Gridiron, how can you take a single opinion that we differ on, and write off my entire post? When you made your initial comment that no one player can do it alone, we are talking superstars right? Parker and Ginobili were not superstars back then. And even if our opinions differ on one issue, how can you ignore everything else I said in that post? I proved you completely wrong. Read it again, it disproves every point you made. Honestly you are contributing so little to this thread, everyone would benefit if you would just stop posting.
ct1016, in sharp contrast to everything Gridiron has said, you actually make some intelligent points about Lebron's full game impact versus D Wade's. I guess the debate really boils down to what really defines a superstar, and what you value more in a player when trying to win a championship.
Lebron is a complete player. He can perform all facets of the game better than most players. He is also in tremendous physical condition, and can play big minutes in 82 games a year. In contrast, Wade has had injury problems at multiple points in his career, including the Boston and Chicago series this year, and as a result he doesn't play nearly as many minutes as Lebron. All of the stats you post about Lebron leading minutes, assists, rebounds, etc. they are all indicative of the fact that Lebron is the more complete player, partially because he has had no health issues and he plays more minutes. Lebron gives 100% effort to all aspects of the game.
However, when you talk about greatness in the modern day NBA, and winning championships, you think of guys like Jordan and Kobe (11 titles between them). These guys weren't always posting triple doubles with 10 boards and 10 assists, but they were the best players on the court, and they are the ultimate 4th quarter competitors.
First of all, they are capable of playing the same defense and giving the same effort as Lebron. Look at Kobe's Game 7 performance last year. He couldn't buy a bucket, but his defense, rebounding, and foul shooting won the game. Look at Wade's performance in this series. His defensive energy is higher than Lebron's if you ask me.**** He is lightning quick, he makes steals, and creates transition points. More importantly though. these guys have pure jump shots, can create their own opportunities, and strive under pressure. Watch Wade's 2006 finals performance. You will NEVER see Lebron win a title for his team the way Wade did it. Lebron is simply not capable of carrying a team on his back like that. It was proven over 6 or 7 years in Cleveland. Wade took a completely mediocre supporting cast and won 1 title in 6 or 7 years. Lebron took a completely medicore supporting cast and won no titles in 6 or 7 years.
Here's how I boil down this whole issue. If you are playing a complete regular season with the goal of reaching the playoffs, and you have the first pick in the draft, Lebron is your guy (or maybe Dwight Howard) because he is going to impact every single game for a full 82 games. He is going to score, recound, assist, play defense, etc. But if you are heading into the playoffs, and you are drafting 1 player to win you a title, Lebron and Howard are not your first two picks. Lebron is getting all the hype, but there are two players in this series alone who are better. Dwayne Wade and Dirk Nowitski are both far more valuable to a team trying to win an NBA title. They may not post the minutes that Lebron posts, but they are going to carry a team on their back in the 4th quarter. When there is 10 seconds left on the clock, all of their teammates will be looking to these two people to bring the game home. Wade is Superman, Lebron is the sidekick.
***Footnote to my defensive comments. Lebron played great defense down the stretch on D Rose last series, and now everyone is talking about his impact on that side of the floor. But if you look at Lebron in these finals, Terry and Marion are averaging 15 and 16 ppg, in 32 and 36 minutes. Lebron is only averaging 17 ppg in 44 minutes.