Cross-era · careers 2 years apart

Michael Jordan vs Dave Cowens

Michael Jordan 1984-2002 · Guard Dave Cowens 1970-1982 · Center

Michael Jordan (1984-2002) and Dave Cowens (1970-1982) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 2 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Michael Jordan was the higher-volume scorer (30.1 points per game to 17.6); adjusted for era they scored at 2.94× and 1.69× their league average respectively; Michael Jordan was the more efficient scorer (56.9% true shooting to 49.5%). Michael Jordan holds the edge on accolades — 5 MVPs, 6 championships, 6 Finals MVPs and the #1 all-time ranking to Dave Cowens's #51.

Career averages

Michael JordanStatDave Cowens
30.1 Points / game 17.6
6.2 Rebounds / game 13.6
5.3 Assists / game 3.8
2.4 Steals / game 0.8
0.8 Blocks / game 0.6
49.6% Field goal % 45.9%
28.0% 3-point % 0.7%
83.3% Free throw % 78.5%
56.9% True shooting % 49.5%
1,072 Games played 766

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Michael JordanStatDave Cowens
2.94× Points vs era avg 1.69×
1.50× Rebounds vs era avg 2.82×
2.24× Assists vs era avg 1.63×

Advanced metrics

Advanced stats aren't available for Michael Jordan.

Advanced stats weren't tracked in Dave Cowens's era.

Playoff averages

Michael JordanStatDave Cowens
33.5 Points / game 18.9
6.4 Rebounds / game 14.4
5.7 Assists / game 3.7
2.1 Steals / game 0.9
0.9 Blocks / game 0.6
48.8% Field goal % 45.3%
34.3% 3-point % 0.0%
83.0% Free throw % 76.4%
179 Playoff games 89

Accolades

Michael JordanStatDave Cowens
5 MVP awards 1
6 Finals MVP 0
6 Championships 2
13 All-Star selections 6
10 All-NBA 1st Team 0
#1 All-time GOAT rank #51

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