Yall joking on Ben Simmons and his scoring not realizing he impacts the game in different ways he's a great playmaker. Don't be surprised when he passes John stocktons assist record
Maybe that was Ben's plan all along and we're all idiots that don't understand his greatness. He's saving energy because he's planing for 50 plus season career.
I'm glad he mentioned LeBron's 4th quarter against the Spurs. People say Ray Allen saved LeBron's legacy. But LeBron deserves just as much if not more credit for saving his own legacy with his 16 points in the 4th quarter.
As Rusty mentioned, there was also another game to win to get to four wins and the title. In that game, both Ray Allen and Chris Bosh scored zero points. LeBron's 37 points in a win in a Finals game seven tied a record from 1956.
@@TigerHoods23 “those 16 points meant nothing.” You act like those 16 points didn’t put his team in position to win the game. You and the other haters can keep acting like the last shot is the only thing that matters if it helps you cope
I don’t know this video was kinda messy for me. He started the video with scoring being the main talking point but then it turned into a career overview which I’ve seen done before. Kinda wish he remained consistent with the scoring thing
The argument is yea in the beginning it was rougher but as he aged the NBA lost all the true centers, and the game became way less physical which benefits a 260lb guy, on top of medicine improving. Which in turn helped his body maintain. Yes he deserves credit for remaining focused for this long. But no one has benefitted from the game changing more than lebron. I’m not knocking him I think he is an amazing talent. But his fans refuse to use common sense most of the time and that why lebron gets so much hate I think it’s not him it’s a product of his fans. If u notice players not just lebrin are all playing way longer, and that trend will continue.
@@Getdown8319 bro he played 16 out of the 30 lowest-pace seasons ever. And you don't really understand it don't you, with medicine improving, it benefits the whole field, not just 1 player. Hence, to maintain dominance, which is exactly what LeBron is doing, is also harder.
Lebron's first 13 seasons until after 2016 the NBA was much lower scoring and more defense oriented than the league Jordan played in his first 9 seasons before the first retirement in 93-94... Lebron had playoff opponents who allowed like 90ppg and Jordan's most were over 100ppg allowed. Seems like nobody ever noticed or acknowledged that Lebron's early career stats may have been alot greater in a faster paced league.
They forget how crazy those Detroit series were, people thought the Bad Boy Pistons were hard to get through but they just abused the lack of a flagrant foul existing, soon as they established the rule they got swept, cause they fall apart without abusing hard fouls. 2000s pistons had actual defensive skill, they made Kobe (the closest thing to Michael Jordan) look like Khris Middleton in 04. Hell you could argue it even made Shaq leave. Great era.
That’s why he’s the most impressive of these high stat players by a lot. Guys like harden aren’t even close. 25 year old lebron if he played in 2018 would average uncanny numbers with good defense. I think he’s truly cemented as the second best ever.
They also may have been lower if not for some rule changes that shifted the game towards favoring perimeter play. Some of Lebron's seasons were lower paced then some of Jordan's that is true. But none of Jordan's were played with rules being massively leaned towards perimeter "guard play". Pace of play is a much better argument when talking about comparisons with Kareem than it is with Jordan. Not only did Kareem play in some of the fastest paced seasons in NBA history, at that time the rules favored post play which also helped Kareem and his game.
@@craigjohnston5781 look at the field goal percentages of alot of players in the 2000s in series they played against 90ppg allowed defenses like the Pistons, Celtics, Spurs etc. It's not like it was only slow paced but easier to score on . Unless you just imagine everyone in the league just got drastically worse conveniently the day MJ retired, defense was better in the 2000s and early 10s than it was in Jordan's first run with the Bulls 85-93. 96-98 is when the league grew really defensive oriented , and it's reflected in Jordan being less efficient. The slower pace he'd have less rebounds and assist but still got his shots up.
I think the finals record he has is massively unfairly held against Bron. It’s an unbelievable feat he carried the cavs in 07 and Warriors had to get KD to stop Bron dominating an all time dynasty. I’d like to think what Brons record could have been if the cavs actually supported him and got him a ‘pippen’ or such. Can’t wait for the cavs to draft Bronny and Garland, Mitchell, Bron, Mobley and Allen win his last chip in year 22
Lebron's record maybe closer to being "unbreakable" compared to when Kareem set his record, just because of the fact that load management is a huge thing prioritized in today's nba season unlike back then.
Not to mention the top players of this caliber now make $40m a year (and it will go up). They will be more fabulously wealthy far earlier than in times past, and that kind of wealth may tell them to go enjoy it instead of grinding out 100 game seasons (counting deep playoff runs) past 12 to 15 years. And under any reasonable assumption, no one could get there in that short of time.
Being from Cleveland , I can’t tell you enough how much LeBron means to Us. He promised a championship and he delivered in the most dramatic way possible. I still don’t understand why people shredded him for leaving the Cavs when the organization just wasn’t ready for him.. I still remember the chills I got watching the 2016 finals. We haven’t had a championship team in ages before that, let alone in Basketball. The Indians were actually playing in the world series at the same time, but loss.
Off topic but just wanted to say the timing is perfect for a Jalen Brunson appreciation video. I hardly see any videos giving him his flowers for this season on RU-vid. Since the beginning of January which is a really good sample size, Brunson is averaging 29 or 30ppg on over 50%fg and over 40% from 3 , that's pretty much superstar production and it feels like hardly anyone notices yet.
To be fair, we've seen non-star players (not just this season) have a month or two run of stardom, but by the end of the season it's forgettable...so if anything, he'll get the flowers he deserves by the end of the season (if he keeps it up)
@@RugumiTenshi can you give examples? Not saying you are wrong at all, just thought it would be cool to see the list of examples. I might be taking this too specifically, but while I can think of Jeremy Lin type examples, that was only like Feb 4 to Feb 20th you know? And he wasn’t averaging 30. He scored over 30 once. TJ warren went crazy for like what? 10 games etc? But Brunson latelt feels a LoT more like Shai going from a 20 ppg guy to a legit 30 ppg guy through some sort of breakthrough mentally than it does some solid but not great player jusr having a hot 1-2 months. I’ve been confused since last season why so many people seemed to undervalue how good Brunson had PROVEN he was/is. And he’s so young it makes sense that with his first taste of consistent starting and lead role, he would eventually get even better than the 20/6 type shit we were able to see as a spot starter. Seems like it took him a couple months to really get acclimated, and now he’s realizing just how elite of a scorer he can and how he truly has the green light, minutes and role to produce as much as his heart desires. Id assume as long as he continues to take such an aggressive approach, he’ll continue to score 25-30 a night
@@schuylersavage276 I may be wrong but Terry Rozier , IT, to name a couple but Brunson made his case I shouldn’t have to say it go look at what he’s doing. Guys in his prime he won’t slow down for a year or two.
I look forward to seeing what kind of changes you’ll make Rusty. This was a very good video, one of your better in awhile (your normal breakdowns are good at what they do, but when you go longer, you stand out).
Been watching him since I was 12. I'm 32. Man if he ain't the GOAT I don't really care. He's a machine and my favorite player who isn't on my team to watch. He's a living legend and he's still out there fucking balling. What more can you ask? This one man has given us so much entertainment, discussion, and history than ANYBODY else in my lifetime.
It's a stupid argument to begin with. Everyone (old enough) should consider themselves lucky that they were witness to two transcendent, generational talents like Lebron and MJ. Two of the greatest I've ever had the honor of watching play. For any player to be compared to Kareem and MJ is the greatest achievement anyone could hope for.
What an amazing career. I've watched him since I was a very young man now I got to watch the GOAT score the Dagger in the conversation. And he still has at least 2-5 years left in his career and it's not crazy to think he will be like a 6th man doing 18 minutes a game as a player coach with his sons winning a title when he is 40
Let's not forget, that Darko Militic also got more help, playing alongside Billups, Hamilton, Prince and 2 Wallaces. And yes, Militic was also part of that draft class... and he was the first to win a title.
being one year older than James I never liked the hype around him and all the flopping he used to do and the obvious favourism by refs.. But, yes. I have to appreciate greatness. He did it all and then some. All hail The King
This is a really good video. One of the rare vids on RU-vid actually giving lebron his flowers with context. I don’t think he’s the GOAT but sometimes people act like he’s not one of the greats of the sport.
What's crazy about Lebron during his first playoff series was that he'd have the center on his team go to the bench, bringing the wizards center to the bench, so that he could just drive to the paint without a great shot blocking center in there to stop him.
This is why for me MJ is the GOAT but by a very close margin, LeBron is there with him. Unlike Mike, Cavs was not willing to invest in LeBron and build a team around him. This 1st stint in Cleveland is nothing short of amazing and he would have been in the Finals earlier if the Cavs front office is willing to spend more.
mj got swept by shaq in 1995. And swept twice in 86 87. CHOKED from 1984 to 1990. He QUIT TWICE he had the best team in the 90s. Winning 55 games. Mj OVVERATED no goat. Mj had the better team and better head coach his whole career. STOP WITH THE EXCUSES.... MJ so GREAT he can't win without Scottie and phill Jackson. 😂 lebron the goat.
incredible work, Rusty. I don't often find myself watching 40 min videos, but you did an exceptional job or keeping me entertained throughout the entire video.
Rusty this vid is a masterpiece at basketball journalism. Lengthy, precise, to the point, insightful, and objective. All of your docs are actually insane, to be fair. Great work.
On a side note, Rusty talks about how if John Stockton (who was the pass first player he showed a photo of later) had a more well rounded game, then he’d be more impactful than he was in reality and Utah would have been better. If that were the case, then in addition to Stockton getting fewer assists, would Karl Malone (ergo: he who shall not be named) have fewer points because there would be fewer shots for him if Stockton took more of them? Say what you want about John Stockton being overrated, but the fact remains, he was effectively one player on Malone’s team who could pass, and was nearly always looking to do so.
this was a W video rusty i understand why you didn’t want to rush and upload this video it was great quality and a great breakdown on how special it was lebron did what he did breaking the scoring record something that most people thought it would be never broken
Excellent history, summary, analysis and commemoration. Great production (score and editing) too. Incredible work Rusty. I love this video of yours and the deep dives.
I hated Lebron for so long just like I hated the spurs for so long both for the same reason……THEY WERE SO DAMN GOOD. Nowadays as a grown man I just appreciate both the spurs teams I’ve watched and the greatness of Lebron I watched
Wow. This was such a good video. I clicked it not even knowing how long it was thinking it was a regular 10-15min clip. I got totally sucked in and lost sense of time watching this. Thank you
Amazing video Jacob! Lebron has been a dominating force in the nba for literally my entire life. It’s hard to imagine an NBA without him but he will certainly be missed when he’s done playing (even by the haters lol)
Every time I see footage of that legendary game vs the Pistons, I get teary eyed because of an exhilarating feeling of triumph. I feel to this day. What a legend Lebron is.
Great points about LeBron as a scorer, fans’ responsibility to appreciate his one of one greatness, and an amazing recap of his playoff runs. Just thought it was going to focus more on his regular seasons as this is a regular season record and he’s owned the playoff record for scoring for about five years now
LeBron and I are born in the same year, I'm like 9 months older than him, and it amazes me how he's still going strong all this time. Incredible talent, the greatest of this generation.
All love for Rusty Buckets, but this felt more like a video about LeBron’s playoff performances rather than a video about LeBron breaking the scoring title
I ain’t finished the video but I know this is going to be great. I’d love to see LeBron in the playoffs for a few more years before he hangs them up. Hope he makes it this year
So,done did the math and figured out that LeBron was born about 9 months after Kareem set the record, meaning there’s a chance that LeBron was conceived the night Kareem set the record.
@@youngboy2pacdrake lmao yea this definitely a joke cause I said an actual fact and not opinion so there for you calling it an opinion is actually wrong 😂😂🙄🙄
Considering how many people once thought Kareems record was "Unbreakable" before Lebron broke it, let's not get too carried away with the notion that Lebrons record is unbreakable. Even if he plays a few more seasons and passes 40K, I'm sure there will be another freak of nature in the future that can break it with a combination of skills we have never seen before. I think as incredible as athletes are now, we still have a way to go before we truly start hitting the physical limits of what is possible.
Umm sure I guess lad. But instead of saying “WeLl sOmeBody onE day wiLl breaK lebRons recOrd” let’s just give this man his respect for being incredible for 20 years straight , and becoming the all time scoring leader. He’s one of the greatest players to touch a bloody basketball💯Lebron James is the king 👑
@@raymondsims7042 i wasn't trying to sleight Lebron this is one of the most prestigious achievements in the history of sports. I'm simply pointing out that everytime a big record is broken, people tend to jump on the hype train saying the new record is unbreakable. It will take some superhuman durability and god like scoring talent to break Lebron's record though.
Given that scoring in the nba has increased now, I imagine that it will get broken by someone if this continues. The only person in the league who I could see doing it is luca (he will get too slow and too worn out as he ages). Assuming this season ppg of 33.2 and his last 4 seasons have the average number of games he will play per season, he would have to play and not decline until he is 37/38. Giannis could if he gained a jump shot and had the longevity of lebron +3 years lol. Jokic started off too slow.
@@sportstalkonly1442 yea but for a good deal of that time the NBA primarily emphasized scoring off 2pt shots. Now that 3’s are so heavily favored, 40 point games are becoming commonplace. I think if a superstar player comes along that is a knockdown volume 3pt shooter, and has the durability to stay healthy and play nearly 20 years, that player will break the record. That is a big fat IF but it could happen.
Rusty has technically talked about him in a few videos (most prominently when he talked about why he thinks John Stockton is the most overrated player ever). He likes to call those two “the pedophile and the king of inflated stats”.
I used to argue with RB in Nba comment sections some years back before he started uploading videos. I mist aay now that you're puttiput your own content, I am proud of what you are doing. Keep going my guy😎
The concept of a video discussing and analyzing how LeBron's scoring methods evolved over time would've been incredibly interesting, and while this video does have some of that, it's mostly just another "LeBron's Legacy" video, which I found kinda disappointing.
This is a love letter to Lebron. I was a huge fan of Lebron all the way till the 73w GS Championship. Then he made the silliest remark of his career “Now I feel like the GOAT” and sparked the most redundant debate in NBA history.
Didn't get to this one for a few days bc I was busy but you reminded me to check it out in your newest video. Leaving a comment now to help you out w the algorithm, good luck bro 🙏
He may not be the greatest *player* ever, but he's certainly had the greatest *career* by any player ever. The amount of accolades he's compiled through the years is truly something to behold.
@@TigerHoods23 I did say LeBron isn't the GOAT though. I only said he's the most accomplished ever, and there's a difference between having the most accolades and being the greatest. Napoleon is arguably the most accomplished general in history. Is he better than Alexander the Great? No, but they should both be respected nonetheless, which is essentially what my point is in my original comment. Seriously though, as someone who believes MJ is the GOAT, y'all need to calm down a little with this stuff.
