The hurdles MJ's Bulls had to go through in the six years before in the seventh making the finals were way more difficult than anything Lebron and company had to go through - either in Cleveland or Miami. Heck, I'd say the Mark Price, Brad Daughtery, and Larry Nance Cavs would have given Lebron a greater fight in the Eastern Conference than anything he's had to face to make the NBA finals.

All-time Celtic teams, All-time Laker teams in Finals, All-time Pistons teams, good to great 76ers/Knicks/Cavs.... the list goes on particularly during that first 'hurdle' to get to the Finals and then to have the Reggie Miller Pacers / late Ewing's Knicks teams with Riley / JVG.... anyway, I think the East was extraordinarily more difficult than during Lebron's runs.

That being said, he hasn't had as good teammates as Jordan had, even during the first threepeat.

Pippen is an all-time all around player. Stats don't lie. He was selected Top 50. Horace Grant was All-Defensive. great shooters and role players like Bill Cartwright, John Paxson, BJ Armstrong, etc.

The biggest thing that makes this an apples to oranges comparison - drive. This is where Kobe is like MJ. He was obsessed with winning. Lebron is extraordinarily talented and an all-time player, but there are very few with the competitive will that is beset on teammates that make them execute at a level higher than deemed possible on other teams or in other situations. His teammates feared failing him and that is what made those Bulls teams very competitive and winners during a much tougher stretch in NBA talent and competitive parity.