A good L/C/R is nothing like a sound bar to me. They are separated for a reason. There are so many compromises in even the most expensive bars, that you just can't get great sound out of them in a comparison. JMHO, but I'm sure you all understand what I'm saying.
But is “like” a sound bar conceptually as it does L/C/R…
(Just in 3 pieces.)
Or… to put it another way
One would run both a sound bar and a L/C/R