Pick the order.
Part of the reason Jordan was better than James is because he did have to face and beat the Pistons and, later the discount version in the Knicks. It was a different level of defense and physicality. It's one thing if you have a team or several teams whose offenses revolve around three-point chucking. It's an entirely different game when all offenses are three-point chucks and dunks, minus what they call the "mid-range" shot. You have a fundamentally different sport. No question, athleticism has continued to evolve and that would be the challenge fo the greats from past decades. At the same time, I can't imagine what some of those greats from the past would be able to do if they were free to carry the ball to the ridiculous degree that it's allowed in the current game or would be afforded the number of foul shots provided in the current game based upon the way the game is refereed today. Can you imagine what prime Maravich would do today if he were allowed to carry the basketball every time up the court? And with a three-point line? Can you imagine the and-ones Moses would be able to rack up today with the way the game is called?