This is insane, but got me thinking (top NBA players)

Originally posted by LA9erFan:

Originally posted by TX9R:
I dont' see any way Shaq is ahead of Hakeem, seeing as how Hakeem owned him and he didn't have to come out at the end of games. Hakeem was the one who dominated centers in the time of centers. By the time Shaq was in his prime, there weren't any left (that weren't old and hobbled).

I've never understood why people always say that Olajuwon dominated Shaq in that series. They pretty much played to a draw.

I wasn't referring to just one series. Until Dream literally broke down over night he always outplayed Shaq and generally his team won, close or not that's the definition of owning.

Originally posted by crzy:

Originally posted by TheSixthRing:

Originally posted by crzy:
All-Time Warriors team would be surprisingly competitive with Nate Thurmond, Wilt, Rick Barry.

And TMC + Spree

And don't forget Adonal

Originally posted by LA9erFan:
PG: Magic Johnson, Jerry West
SG: Kobe Bryant, Michael Cooper, Byron Scott
SF: Elgin Baylor, James Worthy
PF: Pau Gasol, Robert Horry
C: Shaquille O'Neal, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain

I'm not a Celtics fan but....

PG: Bob Cousy, Dennis Johnson
SG: John Havlicek, Ray Allen
SF: Larry Bird, Paul Pierce
PF: Kevin McHale, Kevin Garnett
C: Bill Russell, Dave Cowens

Went with Havlicek as a starter and DJ gets the backup nod for their defensive game. Wasn't sure who to add for the other 2 spots, can go a bunch of different ways.

I think I might give the Lakers the nod though. In a real game, wouldn't the Lakers put KAJ at the PF spot so its KAJ + Shaq?

Edit:

HOWEVER, Celtics have the better coach!

How bout Houston!
PG....
SG....
SF...
PF...
C - Dream, Moses, Sampson, Ming


Yeah, we haven't really been too good at any other position. I don't think we've ever had a true PG.

Originally posted by SunDevilNiner79:

Originally posted by LA9erFan:
PG: Magic Johnson, Jerry West
SG: Kobe Bryant, Michael Cooper, Byron Scott
SF: Elgin Baylor, James Worthy
PF: Pau Gasol, Robert Horry
C: Shaquille O'Neal, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain

I'm not a Celtics fan but....

PG: Bob Cousy, Dennis Johnson
SG: John Havlicek, Ray Allen
SF: Larry Bird, Paul Pierce
PF: Kevin McHale, Kevin Garnett
C: Bill Russell, Dave Cowens

Went with Havlicek and DJ for their defensive game. Wasn't sure who to add for the other 2.

I like the Lakers there by a comfortable margin. To be honest, you could make an argument for the Lakers (min. 5 years of service, with Gasol as an exception) vs. the rest of the league, especially if you were to go with a Twin Towers approach.

Lakers

PG: Magic Johnson, Jerry West
SG: Kobe Bryant, Michael Cooper, Byron Scott
SF: Elgin Baylor, James Worthy, Jamaal Wilkes
PF: Wilt Chamberlain, Pau Gasol
C: Shaquille O'Neal, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

vs.

PG: John Stockton, Isiah Thomas
SG: Michael Jordan, Oscar Robertson
SF: Larry Bird, Scottie Pippen, LeBron James
PF: Tim Duncan, Karl Malone
C: Bill Russell, Hakeem Olajuwon, Moses Malone

The NBA team has more depth, but I think the Lakers have a better 8 man rotation.

Speaking of the Dream, anyone remember when he played for the Raptors?

It's a memory that was completely blocked from my conscious mind for quite a few years.

Originally posted by TX9R:
How bout Houston!
PG....
SG....
SF...
PF...
C - Dream, Moses, Sampson, Ming


Yeah, we haven't really been too good at any other position. I don't think we've ever had a true PG.

T-Mac? lol I cant name anyone else besides Kenny Smith & Sam Cassel...

Originally posted by TheSixthRing:
Speaking of the Dream, anyone remember when he played for the Raptors?

It's a memory that was completely blocked from my conscious mind for quite a few years.

Or Patrick Ewing in Seattle?

Kobe isn't "chasing" MJ at all. They might end up with a similar number of rings, but that's only because Kobe came into the league with The Diesel running things and MJ left at least 3 rings on the table by retiring early twice. Kobe can approximate some of the things MJ could do for only a fraction of the time. His career has demonstrated that he can't sustain what Mike could do in his sleep.

If anything, I think this most recent Finals again showed why Kobe never was and never could be Mike. The only game the Lakers won in Boston was the one when old man Fisher pumped in 13 in the fourth quarter when Kobe wasn't doing anything except being a decoy. Then, as you mentioned, in what was supposed to be the biggest game of his career in Game 7, Kobe shot 6 for 24 and got bailed out by a combination of the refs, Artest, and Gasol. At no point in this series except for the third quarter of a game in Boston that the Lakers lost anyway did you think that Kobe was for sure the best player on the court.

Kobe's a great player, don't get me wrong. He in no way measures up to Mike, though. The 03 Finals and 08 Finals are further proof of that. In fact, if you look at their Finals stats, it's not even close. Jordan averaged 33 ppg on 49% FG for his career in the Finals compared to 25 ppg on 41% FG for Kobe's Finals appearances. In 7 different Finals, Kobe has hit the 40 point mark exactly once. Jordan averaged 41 ppg for an entire Finals series. Think about how many points Jordan would have with today's rules where you can't handcheck people. It would be insane.

Moreover, how many signature Finals moments does Kobe have? He's won 5 rings, but how many moments will you be telling your kids about when it comes to Kobe in the Finals? I really can't think of any. MJ, on the other hand, has the following:
















(55 points in Game 4 of Finals)

Nobody is chasing MJ in any real sense.

Sigh.

Originally posted by LA9erFan:
Sigh.

Oh, don't act like you hate doing it.

Originally posted by pantstickle:

Originally posted by LA9erFan:
Sigh.

Oh, don't act like you hate doing it.

They defend him about as well as Byron Scott, Clyde Drexler, an Dan Majerle did.

Originally posted by LA9erFan:

Originally posted by pantstickle:

Originally posted by LA9erFan:
Sigh.

Oh, don't act like you hate doing it.

They defend him about as well as Byron Scott, Clyde Drexler, an Dan Majerle did.

I'm sorry, did I say anything that was wrong? Let me know if you disagree with anything I said.

Originally posted by AmpLee:

Originally posted by TheBlueHell:
I'm sorry, did I say anything that was wrong? Let me know if you disagree with anything I said.

You must not post in here much, but Kobe VS MJ has been talked about more than Alex Smith's small hands.

To the point of ad nauseum