The Z REPORT

Lance Zierlein: I'm good with Lebron now

Lance Zierlein: I'm good with Lebron now
Lebron James deserves your respect. Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images

I’m not saying that I’m changing my mind, because I’m not. It’s just not going to happen. There is nothing that can be done that can pull me off of the “MJ is G.O.A.T.” argument. How can I come off of it when so much of it is based on Michael Jordan rather than Lebron James?

Every generation believes the brightest star of their generation was the best, but with Jordan we have the statistics, iconic games/plays, and 6-0 run in championship series that usually featured brutal battles in the Eastern Conference as a precursor. So I doubt that there is anything that could happen to make me believe that Jordan isn’t the greatest that ever lived in basketball.

However, I’m finished arguing against Lebron. And you should be too.

Flaws corrected

There have been times during his career when doubting Lebron was a very natural and viable thing to do.

The Decision: Look, he’s never going to completely live this one down. It was a huge. He made it that was a broadcast even. He decided not to stay with his “hometown team” and instead decided to join two other superstars to form an alliance to boost their chances of winning a title. I thought it was weak then and I think it’s weak now. However, after Kevin Durant did something similar, it almost took some of the heat off of Lebron by those of us who had held him in continued contempt for that new school move.

Passive in the Finals: Miami’s loss to Dallas was a tough one for his reputation because he had promised a multitude of titles ( not one….not two….not three….) when he came to Miami and then looked passive in crunch time way too often in the Heat’s loss to Dirk and the Mavs. Despite winning titles in Miami, I felt like Lebron really elevated his stature and all-time standing when he brought the Cavs back from a 3-1 deficit to the Warriors with 41 point games in consecutive elimination games (5 and 6) and a triple double in game 7. That was some big dog sh*t right there.

Has to have stars: First it was the Miami Superfriends and then it was “coming home” to join with Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love, and Tristan Thompson. Once again, it felt like Lebron felt like he needed to have the most advantageous situation to win. But then a funny thing happened. Lebron lost Kyrie Irving and Isaiah Thomas was a non-factor when healthy. The Cavs made their big in-season trades and hit reset with a younger cast of role players who failed to make a big difference.

Lebron scored 46 and in an elimination game against the Celtics in Game 6 and 35 in a win in Game 7. Thompson and J.R. Smith are just guys now and Lebron had to attack the basket and hang 51 on the Warriors to give his team a chance to win in Game 1. The game was as close to an iconic level Michael Jordan game as I’ve ever seen. In Game 2, he was already at 15 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists in the first half of what became a blowout loss. Lebron has proven that he is more than willing to take on ALL of the heavy lifting that goes with being an elite, all-time talent.

If you are part of #LebronHive or #TeamJordan, then good for you. I think Jordan is the greatest of all time, but it’s time to admit that Lebron James has overcome any and all of the obstacles that were in front of him (whether self made or not) on the road to all-time greatness. He has multiple titles. He’s pulled his team from the brink of elimination and won a title. He has elite statistical production that will eclipse Jordan’s and he is a dominant two-way player. Did I mention he’s incredibly durable and never gets in trouble off the court?

I’ll always take Jordan if you give me a choice, but I’m done making any arguments against Lebron James anymore. He’s proven everything he needs to in his career. If there are fans who end up seeing him as the all-time greatest, I can respect their argument much more now.

 

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Can the Texans pull off the upset? Composite Getty Image.

The NFL playoffs are finally here, and the Texans will kick off the postseason by hosting the LA Chargers this Saturday at NRG.

And while the Texans are only 3 point underdogs, the national media is making it seem like Houston has no chance against Justin Herbert and company.

ESPN's Rex Ryan has gone as far as calling the Texans a "bye" week for the Chargers, giving the team no chance to win despite playing at home.

However, the Texans are no stranger to this situation, as they were given little chance to win against the Browns in last year's Wild Card game. And we know how that ended, with the Texans thrashing the Browns 45-14.

It's certainly fair to predict the Chargers will come away with a win this Saturday, they have been playing much better football than Houston in recent weeks.

But it's important to remember that home underdogs have performed well in the Wild Card round. In fact, home underdogs are 16-14 all-time in the Wild Card playoffs, and both home underdogs won last year (Texans, Buccaneers).

Speaking of last year, many credit the Texans defense for securing the win over Cleveland, with two pick sixes in the second half helping to seal the deal.

But the real reason Houston won the game was because of CJ Stroud and the offense. Stroud threw 3 touchdowns before halftime and the team was leading 24-14 with six minutes left in the third quarter. That's when the defense tacked on two interceptions for touchdowns and put the game out of reach. Stroud and the offense also went on to score another TD on a Devin Singletary run.

If Stroud and the offense didn't put so much pressure on Joe Flacco and the Cleveland offense to score, he may not have forced those passes that were picked off.

Now, many will point to the Chargers having the best defense (points allowed) this season, but it's worth noting the Browns had the number one defense (yards allowed) last year as well.

Bulls on Parade

Houston's defense will have its hands full against a strong rushing attack led by JK Dobbins. And Justin Herbert has been terrific this season, spreading the ball around to his top two targets, Ladd McConkey and Quentin Johnston.

Fortunately for the Texans, they are extremely healthy on defense this week. While Jimmy Ward and Jalen Pitre are out for the year, we'll finally get to see linebackers Azeez Al-Shaair and Christian Harris play together for the first time this season.

The defensive line is expected to be at full strength as well, keep in mind Jonathan Greenard was injured and unable to play against the Browns last year.

Outlook on offense

We should see the best possible version of the offensive line this Saturday. We're all aware how many hits Stroud has taken due to poor o-line play. But with Tytus Howard and left guard and Juice Scruggs at right guard, Stroud should have more time to get the passing game going, featuring Nico Collins.

Speaking of the receivers, it's pretty amazing that this receiver group is almost identical to last year's in the Wild Card round. Stroud didn't have Stefon Diggs (on the Bills) or Tank Dell (injured) to throw to last year, either. But he does have one big addition in Joe Mixon this year. Hopefully, they can get Mixon involved in the passing game, and the shuffling of the o-line provides Mixon with some holes to run through.

X-factor

At least there's a possibility newly acquired receiver Diontae Johnson could provide a spark to the offense. Last year John Metchie and Robert Woods were the main targets besides Collins and Dalton Schultz.

What does Vegas think?

The Chargers are favored by 3 and the total is set at 42.5 points

Don't miss the video above as the crew from Texans on Tap previews this week's big game!

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