His feet went first. Started his in his first couple of years at Portland. There is a really good 5 part 30-30 about him. He was the best passing big man of all time.
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OT: Who is the NBA GOAT?
- Thread starter Im The Village Idiot
- Start date
1973 they started recording steals and blocks. Along with breaking out offensive and defensive rebounds.
Watch McHale closeline Rambisin the playoffs and get a common foul for it. Today, it would a flagrant two, ejection, suspension and fine. A different game back then .
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Wilt played against bellhops and bricklayers.
You really comparing Robert Horry to Bill Russell? I like Horry but he was nowhere close to the player Russell was. Russell probably wasn't the GOAT player but he needs to be mentioned in that grouping. Some posters listed multiple choices and Russell belongs in the discussion. Sorry but Horry does not. Your reasoning doesn't make much sense to me. Russell is considered one of the greatest players by many basketball historians, publications, etc.
Jordan was the best, anyone who saw him play if honest would say so.
True. They didn't record blocks then but somebody went and reviewed available film for one season past his prime and he averaged something crazy like 9 blocks per game. Wilt was by far the best shot blocker EVER.
Wilt Chamberlain
all the others are vying for 2nd place.
rr
all the others are vying for 2nd place.
rr
I believe that poster was not comparing Horry to Russell, but was instead just implying that team championships is not a good stat to compare individual players. Those Celtic teams were so full of Hall of Famers that they could have won most of those championships with a lesser player at center. Wilt dominated him at center but Russell always had better players around him.
I believe Russell is one of the top 20 players ever but I have several centers rated above him. I can't see Russell, at 6'9" and 220 being able to guard somebody like Shaq but I don't think he'd play center if he played today. I think he'd be a Tim Duncan calibre power forward in the modern game.
Well, he did specifically say Horry as #2 behind Russell which I thought wasn't making much sense. I never said Russell was #1 in the first place but to not be mentioned by so many who were compiling lists I felt was a huge slight. Personally, I would still include Russell in my top ten.
Huh, interesting, thanks for pointing that out. Someone told me that, guess I should’ve checked lol. Anyway looks like he had the 7th biggest hands in NBA history, which is still pretty unique for a SG
Sports is interesting and people always downplay the mental aspect of it. Jordan just always played like his hair was on fire. He wasn’t some flawless athlete or the most athletic or the best shooter but he just played his *** off so it’s difficult to forget that if you watched him play. We’ve all played pick up bball, we’ve all had that guy that was playing super hard defense and hissing the whole time and how annoying it was dealing with him lol. And then it’s like “let me just guard the guy that’s obviously better but takes some plays off”.
That’s what it was like with me watching LeBron. He was larger, more skilled, more athletic than Jordan but he just didn’t have that crazy play for your life killer instinct that Jordan had. By all accounts Jordan is psycho in real life and I’d much prefer being friends with LeBron but in a sports game I’d rather the psycho be my teammate.
That’s what it was like with me watching LeBron. He was larger, more skilled, more athletic than Jordan but he just didn’t have that crazy play for your life killer instinct that Jordan had. By all accounts Jordan is psycho in real life and I’d much prefer being friends with LeBron but in a sports game I’d rather the psycho be my teammate.
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I agree with your point about Jordan's mental game being supreme.
That said, he was among the greatest pure athletes in American sports history. He was extremely fast and agile, combined with a 46-48" vertical leap. The 46" is official and the 48" is unofficial but corroborated.
Also, while he didn't take alot of three point shots, he was among the best pure shooters in the NBA during his career. His mid-range shooting numbers are in the top <1% of any players ever, when you factor both his efficiency and volume. Literally absurd. I'll try to find the video that covers it.
Jordan was an elite athlete, elite defender, elite shooter and had elite mental game. He was also an extremely good passer, which is a part of his game that many don't talk about. The pure assist numbers don't tell the story --- his role was to score the ball for his team and he did that as efficiently as any player has ever done it at his position. Early in his career, when asked to facilitate more, his assist numbers were comparable to some of the best point guards of the era. Truly an amazing basketball player.
oh yes, trust me, I’m a big a Jordan fan as anyone, he really was amazing. It’s just how insanely competitive he was to me that makes him truly the top. They’ll eventually be a better shooter that plays, a better athlete (I think LeBron is personally) etc I just can’t imagine they’ll be anyone more competitive.
I certainly don’t think LeBron is a better pure athlete. LeBron has a better body. He’s 3 inches taller and has more weight and muscle.
But Jordan was significantly faster and quicker than LeBron, had a 2-4 inch vertical leap advantage and his range of movement was worlds better.
Ultimately, I agree with your point. What separates Jordan from the rest is his mentality.
I certainly don’t think LeBron is a better pure athlete. LeBron has a better body. He’s 3 inches taller and has more weight and muscle.
But Jordan was significantly faster and quicker than LeBron, had a 2-4 inch vertical leap advantage and his range of movement was worlds better.
Ultimately, I agree with your point. What separates Jordan from the rest is his mentality.
I dunno, LeBron James was Karl Malones size playing PG half the time. I factor in the size when talking athleticism, as someone that big really shouldn’t be able to move like that. I don’t expect Jordan to be as quick as Iverson it’s just tough when you’re much larger. Watching Wemby right now is unreal to me. I never thought I’d see someone 7’4” move and run and shoot like that. Will be really interesting to watch his career unfold especially if he stays injury free.
Why would a 5'11" PG be jumping center? It's not like he had a prayer of getting the tip.
MJ's team won a title. Worthy and Perkins were All American's that year. Wilt had no such teammates. The subject was NBA GOAT not college anyway.
And both hands over the top of the square on lobs, couldn't dunk then
, but he was bad a.ss. I wasn't that crazy about listening to him announce though.
I loved how he would fake guys out just holding the ball, fake pass with one hand.
Wilt had amazing numbers, for any era of ball, 100 points in a game will probably not be broken any time soon. Even though Kobe gave it a good shot.
Basketball is a team game. Wilt went for 23 and 14 that game. Wilt's teammates went 9 for 34 26.4%. There was no one named Tommy Chamberlain on UNC's team.
That's not as bad as when MJ lost to Georgia who finished 6th out of 10 SEC teams that year or remember when MJ lost in the second round against IU and was held to 13 pts and 1 rebound by Dan freaking Dakich?
Sounds like UNC was well coached and used fundamentals, and some great team defense to hold Wilt to those numbers, with his great height and length advantage. Would love to watch that game.
It always amazes me how often he is completely left out of the conversation.
LeBron is the answer.
He has won at every stop and took a ragtag group of bums to the Finals with Cleveland and then beat one of the great teams in NBA history after being down 1-3.
Jordan played against plumbers and handymen. LeBron plays in the most skilled era of NBA basketball ever. And don't dare tell me that LeBron couldn't hang physically against guys in the 90s. At their peaks, LeBron is bigger and stronger than Jodran.
He has won at every stop and took a ragtag group of bums to the Finals with Cleveland and then beat one of the great teams in NBA history after being down 1-3.
Jordan played against plumbers and handymen. LeBron plays in the most skilled era of NBA basketball ever. And don't dare tell me that LeBron couldn't hang physically against guys in the 90s. At their peaks, LeBron is bigger and stronger than Jodran.
Kareem was pretty amazing and belongs in the conversation for sure. I've got Wilt and Jordan 1 and 2 then it's probably between Kareem and Bird at 3 for me.
It sounds like the game plan was to focus totally on Wilt and make his teammates beat you.
I haven't paid much attention to the NBA in recent years. I do know Jokic is special. To have averaged 10.7 is pretty amazing. In any event Wilt was the only center to have done it for a very long time.
With respect, I can tell you are very young by your answer. A lot these points are secondhand opinions that get shared with no basis in reality. For example, there was a time in NBA history where players really were plumbers and handymen due to low salaries when the game was in early development. Such a topic belongs a million miles from the 1980s and 90s. I was old enough to watch Jordan and LeBron — I have a lot of respect for LBJ’s ability, but he isn’t as good as some today are telling you. I get the idea that, when watching him in his prime, it might feel like “no one could be better than this”, but I assure you I watched someone who was.
Be careful who you get your BBALL knowledge from. People lie a lot.
I am not very young, lol. Have you gone after the suspected "very old" people here who think Wilt is the greatest ever? I assume you didn't watch him play either. I laid out my points.
Your statement that “Jordan played against plumbers and handymen” zaps any credibility you might have had .
I respect people who think Wilt is the GOAT. I didn’t watch Wilt so i can’t say they are wrong. I can certainly say Jordan is the best player in my lifetime.