That's one way to look at it. The other is that that team won 55 games and didn't make the Finals and the first full season Jordan came back they went from that (a good but not great team) to the greatest team of all time.
The next season they won 69 games and were arguably the second greatest team of all time. So let's be clear here. They didn't go from Really Good Contender to Championship caliber. They went from Really Good Contender to Greatest Team Ever. That's massive, massive leap.
They won 57 games with Jordan in 92-93. 93-94,
without Jordan but
with the rest of the team intact, they
still won 55 games.
But it's 94-95 that really makes the point. Horace Grant left and wasn't replaced, and that team really had no power forward at all. And, Jordan actually returned
during that season. Played the last month or so, and then played in the playoffs. And even
with Jordan in the '95 playoffs, they didn't even make the East. Conf. Finals. But then they added Rodman in the offseason to fill that massive hole at PF with a HOF talent, and they won 72 games in Jordan's first full season back,
with Rodman, Pippen, and the rest. Ron Harper wasn't the explosive offensive player he was earlier in his career, but he was still a very good defender. Then you had a great scoring wing off the bench in Kukoc, and a great defensive vet in John Salley. That team was absolutely
loaded.
I'm not saying this to diminish anything MJ did. I'm just saying that the "scoreboard" argument minimizes the importance of the talent with which he played, which was exceptional. I think you have to actually watch MJ to truly appreciate how great he was, more so than just counting rings. After all, Scottie has as many as MJ does.
Anyway, the ultimate point is that while the MJ/LBJ argument probably won't ever end, I think it's fair to look at what LBJ has done this season, and particularly in these playoffs, as something both pretty remarkable, and
different than what Jordan ever did, or was asked to do.