I'll wait to do my list to see how badly some of you will mess this up, but I just want to point out how overrated Bird and Magic are, they were both great players winning several rings, but their rivalry and impact on the game is much greater then the players they actually were although both are still easily HOFers.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Melo061 @ Feb 24 2006, 07:49 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I can already see you're list.1- MJ2- Stockon45050654- Magic45050655- Bird.</div>I had Stockton barely in my top 10 last time and looking back on it I wouldnt even have him there. As far as Bird and Magic go, they'd still be in my top 20.i'll go ahead and do my top 5 for now1-Michael Jordan2-Wilt Chamberlain3-Oscar Robertson4-Hakeem Olajuwon5-Shaquille O'nealI always wonder why people feel compelled to put players of different positions who clearly arent as good ranking them higher, like when people rank Larry Bird or Magic higher then Bill Russell,David Robinson,and Tim Duncan when they are all clearly much better players, but just because they're big men. Let's face it, most of the greatest players are big men.
Not all in a pacticular order...1. MJ2. Wilt3. Kareem4. Bill Russell5. Magic6. Dr. J7. Larry bird8. Shaq9. Oscar Robertson10. Hakeem
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Chris @ Feb 26 2006, 09:56 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Not all in a pacticular order...1. MJ2. Wilt3. Kareem4. Bill Russell5. Magic6. Dr. J7. Larry bird8. Shaq9. Oscar Robertson10. Hakeem</div>Im going with you...I like your list.
1. Michael Jordan - When you define a Most Valuable Player, Michael Jordan represents it all. In his early years, he was a supreme scorer, putting up 35 per game in one season. As his career progressed, he became unselfish, and won six titles while still being the focal point of the offense. Not to mention he is a top 5 perimeter defender ever. What about his clutch play? Well he owns the playoff scoring record, with 63 points in a game, and highest PPG average for a finals series (41). The bottom line is, there is nothing he couldn't do, and there?s nothing he didn't do2. Shaquille O' Neal - Shaq has been a winner wherever he goes, leading the Orlando Magic from expansion to Finals within a few years, leading the Lakers to 3 championships and taking the Heat from Playoff team to playoff contender. The guy has an incredible influence on the game, and in his prime was a 25 and 10 guy. He is without a doubt, one of the most feared players ever by opponents, and is an extra 10 games won by himself.3. Larry Bird - Larry Bird was the definition of hustle. He was unathletic, yet still found a way to be a double rebound threat every night. He was a 30 point threat every single game, won MVPs, and won titles. My only negative on him was his one on one defense, but he somewhat made that up guarding the passing lanes. Many credit him with being the greatest passing forward ever to play. Like Jordan, his offensive repertoire was incredible, however his overall defense is what limited him for me.4. Magic Johnson - The Nets went to the Finals during 01-02 off the strength of a run and gun offence. The Suns had a 40+ game differential last year because of a run and gun offence. The constants on those teams? The Nets had Jason Kidd, and the Suns had Steve Nash ? great PGs. Magic Johnson was the symbol of that, as he finished his career 3rd on the all time assist list, while winning numerous titles. I don't care what anyone says; he still found a way to pull down 8+ boards on any given night, regardless of how tall he was. He wasn't a great defender, but then again all those points he created made up for it. I consider him the Greatest PG ever.5 - Bill Russell - While I don?t normally support old players, Bill Russell was simply an innovator. He was the first player ever to block shots with consistency, and the first guy ever to scare opponents. No player has ever affected the game like him, as he helped the Celtics to win?8 Championships? That is unheard of, and considering the offence was ran through him, it makes his overall accomplishments that much more impressive. He basically did everything for the Celtics, and the only thing I doubt about him was his lack of competition.Too lazy to make next five right now :yahoo:
Most people generally agree with 1-MJ 2-Wilt, but name 1 thing Magic or Larry did better then Shaq,Hakeem, or Big O.not to mention all of them won numerous rings.
I think you should give the Big O some more credit,in some seasons he almost averaged a triple-double.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (HeatBasketball @ Feb 26 2006, 12:47 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I think you should give the Big O some more credit,in some seasons he almost averaged a triple-double.</div>By hit on him is that he was unable to win. He had to become a seond option to Kareem in order to get his first title. He never won anything as the focal point of his team, and was an overrated passer. Just because he got 10 assists per game doesn't mean he was a great passer. Look at Stephon Marbury, Steve Francis. They have 10 assist potential on any given night, but we all know they are far from unselfish. From the limited footage I've seen of him, he was far from a pass-first player, or even an unselfish player at times
I also want to point out something, People say Magic led the Showtime Lakers, but how many rings did Kareem win with the Lakers through the mid 70s to late 80s? 5, and also a ring with the Bucks in 71', but how many rings did Magic ever win without Kareem? 0, so who led the showtime Lakers? :g:
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (PrimeTime @ Feb 27 2006, 05:40 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I also want to point out something, People say Magic led the Showtime Lakers, but how many rings did Kareem win with the Lakers through the mid 70s to late 80s? 5, and also a ring with the Bucks in 71', but how many rings did Magic ever win without Kareem? 0, so who led the showtime Lakers? :g:</div>Hey let's flip that question about.When did Kareem win a championship without Magic? With Oscar robertson i believe.edit: Kareem was a 14-6 in 1987-1988. Yeah, Kareem lead that team.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Melo061 @ Feb 26 2006, 07:05 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Hey let's flip that question about.When did Kareem win a championship without Magic? With Oscar robertson i believe.edit: Kareem was a 14-6 in 1987-1988. Yeah, Kareem lead that team.</div>Dont even give me that, by the time Big O left he royals he wasnt averaging much more then 10-15 PPG. He was just a role player, Kareem was dominating scoring 30+ a game. that's like saying how many Rings did Kobe win without Derek Fisher?
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (KMart @ Feb 26 2006, 02:00 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>By hit on him is that he was unable to win. He had to become a seond option to Kareem in order to get his first title. He never won anything as the focal point of his team, and was an overrated passer. Just because he got 10 assists per game doesn't mean he was a great passer. Look at Stephon Marbury, Steve Francis. They have 10 assist potential on any given night, but we all know they are far from unselfish. From the limited footage I've seen of him, he was far from a pass-first player, or even an unselfish player at times</div>a. He did average a triple double one season.b. back then (and I remember this first-hand boys) the statisticians were much stingier with assists than they are now. it wasn't just a pass that leads to a basket. it was a good pass that led to a basket. by today's stat standards, big o would probably have averaged around 13-15 assists per game.c.he wasn't pass first. he wasn't shoot first. he was make the right decision always.now for my list (in no particular order, and only nine, because i can't really come up with just one tenth that i think for sure deserves to be in this group over some of the other possible tenths i have in mind)Oscar Robertson, Wilt Chamberlain, Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Larry Bird, Bill Russell, Julius Erving, Magic Johnson
in no particular order..........(except for #1)1. mj-don't need to explain2. shaq-unstoppable. a winner. a likeable guy and gets you a double double every night.3. wilt- 100 points in a game. averages over 50 points in one season. most dominant player of his time.4. bill russell-one of the greatest shot blockers ever. he'd probably be number one all-time if they kept stats for it his whole career.5. patrick ewing-greatest knick ever, gotta stick with my boys. even though he has no rings he is still in my top 10. if mj wasn't in the league the knicks would have 3 rings.6. kareem- all-time leading scorer. played in three different decades.7. oscar robertson-sorry but if you average a triple double in a season you are the man.8. magic johnson-6'9" pg? one of my favorite players of all-time. i wish he didn't cheat on his wife and get aids tho haha.9. hakeem the dream-one of the best post defenders ever. cost my man ewing a ring but i still am givin him some love.10. kobe- haha yea right10. bob cousy- crazy dribbling skills. can pass the ball and embarassed defenders back in the day.
Again, if your going to Put players like Magic over Hakeem, a least give some reasoning, what did Magic do that was so much better? and Magic couldnt even take a team as superiorly talented as the Showtime Lakers to a championship win without Kareem, Hakeem proved he could win 2 consecutive championships with little or no supporting cast.
