 4-6 Finals record diminish his greatness.
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This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Sep 19, 2025, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.