The NBA's Top 10

First of all, let me say congratulations to the Dallas Mavericks, earning their first NBA championship. As I said in the last installment, I felt that LeBron James is a great player, but not among the all time greats. He seems to be more on par with the Scottie Pippen’s and Kevin McHale’s of the basketball world. That being said, who are the NBA’s all time greats? In 1997, the NBA released a top 50 list and for the most part, the list was very accurate. However, a lot has happened in the last 14 years. Perhaps current stars have cracked this cream of the crop list. What’s needed to be in this company? Statistics need to be weighed, preferably in more than one category. You need to win, not necessarily in football or baseball to be considered the best. But in the NBA, when there are only 5 players on a court, one player can almost dominate by himself and can affect the outcome most often. It isn’t just winning that is important, but also who you beat along the way. No brownie points will be awarded when dominating the Clippers, we need to know what you did against other great players and teams. So before I submit the top 10, with perhaps a surprise down the line, here are a few names that are just outside the best of the best list, in alphabetical order:

Tim Duncan, Julius Erving, Elvin Hayes, Karl Malone, Moses Malone, Jerry West

And here it is, the top 10 players in NBA history:

10. Oscar Robertson – Ok, so we all know what comes to mind when we hear the Big O’s name. He did average a triple double for the entire 1961-62 season at 30.8 points per game, 11.4 assists per game and an astounding 12.5 rebounds per game… as a point guard. Here are the other two big things to remember. One, he had this amazing, unmatched season in just his 2^nd campaign. And second, his 9.9 rebounds per game the following season were what kept him from back to back triple double average seasons. The only reason he is not higher on this list is the sole championship in 1970-71.

9. Hakeem Olajuwon – Some of you may remember me saying a couple weeks back that “the dream” was one of the most underrated athletes of our time. So this is me campaigning for that underrating to end. Let’s get this out of the way, he won back to back Finals MVP’s in 1994 and 1995, not to mention he is the NBA’s all-time leader in blocked shots. What keeps him in this top 10 is the list of centers that he competed against: Kareem, Robert Parish, David Robinson, Patrick Ewing and Shaquille O’Neal, all of whom were in the NBA’s top 50. Over his prolific career, Olajuwon averaged 21.8 points, 11.1 rebounds and 3.1 blocks, and who could forget that “Dream Shake.”

8. Shaquille O’Neal – Also from my past blogs, I mentioned that Shaq’s prime did not have any other dominant center at or near their prime so he doesn’t deserve to be any higher. However, here is why he deserves to be eighth: 5^th all time in points, 12^th all time in rebounds, 7^th in blocks. Now throw in the playoff numbers, 4^th all time in points and 3^rd all time in rebounds. Shaq could have absolutely been higher had he and Kobe Bryant coexisted longer, and don’t forget how many points he could have had with some better free throw numbers. He finished with four championships and the three Finals MVP’s.

7. Larry Bird – I bet Larry would be the first to say that his numbers alone do not measure up to the others. However, I bet he will say that no one wanted to win more and no one worked harder to win. Larry Legend won three consecutive MVPs, two Finals MVPs and three NBA championships. Bird also wins the award for the greatest trash talker. Magic Johnson once said, “I fear no one but Larry Bird.” Ironically, it’s because of Magic that Larry is not higher on this list, with the Celtics losing the head-to-head Finals battle.

6. Kobe Bryant – I imagine this is where I will get most of my criticism and I’m absolutely ready, and may even show that he can get higher on this list. How many current or future Hall of Famers have five championships and two Finals MVPs? Now let me say that Kobe Bean Bryant has four All-star game MVPs, been named to the NBA’s all defensive 1^st team nine times, and four times has led the NBA in points in a season. Here is why Kobe may still be climbing the list, assuming that he will average at or near his career numbers, Kobe will be in the top 15 all-time in steals, top 5 in points, top 12 all-time in 3 point field goals… in his next season! Looking at playoff numbers, Kobe will be in the top 5 in steals, top 3 in three point field goals, top 5 in ASSISTS!? If the Lakers go deep in the playoffs next year, he has a chance at being second in points. Again, all of this by the end of next season. The Mamba belongs at number 6.

Now here is the twist, you can make a case for these next five names topping the list. It’s not clear cut and I dare anyone to say anyone is the hands down number one.

The case against Kareem Abdul Jabaar: It would be somewhat fair to say that Jabaar’s career might have ended and at the very least diminished some had it not be for the Lakers drafting Magic Johnson. Those other big men were not blessed like Kareem to have point guards such as Oscar Robertson and Magic Johnson getting them the ball and taking the load off at times.

The case for Kareem Abdul-Jabaar: He is the NBA’s all-time scoring leader, 2^nd in the playoffs. He’s 3^rd all-time in rebounds, 4^th in the playoffs. He was named to nineteen all-star teams. Six times he was named NBA MVP, twice in the Finals. Here is the kicker, while accumulating these eye popping numbers, he competed against Wilt Chamberlain, Willis Reed, Dave Cowens, Bill Walton, Nate Thurmond, Wes Unseld, Elvin Hayes, Robert Parish, Moses Malone, Hakeem Olajuwon and Patrick Ewing. Each of those names belong to centers on the NBA’s top 50 list. Kareem bests or rivals their careers.

The case against Wilt Chamberlain: Yes, Wilt won two championships. His main rival, Bill Russell, won eleven. Enough said.

The case for Wilt Chamberlain: A larger than life figure that may only be topped by Babe Ruth or Muhammad Ali, Wilt the Stilt is synonymous with domination. As for numbers, Wilt is the all-time leader in rebounds, averaging 22.9 rebounds per game. He is 2^nd all-time in the playoffs and upping his average to 24.5 rebounds per game. By the slimmest of margins, he is 2^nd in career scoring average at 30.07 points per game. Let’s not forget that Wilt scored 100 points in a single game, the same season where he averaged an unbelievable 50.4 points per game, two records that will probably never be broken. Additionally, during that season, he averaged 48.5 minutes per game. Wait, aren’t there only 48 minutes in a game? Wilt also led the league in assists for a season, as a center.

The case against Earvin “Magic” Johnson: What helps him also hurts him. A 5-4 record in the Finals is just better than average. Plus, Magic wasn’t doing it alone. James Worthy and Kareem also are among the NBA’s top 50.

The case for Earvin “Magic” Johnson: He won at every level. In four years he won championships at the high school, college and NBA level. He is the first and only rookie to win Finals MVP at this point. That was the first of three times he won that award. That three matches his regular season MVPs, but let’s go back to those NBA Finals. Magic appeared in nine finals, winning five, but look at the teams he beat to win the championships. He beat Dr. J’s Philadelphia 76ers, twice. He beat Larry Bird’s Celtics, twice. He beat Isiah’s Bad Boy Pistons once, and he was at the end of his career when he lost to MJ’s Bulls. Now playing fantasy NBA champions, what player or team could have had that much success against legendary teams year-in and year-out? Johnson is also 4^th all-time in assists, and 1^st in the playoffs. His triple doubles are also #1 in the regular season and the playoffs.

The case against Michael Jordan: As great as he and those Bulls were in the 90’s, the teams he beat in the Finals were far from all-time great teams. He got the Lakers in 1991 instead of the mid eighties. He faced Clyde Drexler’s Blazers, Barkley’s one-year wonder Suns and the flash in the pan Seattle SuperSonics. It wasn’t until the late 90’s when Jordan and the Bulls faced the clear cut 2^nd best team, the Utah Jazz, beating them twice. His gambling issues were also rumored to be the real reason Michael walked away after the 1993 season.

The case for Michael Jordan: He has the highest scoring average in NBA history at 30.12. He has a record ten scoring titles. He has more points than anyone in playoff history. However, here are Jordan’s main arguments: Six for six in the Finals, six Finals MVPs and never letting his team get to a game 7 in those Finals. He was also the best player on the team with the best single season record in NBA history, 72-10. MJ was also a nine time member of the NBA’s all-defensive first team and a five time regular season MVP.

The case against Bill Russell: He also benefited from having the best talent around him. He also played under Red Auerbach, who was the visionary who invented the fast break and coached the Celts to nine rings. While a great defender, Russ only averaged 15.1 points per game in his career, easily the lowest of these top five names. 

The case for Bill Russell: If winning is all that matters, Russ could be the best of them all. He had eleven championships in thirteen seasons with a record breaking eight in a row. Who did he beat along the way? Bob Petit’s St Louis Hawks and countless Lakers teams consisting of Elgin Baylor, Jerry West and Wilt Chamberlain. Russell is 2^nd all-time in regular season rebounds, 1^st all-time in the playoffs. However, it was Russell’s defense that puts him on the list, perhaps the first superstar in any sport that put defense first. This is probably what helped create the phrase, “Defense wins championships.”