Blue is Me

Tag: better

  • Who was the better scorer, George Gervin or Kobe Bryant?

    Pretty close. I would say Gervin was a more efficient scorer (had better shot selection) and harder to stop in his era, while Kobe was a more crafty scorer with a wider array of offensive moves. I think Gervin’s game was less of a double-edged sword than Kobe’s game tho, who could win or lose you a game with his scoring (for example, him scoring his playoff high of 50 points against the Suns.. and losing that game).

    For those of you who think I’m ‘Kobe-hating’ by saying this, I give you the following points about Gervin:

    • Gervin played all of his career in the more physical pre hand checking rule change era. Kobe played half his career in that era. That means Gervin actually dealt with more physical defenses for his entire career and Kobe half. So I give edge to Gervin for that.
    • Gervin has a slightly higher regular season scoring average than Kobe 26.5 PPG vs 25.0 PPG
    • Gervin also beats Kobe in playoff scoring average 27.0 PPG vs 25.4 PPG
    • Gervin has 3 seasons of 32+ PPG in the playoffs, Kobe has 2 seasons.
    • Gervin has 4 scoring titles, Kobe has 2.
    • Gervin does all the above on 5% better efficiency than Kobe.
    • Gervin played half his prime with no 3pt line in place
    • For people who think Kobe was double teamed all the time, he had Shaq for half his career and most of the defenses would collapse on Shaq, not Kobe. Who did Gervin have? Who was Gervin’s best teammate? … exactly.

    And sure, Kobe has those regular season scoring peaks of 81, 50/60 point games era… all post hand checking rules changes. But when you look at the averages, I think it’s actually quite close and I might actually go with Gervin overall if I wanted a scorer on my team (1v1 I’ll probably go with Kobe tho).

  • Who is the best point guard in the 1990s decade: John Stockton, Gary Payton, Penny Hardaway, or Tim Hardaway?

    A close one between Stockton and Payton. Stockton was and is considered to be probably the best passer in NBA history outside of Magic Johnson. Even if we take away his symbiotic relationship with Malone, there’s still a case to be made. Him, Isiah, CP3 all are good candidates to be the best passer after Magic.

    Payton was overall probably the better player. Stockton was rather limited offensively. Of course, the Jazz had two other great scorers in Malone and Jeff Hornacek but Stockton just didn’t have the ability to create his own shots the way Payton, Hardaway, KJ, Penny, Isiah, Magic etc did. He had an efficient and effective jump shot from the perimeter, and that’s really it. He wasn’t driving in or cutting the same way KJ or Isiah or Hardaway or Iverson would that’s for sure.

    So I’m going to answer specifically as who was the best point guard (not overall player) in the 1990s.. that was John Stockton.

    So my top 10 PG list would probably go for the 1990s:

    1. John Stockton (9x All-NBA during the 90s)
    2. Gary Payton (6x All-NBA during the 90s)
    3. Tim Hardaway (5x All-NBA during the 90s)
    4. Kevin Johnson (4x All-NBA during the 90s)
    5. Penny Hardaway (3x All-NBA during the 90s)
    6. Mark Price (3x All-NBA during the 90s)
    7. Magic Johnson (2x All-NBA during the 90s)
    8. Isiah Thomas (3x All-Star during the 90s)
    9. Jason Kidd (1x All-NBA during the 90s)
    10. Rod Strickland (1x All-NBA during the 90s)

  • Who do you think was the more fundamentally strong basketball player, Tim Duncan or Bill Walton?

    Props to the OP, this is one of the most interesting questions that doesn’t get commonly asked but is a very good question.

    Both Duncan and Walton are two of the highest basketball IQ, most fundamentally sound big men ever.

    Obviously Duncan had the better career, but if we’re talking prime for prime pure basketball ability… it’s so very close.

    They’re completely a wash on defense. I’d say Walton had a bit more athleticism so he could jump a bit higher for the blocks, but Tim was no slouch so it’s honestly a wash there. Both are also great rebounders, and I’d say they are a wash there as well.

    For offense, Walton was the better passer but Duncan I would say was overall more offensively skilled. You put Tim on the block and it’s extremely difficult to stop him. He had of course that go to bank shot but also a reliable hook and great footwork so it was hard to stop him. Walton was more of an opportunistic scorer who rolled really quickly to the basket, or would find a cutter to pass to out of the post, but he wasn’t the type of guy who you relied on for consistent baskets like Timmy.

    Overall, it depends what my team makeup is. Do I have other great scorers on my team? Then I’ll pick Walton because he can help make them better and find them easy cuts to the basket. If I don’t, then I pick Duncan because I can rely on him to be my main offensive weapon.

  • Is Kobe Bryant better than LeBron James?

    No. Unfortunately, there is a substantial portion of NBA fans who think Kobe is better.

    This is because many NBA fans get brainwashed by Kobe’s marketing and hype. The fact that social media and sports media pretty much never posts anything negative about Kobe since his retirement and passing really helps Kobe’s legend. They also release documentaries like the 2008 Redeem team Netflix documentary which shows all the players in awe of Kobe’s leadership – but of course doesn’t show Kobe’s (subpar) performances in the Olympics. The media constantly replays Kobe’s best moments – mostly regular season moments – like the 81 point game, 62 in 3 quarters, making 2 free throws on a torn achilles etc constantly. Then whenever an NBA player says a quote praising Kobe, it gets spread online like wildfire.

    Whereas for Lebron, you have a legion of haters online who constantly post his worst moments like the 2011 Finals, constantly discrediting him by saying Ray Allen/Kyrie saved his legacy, he doesn’t have the ‘killer’ instinct, he’s not clutch, he’s a whiner and a crybaby and a loser, he has a bubble ring, needs a superteam to win, jumps teams etc it’s the complete opposite for Lebron. Lebron’s best moments – ie. his clutch shot to seal the series in 2013 Finals Game 7 are almost never replayed. Whenever an NBA player says a quote praising Lebron, it’s always relegated to Lebron fan pages and that’s it.

    So, just to be fair to Kobe I will say some things that he has over Lebron first.

    FACTS:

    -Kobe has more titles and a better Finals record (5–2 vs 4–6)
    -Kobe has more 35+ PT games in regular season.
    -Kobe has a higher regular season scoring high (81)
    -Kobe has more game winners and buzzer beaters in the regular season
    -Kobe beat more 50+ win teams in the playoffs.
    -Kobe has more All-Def selections, double in fact.
    -Kobe participated in – and won a dunk contest.
    -Kobe has more championships without a top 75 player (2 vs 1)
    -Kobe has a better FT%
    -Kobe (arguably) has a better / more legendary work ethic
    -Kobe’s physique and stature is more relatable
    -Kobe has bigger offensive skillset

    So, I give credit to where credit is due. Kobe has these things over Lebron. Now I’ll say what Lebron has over Kobe.

    ALSO FACTS:

    -Lebron has more MVPs
    -Lebron has more Finals MVPs
    -Lebron has a higher PPG, RPG, APG, BPG, SPG (both in reg season + playoffs)
    -Lebron has a higher PER, VORP, WS, WS/48 and BPM
    -Lebron has a higher FG% and TS%
    -Lebron has more 35+ PT games in the playoffs.
    -Lebron has a higher playoff high (51 vs 50 for Kobe)
    -Lebron in his prime was a more versatile defender
    -Lebron has more game winners and buzzer beaters in the playoffs
    -Lebron has better averages in the Finals across the board
    -Lebron has better averages in the playoffs across the board
    -Lebron has more 35+ PT games in the Finals
    -Lebron performs better in elimination games (33.5 PPG vs 22 PPG) and is 12–9 in such games (vs 8–11 for Kobe)
    -Lebron has the better head to head record and the better performances (16–6 vs Kobe, 28 PPG vs 24 PPG)
    -Lebron has won with 3 different coaches (vs Kobe who has only won with Phil Jackson)
    -Lebron has won without a star big man
    -Lebron has never blown a 3–1 lead (Kobe did in 2006)
    -Lebron has never been the second best player for any of his championships
    -Lebron’s lowest scoring Finals (18 PPG in 2011) is still more than Kobe’s lowest scoring Finals (15 PPG in 2000)
    -Lebron has higher career totals across the board (PTS, RBDS, ASTS, STLS, BLKS, TO)
    -Lebron has won a championship without an all star (2016 neither Kyrie or Love were all-stars)
    -Lebron has beaten more 60+ win teams in the playoffs
    -Lebron has beaten a 70+ win team in the Finals
    -Lebron’s teams have always had a 0.500 or worse record without him – Kobe’s Lakers record without him is either the same or better.
    -Lebron has never missed the playoffs when he was fully healthy (Kobe missed the playoffs in 2005)
    -Lebron has 7 Finals averaging over 28+ PPG (2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020). Kobe has 2 (2009, 2010).

    So, you noticed how in general, Kobe’s advantages over Lebron is a bunch of regular season stuff and subjective metrics like work ethic and skillset? Lebron’s tangibly better in the playoffs and has better quantitative metrics reflected in his stats.https://clutchpoints.com/goat-athlete-tournament-clutchpoints-fans

    Kobe has been so overrated that when Clutchpoints did a GOAT Athlete poll, not only did Kobe beat Lebron, he also beat GOATs from other sports too like Roger Federer and Usain Bolt!! That to me is insane.

    ^ typical example of brainwashed casual NBA fan who thinks Kobe is #2 because ‘he’s the closest to Jordan and Jordan is #1! so Kobe must be #2!’

    “Seeing the number 81 when I clicked Kobe just hit differently. Like the universe is telling me he is dropping 81 wherever he is now.” –This is the FBI.

    “81% for Kobe that’s convenient considering that’s the most amount of points he’s ever put up in a game.” –Huddy

    I’ve literally never seen any other athlete where a meaningless regular season game is hyped up to the point where they become the GOAT. It’s like calling Roger Maris the GOAT because he had that one magnificent home run season. Ridiculous. SMH

  • Who was the better NBA Point Guard: Chris Paul or John Stockton?

    Chris Paul.

    John Stockton only really has one thing on CP3 which is longevity. And Stockton honestly has that over EVERY point guard. Stockton was one of the most durable players ever, he was a tough player, and also a dirty player and averaged double digit assists longer than anyone else.

    However, we can’t use longevity purely and say that it means one player was better than the other. By that metric, Mark Jackson could be considered better than Isiah Thomas since he played longer and had more total assists.

    Chris Paul has more All-Star appearances, as many All-NBA teams, and more All-Def teams – this despite playing less seasons than Stockton.

    CP3 led the league in steals a record 6 times – Stockton despite being the all time leader in steals only led in steals twice.

    Stockton leads CP3 in assists and APG – but honestly not by very much considering that he played with Karl Malone almost his whole career. CP3 still manages to have the 4th highest APG all time despite playing with a much more diverse cast than Magic or Stockton or Oscar (the three guys ahead of him). Passing wise I’d say they are fairly close (not looking at raw APG but based on their ability).

    Also, despite CP3 being 3 inches shorter, he averages almost 2 more rebounds than Stockton.

    and of course the obvious one is scoring. CP3 is just a better scorer and shot creator, period. Stockton and CP3 are about the same when it comes to shooting efficiency – but Stockton was never a go to offensive player. Both Stockton and CP3 have hit memorable clutch shots (Stockton’s buzzer beater vs the Rockets in 1997 and CP3’s Game 7 buzzer vs the Spurs in 2015) but you couldn’t rely on Stockton to consistently create those shots or to lead a team to victory the way CP3 has.

    Stockton would routinely get his ass handed to him on one on one matchups by much quicker dynamic PGs like Isiah Thomas, Kevin Johnson, Tim Hardaway and Mark Price.

    CP3’s finest performance came just this last playoffs versus his former team the Clippers in a masterpiece Game 6 performance. What’s amazing about all of CP3’s performances is that he does this while having little to no turnovers – he’s second all time in assist/turnover ratio, which is why he is often referred to as the Point God.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMLP_M0nbFc

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wCm_zBDjEo

    Or a 14/14 perfect game.. never seen Stockton do that.

    Neither CP3 or Stockton has a ring – but they both have led their team to Finals. What’s amazing about this is that both of them did this in their mid 30s. Stockton and Malone led their Jazz to the Finals when Stockton was 34 and 35 years old. In both those Finals Stockton averaged only 15 and 10 PPG respectively, and 9 APG in both series.

    Despite everyone criticizing CP3’s play in the 2021 Finals, he had a better Finals series than Stockton ever had, averaging 23/3/9 on 55% shooting – this at 36 years old! Older than even Stockton was. And Devin Booker may be a great scorer but he’s not Karl Malone yet. And for all the talk about CP3 shying away from a shot (which isnt true cause CP3 has lots of clutch moments in his career), Stockton wasn’t even trusted to take those shots in the first place so there’s something to be said there too. CP3’s Finals performance was still better than Stockton’s 2 Finals performances, it’s quite easy to see there.

    Also, there’s something to be said about Stockton playing under a system with a great coach in Jerry Sloan and a great teammate in Karl Malone. CP3 has managed to have the same level of playoff success – with a far more unstable cast of teammates and coaches – which is far harder to do.

    Adding to that – Stockton has never finished higher than #7 in MVP voting – which was in 1989. For comparison, CP3 finished #2 in MVP voting in 2008 and top 6 in 2009, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2021. So 7 times, CP3 finished higher in MVP voting than Stockton ever did.

    To me, Stockton is just outside my top 5 of PGs – probably #6 all time. While CP3 is definitely in my top 5 and very close with Isiah Thomas and Curry honestly. He would probably be higher if he had a stable cast of great teammates like Isiah and Curry had.

    Edit:

    A lot of people commenting that CP3 had ‘a lot of’ talent and got nothing done and Stockton somehow won ‘more’. Let’s actually debunk this ok?

    CP3 had David West on his Hornets team. He took the Duncan Big 3 Spurs to 7 games with that inferior supporting cast.

    CP3 had Blake Griffin and Deandre Jordan on the Clippers. When they were all heathy, they beat the Curry/Klay/Draymond/Iggy Warriors in 2014 – just one year before they won the championship. In 2015 he beats the defending champ Spurs. Other times either Griffin or CP3 was injured.

    CP3 had James Harden on the Rockets. While he was healthy, he almost beat the super stacked Curry/KD Warriors in 2018. But he got injured and they lost in 7.

    CP3 had basically nobodies on the OKC team he went to in 2020. He took the Westbrook/Harden Rockets to 7 games despite not having anybody else.

    CP3 had Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton on the Suns. He took them from a lottery team to the Finals in 2021 (beat Lebron/AD defending champ Lakers in first round) and lost to Giannis and Middleton Bucks. Shot 55% being guarded by Jrue Holiday a great defender. No shame there.

    What did John Stockton do? His whole career he had Karl Malone a top 3 PF all time and Mark Eaton a 2x DPOY and Jeff Hornacek a former all star Suns player and he kept getting bounced in the playoffs by the Supersonics, Blazers and Rockets until finally the West got weaker and he was able to go to the Finals twice. And still lost.

    CP3 is so disrespected it’s crazy SMH. Everytime he’s had even a little bit of help he’s overachieved with it.

  • Who was the better all-around player between Moses Malone and Karl Malone?

    The battle of the Malones. Always an interesting question.

    It could be said that Moses is the better player all time, but Karl Malone might be better all around and more versatile.

    Moses and Karl are both in the upper echelon of scorers all time. As a big man scorer, they’re probably just in a tier below Wilt, Shaq and Kareem and about similar to Dirk, Hayes, Hakeem and Robinson. However Karl has more range than Moses, Karl is a great mid range scorer – Moses did most of his damage in the paint and interior.

    As a rebounder, it’s clearly Moses. Moses is a dominant rebounder who is a top 5 rebounder all time. He is the all time leader in offensive rebounds and led the league 6 times in rebounding.

    As a passer, it’s clearly Karl. Karl is actually quite a solid passer for a PF. He averages 3.6 APG and some seasons over 4 APG – that’s great for a PF, especially on a team with John Stockton on it.

    As a defender, they’re about even. Both are very solid defenders. Karl might have more All-Def selections but Moses was competing with other great big man defenders like McHale, Bobby Jones, Kareem, Hakeem, Ewing, Walton, Eaton, Roundfield, Sikma, Gilmore etc in his era. Both are very good rim protectors.

    Of course Moses had the better career, he won a championship and a FMVP and has 3 MVPs to Karl’s 2 MVPs.

    But I would say the edge goes to Karl all around because of his much better passing skills and his extended shooting range over Moses. Moses might be a better rebounder but Karl is still a very good rebounder while Moses would rarely pass the ball once he got it.