Who's a better player: Kevin Durant or Lebron James?

Who's a better player?

  • Kevin Durant

    Votes: 16 40.0%
  • Lebron James

    Votes: 24 60.0%

  • Total voters
    40

r2473

G.O.A.T.
Clutchness is when a player hit KEY shot at the near end of the game under pressure, and the results end either a winning shot, or a tie to force an OT.

OK. Now we know what it means to be "clutch".

Some might say that it just means coming up big in big games.

But you are saying that Lebron could just sit on the bench, create turnovers, play no defense, etc for an entire game. Maybe even score a few "own goals" just for kicks.

But, if he hits one big shot near the end of the game, he is clutch. (And that is the only way he can be clutch).

I remember a few times, MichaelJordan passed the ball for Paxon and Kerr, who MADE the 3pointer, for the win.
Now if only LeBron had teammates who could make a shot.

Passing the ball isn't clutch LeeD
 

TMF

Talk Tennis Guru
I remember a few times, MichaelJordan passed the ball for Paxon and Kerr, who MADE the 3pointer, for the win.
Now if only LeBron had teammates who could make a shot.

MJ's aggressiveness draws double/triple team, which led to open shooters. If he gets a clean look(ie against Brian Russell), he'll take the shot.

Lebron has Wade, Charmer...excellent shooters.
 

CaldwellYSR

Rookie
MJ's aggressiveness draws double/triple team, which led to open shooters. If he gets a clean look(ie against Brian Russell), he'll take the shot.

Lebron has Wade, Charmer...excellent shooters.

and don't forget to add Mike Miller to the shooters list... though he isn't always in late.

Just to throw another spear at Kobe... MJ's aggressivenets draws double teams AND HE PASSED... that's why he was more clutch than Kobe who draws double and triple teams then just throws up a shot behind the back off his elbow ;)
 

TMF

Talk Tennis Guru
OK. Now we know what it means to be "clutch".

Some might say that it just means coming up big in big games.

But you are saying that Lebron could just sit on the bench, create turnovers, play no defense, etc for an entire game. Maybe even score a few "own goals" just for kicks.

But, if he hits one big shot near the end of the game, he is clutch. (And that is the only way he can be clutch).

Right. If a team is winning comfortably without having any challenge like yesterday game, there's no need to be clutch.

Bolded part...lol at your sarcasm. James is their main player, when the ball in in his hand, he should be able to make big play. Whether hitting a jumber, or pass to open shooter(when draw double/triple team). In game 2(?), he missed a fade away jumper when he only got one guy(Rondo) on him. He should drive to the basket, expose double team, and make split decision whether to shoot or pass to open shooter like Charmer or Wade.

I'm not expecting James to deliver everytime, but he's been failing to make big play at the end of regulation is a fact. Durant who's only 23 have made big plays, big time !
 

TMF

Talk Tennis Guru
and don't forget to add Mike Miller to the shooters list... though he isn't always in late.

Just to throw another spear at Kobe... MJ's aggressivenets draws double teams AND HE PASSED... that's why he was more clutch than Kobe who draws double and triple teams then just throws up a shot behind the back off his elbow ;)

Yeah, Miller is also a deep threat.

As a Lakers fan, I do agree with you that Kobe sometime makes bone headed play. He forced some crazy dificult shot that you can only pray it goes in.
 

CaldwellYSR

Rookie
Yeah, Miller is also a deep threat.

As a Lakers fan, I do agree with you that Kobe sometime makes bone headed play. He forced some crazy dificult shot that you can only pray it goes in.

And unbelievably they do alot of the time. That's the main reason I can't stand him :p I admit he's a great player but he is very annoying to watch in those situations
 

NYCtennis1

Rookie
Did you watch the game yesterday?

The Celtics didn't show up. They were slow, half a sleep, and look disinterest. Pierce & Garnett can't play any worse, and Rondo was a turn over machine.

Of course James played great yesterday, but that has nothing to do with clutchness when a team is winning comfortably. Kobe scored 81 points a few years ago. Does he needs to be clutch in that game? No because his team were never threaten. James doesn't need to be clutch yesterday either. He could have missed a few shots and Miami still wins in the end.

Clutchness is when a player hit KEY shot at the near end of the game under pressure, and the results end either a winning shot, or a tie to force an OT. Hitting two clutch free throws(James is liable). Pierce was clutch in game 5 when he hit a big three in the end, Durant did it a few times against Dallas and LA which led his team to victory. James was in no position to be clutch yesterday because his team had a big lead.

Hopefully game 7 is not a blow out but end in a nail biter. Let see how James close out the game.

What (valid) source gave you the idea that being clutch is only about late game shots, clutch to me means coming up big when your team needs it AT ANY POINT IN THE GAME. For example, in 2008 at the US Open was Tiger Woods back nine run in the 3rd round not clutch?

If Lebron starts off average do you think the C's go into that funk? Hell no, watching a guy go up and down the floor, executing on both sides of the ball while you are totally helpless can get to you.
 
^^ Volley, Then why single out Lebron in comparison to Durant?

In terms of what the league wants, they want to make money. Baseball was making tons of money when everyone was hitting 70 homers. It was actually congress that put pressure on MLB to crack down. Then the media took off with it and public pressure mounted "We are so scandalized that people are actually cheating. It's unthinkable".

NBA, NFL, etc are doing fine. Nobody wants to crack down.

And NBA is probably cleaner than most, just due to the nature of the sport. PED's will certainly help, but not as much as other sports. I would actually to so far as to bet that many of the NBA players are (pretty much) clean. Seriously.

Marijuana is probably of much bigger use in the NBA than PED, but that's a whole other subject...
 
Come on JBF, everything youre saying about Lebron is the same defense people used when I said Arod was a juicer. "He doesnt need to cheat, hes had the potential to be the best since he was 16 years old, this guy can be the greatest ever." All that was said about Arod as well and he cheated for MANY years and some even believe his handlers were supplying him stuff while in high school so whats to say Lebron hasnt been getting stuff since then? These guys saw he was special so if turning him into a mega millionaire by supplying him stuff as early as possible is not that far fetched. In this roid era, to say theres no smoke is just closing your eyes to it.

BTW I am not a Lebron hater. I think hes deserved 2 or 3 MVPs already but not gonna act like hes above cheating just because he tatooed "the king" on his back.

Arod and LeBron are 2 different guys. So far your only defense is that X guy cheated and was the best, so surely LeBron is too. That's a pretty cynical and short-sighted assumption.

Every other 'gifted' player didn't cheat BTW. Griffey didn't, Sanders (Deion and Barry) didn't, Rice didn't, the list goes on. If you're seriously going to assume that anyone that's gifted physically and is near the top is cheating, then there's no way to argue that dim logic. It's extremely immature to incriminate LeBron based on what others did when basketball, unlike baseball and cycling and even football, isn't a sport that's seeped in a history of guys cheating and using drugs to get a competitive advantage.
 

hollywood9826

Hall of Fame
Lebron played a great game 7. he didnt sink as many shot as he did in ame 6. But he had a clutch steal that really turned to momentum. He drained that 40 foot three, and played agressive.

That game was tight until about 7 minutes left and Bron, Wade, and Bosh took over and sealed it.
 

TMF

Talk Tennis Guru
James scored only 7 points while Durant scored 17 points in the 4th quarter. It's pretty clear Durant play better at the crucial time, which decides the outcome of game #1.
 

hollywood9826

Hall of Fame
Switch Lebron and Durant last night and no doubt Durant would have only scored 7 points. OKC is abetter team and MIA role players and Bosh and Wade gave him nothing. Nobody can be a one man show it doesnt work.

Durnat is on a better team that doesnt force him to habve to make every sinlgle play. What happens if Duant only scores 4 points in the next 4th quarter. Nobody will say he sucks and is overrated. Lebron is the most scrutinized player in the league or maybe any sport for that matter.
 
Durant is the better pure scorer/shooter.

LeBron is the better defender and passer.

They're equitable in the rebounding department (imo).

LeBron is probably the better overall player, but if I could start my team with one player in the NBA, it would be Durant. He's younger, more clutch, and seems far more poised than LBJ, even though he has 5 years less experience.
 

Epictennis

New User
Lebron James-
Can Make shots outside, inside, can drive, can do nearly anything. Not very reliable in the clutch moment. Doesn't rely on teammates to help him score as much as Kevin Durant, even though Durant doesn't rely too much on anyone either. The entire heat team needed to play smarter overall in the last quarter yesterday, couldn't keep the lead. They needed to get those rebounds, control the turnover number (so many steals!) and they needed to keep getting more controlled buckets. There was one point where the Thunder had a 5:45+ minute run.

Kevin Durant-
Great teamwork and communication with Russel Westbrook and other teammates as well. Leading NBA Scorer, always getting plenty of points on the board. Has tremendous offense, and big defense, the whole thunder team does.


Overall, I would say Kevin Durant is an overall better player, but Lebron James is better in the offensive zone. (I voted for Kevin Durant)
 

Epictennis

New User
Switch Lebron and Durant last night and no doubt Durant would have only scored 7 points. OKC is abetter team and MIA role players and Bosh and Wade gave him nothing. Nobody can be a one man show it doesnt work.

Durnat is on a better team that doesnt force him to habve to make every sinlgle play. What happens if Duant only scores 4 points in the next 4th quarter. Nobody will say he sucks and is overrated. Lebron is the most scrutinized player in the league or maybe any sport for that matter.

+1
I completely agree with this as well. Ever since Lebron went to the heat, he has either been honored or criticized. His team did have some role players step up, Shane Battier for example. But it seems as if Dwyane Wade has been slowly going downhill. Chris Bosh, just coming back from his absence may have left him a little rusty, although he was playing pretty good yesterday getting a few points. Mario Chalmers also knocked down buckets. But overall, how Kevin Durant has his partner of crime, Russel Westbrook, Lebron's D-Wade needs to step up.
 

r2473

G.O.A.T.
It's going to be shocking :shock: when lebron has a good game down the stretch and durant doesn't and Miami wins.
 
How close this poll is shows how much some let their Lebron hatred get in the way of objectivity. Lebron's better at everything outside of pure shooting and play in the clutch, and it's not even close in most of those categories. Durant is a work in progress, but at this point there's no question who the best player on the planet is. These finals have no bearing on that question IMO.
 

Epictennis

New User
How close this poll is shows how much some let their Lebron hatred get in the way of objectivity. Lebron's better at everything outside of pure shooting and play in the clutch, and it's not even close in most of those categories. Durant is a work in progress, but at this point there's no question who the best player on the planet is. These finals have no bearing on that question IMO.

+1 I know I like Durant and the Thunder more than anyone (which may have influenced my choice) but this is absolutely true as well. This is why I love sports, so many sides :D
 

TMF

Talk Tennis Guru
Switch Lebron and Durant last night and no doubt Durant would have only scored 7 points. OKC is abetter team and MIA role players and Bosh and Wade gave him nothing. Nobody can be a one man show it doesnt work.

Durnat is on a better team that doesnt force him to habve to make every sinlgle play. What happens if Duant only scores 4 points in the next 4th quarter. Nobody will say he sucks and is overrated. Lebron is the most scrutinized player in the league or maybe any sport for that matter.

What?:confused:

If a player is playing on a better team, shouldn't that limited his chance of being productive and racking up numbers? Lebron doesn't have the better supporting cast so he should make up for the load. Yet, his number is still behind Durant. Now if Wade was sizzling hot in the 4th quarter than I can understand Lebron numbers goes down.
 

TMF

Talk Tennis Guru
How close this poll is shows how much some let their Lebron hatred get in the way of objectivity. Lebron's better at everything outside of pure shooting and play in the clutch, and it's not even close in most of those categories. Durant is a work in progress, but at this point there's no question who the best player on the planet is. These finals have no bearing on that question IMO.

The poll is 18-12 in favor of James, I don't see anything wrong with it. Sure, a 23 years old Durant is a work in processs, but that doesn't mean James doesn't have anything to improve either(i.e. leadership, decision, aware of his surrounding).

Bold part...I disagree. Durant and James are the key player for their team. They are expected to to deliver in the post season. Miami didn't acquire James just to play in the regular season, but in the post season when it matter the most. Great player isn't base on invididual stats alone, but carry the team over the hump. Between these two players, the burden is on them to carry the main load, if one falter, he's takes the blame.

Right now it's 1-0 in favor of Durant. Let see game 2 if James can do better than Durant.
 

TMF

Talk Tennis Guru
+1
I completely agree with this as well. Ever since Lebron went to the heat, he has either been honored or criticized. His team did have some role players step up, Shane Battier for example. But it seems as if Dwyane Wade has been slowly going downhill. Chris Bosh, just coming back from his absence may have left him a little rusty, although he was playing pretty good yesterday getting a few points. Mario Chalmers also knocked down buckets. But overall, how Kevin Durant has his partner of crime, Russel Westbrook, Lebron's D-Wade needs to step up.

Wade did have an off game, but James Harding also had a disappointing game.

Charmers and Battier was firing on all cylinder at the start of the game. Miami had a lead at halftime and James was in better situation than Durant. There's no excuse as to why James was outperformed by Durant in the 2nd half. Simply Durant played better than James, and anyone knows that Miami has great defense.
 
Durant is the purest scorer in the league. Bron is better at everything else. Can play all 5 positions, plays the whole game, gets his 30 a game, best on ball defender in the game, strong, a freak, team player. Bron is clutch, let's be serious here, without the King his team isn't even in the game, so he's clutch. Being clutch just isn't about making shots, it's a big rebound, big defensive play and other things. We know bron isn't a great shooter, never has never will, that's not his game. The simple answer is lebron is a better player. No question.
 

hollywood9826

Hall of Fame
What?:confused:

If a player is playing on a better team, shouldn't that limited his chance of being productive and racking up numbers? Lebron doesn't have the better supporting cast so he should make up for the load. Yet, his number is still behind Durant. Now if Wade was sizzling hot in the 4th quarter than I can understand Lebron numbers goes down.

Not at all, it just simlpy makes it easier to score when you get transition buckets becasue you have the best shot blocker in the league and one of the three fastest players (Westbrook) running fast breaks. Its harder to defend a guy when you have to defend two other explosive perimter scorers (Harden and Westbrrok) If Wade is off like he was in game one its easy for the D to keep someone in check.

in 88-89 Jordan averaged 8 assists per game. Becuase guys like, Cartwright, Pippen, Grant, Hodges, and Paxson could all shoot at a high percentage and that allowed Jordan to avera 32pts a game. The lost to the Pistons that year in East finals but the fact that they handed the pistons there only two losses of the post seasosn means they just lost to a better team.

If Lebron had better guys on the team I think his assists numbers and scoring would go up becuase he would have a way easier time of getting good looks.


Durant is the purest scorer in the league. Bron is better at everything else. Can play all 5 positions, plays the whole game, gets his 30 a game, best on ball defender in the game, strong, a freak, team player. Bron is clutch, let's be serious here, without the King his team isn't even in the game, so he's clutch. Being clutch just isn't about making shots, it's a big rebound, big defensive play and other things. We know bron isn't a great shooter, never has never will, that's not his game. The simple answer is lebron is a better player. No question.

No question Durant is the best Scorer in the league. He has great touch and can finish over top of just about anyone. LeBron does so much more than Durant at a higher level than Durant. Im just not a big fan of people saying LeBron is not clutch he no worse than most other guys. maybe Durant so far has performed in the clutch much like Bron in his CLE days did. LeBrons failures are just multipy more than anyother player to the point you think he does it everytime.
 
Last edited:
No question Durant is the best Scorer in the league. He has great touch and can finish over top of just about anyone. LeBron does so much more than Durant at a higher level than Durant. Im just not a big fan of people saying LeBron is not clutch he no worse than most other guys. maybe Durant so far has performed in the clutch much like Bron in his CLE days did. LeBrons failures are just multipy more than anyother player to the point you think he does it everytime.

that's why I said lebron is clutch, I agree with you. Just look at last nights game. 100% free throws and that sweet kisser off the glass late. That was a tough shot. Plus his usual dominance.
 

TennisLovaLova

Hall of Fame
What impresses me the most about lebron is that when he decided to get a rebound, you cannot stop him.
It's the most exciting player to watch since jordan and barkley
 

TMF

Talk Tennis Guru
Durant drained a 3 point shot to get his team in position to catch Miami in the late 4th quarter. However, the last shot he was fouled by James and didn't get the call. Miami clearly played better than OKC who couldn't throw a rock in the ocean. Yet, with the present of Durant(who was limited to foul trouble) still had a chance to put the game into overtime. Unfortunately, the ref missed the call. Tough luck.
 

Epictennis

New User
Durant drained a 3 point shot to get his team in position to catch Miami in the late 4th quarter. However, the last shot he was fouled by James and didn't get the call. Miami clearly played better than OKC who couldn't throw a rock in the ocean. Yet, with the present of Durant(who was limited to foul trouble) still had a chance to put the game into overtime. Unfortunately, the ref missed the call. Tough luck.

This was when I was jumping up and down yelling at the refs for missing that call. :) I was pretty surprised that they missed that call when they caught some other tough calls. That was pretty controversial because that may as well have made the Thunder up 2-0. Hopefully it motivates the Thunder to step up in the first half so they aren't playing catchup, even though they are pretty good at it.
 

hollywood9826

Hall of Fame
If Lebron had better guys on the team I think his assists numbers and scoring would go up becuase he would have a way easier time of getting good looks.

Hate to be a selfquoter. But, when other guys are going off Lebron assists numbers go up as well. He didnt get his 30 pts. But 26 aint too far off, to go with 12 assists is pretty darn good. Hit some clutch shots late and was on ballboards away from a triple double.

Durant no showed becasue he is obvioulsy terrible in the clutch.
 

NYCtennis1

Rookie
How about Lebron taking the challange of checking KD most of the game, and containing him. Then the media darling KD taking the "easy way out" checking 6'2 Mario Chalmers who dropped 25 on him anyway. I laugh at the people who were saying he had a chance to surpass Lebron and Kobe.
 

NickC

Professional
For me Durant is much better, mainly because he's so young. Bron was nowhere near as good at 23 or 24 as Durant is. His handles are incredible, and he has amazing range. Does anyone else remember just how good he was at Texas? Crazy to think he'd of just graduated, too.

With that being said, LeBron is probably the best player in the league, and on the planet as of right now. Durant will be better as time goes on, though.
 
Top