Curry is my #1 all-time player offensively on a team composed of HOF superstars. Since you can’t afford to double team Curry with all that fire power around him, all you can hope to do is chase him around with a single elite defender, which would likely be an offensive liability for the other team (unless there’s another MJ on the other team). Curry would either be free to rain down threes with 50% accuracy (an effective FG% of 75%) or, with all the attention he draws, frees up Kobe or Jordan to the point of insanity for the other team. Nobody else can impact a game offensively as quickly as Curry can.
The deadenders on this thread who insist on including Larry Bird, Best 5 Ever, are giving no thought into why L Bird made Coach Knight furious.
It is said: During regular season, no one plays defense except last 2 minutes each half.
Bird took coasting on defense to another level. Not only did Bird lack the talent to be a great defender, he usually didn't try on defense. In playoffs, Bird played defense like regular season games, only trying the last two minutes.
His been hidden in Denver. I’ve watched probably 70% of his NBA games. Nuggets fans have know for a long time but until the playoff run and championship it was amazing how many people doubted him. I guess they had only watched a few of his games.
If he stays healthy his game should age well. Would be way up on the best ever list.
The only player to make every suggested team on this thread is Michael Jordan. It reminds me of what Bobby Knight told the coach of Portland when they said they were probably not going to select Jordan with the first pick because they needed a center: "then play Jordan at center".
Curry is my #1 all-time player offensively on a team composed of HOF superstars. Since you can’t afford to double team Curry with all that fire power around him, all you can hope to do is chase him around with a single elite defender, which would likely be an offensive liability for the other team (unless there’s another MJ on the other team). Curry would either be free to rain down threes with 50% accuracy (an effective FG% of 75%) or, with all the attention he draws, frees up Kobe or Jordan to the point of insanity for the other team. Nobody else can impact a game offensively as quickly as Curry can.
This guy is playing chess
also without checking any stats or anything - shaq is my C. Shaq rules
This post was edited 4 minutes after it was posted.
My top 5. Recency bias? Sure, but perfect combination of offense and defense. Good luck trying to stop them:
PG Steph
SG Lebron
SF KD
PF Duncan
C Jokic
This might work if you run offense through Jokic - which is fine btw. Jokic doesnt care if he gets 5pts or 30pts. In this case he just racks up 10+ rebounds and assists. Duncan works on D. Steph is you assassin in the corner that you sure as hell better guard. If Lebron is okay with Jokic facilitating the play he and KD can man handle the paint with cutters and pick&rolls. Can never go wrong with Jordan but he needs the ball on offense which would make Jokic useless as well as probably Lebron.
Curry is my #1 all-time player offensively on a team composed of HOF superstars. Since you can’t afford to double team Curry with all that fire power around him, all you can hope to do is chase him around with a single elite defender, which would likely be an offensive liability for the other team (unless there’s another MJ on the other team). Curry would either be free to rain down threes with 50% accuracy (an effective FG% of 75%) or, with all the attention he draws, frees up Kobe or Jordan to the point of insanity for the other team. Nobody else can impact a game offensively as quickly as Curry can.
This guy is playing chess
also without checking any stats or anything - shaq is my C. Shaq rules
Shaq has a career true field goal percentage of 60% over a long career, was basically unstoppable offensively, and a monster rim protector, so yeah he’s 💯 on my top 5 list along with Curry and Jordan. All 3 put together is a nightmare. The other 2 spots on my team are almost optional, i.e. Could the 3 of them alone beat bad NBA teams?
Whats crazy is that three of them were on the 92’ Olympic dream team
hey chump what were any of those guys doing at age 39? probably not averaging 25/8/7. begone bozo. shoo
Oddly enough, folks generally construct such fantasy teams with the players peak in mind. Nobody constructs these thinking of how good the players were at age 39.
The deadenders on this thread who insist on including Larry Bird, Best 5 Ever, are giving no thought into why L Bird made Coach Knight furious.
It is said: During regular season, no one plays defense except last 2 minutes each half.
Bird took coasting on defense to another level. Not only did Bird lack the talent to be a great defender, he usually didn't try on defense. In playoffs, Bird played defense like regular season games, only trying the last two minutes.
Insane? Trolling? Or just ignorant?
Bird's career DBPM is identical to Lebron's (1.8). Bird's career DWS/game is significantly higher than Lebron's (.066 vs .055). And Bird led the entire league in DWS four times ('80, '81, '84, '86) something that Lebron never accomplished even once.
It's true that Bird was slow and couldn't jump. What he could do was play basketball.
Ha! That was mine exactly. Regarding the Steph vs. Magic debate, Magic was obviously a better floor general, passer and rebounder but Curry forces defenses to make adjustments in a way Magic could not. Just the threat of Curry on the perimeter opens up lanes and no one would take advantage of that better than Jordan. Of course, if you eliminate the 3 point shot and play by the old rules that changes Curry's value completely.
A point on Wilt, we all know the stats but how many here actually saw him play? I watched him at the end of his career with the Lakers but there are only short highlight clips of Wilt in his prime that I have been able to find. You really need to watch entire games to evaluate how good a player really is. So he remains a question mark for me.