National Basketball Association

LeBron James completely rejects Phil Jackson comparing him to Michael Jordan

Published Jun. 7, 2016 6:30 p.m. ET

Andrew Lynch

LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers are in pretty rough shape against the Golden State Warriors. But that doesn't mean things are hopeless.

Just ask Phil Jackson, who witnessed Michael Jordan lead the 1993 Chicago Bulls back from an 0-2 deficit against the New York Knicks. The Bulls ran off four straight victories to send Patrick Ewing's team packing before they rolled through the Phoenix Suns in the subsequent NBA Finals.

According to the Zen Master, it'll take the King transforming into His Airness to rally the Cavs from their current hole:

That's pretty ridiculous, if we're being honest. As many of our fellow NBA fans will tell you, LeBron's certainly not Jordan. And James himself roundly rejected the notion on Tuesday:

To be fair to Jackson, it seems like he's genuinely supporting LeBron and offering him words of encouragement. On his way to 11 championships as a coach, Jackson has seen it all. He knows how good LeBron is, and he knows what it'll take for the Cavs to claw back.

Unfortunately, LeBron doesn't have a Scottie Pippen. Or a Phil Jackson, for that matter. In fact, the way this Cleveland team is playing, he might not even have a Ron Harper. So ... Warriors in four, then?