The Greatest Players of All Time VS Each Other

[Music] foreign [Music] series we take a look at two greats of basketball history as we analyze their skills achievements and career totals ending with the conclusion on who is the greater basketball player overall today our matchup is the round mound of rebound Charles Barkley versus the mailman Carl Malone one Legend built his legacy as a member of the 76ers Suns and Rockets while the others spent almost the entirety of his career with the Utah Jazz before closing it out with the Lakers starting with the basics Barkley was listed as a 6-6 power forward although he's probably more accurately around six foot four and he typically weighed around 252 pounds Malone was a 6-9 power forward who weighed around 250 pounds we'll compare these two greats with five major categories which sometimes vary in categories depending on positions and play Styles in this video for these two power forwards the categories are scoring efficiency rebounding defense and accolades first off scoring both of these Legends were almost most always their team's leading scorer as Malone had a career scoring average of 25 points he didn't win any scoring titles but he is currently ranked second among the NBA's all-time scoring leaders and his career high was 61 points against the Bucks in 1990. Malone also averaged 24.7 points in his playoff career which puts him in 20th Place on the all-time list Barkley had a career scoring average of 22.1 points and he didn't win any scoring titles either he's currently ranked in 26th Place on the NBA's all-time scoring list and his career high was 56 points against the Warriors in 1994. his career playoff scoring average was 23 points which currently ranks him 33rd all time Malone was one of the more dominant and consistent scores of basketball history who was quite frequently the beneficiary of a John Stockton assists whether in the fast break or from the pick and roll he was one of the more incredibly strong players of the game Who fiercely attacked the rim and had the power to assert his will he also had a very smooth reliable mid-range jumper people often don't recognize how great of a score the mailman actually was his era wasn't really the most statistically productive time in history in the entirety of the 1990s decade only one player other than Michael Jordan averaged over 30 points per game in a season and that was Carl Malone in the 89-90 season here's another way of putting his Elite scoring in context Carl Malone has no scoring titles and the entirety of his playing career but that isn't necessarily his fault as it's actually just a byproduct of playing in the same era as Michael Jordan as I said Malone has no scoring titles but if Michael Jordan did not exist Malone would have five of them which would then give him the second most in NBA history behind only Wilt Chamberlain he also would have a couple more championships and another MVP but I digress Barkley could score well in his own right as he was in absolute force in transition especially in his days with Philadelphia Barkley would also bully opponents in the post and was famous for slowly backing down his Defender until he was in an ideal position to score he was so dominant and efficient at this that the NBA created the 5 Second back to the basket rule to try to discourage players like Barkley from abusing it to such an extent as good as Barkley was he was almost never quite as explosive of a score as Malone was I'm sure the luxury of having John Stockton as his point guard for basically his entire career definitely helped but still whether that's true or not the Gap is too big to make up for Berkeley scoring goes to Carl Malone second up is rebounding this is an area where both power forwards were very solid as they both are currently within the top 20 of the all-time list although Malone is significantly higher on the list that's mostly due to his longevity which to his credit required maintained conditioning and athleticism with that being said Barkley gained his round mound of rebound nickname for a reason as he had a higher career rebounding average than Malone he has a rebounding title which Malone does not and an every season of his career other than his rookie season where he played less than 30 minutes per game he averaged over 10 rebounds per game even in his less fondly remembered years with the Rockets Barkley was still a beast on the boards easily out rebounding Hakeem Olajuwon in all of his Four Seasons there I could break this down from many different angles but at the end of the day it's an easy decision rebounding goes to Charles Barkley third up is efficiency and at first I was going to include turnovers in this area but long story short it's basically a tie you may not have known this but Carl Malone has the most turnovers in NBA history at least until LeBron surpasses him this upcoming season not necessarily a claim that Malone should be proud of especially for a power forward he did have a bit of an issue protecting the basketball but with that being said a major contributing factor to his turnover total is his Longevity if everyone had a career as long as Malone's and then there would be a ton of players ahead of him Barkley had some of these issues as well as both play players average the same amount of turnovers over the course of their career so how about efficiency in terms of shooting the basketball well Malone was certainly reliable especially considering the amount of shots he took per game for his career he shot a solid 51.6 percent from the field and a decent 74.2 percent from the free-throw line he shot only 27.4 percent from three-point range but that stat is basically irrelevant as Malone never shot that many three-pointers as it wasn't a regular part of his game now as solid as Malone was at effectively scoring the basketball Barkley was an all-time great at it for his career he shot 54.1 percent from the field that's incredible for his season let alone a career to put in context how amazing that is listen to the stat out of the top 50 scores on the all-time list he's the most efficient non-center from the field in NBA history at 54.1 percent if you include centers he was third behind Kareem who had the most indefensible shot in NBA history and behind Shaq who basically spent his entire career mostly dunking the basketball now the crazy thing about Barkley is that as historically great as he was from an efficiency standpoint he could have been even better Barkley's Achilles heel was his abusive obsession with shooting three-pointers there is no worse three-point shooter than Charles Barkley I'm not even being sarcastic when I say that objectively speaking of all players who shot at least one thousand three pointers in their career Barkley is literally the most inefficient shooter in NBA history for some reason despite being so terrible from distance he simply couldn't stop shooting them even reaching as high as 25th place in the league and three-point attempts in 1993. it was like he was salivating every time he got around the three-point line and just couldn't help himself some will say that shooting the outside shot helps keep defenses honest but when you're literally the worst shooter ever let's be real you're not keeping any defenses honest because they can simply simply give you the Ben Simmons treatment and beg you to shoot here's a funny stat that again emphasizes this issue in five straight Seasons from 1987 to 1991 Barkley led the entire league in efficiency from two point range but in none of those seasons did he lead the league in overall field goal percentage because he shot so many damn three-pointers with all that being said efficiency easily goes in favor of Barkley even though he could have chilled a bit on Perimeter shots next up is defense and neither of these forwards were scrubs in that area both averaged just about the same amount of Steels and blocks over the course of their careers but with Barclays roughly six foot four frame he was a bit undersized in the paint and wasn't always able to contest the offensive player's shots Malone on the other hand was a strong 6-9 monster defensively in the interior and was very good at staying in front of his man and giving very few easy looks although I definitely wouldn't describe Barkley as a bad Defender he never made any all defense teams throughout his career Malone on the other hand made four all defense teams and three of those were first team simply and concisely Malone tastes the defensive category last on the list of categories as accolades and both of these greats had plenty of them Malone for his career was the 1997 and 1999 League MVP he made 14 all-star teams 14 all NBA teams four all defense teams and made two trips to the NBA finals in his 19 Seasons he averaged 25 points 10.1 rebounds 3.6 assists and 1.4 Steals on 51.6 shooting Barkley was the 1993 League MVP he made 11 all-star teams 11 all NBA teams he was the 1987 rebounding champion and he made one trip to the NBA finals in his 16 Seasons he averaged 22.1 points 11.7 rebounds 3.9 assists and 1.5 Steals on 54.1 percent shooting ultimately this is a very tough decision and I think it's why so many people requested this video it might seem controversial to most of you but for myself personally Charles Barkley gets the edge as the greater player when both guys were at their best I think Barkley was slightly the more dominant overall player he was also incredibly unique as he was one of the most efficient scores in NBA history despite the fact that he was a significantly undersized power forward I've heard it said this way and I definitely agree with this statement Malone had the better career Barkley was the better player I also can't completely ignore the aspect of John Stockton Malone had the luxury of having one of the greatest facilitators of all time as his point guard for almost the entirety of his career Barkley didn't have that same luxury for his entire career and that's saying something when he already has a resume that's putting him on the same level as Carl Malone I can only imagine the kind of career numbers he would have put up if someone like Stockton was his point guard for basically his whole career now let me make this clear there's a reason why these grades were compared so much throughout their careers and why the comparisons continue even years after they've both retired it's because it's very close and I certainly won't fault you if you disagree with my conclusion but I would like to know why let me know in the comments section who you think was the greater player Chuck or the mailman today our matchup is the diesel Shaquille O'Neal versus the dream Hakeem Olajuwon one Legend built his legacy as a member of six different franchises while the other spent almost the entirety of his career with the Houston Rockets before closing it out with the Raptors starting with the basics Shaq was listed as a seven foot one Center who typically weighed around 325 pounds Hakeem was a seven foot center who weighed around 255 pounds we'll compare these two grades with five major categories which sometimes vary in categories depending on positions and play Styles in this video for these two all-time great big men the categories are scoring efficiency rebounding defense and accolades first off scoring both of these Legends are on the list of the greatest scores in NBA history as Shaq is in eighth place with over 28 000 points the diesel also has two scoring titles in his career and has a career average of 23.7 points his career high was 61 points against the Clippers in 2000 and he averaged 24.3 points for his career in the playoffs which ranks him 24th on the all-time list now Hakeem is in 11th place on the NBA's all-time scoring list with nearly 27 000 points he had no scoring titles and had a career average of 21.8 points his career high was 52 points against the nuggets in 1990 and he averaged 25.9 points over his career in the playoffs which ranks him in 11th place on the all-time list for Shaq you really can't put it perfectly into words just how dominant he was offensively in his prime but you had to live through that era to completely understand it some of the tallest and largest centers in the league he simply tossed aside like they they were ragdolls night after night defenses knew exactly what the game plan was and how the offense would be run through Shaq and they still couldn't stop him Shaq was so good offensively that he often made the spot-up shooters on his team significantly better when the defense would have to send a second or even third Defender to collapse on Shaq often the open teammates were guys like Nick Anderson Brian Shaw Rick Fox and Robert Horry many of these role players made names for themselves by being the beneficiaries of Shaq demanding so much attention while Shaq essentially played bowly ball Hakeem was likely the most offensively skilled big man to ever lace him up he had an all-time great mid-range game fade away and jump hook I won't even say arguably for this next one it's simply a fact Hakeem has the greatest footwork of any Center who's ever played the game he was the Finesse to Shaq's power the grace to O'Neill's Authority although you could certainly make the case that Hakeem scored in more variety of ways you also have to acknowledge that two points is two point regardless of how you get them the key may have been more talented offensively but whatever Shaq was lacking and skills and talent he easily made up for it with power and Brute Force Shaq has more scoring titles is higher on the all-time scoring list and has a higher career average scoring goes to Shaquille O'Neal second up is rebounding neither of these centers would you describe as goats of rebounding but both of them did their jobs and did it consistently for a long period of time for his career Shaq averaged 10.9 rebounds getting as high as 13.6 and 2000 which was his near unanimous MVP season he never once led the league in rebounding which is a bit surprising considering his size strength and how long he played regardless his consistency was good enough for him to end up in the 15th spot on the all-time rebounds list now Hakeem was significantly lighter than Shaq and wasn't able to impose his will with sheer force to the extent that Shaq was but Hakeem was very good at reading the floor boxing out out and anticipating the direction of the rebound over his career he averaged 11.1 rebounds which is just slightly ahead of Shaq he also has two rebounding titles getting as high as 14 rebounds per game in 1990. he's also two spots ahead of Shaq on the all-time rebounds list no matter which statistic or measure you look at in this category it's extremely close but in almost every instance Hakeem has a small Edge which means rebounding goes ever so slightly in the favor of elijahon third up is efficiency getting in an ideal position to score with Shaq's specialty he couldn't consistently hit anything outside of 10 feet but he really didn't need to considering his ability to assert his will in the low post with Shaq's baby hooks his dunks and all the other ways he scored in the interior he shot a remarkable 58.2 percent from the field for his career and led the league in field goal percentage a whopping 10 times his career 58.2 percent is the seventh highest field goal percentage in NBA history history and it's significantly higher than Hakeem Elijah wants 51.2 percent with that being said being an efficient player is a lot more than simply field goal percentage one of the major aspects is free throw shooting when the opposing team makes you earn the two points can you punish them from 15 feet out to say this was a struggle for Shaq would be a massive understatement he was one of the worst free throw shooters of all time who shot a terrible 52.7 percent for his career he was the worst free throw shooter in the entire league a baffling eight times throughout his career needless to say the mid-range artist that was Akeem elijahon shot a significantly more efficient 71.2 percent from the free-throw line and now when you factor in both vehicle percentage and free throw percentage their true shooting percentage is much more comparable technically from a pure numbers standpoint Shaq still has the edge in true efficiency but he was so terrible from the free-throw line that there was plenty of instances during the final minutes of games where Shaq how to go to the bench on offense that way the defense couldn't intentionally fail him and force him to make free throws you can't be efficient if you're not even playing so what small Edge Shaq has over Akeem and true shooting percentage he loses in my mind due to this fact I have to call efficiency a tie between the two centers next up is defense and every category has been pretty close up to this point but this one is not throughout Shaq's career he was a pretty good defensive anchor and rim protector for his teams he averaged 2.3 blocks over his career but he never once led the league and blocked shots he also made just three all-defense teams Hakeem Olajuwon has nearly as many Defensive Player of the Year Awards as Shaq has all defense team appearances Hakeem had nine all defense team appearances throughout his career which is three times what Shaq had he was an absolute dog when contesting shots as he averaged 3.1 blocks over his career and is easily the all-time leader and recorded blocked shots just how big is the gap exactly well well he's ahead of second place on the all-time list by 541 blocked shots to put that in perspective in each of the last three seasons of the NBA the leading shot blocker has finished with around 195 blocks in the season that means accumulage 1 is just about three League leading seasons of blocks ahead of the nearest competitor along with that only 10 players in league history have won the defensive player of the year award multiple times of those 10 players no one averaged more points in his career than Akeem Elijah won typically the greatest Rim protectors in NBA history are not also among the greatest scores of all time but Hakeem Olajuwon and Wilt Chamberlain are the exceptions it's also worth mentioning that Akeem average 1.7 steals over his career which is incredibly high for someone who plays the center position and is nearly three times what Shaq averaged so yeah no surprises here as defense easily goes to Akeem last on the list of categories is accolades and both of these Legends had a ton of them Jack was a four-time champion a three-time Finals MVP and he was the 2000 League MVP he made 15 all-star teams 14 all NBA teams and three all defense teams he was also a two-time scoring champion in his 19 Seasons he averaged 23.7 points 10.9 rebounds 2.5 assists 0.6 Steals and 2.3 blocks on 58.6 true shooting percentage Hakeem was a two-time champion a two-time Finals MVP and the 1994 League MVP he made 12 all-star teams 12 all NBA teams and nine all defense teams he was a two-time defensive player of the year two-time rebounding champion and a three-time blocks Champion it's also worth mentioning that he achieved a quadruple double in the 1990 season and was only one assist shy of having a second one within the same month in his 18 Seasons he averaged 21.8 points 11.1 rebounds 2.5 assists 1.7 Steals and 3.1 one blocks on 55.3 percent true shooting percentage as usual it's really close in these versus videos and in this video and particularly there's so much to be said that we haven't already covered in these categories like how both of these big men were underrated passers and how they each were some of the greatest clutch performers in playoff history but at the end of the day when it's all said and done I personally rank Hakeem olajuan slightly higher on the all-time list than Shaquille O'Neal in my opinion he's simply the more complete player and he's legitimately in the argument for the title of greatest two-way player in NBA history yes Shaq has twice as many championships as Akeem does but I also think that a part of that is the level of Superstar support that they each had during their primes this is an actual stat and feel free to fact check me on this but Hakeem Olajuwon is the only player in NBA history to lead his team to back-to-back championships without a second All-Star on the roster You could argue that Clyde Drexler was an All-Star caliber player in their second Championship run but he literally wasn't selected and you and I both know that a young Kobe Bryant wasn't a borderline All-Star in Shaq's second Championship run but he was a legit Superstar so here's my hot take if you give Hakeem Olajuwon the talent Shaq had supporting him through his best years like Penny Hardaway and Horace Grant in Orlando a young Kobe and a multitude of Shooters in LA or Dwyane Wade at his absolute best in Miami then Hakeem is getting at least as many championships as Shaq did if not more today our matchup is Alan the answer Iverson versus George the Iceman Gervin one Legend spent the majority of his career playing in the NBA in the late 90s and throughout the 2000s while the other played in the ABA and NBA throughout the 70s and 80s starting with the basics Iverson was a six foot point guard shooting guard who weighed about 165 pounds girvin was a 6-7 shooting guard slash small forward who weighed about 180 pounds Wilkin compare these two grates with five major categories which are scoring playmaking efficiency defense and accolades first off scoring it's no secret that both of these Legends are among the greatest scorers in NBA history Iverson had a career scoring average of 26.7 points he won four scoring titles and his career high was 60 points against the Magic in 2005. Iverson also has the second greatest playoff scoring average in NBA history at 29.7 points trailing only Michael Jordan Gervin had a career scoring average of 25.1 points he also won four scoring titles and his career high was 63 points against the New Orleans jazz in 1978 and his career playoff scoring average was 26.5 Iverson was a volume shooting assassin and he spent the majority of his career carrying a 76ers offense with little offensive support he had a smooth jump shot and was Fearless when attacking the paint accompanied with an all-time great layup package thanks to Iverson's Brave and aggressive nature he was always among the league leaders in free-through attempts averaging significantly more attempts over his career than girvin did Iverson was also an elite scorer for a significant amount of time he averaged at least 25 points per game in 10 straight Seasons which only him and seven other players have ever accomplished and unfortunately for girvin he wasn't all that close to being one of them now the Iceman did the majority of his damage in the mid-range and around the painted area he's famously known as the player who made the finger roll famous and he was overall just incredibly talented at finishing around the rim he was never much of a perimeter shooter averaging less than one three-point attempt per game over the course of his career overall when you look at consistent scoring and the variety of ways they could do it the edge goes slightly to Allen Iverson second up is playmaking this is another area where the answer stands out as famous and well known as he was as a score he often doesn't get enough credit for his solid passing abilities and Court Vision he managed to make solid passes and get a ton of assists considering the amount of shots he was taking per game on Iverson's career he shot 21.8 shots per game and averaged 6.2 assists per game his 21.8 shots is the fourth highest shots per game average in NBA history of the top 10 players with the highest shots per game average of all time only one player averaged more assists per game over their career than Allen Iverson which was Jerry West among these players are legends like Michael Jordan Pistol Pete Maravich and Rick Barry and Iverson averaged more assists per game than all of them he did this with his vision but he was also one of the greatest ball handlers of all time and he's extremely quick which often forced a second offender to help on Iverson which naturally opened up his teammates for clean looks now although girvin's six foot seven frame was hard to defend it's no secret that George often looked to make a play Just for himself rather than his teammates as well and the entirety of girvin's career he never once averaged at least four assists per game in a season facilitating certainly what wasn't among his skill set in Iverson's 14 years in the NBA he never once averaged as few assists per game as girvin did in his best season with all these things considered playmaking clearly goes to Allen Iverson third up is efficiency and although this has been an area where Allen Iverson has been criticized by some analytic loving basketball fans it's certainly not as bad as advertised his career field goal percentage is 42.5 percent but his true shooting percentage is very comparable to other greats like Russell Westbrook Isaiah Thomas and Carmelo Anthony but on the other hand is girvin who wasn't just great at efficiently scoring but he was one of the greatest ever in that criteria an incredible fact about the Iceman is that other than LeBron James he's the only Wing player in NBA history to have a career average of over 25 points per game while shooting over 50 percent from the field for his career again just LeBron and George Gervin his best single season overall came in the 1979-1980 season in where he averaged 33.1 points per game while shooting 52.8 percent from the field other than Michael Jordan no Wing player in NBA history has ever averaged that many points while shooting above 50 for his season let alone girvin's 52.8 percent Iverson was a decent 78 from the free-throw line but Gervin for his career shot an elite 84.1 percent in this area of efficiency The Edge is strongly given to George Gervin next is defense which is a bit of a complicated aspect for these two greats in the case of Iverson he was often undersized guarding players significantly taller and heavier than him but at one point he actually led the NBA in steals per game for three consecutive Seasons with that being said he never once made an all-defense team appearance and in large part that was because most people could recognize that he wasn't a great on-ball defender which Iverson himself has admitted but he was good at jumping the passing Lanes which can be risky and sometimes resulted in a defensive breakdown for his team and a basket for the opponent girvin wasn't known to be an elite on-ball Defender either as he also never made an all-defense team appearance but at the very least he could be a decent help Defender and he was a bit of an underrated shot blocker which in large part had to do with his long wingspan and his terrific leaping ability he averaged 1.2 blocks over his career reaching as high as 1.8 during the 73-74 season which is significantly higher than most Wing players with all those aspects considered I have to call this one a tie between both Stars last on the list of categories is accolades and both of these greats had plenty of them Iverson for his career was the 2001 League MVP he was a four-time scoring champion three-time steals Champion he made 11 all-star teams seven all NBA teams and made one trip to the NBA finals in his 14 Seasons he averaged 26.7 points 6.2 assists 3.7 rebounds and 2.2 Steals on 42.5 percent shooting girvin was is a four-time scoring champion he made 12 all-star teams seven all NBA teams and two all ABA teams but he never made it to the ABA or NBA finals for his career he averaged 25.1 points 5.3 rebounds 2.6 assists and one block on 50.4 percent shooting with all aspects considered ultimately it's close very close but I have to say that Allen Iverson is just slightly ahead of Gervin as the greater overall player and the major separating factor is how Iverson can impact the game in a number of ways with his skill set of playmaking and distributing to go along with the fact that he's one of the greatest scorers and especially playoff scores the game has ever seen today our matchup is the Big Ticket Kevin Garnett versus the seven foot sniper Dirk Nowitzki one Legend built his legacy as a member of three different franchises while the other spent the entirety of his career playing for the Mavericks starting with the basics Garnett was listed as a 611 power forward who typically weighed around 2 240 pounds novitsky was a seven foot power forward who weighed around 245 pounds we'll compare these two grates with five major categories which sometimes vary in categories depending on positions and play Styles in this video for these two all-time great forwards the categories are scoring efficiency rebounding defense and accolades both of these greats made their Mark as Elite scores in the league as Garnett is in 18th Place on the all-time scoring list with over 26 000 points he has no scoring titles in his career and had a career average of 17.8 points his career high was 47 points against the Suns in 2005 and he averaged 18.2 points for his career in the playoffs which ranks him 112th on the all-time list now Dirk is in sixth place on the NBA's all-time scoring list with over 31 000 points he also had no scoring titles and had a career average of 20.7 points his career high was 53 points against the rockets in 2004 and he averaged 25 5.3 points over his career in the playoffs which ranks him in 15th Place on the all-time list Garnett was a very good ball handler for a 611 frame and he was excellent at creating his own shot he had a smooth mid-range jump shot that was extremely hard to defend considering his high above-the-head release Point Garnett always played within the flow of the offense for his team and wasn't the type to try to force any bad shots as he never averaged more than 20 shot attempts per game with that being said his best season scoring the basketball was the 03 to o4 season the year which he won the league MVP and he averaged 24.2 points on the season during the majority of his prime he was typically averaging just barely over 20 points per game now Dirk on the other hand had an even more difficult shot to defend as the seven-footer consistently utilized his signature fade away which is right up there with Kareem Skyhook as some of the most difficult shots to defend in NBA history Dirk really slowed down quite a bit as he aged but especially in his youth he had a pretty quick first step I was capable of finishing strong on the paint but obviously what he was known for more than anything was his Elite parameter shooting as he was consistently among the league leaders and three-pointers made with all these skills and abilities at his disposal he was frequently among the elite scores in the NBA His Highest seasonal average was 26.6 points in the 05 to 06 season and he had six entire Seasons where he averaged more points than Kevin Garnett's best season I could delve into more aspects but the truth is this category isn't all that close as novitsky comfortably takes the scoring comparison second up is rebounding and this is another category that isn't all that close to put it simply Dirk was not an elite rebounder he wasn't known to play the game of basketball very physically and it certainly wasn't his style to bang on the boards and fight for loose balls for his career he averaged just 7.5 rebounds per game in his 21 Seasons he never once averaged at least 10 rebounds per game which is pretty stunning considering the amount minutes he played and considering the fact that he was a seven foot power forward now kg is the complete opposite of that as he was an elite rebounder who was known for his physical nature around the painted area for his 21-year career he averaged 10 rebounds per game getting as high as 13.9 in 2004. in four straight Seasons from 2004 to 2007 he led the league in rebounds per game that four straight seasons is the third longest streak in NBA history behind only the streaks of Dennis Rodman and Moses Malone no need to drive the point any further home as rebounding clearly goes to Kevin Garnett third up is efficiency Now Kevin Garnett was a strong finisher and trailer in the fast break but he mixed in plenty of jump shots into his game and even with that perimeter aspect he shot nearly 50 percent for his career at a solid 49.7 percent he was also relatively a pretty good free-throw shooter for his size as he shot 78.9 percent from the free throw line now Dirk shot the ball more often than Garnett did and perimeter shooting was an even more significant part of his game than it was for kg as Dirk shot 47.1 percent for his career which is slightly lower than Garnett's career total but as I've said in past videos efficiency is a whole lot more than simply field goal percentage Not only was Dirk among the best three-point Shooters in the league but he was also one of the best free throw shooters hitting 87.9 percent of his attempts over his career in 2006 Dirk had a 50 40 90 season which less than 10 players have ever done in league history and Dirk is the only official seven-footer to ever accomplish that feat true shooting percentage factors and all kinds of shots on the basketball court and when we look at that advanced stat The Edge is now in Dirk's favor and when you consider that Dirk shot the ball more and scored more than kg as well then you begin to see how there's really no way to make a solid argument in favor of Kg on this one efficiency goes to Dirk nowitzky next up is defense and this one has the biggest gap of all of the categories I certainly wouldn't describe Dirk as a bad Defender especially in his early years as he had the size and length to contest many shots and he did have some quickness to keep up with the offensive player in front of him but as he got older that quickness declined dramatically and once Dirk was into his 30s it was very common to see reoccurring blowbys as he no longer had the lateral speed to challenge the offensive player and many times he was the last player to get back on defense after the offensive possession Garnett on the other hand was one of the greatest defensive players of all time he was a great on-ball defender he was extremely tenacious was a solid shot blocker and had extremely quick hands for a big man getting more steals than players who typically played the position you could also argue that his intensity and Leadership was contagious on the defensive end for his team and it was common for him to lead with hustle and heart on that end of the Court he was the least offensive player of the year in 2008 with the Boston Celtics and for his career he made a total of 12 all defense teams Dirk unfortunately never made a single all defense team what is even more impressive for kg is the fact that he was first team all defense a total of nine times that's tied with Michael Jordan Gary Payton and Kobe Bryant for the most first team selections in NBA history I think you get the point Garnett authoritatively takes the defensive category last on the list of categories is accolades and both of these Legends had plenty of them Dirk was an NBA champion the 2011 Finals MVP and he was the 2007 League MVP he made 14 all-star teams and 12 all NBA teams in his 21 Seasons he averaged 20.7 points 7.5 rebounds 2.4 assists 0.8 Steals and 0.8 blocks on 57.7 true shooting percentage Garnett was an NBA champion and he was the 2004 League MVP he made 15 all-star teams nine all NBA teams and 12 all defense teams he was the 2008 defensive player of the year and he won four rebounding titles in his 21 Seasons he averaged 17.8 points 10 rebounds 3.7 assists 1.3 Steals and 1.4 blocks on 54.6 true shooting percentage in terms of efficiency and production Dirk is clearly the better score but as far as the better overall player the more accomplished player and the greater player on the all-time list those are all titles I give in favor to Kevin Garnett if Dirk was also an elite Defender then I could certainly argue in his favor but the big ticket simply impacted the game in way too many ways to overlook in NBA history only five players have ever won both the MVP award and the defensive player of the year award during their career those players are Hakeem Olajuwon David Robinson Giannis Michael Jordan and you guessed it Kevin Garnett to even further emphasize how much of a unique and special all-around Talent kg was consider this stat and the totality of his career he has over 25 000 points 10 000 rebounds five thousand assists 1500 Steals and 1500 blocks Garnett is the only player in NBA history to hit all of these Milestones literally no one else Giannis may get there many years from now but as of right now Garnett stands alone I've said it once and I'll say it again I think Kevin Garnett is extremely underrated and should be in the discussion of the greatest power forwards in NBA history and I believe the only reason he doesn't get brought up more is because he spent almost the entirety of his prime years with a bad Timberwolves franchise that didn't surround him with a talent necessary to consistently compete for championships by the time he joined Boston he was already a 13-year veteran who was just exiting the prime of his career it's interesting how After All These Years Tim Duncan has been clearly elevated to the status of greatest power forward in NBA history and deservedly so but when him and KJ were both in their primes much of the NBA Community including myself saw them as equals in talent but now in the modern day you would be ridiculed just to put Garnett in the same sentence as Duncan sometimes I have to wonder how much of that Gap is a product of having one of the greatest coaches of all time and a career filled with Hall of Fame supporting Talent again not taking anything away from Duncan or dirt for that matter I'm just saying that I believe kg was much better than a lot of people realize this next matchup is between two legendary point guards Steve Nash and Jason Kidd one of these floor generals spent his best years on the Phoenix Suns as the famous leader of their seven second offense while the other Spinners prime years on the New Jersey Nets leading them to be perennial contenders in the Eastern Conference starting with the basics Steve Nash was a 6-3 point guard who typically weighed around 195 pounds Jason Kidd was a 6-4 point guard who was usually around 2 105 pounds we'll compare these two grades with five major categories the categories are scoring playmaking rebounding defense and accolades starting off with scoring both of these stars were certainly past first players but they were also both very capable of getting a bucket whenever it was needed neither player ever won a scoring title and neither player ever cracked the top 20 list in points per game On Any Given season for his career nash'd averaged 14.3 points in the regular season and his career high was 42 points against Jason Kidd and the New Jersey Nets in 2006. and he averaged 17.3 points over his career in the playoffs on the other hand Jason Kidd averaged 12.6 points in the regular season and his career high was 43 points against the rockets in 2001 and he averaged 12.9 points in the postseason neither of these players were ever considered as Elite scores before his contribution Nash was about as reliable as they come as he was a fantastic three-point shooter and mid-range shooter in transition he was also one of the more underrated finishers around the rim who deserves more credit than he's usually given with his all-around soft touch Nash made the 50 40 90 Club four times which is the most in NBA history if that's not impressive enough then consider this over in a 11 season stretch from the O2 to O3 season to the 12 to 13 season Nash had better than 50 40 90 percentages in terms of offensive efficiency it doesn't really get much better than that on the other hand not only did kid average fewer points but he was never a very efficient scorer shooting only 40 percent for his career and although he eventually became a solid three-point shooter for most of his career he simply was not he was also just a decent free-throw shooter compared to Nash who was one of the greatest of all time simply put Nash easily gets the edge in scoring next up is playmaking this is the bread and butter of an all-time great point guard and neither of these greats were any exception for his career Nash averaged 8.5 assists as he was fantastic at finding his Cutters and his wide open Shooters Nash absolutely loved to push the tempo and he was certainly the main beneficiary of their 7 second offense Nash led the NBA in assists per game on five separate occasions which is tied for the fourth most of all time trailing only Oscar Robertson Bob Cousy and John Stockton the one major criticism that people usually make about Nash is that his stats were inflated by having Mike Antoni as a head coach in Phoenix and that is certainly a decent argument between the ages of 22 and 29 before he joined the Phoenix Suns Nash only averaged six assists per game and in his eight seasons in Phoenix between the age of 30 and 37 Nash averaged a whopping 10.9 assists per game although I understand the criticism every player has certain preferences when it comes to systems teammates and coaches regardless of whether or not dantoni was the reason Nash was successful in that situation now kid averaged 8.7 assists over the core course of his career which is just slightly higher than Nash's career average and Kidd was certainly more consistent regardless of what team and Coach he played for although Nash certainly loved transition basketball to a greater extent that was an aspect that kid also enjoyed and if I had to pick one specifically as a law passer Jason would be my choice in this category you really have to split hairs so in conclusion for this specific topic it is a tie between the two players next up is rebounding this is arguably the most one-sided category of them all as a shorter player with a smaller frame Nash was never looking to battle players on the boards and stuck mostly to the perimeter on defense at his peak in 2006 he averaged 4.2 rebounds per game and over the course of his career he averaged an underwhelming three rebounds on a nightly basis on the other hand kid had a bit more size and strength to make his presence felt as he had a career average of 6.3 rebounds per game getting as high as 8.2 in 2007. this is the major reason why he finished his career with a grand total of 107 triple doubles which is tied with LeBron James for the fourth most in NBA history meanwhile nationally had a career total of three triple doubles which is very low because of his lack of rebounding in short kid easily gets the edge on the boards next on the list of categories is defense and this one isn't even close either kid was a great on-ball defender and a frustratingly good pickpocket who averaged 1.9 steals over the course of his career he was remarkably consistent as he never had a season where he averaged fewer than 1.6 steals per game which is why he's currently sitting in the second spot on the NBA's all-time steals list unlike Nash kid had the size and strength to reliably guard shooting guards as well frequently taking on the assignment of guarding the best in the game like Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade over his career kid made a total of nine all defense teams which is tied with Gary Payton and Chris Paul for the most selections for a point guard in NBA history then we take a look at Nash who not only never earned an all-defense team selection but if we're being honest he was a complete liability on that end of the Court throughout his career he didn't have the size or strength to compete with players in the post and he didn't have the lateral speed to defend some of the quickest point guards in the league these issues go all the way back to his college days where his then head coach dick Davey said that Nash was one of the worst offensive players that he had ever seen that basically ends the topic right there the defensive Edge strongly goes to Jason Kidd last on the list of categories is accolades and both of these guards were very proven in that area Nash never won an NBA championship but he was a back-to-back MVP winner in 2005 and 2006. he made a total of eight all-star teams and seven all NBA teams he has five assist titles in his career and over the course of his 18 Seasons he averaged 14.3 points 8.5 assists three rebounds and 0.7 Steals on a true shooting percentage of 60.5 percent kid won the NBA Championship as a role player for the Dallas Mavericks in 2011. he never won the league MVP but he did make 10 all-star teams and six all NBA teams along with that he made nine all defense teams and earned five assist titles in his 19 Seasons he averaged 12.6 points eight assists 6.3 rebounds and 1.9 Steals on a true shooting percentage of 50.7 percent in conclusion I understand that Nash was the more efficient player by a mile and simply one of the most efficient offensive players to ever live but as far as playmaking goes these players were very similar and even with their offensive gifts considered I simply refused to ignore the defensive end of the floor and basketball there's only so many positions where you can allow a player to be a defensive liability before it starts to result in many losses and earlier eliminations if I'm choosing to build a team starting with one player I don't want to do it with a guy that many people consider as one of the worst offenders of all time which is why I'm ultimately taking Jason Kidd who will be a dominant two-way player on any given night today our matchup is half man half amazing Vince Carter versus The Man known as tmac Tracy McGrady one Legend built his legacy see over a long lasting career of 22 Seasons while the other played 15 Seasons before his career was cut short due to injuries starting with the basics Carter was listed as a 6-6 shooting guard small forward who typically weighed around 220 pounds McGrady was listed as a 6-8 shooting guard small forward who weighed around 210 pounds we'll compare these two greats with five major categories which sometimes vary in categories depending on positions and play Styles in this video for these two all-time great Wings the categories are scoring playmaking efficiency defense and accolades first off scoring both of these Stars stood out as Elite scores in the league as Carter is in 19th Place on the all-time scoring list with nearly 26 000 points he has no scoring titles in his career and he had a career average of 16.7 points his career high was 51 points against the Suns in 2000 and he averaged 18.1 points for his career in the playoffs McGrady is in 71st Place on the all-time scoring list with over 18 thousand points he has two scoring titles in his career and he had a career average of 19.6 points his career high was 62 points against the Wizards in 2004 and he averaged 22.2 points for his career in the playoffs the similarities between these two greats go on and on from the fact that they're two of the most athletically gifted players to ever play to the fact that they're actually second cousins and once teammates in Toronto offensively they were incredibly similar as well as both players were incredible leapers and finishers Above the Rim but although that's their most memorable and highlight worthy traits they were also so much more than just that both were terrific one-on-one scores with solid footwork solid ball handling and were each incredibly dangerous parameter Shooters now before you say it I'm gonna say it comparing career numbers between these two legends can be somewhat misleading considering how Vince Carter had a much longer and healthier career playing over 500 games more than McGrady did although that increased the gap between their total points it also hurts Carter when you compare their career averages considering Carter played well into his 40s which naturally tanked his career long averages we should give Carter credit because being a durable player and staying healthy for a 22-year career is not easy to do and that speaks to his incredible body and athleticism with that being said let's delve into their peaks a bit and discuss who is the better scorer when they were at their best as I said before both players had a very similar skill set now Carter's best season offensively was the 2000-2001 season where he averaged 27.6 points on 46 percent shooting McGrady on the other hand was the 2002-2003 season where he averaged a league leading 32.1 points per game on 45.7 percent shooting not only did he have the better Peak average but he was also the more explosive score as he had significantly more 40 point games and 50 point games than Carter did despite the fact that he played 500 fewer games Kobe summed it up pretty well when he described McGrady as the most difficult player he's ever had to guard he said McGrady had all the skills and athleticism but he was also six nine now Kobe sets 6-9 and McGrady is listed as six eight so I'll let you guys decide which is accurate but regardless the point Remains the Same McGrady's size and length was a huge Advantage as he also had a tremendous seven foot two wingspan if you value longevity significantly more than Peak Performance then you can certainly make the case that Carter was the greater scorer but for me I'm a Peak Performance kind of guy and at his best Tracy McGrady was an all-time great offensively scoring goes to Tracy McGrady second up is playmaking now let's be clear both of these greats had a clear preference of scoring the basketball but that doesn't mean they weren't at least capable of facilitating for his career McGrady averaged 4.4 assists per game much higher than Carter's 3.1 assists now before you assume that the latter half of Carter's career tanked his numbers consider this Carter only had one season where he averaged over five assists per game which was the 2008 season with New Jersey McGrady on the other hand had seven seasons where he averaged at least five assists per game including as high as 6.5 in the 06-07 season tmac was a bit of an underrated passer as his reliable Court Vision made him a dual threat on the court combined that with his Elite scoring ability and this really isn't much of a fight on this one playmaking goes to Tracy McGrady third up is efficiency now both scores were pretty similar in terms of shooting efficiency in fact both players actually have the exact same field goal percentage for their career at 43.5 percent Carter's years in his late 30s and early 40s helped drop his field goal percentage while McGrady's years dealing with back problems and numerous injuries dropped his efficiency as well the key factor here is pure shooting ability and that's an area where Carter has an advantage as he was a slightly better three-point shooter than Tracy McGrady was now both guys were dangerous from distance and were capable of hitting perimeter shots even with a defender in their face but Carter was just a bit more reliable as he shot 37.1 percent from that distance for his career compared to McGrady's 33.8 percent this perimeter shooting skill of Carters allowed him to be useful even in his later years as a role player as he could help spread the floor since the defense could never comfortably leave him open it also made him reliable down the stretch in many situations where a three-pointer was needed he quite often delivered on top of all of that he was also a more reliable free-throw shooter shooting 79.8 percent compared to McGrady's 74.6 percent efficiency goes to Vince Carter next up is defense this was an area where neither player was ever considered among the elites of the league as neither Carter or McGrady made a single old defense team appearance at their peaks they had very similar numbers in terms of blocks and steals both incredibly electrifying athletes who could make a highlight defensive play at any given moment but were just average on ball defensive players You could argue in McGrady's favor considering he had the hype and length on Carter but really that means nothing unless you do something with it whether it's from their career numbers Peak numbers lack of defensive accolades or just from what I remember on the eyeball test it's really hard for me to make a distinction between the two I'm interested to hear your thoughts in the comments if you have a different conclusion than me but as for me defense is a tie between these two Wings last on the list of categories is accolades and each of these Legends had a few of them Carter won zero League MVPs he made eight all-star teams two all NBA teams and was the 1999 Rookie of the Year in his 22 Seasons he averaged 16.7 points 4.3 rebounds 3.1 assists one steal and 0.6 blocks on 53.6 true shooting percentage McGrady also had zero League MVPs he made seven all-star teams seven all NBA teams and won two scoring titles he was also the 2001 most improved player in his 15 Seasons he averaged 19.6 points 5.6 rebounds 4.4 assists 1.2 Steals and 0.9 blocks on 51.9 true shooting percentage ultimately despite their similarities I don't think this comparison is all that close but I can see you giving the nod to either player all depending on how you look at it if longevity is a huge factor for you being able to stay healthy and impact the game over a long period of time which translates to better career totals than Vince Carter is the choice for you but if you're like me and put more emphasis on who is the better player when they were in their Prime the guy who was able to more strongly impact the game in a variety of ways than Tracy McGrady is your guy that's why I personally select Tracy McGrady as the greater player on the all-time list to me when they were at their Peak McGrady was just the more Dynamic player and brought more things to the table and some things that weren't even covered among my selected categories like how McGrady was a slightly better rebounder as well it's hard to go wrong with either of these guys as they were each some of the most exciting players to watch in all of NBA history let me know in the comments section who you think is the better player if insanity or tmac today our matchup is the big fundamental Tim Duncan versus the Black Mamba Kobe Bryant one Legend built his legacy over a long lasting career of 19 Seasons with the San Antonio Spurs while the other played 20 Seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers two men who each have an argument of being the greatest player of their era when you're comparing a shooting guard against a power forward or Center then the means in which you compare the two have to change for example it's normal for a guard to average more assists than a big man because of how much time the guard spends handling the ball and he also does more of his passing from the perimeter which is where most of the facilitating takes place on the other hand it's normal for a big man to average more rebounds considering his size and where he positions himself on the court so what this means is that having categories like rebounding and play making would be pretty ridiculous considering the obvious advantages that are built into the different positions so in this video we need more General categories and these are the four I've chosen for this comparison offense defense playoffs and accolades first off offense fundamentally these two players have an extremely different approach on the offensive end as Duncan was more the type to play with in the flow of the offense he didn't have to be the leading scorer to be extremely effective on his team Kobe on the other hand had a much more aggressive tendency and even personality and their differences showed on the court Tim Duncan is currently in 15th Place on the all-time scoring list with over 26 000 points and he averaged 19 points per game over the course of his career on 55.1 true shooting percentage Kobe is in fourth place on the all-time scoring list with nearly 34 000 points and he averaged 25 points per game on 55 percent true shooting percentage and he also won two scoring titles when you simply look at their field goal percentage Duncan had the advantage with which is expected from a big man but when you take the other aspects into account like perimeter shooting and free throw shooting Kobe now has almost the exact same true shooting percentage as Duncan despite the fact that he shot the ball nearly 50 percent more often than Duncan did analytics have proven that as you shoot the ball more efficiency generally goes down as more shot attempts means being less selective and results in taking more contested shots despite that Kobe was a lot more efficient than people generally give him credit for which is pretty incredible considering the fact that he took a lot of what Paul George would call bad shots Duncan was never the dynamic scorer that Kobe was but he didn't have to be and that was somewhat the beauty of Tim Duncan's game as he could fit with many different offenses and with many different personalities these two were so uniquely different and the way they approached the game I could break this category down for an hour looking at all the different angles and perspectives but for me at the end of the day Kobe has to take the offensive category as he's one of the most dominant scorers of NBA history three and believe it or not he was also an underrated passer of the players who scored at least 25 000 points in their career the only players who accumulated more assists than Kobe did was Oscar Robertson and LeBron James that's it offense goes to Kobe second up is defense both of these Legends were two of the greatest Defenders at their position neither player won a defensive player of the year award but they were both consistently Elite and earned many all defense team selections Duncan has 15 all defense team selections which is the most in NBA history for his career he averaged 0.7 Steals and 2.2 blocks Kobe has 12 all defense team selections and nine first-team selections which is tied with Michael Jordan Gary Payton and Kevin Garnett for the most first-team Selections in NBA history he averaged 1.4 Steals and 0.5 blocks over the course of his career Duncan in many ways was the model of consistency and the biggest example of that was probably his defense as he's the only player to to make the all-nba and all defense team for 13 straight Seasons even as Duncan aged and his reliability as a strong offensive threat dwindled still his Elite defensive presence remained he wasn't the most athletically gifted player but he had an incredibly High defensive IQ and was a great team leader for a defensive-minded team Duncan finished fifth on the all-time list and blocked shots putting himself in the debate for the title of greatest rim protector to never win the defensive player of the year now Kobe was Elite too especially in his early years in Los Angeles and asked anyone on the 2008 redeem team and they'll tell you about how Kobe's defensive tenacity dedication commitment and Leadership LED that team to be as suffocating defensively as they could be it was remarkable how throughout the majority of Kobe's career that he could use so much energy on offense while also remaining the best defender at his position in 2006 Kobe became the only player to officially average over 35 points per game while also making first team defense he wasn't the type to lead the league in steals or blocks but where he really stood out was with his on-ball defense as Kobe was great at trapping his opponent causing turnovers and just generally making the offensive player frustrated especially when Kobe put his mind to it in the most crucial situations the thing is Kobe didn't have the defensive longevity that Tim Duncan had even though the Mamba made 12 all defense teams which is just three short of Tim Duncan's total even that 12th total is a bit questionable for Kobe in an interview the all-time great and brutally honest Phil Jackson said that Kobe won some of his later all defense team selections because of his reputation and not necessarily because of what he was actually doing on the court in other words Kobe's own Hall of Fame head coach said that his defense was a bit overrated at least in terms of the later years of his career as someone who personally witnessed more games from Kobe than any other player I have to agree with this statement as Kobe aged it became much more common for him to get blown by by the offensive player and simply rely on the center or the help Defender to bail him out it wasn't that Kobe couldn't still be great defensively it was just that he picked his spots rather than being a lockdown force all game long also consider the fact that Phil Jackson made this comment in 2010 and implied that this reputation thing had been going on with Kobe for a bit so when did this reputation thing start 2008 2009 when you look at it that way you're talking about around eight seasons of Kobe's career where he was not one of the best defenders the same thing can't be said about the big fundamental a slight Edge on defense goes to Tim Duncan third up is the playoffs when you're comparing some of the greatest players of all time you have to factor in the postseason as the game completely changes and the pressure the nerves and the magnitude of the moment reveal what players are really made of Tim Duncan led the playoffs in total points two times and blocks three times and it rebounds six times over his 251 games in the the playoffs he averaged 20.6 points 11.4 rebounds three assists and 2.3 blocks on 54.8 true shooting percentage Kobe led the playoffs in total points four times and in steals two times in his 220 playoff games he averaged 25.6 points 5.1 rebounds 4.7 assists and 1.7 Steals on 54.1 true shooting percentage both players had postseason careers that were packed full with iconic moments both players had five championship rings but when it comes to playoff comparisons it's not really about the stats that drive the debate but it's usually the narratives about the players for example people often criticize Kobe for quote getting carried by Shaq to his first three championships but as I've talked about in several videos before that's because Shaq took advantage of the mismatches in the NBA finals against the Eastern Conference if we're being honest the NBA champions were decided in the Western Conference playoffs in the early 2000s and in two out of those three Championship runs it was Kobe who was arguably the MVP of the West playoffs and in both 2001 and 2002 were Kobe's Lakers defeated Tim Duncan Spurs Kobe was the best performer for Los Angeles now some argue that Tim Duncan's final championship in 2014 was more as a role player than the best player on the court and considering the fact that he was 37 and Kawhi Leonard was the finals MVP there may be some validity to that claim but as far as the best performance in an NBA Finals series that definitely goes to Duncan in 2003 who put up absolutely ridiculous numbers in those six games against New Jersey including a near quadruple double in the championship clinching game in my opinion Kobe's most impressive Championship run came in 2010 where it wasn't so much about a solid playoff numbers but it was more about the fact that he did it with a broken index finger on his shooting hand these guys have so many postseason minutes that you can find instances where both guys played above X expectations and Below expectations you can stir up any narrative to discredit either Contender but there's always a narrative-based counter argument against the other player as well in my opinion both guys had equally impressive stats and achievements when the games mattered most playoffs is a tie between these two legends last on the list of categories is accolades and both of these icons had a ton of them Duncan was a five-time NBA champion and he won three finals MVPs he was a 15-time All-Star made 15 all NBA teams 15 all defense teams and was a two-time league MVP in his 19 Seasons he averaged 19 points 10.8 rebounds three assists 0.7 Steals and 2.2 blocks on 55.1 true shooting percentage Kobe was a five-time champion and he won two finals MVPs he made 18 all-star teams 15 all NBA teams and 12 all defense teams he was the 2008 League MVP and he won two scoring titles in his 20 seasons he averaged 25 points 5.2 rebounds 4.7 assists 1.4 Steals and 0.5 blocks on 55 true shooting percentage ultimately as usual in these videos it's extremely close and I don't think there's a wrong answer here but just a matter of opinion and preference but for me Kobe Bryant is the greater basketball player and ranks higher on my all-time list to boil it down as simply as possible Kobe was simply the more Dynamic and dominant offensive force and to me the advantage Kobe has overdunken offensively is significantly greater than the advantage Duncan has over Kobe defensively I do think there's a strong argument for Duncan but if you make that argument then I think it's mostly about stuff that goes beyond the stat sheet for example he was a quiet and humble leader who led by example he's a teammate who's incredibly easy to get along with which certainly isn't something that Kobe was known for and Duncan sacrificed money on several occasions to allow his team to recruit more Talent now I'm not one to see suggest that any worker should take less money than what they're worth but at the same time Duncan's willingness to sacrifice some of his own potential income for the sake of the team just goes to show how his selflessness and team first approach was so instrumental in all of the success that San Antonio experienced so to reiterate I think Kobe is literally the better basketball player but if we're talking about who is the person you would rather have in the organization for everything they bring to the organization on and off the court then Tim Duncan is likely the right choice let me know in the comments section who you think was the better player and who you would rather start your franchise with today our matchup is the Man known for his magic on the court Irvine Johnson versus Larry Legend Larry Bird both Legends spent the entirety of their career with one of the most prestigious franchises of NBA history magic played 13 Seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers and bird played 13 Seasons with a Boston Celtics magic was a 6-9 point guard who weighed around 215 pounds Larry was a six night small forward slash power forward who weighed around 220 pounds two men who were each accredited with saving the NBA in the 1980s two men who each have an argument of being the greatest player of their era we'll compare these two greats with five major categories which sometimes vary in categories depending on positions and play Styles in this video for these two icons of basketball the categories are scoring facilitating rebounding defense and accolades first off scoring Magic Johnson was a much better score Than People typically give him credit for especially when you consider how he's one out of only two players to average over 10 assists per game for his career despite the fact that his number one priority was usually to get his teammates going he still managed to consistently get his as he averaged 19.5 points per game over the course of his career he was a great finisher around the rim and he managed to get himself more clean looks than most since the defense always had to be on their heels because of his ability to find the open man this led him to be extremely efficient throughout his career as he shot 52 percent from the field over his 13 Seasons which is almost unheard of by point guard standards he also was a tremendous free-throw shooter hitting 84.8 percent of his attempts over his career and even led the league an overall free-throw percentage in 1989. now bird on the other hand is immediately known for his scoring he was also a 6-9 small forward with a high release point on his jumper so contesting his shots was quite difficult with his fantastic footwork his underrated handles his finesse around the basket and lethal perimeter shooting he averaged 24.3 points over the course of his career he never led the leak in scoring but unlike magic he was right around the top of the list on several occasions as far as perimeter scores go bird has an argument for being the most efficient scorer in NBA history he led the league in free throw percentage four times and he also had two 50-490 seasons in his career which is the second most in NBA history the only player with more 50 40 90 seasons was The Hall of Famer Steve Nash but Nash was never close to being a near 30 points per game score Like Larry was several seasons so the fact that bird was able to maintain that efficiency as a perimeter score and at such a high volume of shots is pretty much unprecedented magic gets some bonus points for being a capable and efficient score even while being an all-time leader in assists but even with that being said it's still not enough to close the gap between him and the all around the court threat that is Larry Bird scoring goes to Larry Bird second up is facilitating now I alluded to this in the previous topic but magic is arguably and probably considered by most as the greatest passer of all time he has the highest assist per game average in NBA history at 11.2 and he led the league in assists four times it's easy to Simply look at the numbers and say that magic was the best passer on his team but he was so much more than just that magic was the engine that drove the showtime Lakers high octane office magic was obsessed with pushing the tempo nearly every time the Lakers gained possession and it resulted in many easy buckets for his slashing teammates his ability to make smart split-second decisions is unmatched and his court vision would have you swearing that he has eyes in the back of his head with the passes he was consistently making on top of all of that he was a 6-9 point guard so interfering with some of his higher passes was nearly impossible for many of his smaller Defenders now bird was a much better distributor than most people realize he started his career as a power forward and if he had remained in that position then he would probably be known today as the greatest passing power forward of all time he shared a similar ability to Magic in terms of their incredible Court vision and he's been praised by Magic on numerous occasions for that exact skill he averaged 6.3 assists on his career averaging as high as 7.6 and 1987. he was usually not among the assist leaders of the league but he was consistently among the leaders at his position the same way magic got points in the scoring category bird also gets bonus points in the facilitating category as it was remarkable the bird assisted his teammates as often as he did when you consider the fact that bird chose to shoot the ball nearly 50 percent more often than Magic Johnson did still unless you're a gold medalist and mental gymnastics facilitating clearly has to go to magic as his incredible ability to make his teammates better is simply One of a Kind Third up is rebounding now this one can be a little bit tricky since I'm making the case for different positions one is typically more of a perimeter player while the other plays more in the interior and naturally the advantage goes to the interior player where most rebounds are available especially in an era like the 80s where less perimeter shots are taken all things considered magic was a pretty good rebounder especially by point guard standards he successfully used his Superior height and frame to his advantage over smaller guards and he was often hungry to get the ball as quickly as possible so he could then push the fast break on offense he average 7.2 rebounds over the course of his career getting as high as 9.6 in 1982. now Larry Bird averaged 10 rebounds per game over his career getting as high as 11 in 1983. one thing no one ever questioned about bird back then was his hustle and heart it was common for him to play the game with a physical and tenacious approach and doing so continuously with 100 effort these are qualities that naturally benefit a player's ability to secure the boards this has resulted in bird having the 50th highest rebounds per game average in NBA history most of the players on that list are either primarily power forwards or centers though which Larry was not he played mostly as a small forward among primary small forwards Larry has the third greatest rebounds per game average in NBA history when you consider the positions this one is extremely close but for me the slight Edge goes to Larry Bird not just because of his higher numbers but it's about how he played to get those numbers as bird was known for a more grit and type approach which is a great quality when you're banging for the boards in the 80s fourth on the list is defense magic was never considered as an elite Defender as he didn't make any all defense teams in his career but he was certainly a capable one his sheer size made it somewhat difficult for opposing guards to score over him or to get into a favorable position with physicality magic had a high top speed that he always used on offense but his lateral movement wasn't the quickest on defense which made it sometimes difficult for him to stay in front of the quicker smaller guards his hands were decently quick and he was pretty good at jumping to passing Lanes which resulted in him leading the league in steals twice including the 1981 season where he averaged an incredibly strong 3.4 steals per game he also averaged 1.9 steals over the course of his career although he didn't have a strong vertical leap and was never a good shot blocker as he only averaged 0.4 blocks over his career and never averaged at least one per game in a season which is pretty surprising considering his height and length advantage over almost every opposing guard Larry was known to be slow and he wasn't the most quick or athletically gifted player but I do think he's somewhat of an underrated Defender compared to how he's perceived by the general public the Boston Celtics were a consistently Elite defensive team and Bird's High basketball IQ was a significant help in that area bird made three all defense teams and averaged 1.7 Steals and 0.8 blocks over his 13 Seasons Bert could be a bit of a pest on defense as his effort and tenacious attitude was never lacking due to a slower and less athletic frame it wasn't uncommon for him to need help defensively if he was guarding some of the athletic and talented Wings in the league like Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins for example with that being said bird was good at communicating with his teammates trapping offensive players and forcing turnovers as a result this one is somewhat close but at the end of the day bird has the slightly better individual defensive numbers he's the more accomplished defensive player and he was the team leader of the consistent better defensive team throughout the decade defense goes to Larry Bird last on the list of categories is accolades and both of these Legends had a ton of them Magic Johnson won five NBA championships three finals MVPs and he won three League MVPs he made 12 all-star teams and 10 all NBA teams he was a four-time assist champion and a two-time steals champion in his 13 Seasons he averaged 19.5 points 7.2 rebounds 11.2 assists 1.9 Steals and 0.4 blocks on 61 true shooting percentage Larry Bird won three NBA championships two finals MVPs and three League MVPs he made 12 all-star teams 10 all NBA teams and three all defense teams he was also the 1980 Rookie of the Year and was a two-time 50-40-90 player in his 13 Seasons he averaged 24.3 points 10 rebounds 6.3 assists 1.7 Steals and 0.8 blocks on 56.4 true shooting percentage based on this list I think magic has the slight advantage on accolades now as far as how these players compare as a whole as usual it's extremely close and the only reason I'm picking between these two is because I have to for the sake of the series but for myself personally Larry Bird is the more complete player and ranks higher on my all-time list I think most of the time people rank magic slightly higher because of his Edge and championships over bird but you have to also consider that basketball is a team sport and although both Legends were blessed with a tremendous Supporting Cast also keep in mind that the East was definitely the stronger conference throughout the 80s which meant it was even more difficult for the Celtics to get to the NBA finals in the first place although I do think bird is the slightly better and more complete individual player I do think there is a strong argument for magic but I think that argument goes beyond the stat sheet and leans more into the narrative that no one has ever made their teammates better than Magic Johnson did which is probably true and if that's enough for him to be your choice then I respect that let me know in the comments section who's higher on your list Magic Johnson or Larry Bird thanks for watching as always make sure to like And subscribe for more basketball content and I'll see you guys in the next video foreign foreign

Channel: Jonny Arnett

Views: 68,923

Keywords: NBA, Basketball, GOAT, Highlights, Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Jxmy highroller, Andy Hoops, Secret Base, Chris Smoove, Mike Korzemba, Nonstop Sports, Austin Sweatt, Dom2k, Nick Smith NBA, Basketball Time Machine, afunkydiabetic, Rusty Buckets, Legend of Winning, BSolz, Clique Productions, Golden Hoops, Lakers, MVP, Celtics, Steve Nash, First Take, Undisputed, Shaq, Hakeem, Six Rings of Steel, King of the 4th Quarter, Troydan, Kobe

Id: 0KlCz3qMYzU

Length: 77min 13sec (4633 seconds)

Published: Tue Aug 01 2023