When the Los Angeles Lakers stole victory out of the jaws of defeat in Game 3 of their first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets, they took a shocking 3-0 lead in the series. It also marked a milestone of sorts for LeBron James, who came up with one of the biggest plays of the game in the final moments of the fourth quarter when he knocked the ball away from Reed Sheppard and hit the 3-pointer that forced overtime.
The Lakers’ 112-108 overtime win gave James his 187th career playoff victory, which is the same number of playoff victories the Chicago Bulls have throughout their history. The Bulls, of course, are the franchise that Michael Jordan, arguably the greatest player in basketball history, led to six NBA championships during the 1990s.
Ron Harper, who was the Bulls’ starting point guard during three of those championship runs, took the opportunity to throw shade at James and remind everyone that this was a longevity milestone more than anything else.
Harper may have misunderstood the original tweet a bit. Jordan played in 179 postseason games and won 119 of them for a career playoff winning percentage of 66.5%. James has won 187 playoff contests and has lost 109, giving him a lifetime playoff winning percentage of 63.2%.
Of course, the one stat that critics always fixate on when it comes to how James has performed in the postseason is his 4-6 record in the NBA Finals. Jordan, on the other hand, reached the championship series six times and walked away with the Larry O’Brien Trophy on each of those occasions.
This isn’t exactly the first time Harper has thrown shade at James. During this season’s All-Star break, he was asked if he had ever thought his kids, Dylan and Ron Harper Jr., who play for the San Antonio Spurs and Boston Celtics, respectively, would follow in his footsteps and reach the NBA. He responded by saying that he’s “not LeBron James” and that he wasn’t going to tell his kids what to do.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Ron Harper throws shade at LeBron James after latest accomplishment
Reporting by Robert Marvi, LeBron Wire / LeBron Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
