National Basketball Association

LeBron James answered Phil Jackson's challenge to play like Michael Jordan in Game 3

Published Jun. 9, 2016 6:30 p.m. ET

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Andrew Lynch

He wanted nothing to do with the comparison when it was brought to his attention, but LeBron James did exactly what Phil Jackson said he needed to do in Game 3. He channeled his inner Michael Jordan.

You scoff, of course, but let's walk through this one. The Zen Master pointed to the 1993 Eastern Conference finals, when the Bulls trailed the New York Knicks 2-0. Chicago won the next four games to take the series thanks to Jordan turning into a man possessed. And according to Jackson, it was going to take that kind of effort from LeBron to lead the Cavs back against the Warriors in the 2016 Finals.

In Game 3 of these Finals, LeBron tallied 32 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, one steal, two blocks and five turnovers, for a Basketball-Reference "game score" of 23.5.

In Game 3 against the Knicks, Jordan tallied 22 points, eight rebounds, 11 assists, two steals, two blocks and two turnovers, for a Basketball-Reference "game score" of 21.7.

At the least, then, LeBron equaled Jordan's Game 3 performance. You can say that it's not about the box score if you want, and that's fine. What Jackson really meant was that LeBron needed to play like a leader. He couldn't be passive and try to create for others like the Magic Johnson-type player he so often is. There's no time for that at this point in the postseason; the Cavs needed someone to lift them back into title contention. James, like Jordan before him, did that on Thursday night.

The parallels don't stop at the box score or the way the two approached such a crucial game, either. Like the Cavs, the Bulls were on the road for the first two games of their series against the Knicks. Like the Cavs, the Bulls won Game 3 in a blowout (by 20 points, to be exact).

And like the Bulls, the Cavs will likely need a heroic effort from their star in Game 4 to even the series. Unfortunately for Cleveland, this is where the comparison will almost surely fall short. Jordan followed up his Game 3 performance with one of his greatest games ever: 54 points, six rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block, along with two turnovers.

LeBron has just one 50-point game in the past five seasons, which came in March 2014 against the Charlotte Hornets. If he's going to equal Jordan's epic game, he'll have to do it with a triple-double of some sort -- although we're not putting that past the King.

Anyone can play like Mike for one game. Whether LeBron can keep it up will determine if he gets one more ring, or if his legacy takes another massive blow. 

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