LeBron is Still the King

I've been trying to stay away from the ESPN-led Who's better: LeBron or Kobe argument. One, because I'm sick and tired of it. And two, because it's not entirely accurate.

But with Orlando seemingly about to dismiss Cleveland from the playoffs, and the tarnishing of LeBron's reputation in certain circles, it's time to separate fact from fiction.

Before the year started, my BOW(Best in World) list went like this:

1. LeBron
2. Kobe
3. Spot up for grabs. A healthy Dwyane Wade gets the first crack to claim the spot, but Chris Paul and an aging Tim Duncan should still be included in the conversation.

Certain things have changed. Not only is Dwyane Wade easily in the top 3, but he has vaulted himself ahead of Kobe Bryant for No. 2. You can label me a homer all you want, but to me, Dwyane Wade is equal or better to Kobe in virtually every single category. He's more explosive. He's better at getting to the line. He's a better distributor, and a better ball handler. Defensively, they are about even now. I will say both are even as a scorer, but Wade led the league this year. I can argue that Wade's jump shot has become as lethal as Kobe's, or at worst, near Kobe's level. And Kobe only has more clutch moments, because he has a longer resume. I defy anyone to name a major spot where Wade has faltered in the clutch.

So now to the King. From an offensive standpoint, anyone who blames LeBron James for the Cavs' 3-1 deficit is just lost. He's averaging 42.3 points, over seven assists, over seven rebounds and shooting 51 percent from the floor! Against one of the best defensive teams in the league. OK, there have been some missed free throws and turnovers down the stretch, but seriously, he's kept the same assists/rebound numbers, and averaging 12 more points per game.

That said, here's where I deduct a couple points from the "LeBron will exceed Michael Jordan as the greatest ever argument."

Defense.

The Cavs aren't losing this series because Mo Williams is firing up blanks. They are losing this series because the No. 1 defensive team in the NBA has allowed over 104 points per game in the Eastern Conference Finals. And as the guy who finished 2nd in the league in Defensive Player of the Year, LeBron has to shoulder some of the blame, sorry. Individually, he's kept Turkoglu in check outside of Game 2, and Rashard Lewis has cooled down the last 2 games(16 ppg) with LeBron getting the assignment more often. But King James is the central figure in the Cavs defense, and he'd be the first to tell you that he's not getting it done on that end.

Of course, neither is Kobe. What the hell has he done defensively to ignite a Lakers team that has shown chinks in the armor the whole year? So Kobe isn't closing the gap this playoffs. Where it gets more interesting is LeBron vs. Wade. I can't argue with the sentiment that Wade has accomplished more in his career. The 2006 Heat were better than the 2007 Cavs. But while LeBron got trounced in the finals that year, Wade staged one of the most brilliant title round performances in league history.

But most accomplished doesn't mean Best in World, or else Tim Duncan still has the crown. The sheer fact is LeBron is a better player, because there are things LBJ can do that Wade can't. But it doesn't work that way vice versa. Yes, it's not fair to Wade cause he's four inches shorter and 50 pounds lighter, but it is what it is. Numbers can tell you 75 percent of the story, and your eyes the other 25 percent. And according to both the stats and the eyes, we're witnessing Best in the World facing a 3-1 deficit in the Eastern Conference Finals.

But the gap between LeBron and his best bud is smaller than the gap between LeBron and his Western Conference rival.