Even if James scored 50,000 points, it was much less valuable than Jordan s two consecutive championships.

Comparison of the historical status and achievements of NBA players has always been a highly controversial topic among fans. Jordan's "two three consecutive championships" and James' "scoring milestone" represent excellence in different dimensions, but simply judging the level of the two by "gold content", it is inevitable to fall into the rut of subjective value judgment. This article only starts from the logic and historical context of basketball competition, analyzes the inherent differences between the two achievements, rather than the ultimate conclusion.

1, Three consecutive championships: The highest dimension of team competition conquer

In the basketball world, the reason why "three consecutive championships" are regarded as a myth is because its essence is the triple extreme challenge of "time dimension + team collaboration + competitive intensity".

(1) Time dimension: continuous dominance across three seasons

Jordan's two three consecutive championships (1991-1993, 1996-1998) were separated by three years (Jordan retired midway), but both achieved the complete cycle of "from winning the championship to defending the title and then winning the title". This means that the Bulls have always maintained the league's top competitiveness for six seasons - not only to deal with targeted research by their opponents (such as the malicious fouls of the Pistons "Bad Boys Legion" and the Jazz's pick-and-roll system), but also to resolve internal conflicts (such as Pippen's salary dispute and Rodman's off-court issues). In contrast, James' score accumulation is more of a linear superposition of personal data in the length of his career, and does not involve the team proposition of "continuing dominance between seasons".

(II) Team collaboration: The two three consecutive championships from a single core to a system were built on the perfect architecture of "superstar + functional team". As the absolute core, Jordan was surrounded by a "trident" composed of Pippen (averages 17.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, 5.2 assists per game) and Grant (averages 15.1 points, 8.4 rebounds per game); the last three championships depended on Rodman (averages 5.5 points, 14.9 rebounds per game) and Kerr (averages 8.6 points, 45.4% of three-point shooting percentage). This system of "core attraction to defense + precise execution of role players" shows Jordan's evolution from "scorer" to "leader". Although James' scoring ability is of the top scorer in history (as of 2023, 38,652 points), he has repeatedly tried to win championships through "team giants" (such as the Heat Big Three and the Lakers' Brow combination), and the logic of the team building is essentially different from the "single-core driving system" in the Jordan era.

(III) Competitive intensity: The "hell mode" breaks through the

Bulls' six championship trips passed at least two rounds of "tie seven battles" or "hard battle test". For example, in the 1992 Eastern Conference Finals against the Knicks, Jordan scored 33 points in G7 to lead the team to advance; in the 1997 Finals, he dragged his high fever body to win 38 points. This performance of "with one person's strength to withstand the pressure" highlights the value of competitive performance behind the three consecutive championships. In contrast, James' scores come more from the regular season stable output (1,410 regular season appearances, averaging 27.2 points per game), and data fluctuations have been caused by opponents' targeted defenses many times in the playoffs (such as the Mavericks led by Nowitzki in the 2011 Finals).

2. Score King and Dynasty: The diversity of basketball evaluation system

directly compares "50,000 points" with "two three consecutive championships", which is essentially confusing the evaluation dimensions of "personal data" and "team achievement".

(I) Scoring milestone: The ultimate demonstration of personal abilities

James' scoring ability is unquestionable. He became the youngest "3,000-point Mr." at the age of 20 and 20 days, and still averaged 30 points per game at the age of 38, demonstrating historic physical management ability and technical comprehensiveness. The 50,000 milestone (assuming it is achieved) will be the ultimate affirmation of his "Eternal Youth Career + All-round Playing", especially considering that he has achieved this achievement in the small forward position, which is far more difficult than traditional inside players (such as Jabbar and Malone). This kind of "stable output spanning more than 15 years" is unique in NBA history.

(II) Dynasty Honor: An eternal footnote to the value of the team

But basketball is the sport of five people after all. Jordan's three consecutive championships have been repeatedly mentioned not only because of his personal data (average of 33.6 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists in the six finals), but also because he defined "how to make the players around him better" - Pippen grew from a substitute with 7 points per game to an All-Star, and Cole went from a role player to a "key gentleman". This "leader influence" cannot be fully quantified by the data. As Zen Master Jackson wrote in "11 Rings": "Jordan taught us that winning requires sacrifice, and he sacrificed the most himself."

(III) The incomparableness of the era background

It is worth noting that Jordan was in the NBA's intensity in the 1990s (average score of about 20 points lower than that of Hyundai), and the defensive rules emphasize physical contact (three seconds without defense, hand-check allowed), which makes his scoring value "higher" by some fans. James' rise in the small ball era is facing a more open offensive space and a more complex tactical system. His scoring methods (such as fast attack, three-pointer) and Jordan's "mid-distance back-attack + breakthrough" have different times, and it is inevitable that he will be suspected of seeking a sword by carving a boat.

3. Different dimensions of greatness: the symbiosis between data and legends

The charm of sports lies in the fact that the stars of different eras define "greatness" in their own ways. Jordan used two three consecutive championships to prove the "limited possibility of team competition", while James interpreted the "sustainability of his personal career" with scoring milestones.

Jordan's legacy: it is the paranoia of "winning first", the dominance of "never tiebreaker in the finals", and the cultural symbol that makes the NBA go from the United States to the world.

The meaning of James: it is synonymous with "technical comprehensiveness", a cross-border model of "coexistence of commercial value and competitive strength", and an inspirational narrative from the son of Akron to the first person in history."

As ESPN said in the "Historical Ranking" topic: "Jordan defined 'how to become the God of Basketball', while James is exploring 'how far the boundaries of basketball stars can extend'." There is no absolute difference between the two, but they only choose different great paths.

Conclusion: Let go of the dispute over "gold content" and embrace diversity and greatness

When we argue about "50,000 points" and "two three consecutive championships", we might as well think: Does basketball need more "self-transcendence of lone heroes" or "co-creation of team glory"? Perhaps the answer shouldn't be either black or white. Jordan's three consecutive championships are a brilliant star in basketball history, and James' scoring milestone is a passionate legend of contemporary basketball. They together constitute the rich texture of the NBA's century-old history.

After all, in the long river of competitive sports, names that can be repeatedly mentioned by later generations have long surpassed simple numerical comparisons - that is the youthful memory of a generation, a different footnote to the basketball spirit, and a human being's eternal pursuit of "higher, faster, and stronger".