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I agree, I think there was a "fire" (to use a corny phrase) in MJ that literally does not exist in LJ, at least not to the extent that Michael had it. Michael is by far my favorite basketball player, he's amazing to watch. What he's capable of with what he had, was as you mention, simply great. This drive, combined with his excellent talent, propelled him to be the most successful player the NBA has seen thus far. I'm not going to refute that, because I can't, and I don't believe it.
To me, who the better player is, is much simpler than this. It's a factor of success, thought not the absolute predictor of it. I see LJ play with speed and explosiveness that MJ wishes he had - and a few of MJ's comments (Kobe is better than Lebron) indicate this to me. Michael has always been that way, had a way of putting someone down, or taking it personally, sometimes coming across as jealous because he does have that absolute need to be the best instilled him, which I don't think Lebron does.
Lebron's been told he's the best his whole life, and he's been told right. To be faster, bigger, stronger, with just as much finesse and shooting ability, combined with the aforementioned defensive play, puts LJ as the better player to me. That's all - a better player. I'm not wrapping this up with anything but raw, physical talent. For a player to be better, number of rings doesn't matter, who they play with doesn't matter, and lb for lb, LJ is a better player than MJ.
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