Marv Albert Compares LeBron James and J.R. Smith to Michael Jordan and Dennis Rodman

Is this a good comparison?

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J.R. Smith played really well during the Cavaliers' road win over the Hawks on Wednesday. And for whatever reason, everyone was surprised by it. Forget that Smith has, for the most part, been a solid contributor for Cleveland this season, averaging more than 12 points per game. People are now wondering how he has been so effective for the team during the playoffs in spite of the fact that he was essentially traded away by the Knicks for nothing earlier this season. How is J.R. doing it?!

The New York Post posed this question to longtime NBA play-by-play man Marv Albert, who is calling the entire Eastern Conference Finals series between Cleveland and Atlanta. And he credited LeBron James with Smith's resurgence. He also said that he sees similarities between LeBron's relationship with Smith and Michael Jordan's relationship with Dennis Rodman back in the 1990s.

"There are players like LeBron who had great influence on players who have had, let's say, murky pasts," Albert told the New York Post. "Michael Jordan is the same way. When Rodman was brought to Chicago, that worked out pretty well, despite some things going on off the court that were a little bit different. On the court, he played as hard as anyone in the league. That's the influence of Michael. LeBron is such a strong influence in a good way on the team…It's respect for how good they are and not wanting to disappoint. They do it differently. LeBron is a little bit more vocal…Michael can give you a look that could send a message. There are similarities also."

This actually isn't the first time someone has compared J.R. Smith to Dennis Rodman. If you remember, Phil Jackson did it, too, prior to this season. But is Smith's relationship with LeBron really the same as Rodman's relationship with MJ? Or is that a lazy comparison?

Game 2 between the Cavaliers and Hawks will take place tonight. It'll be interesting to see how Smith plays now that all eyes seem to be on him.

Send all complaints, compliments, and tips to sportstips@complex.com.

[via New York Post]

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