Pippen created a bit of a firestorm Friday by telling ESPN Radio that Michael Jordan “is probably the greatest scorer to play the game” but James may be the better overall player.

James says he’s “gracious, humbled” by the comparison, but notes he believes he has a long way to go before reaching the game’s highest echelon.

James and the Heat practiced Saturday, continuing their preparations for Game 1 of the NBA finals Tuesday night against the Dallas Mavericks.
 

Indeed, it's too early to judge LeBron's greatness. For on the other side is the side is an opponent also very hungry for an NBA title. Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd of the Mavs are at the point in their careers where the only thing they care about is winning a championship.

Luckily for them, their teammates feel the same way.

From Shawn Marion to Jason Terry, Tyson Chandler to Brendan Haywood, Peja Stojakovic to DeShawn Stevenson, the Dallas Mavericks are a collection of guys who’ve played at least 10 seasons and made tens of millions of dollars without winning a title. Their willingness to sacrifice playing time and other individual statistics is a major reason Dallas is in the NBA finals.