(Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports/Mark Duncan-AP)
Today’s big winners: LeBron James and Michael Jordan
This is probably as close as these two legends will ever get to competing with each other on a basketball court.
For all of the hypothetical matchups comparing Michael Jordan and LeBron James at each stage of their careers, the upcoming Eastern Conference first-round playoff series between the Charlotte Bobcats and Miami Heat could actually present an unlikely scenario where the six-time NBA champion’s current franchise gets in the way of the NBA’s best current player getting his third ring in a row.
As the 51-year-old majority owner of the Bobcats, it’s not like Jordan is going to be coaching or suiting up for the team in the series, which starts on Sunday in Miami. Any influence he’ll have on the outcome of this series was implemented in a series of earlier personnel decisions. General manager Rich Cho and director of basketball operations Rod Higgins assembled the bulk of the team’s roster, Steve Clifford has coached the heck out of it, but Jordan is still the one calling the shots. For as poorly as his Washington and earlier Charlotte teams performed with him in an executive role, this young Bobcats team is finally respectable.
Will they beat the Heat? That’s highly doubtful, given the fact that LeBron and the Heat basically treated the Bobcats like they were Bryon Russell in the 1998 Finals in their regular season meetings this year. Getting the first playoff win in franchise history at any point in the series would be an accomplishment given the mismatch of talent between the two sides.
In order to become the fourth franchise in NBA history to win three consecutive titles, the Heat will have three more teams to get past after the Bobcats. But in this best of seven series, James will be competing against not only Kemba Walker and the rest of the upstart Bobcats, but the legacy of the man in the opposing owner’s box who’s accomplished that feat twice before.
Today’s other big winners:
Kevin Durant: The Oklahoma City Thunder star made a strong final case for his first ever MVP award.
Brendan Gallagher: The Montreal Canadiens right winger took a shot to the throat then returned to the game minutes later. Hey, it’s the playoffs.
Gareth Bale: The Real Madrid star’s game-winning goal in the Copa del Rey was a thing of absolute beauty.
J.J. Watt: The Texans star continues to make a difference off the field in Houston.
Read the Xtreme Win of the Day every weekday morning.
