“Bird played in an era where you can clothesline a person” - Denny Blanco says he will pick Larry Bird over LeBron James

The GOAT debate has always been between Michael Jordan and LeBron James, but there are a lot of people who believe LeBron should not even be in the top three conversation. Personal preference always plays a significant role in reaching these types of conclusions, which is why there are many opposing views on the matter.

LeBron James is currently playing at an incredibly insane level, one many do not get to in their prime. However, in his 19th year, he is willing the LA Lakers to victory despite being short-handed, putting his broad shoulders to work.

In the latest episode of "It's in the Game" on BallisLife, Randy Cruz and co-host Denny Blanco discussed the all-time ranking and had interesting views. Cruz asked if LBJ was among the top-five NBA greatest of all time, and Blanco agreed.

But when asked about the top-three, he placed Larry Bird and even Stephen Curry over LeBron. After giving it some thought, he said:

"No. It's gonna be hard because I have Jordan, Magic, Bird, Curry."

To Cruz's shock, he asked if he is putting Bird over LeBron James, and he said:

"LeBron, phenom from high school, and the reason I put Bird over LeBron, Bird played in an era where you can clothesline a person and it's not a foul, No. 1."

"Wasn't athletic, but averaged like double-digits in rebounds. Wasn't athletic, didn't out jump you, but he always seem to get his shot off."

The debate continued as Cruz attempted to analyze who the better player was in their prime. After the numbers revealed that LeBron James had a better field goal percentage in points average in his prime, Blanco started to reconsider and was leaning towards changing his mind in that regard.

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LeBron James led the LA Lakers to another victory last night against the Sacramento Kings

LeBron James #6 of the Los Angeles Lakers scores on a layup between Davion Mitchell #15 and Harrison Barnes #40 of the Sacramento Kings

The debate will continue for years to come, but LeBron James is getting it done right now on the court. He is playing a brand of basketball never before seen from a 37-year-old in the NBA.

It has been a disappointing run for the Lakers this season, but with three wins in a row, they are now above .500 and are currently ranked 7th in the Western Conference standings with a 20-19 record. For the past two weeks, James has arguably been the best player in the league, but that has not exactly translated to wins for the Lakers.

Nonetheless, things are starting to look up for the Lakers as they have won four of their last five games. They will have an opportunity to win four consecutive games for the first time this season when they host the Atlanta Hawks on January 7.

So far this season, James is averaging 28.6 points, 7.4 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 1.7 steals, and 1.1 blocks in 27 games. Since Anthony Davis' injury, LeBron has played center and the results have been impressive.