Scottie Pippen Says LeBron James Might Be Greatest Ever

May 27th, 2011- By Bryan Cross

LeBron James led the Miami Heat to an Eastern Conference title over the Chicago Bulls on Thursday night in a 4-1 series victory.

James was clutch down the stretch, knocking down several critical buckets in the last couple of minutes of the fourth quarter to complete a 12-point comeback on the road for the win.

As a result, the Heat secured a date with the Dallas Mavericks in the 2011 NBA Finals, which will begin in South Beach on Tuesday for Game 1.

The performance in the conference finals has not gone unnoticed, especially not by Scotti Pippen. Pippen, who won six championships with the Chicago Bulls, and long-time teammate of Michael Jordan, had some very interesting comments regarding James, Jordan and both of their palces in the history of the game.

“Michael Jordan is probably the greatest scorer to play the game,” Pippen said on ESPN radio. “But I may go as far as to say LeBron James may be the greatest player to ever play the game because he is so potent offensively that not only can he score at will but he keeps everybody involved.”

Pippen then clarified his comments a bit, laying out details on the various aspects of James’ completeness.

“You have to be on your P’s and Q’s on defense. No guy on the basketball court is a threat to score with LeBron James out there. Not only will LeBron dominate from the offensive end as well, but he’s also doing it on the defensive end, which really makes him the complete package. He’s able to get in those passing lanes, shoot those gaps and create transition opportunities where he is pretty much unstoppable,” Pippen said.

Pippen’s comments grew quickly and inspired several retorts across sports news outlets

He then tweeted “Don’t get me wrong, MJ was and is the greatest. But LeBron could by all means get to his level someday. “

James will go for his first NBA Championship title beginning on Tuesday against the Mavericks. He has been to the Finals once as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers, but was swept by the San Antonio Spurs.

Early NBA Finals Game 1 Betting Odds have set the Heat as 4.5-point favorite over the Mavericks at home.