Michael Jordan's Hall of Fame Speech

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81

[quote]Airtruth wrote:
Aragorn wrote:
Reef wrote:
Nikiforos wrote:
waldo21212 wrote:
Michael Jordan = most famous athlete to ever walk the face of the earth. And I liked his speech.

No, not really… one or two soccer players have been more famous if we talk globally IMO. But I would say MJ is the -best- athlete to ever walk the face of the earth.

Mohammad Ali?

Pele, Ali, Jordan. Those are the 3 universal athletes I can think of, although Ali may or may not make the cut in certain parts of the world (SE Asia)

Jordan in his prime was the most famous ever. Sorry but America counts, and pele could’ walked around in many cities in america without getting noticed. Jordan was noticed everywhere when Team USA was big. Ali would’ve been the most famous ever if they had better media, in his prime he is only second to MJ, but half of it is because the muslim community heavily embraced him and is the biggest religion world wide I believe. At least at that time.

Kobe the best one on one player ever??? Get the fuck outta here, Paul Pierce AND Raja Bell proved that theory wrong. Take the blinders off.

Does he have the most offensive weaponry… YES. In terms of the number of moves, YES. Ball handling is not all that but good for a shooting guard, Shot is water except under extreme pressure from taller quicker guys, but shear number of moves probably most ever or tied with Oscar Robertson. One on one, Jordan’s one turn around fade away move way more dependable then all of Kobe’s together.

In Jordan era from '89 to '99 he was the most dominant player. Kobe has NEVER been the most dominant player. Shaq was able to take 3 different teams to the finals he was the most dominant player in the league.

Comparing first 5 years Lebron is having twice as much success as Jordan did, he has the POTENTIAL to be the best ever. How can you question the mental toughness of somebody doing all he’s doing without a pippen. His team would be trash with someone else.

Dwayne wade doesn’t have a chance he’s too short has to play too hard leading to injuries later, but he will be hall of fame.[/quote]

Ah, so many fallacies in this post…where to begin… Kobe is definitely the best SCORER and offensive player of all time. At least in terms of being able to go on an unstoppable streak. Jordan is an overall better player(as was mentioned), but not even he went on multiple games scoring 50+ points or whatever Kobe did. Kobe HAS been the most dominant player in the league in the past 2-3 years, no doubt. He proved that by winning a championship without Shaq finally. As for LeBron, he is probably the most dominant player physically in the history of the league (besides Shaq…maybe), but in terms of skill he is nowhere near the level of a Jordan or even Kobe right now for that matter. He will get better, but I don’t think his ceiling is limitless like some seem to believe. He has already shown that he doesn’t have the maturity of someone like MJ, but only time will tell how good he will be. Top 10 all time for sure either way. And finally, Dwyane Wade IMO has the best combination of skills, athleticism, leadership, and clutch ability in the league right now. I thought he was on his way to becoming something truly special, but the way he packed it in in the playoffs made me very dissapointed. His size is not an issue because of his wingspan and athletic ability. I have never seen a guard dominate physically the way he does like that ever before. Either way he’ll probably be top 10 IMO. These three guys ARE all that good. They are the Magic, Bird, and MJ of our time and will go down as some of the greatest.

82

[quote]Airtruth wrote:
Aragorn wrote:
Reef wrote:
Nikiforos wrote:
waldo21212 wrote:
Michael Jordan = most famous athlete to ever walk the face of the earth. And I liked his speech.

No, not really… one or two soccer players have been more famous if we talk globally IMO. But I would say MJ is the -best- athlete to ever walk the face of the earth.

Mohammad Ali?

Pele, Ali, Jordan. Those are the 3 universal athletes I can think of, although Ali may or may not make the cut in certain parts of the world (SE Asia)

Jordan in his prime was the most famous ever. Sorry but America counts, and pele could’ walked around in many cities in america without getting noticed. Jordan was noticed everywhere when Team USA was big. Ali would’ve been the most famous ever if they had better media, in his prime he is only second to MJ, but half of it is because the muslim community heavily embraced him and is the biggest religion world wide I believe. At least at that time.

Kobe the best one on one player ever??? Get the fuck outta here, Paul Pierce AND Raja Bell proved that theory wrong. Take the blinders off.

Does he have the most offensive weaponry… YES. In terms of the number of moves, YES. Ball handling is not all that but good for a shooting guard, Shot is water except under extreme pressure from taller quicker guys, but shear number of moves probably most ever or tied with Oscar Robertson. One on one, Jordan’s one turn around fade away move way more dependable then all of Kobe’s together.

In Jordan era from '89 to '99 he was the most dominant player. Kobe has NEVER been the most dominant player. Shaq was able to take 3 different teams to the finals he was the most dominant player in the league.

Comparing first 5 years Lebron is having twice as much success as Jordan did, he has the POTENTIAL to be the best ever. How can you question the mental toughness of somebody doing all he’s doing without a pippen. His team would be trash with someone else.

Dwayne wade doesn’t have a chance he’s too short has to play too hard leading to injuries later, but he will be hall of fame.[/quote]

Dude, you’re a moron. The guy has put up 81 points in a game. Every NBA player, and I emphasize “EVERY” will tell you no one can touch Kobe. Slam magazine did a poll earlier in the year where they asked players and media who the best player in the league was. More media said Lebron but EVERY player said Bryant. Lebron has someone better than Pippen. He has David Stern. Kobe Bryant has more than an “alright” handle. Remember his first few years in the league when he was leaving people on the floor with his crossover? Just 'cause he doesn’t show it as much now doesn’t mean it isn’t there. If you honestly think there’s been a better offensive player in NBA history name him. Ron Artest is considered one of -if not THE -best perimiter defender in the league. He was quoted as saying “Kobe will never get 40 on me”. The very next game Kobe gave him 40. Taller defenders don’t give him trouble, and there’s no one quicker as a 2-3, so I don’t know what you’re talking about there. And get the fuck outta here with that Big O bullshit. Dude was a 6’5" 220lb point gaurd playing against 5’10" 160lb string beans. He couldn’t jump, didn’t use his left and was a suspect outside shooter. Pointblank 95% of players from that era wouldn’t make it past highschool today. Kobe not most dominant? Do you not realize Shaq never won without a dominant wing? Discounting Miamis David Stern suck-off-a-thon of Dwyane Wade championship Shaq never won without Kobe. Kobe Bryant is hands down the best player in the league, and he’s the one dude who can get 50 whenever he feels like it. If you won’t take my word for it check for yourself-

I posted in my training log about running into Shane Battier a few months back. Don’t wanna retell the whole story but Battier said without hesitation Bryant’s the best dude he’s ever faced and James isn’t even close.

83

[quote]Dabba wrote:
Airtruth wrote:
Aragorn wrote:
Reef wrote:
Nikiforos wrote:
waldo21212 wrote:
Michael Jordan = most famous athlete to ever walk the face of the earth. And I liked his speech.

No, not really… one or two soccer players have been more famous if we talk globally IMO. But I would say MJ is the -best- athlete to ever walk the face of the earth.

Mohammad Ali?

Pele, Ali, Jordan. Those are the 3 universal athletes I can think of, although Ali may or may not make the cut in certain parts of the world (SE Asia)

Jordan in his prime was the most famous ever. Sorry but America counts, and pele could’ walked around in many cities in america without getting noticed. Jordan was noticed everywhere when Team USA was big. Ali would’ve been the most famous ever if they had better media, in his prime he is only second to MJ, but half of it is because the muslim community heavily embraced him and is the biggest religion world wide I believe. At least at that time.

Kobe the best one on one player ever??? Get the fuck outta here, Paul Pierce AND Raja Bell proved that theory wrong. Take the blinders off.

Does he have the most offensive weaponry… YES. In terms of the number of moves, YES. Ball handling is not all that but good for a shooting guard, Shot is water except under extreme pressure from taller quicker guys, but shear number of moves probably most ever or tied with Oscar Robertson. One on one, Jordan’s one turn around fade away move way more dependable then all of Kobe’s together.

In Jordan era from '89 to '99 he was the most dominant player. Kobe has NEVER been the most dominant player. Shaq was able to take 3 different teams to the finals he was the most dominant player in the league.

Comparing first 5 years Lebron is having twice as much success as Jordan did, he has the POTENTIAL to be the best ever. How can you question the mental toughness of somebody doing all he’s doing without a pippen. His team would be trash with someone else.

Dwayne wade doesn’t have a chance he’s too short has to play too hard leading to injuries later, but he will be hall of fame.

Ah, so many fallacies in this post…where to begin… Kobe is definitely the best SCORER and offensive player of all time. At least in terms of being able to go on an unstoppable streak. Jordan is an overall better player(as was mentioned), but not even he went on multiple games scoring 50+ points or whatever Kobe did. Kobe HAS been the most dominant player in the league in the past 2-3 years, no doubt. He proved that by winning a championship without Shaq finally. As for LeBron, he is probably the most dominant player physically in the history of the league (besides Shaq…maybe), but in terms of skill he is nowhere near the level of a Jordan or even Kobe right now for that matter. He will get better, but I don’t think his ceiling is limitless like some seem to believe. He has already shown that he doesn’t have the maturity of someone like MJ, but only time will tell how good he will be. Top 10 all time for sure either way. And finally, Dwyane Wade IMO has the best combination of skills, athleticism, leadership, and clutch ability in the league right now. I thought he was on his way to becoming something truly special, but the way he packed it in in the playoffs made me very dissapointed. His size is not an issue because of his wingspan and athletic ability. I have never seen a guard dominate physically the way he does like that ever before. Either way he’ll probably be top 10 IMO. These three guys ARE all that good. They are the Magic, Bird, and MJ of our time and will go down as some of the greatest.
[/quote]

Wade won’t be anywhere near top 10, in my opinion. His long arms and big hands make him appear more athletic than he really is, not to mention the 2 or 3 extra steps he’s allowed… Same goes for James about the steps., and they both can’t get looked at by another player without being sent to the line. When you take someone with James physical gifts and the allow him to make a mockery of the rules you’re basiclly giving him a game genie while everyone else has a regular control-

84

[quote]WhiteFlash wrote:
drewh wrote:
Lebron has three years to get a ship if he wants to stay on track with MJ. He’s done more with less than MJ so far anyway. He literally took a team to the finals, once he gets a legit supporting cast we’ll see how good he can be. And quit with the travelling makes them better bull shit you’re probably one of those idiots who thinks college ball is better because they play defense and have fundementals. You really believe Jordan didn’t get away with stuff.

I’m not saying Jordan didn’t get away with stuff numbnuts. I’m saying he earned his. Jordan played in a better NBA that was less about hype and more about the game. James signed a 90 million dollar deal before playing a single game, and the NBA [and espn, and fox sports, and…] shoves him down our throats at every possible moment. You remember the “crab dribble”? That was a fucking travel and he got called for it. The fact that it got called blew James’ mind 'cause he’s gotten away with whatever he wanted so far and he couldn’t understand how the ref got it right. James can play, and so can Wade, but the NBA’s pushing them so hard 'cause the league took a huge hit in the early 2000’s with the “thugification” of basketball, and these two seemingly wholesome guys can help redeem it. Anyone really think Miami beat Dallas that year, or that Wade really got fouled enough to go to the line more than an entire team? O how about James? This past first round he had shot more ft’s by himself than the Pistons had the entire series. If you can’t see that there’s something shady going on you’re blind.[/quote]

Jordan fouled Russell for that final shot nobody called shit, the old Pistons got away with a ton of shit. You need to stop being a conspiracy theorist and appreciate the modern game you sound like some old fart who thinks everything old is awesome.

85

[quote]WhiteFlash wrote:

I see what you’re saying, and pretty much agree aside from I just don’t see the fire necessary to reach that level in James. As you pointed out he has time on his side, just think that “fire” is something you’re born with, and no amount of time will get you it if you weren’t.[/quote]

On the topic of fire, Jordan’s speech is all about his fire. MJ thought he was the greatest all along. So, any time, anyone doubted him, slighted him, or dissed him, he used that as fuel. He was on a mission to prove those people wrong and show he was the greatest.

Lebron, on the other hand, didn’t have anyone to prove wrong. And he didn’t have to think he was the greatest, everybody already told him he was. He came into the league – a league searching for the “next Jordan” by the way – hailed as the greatest. It was said that he could have been the number one pick after his sophomore year of high school. Meanwhile, MJ isn’t even varsity as a sophomore. Nor was Jordan even the number one, or number two, pick.

I think these things go along way to show the difference in the mental ferocity and drive between Jordan and Lebron. I don’t think the ingredients were there for Lebron to build the same kind of fire Jordan had.

86

[quote]drewh wrote:
WhiteFlash wrote:
drewh wrote:
Lebron has three years to get a ship if he wants to stay on track with MJ. He’s done more with less than MJ so far anyway. He literally took a team to the finals, once he gets a legit supporting cast we’ll see how good he can be. And quit with the travelling makes them better bull shit you’re probably one of those idiots who thinks college ball is better because they play defense and have fundementals. You really believe Jordan didn’t get away with stuff.

I’m not saying Jordan didn’t get away with stuff numbnuts. I’m saying he earned his. Jordan played in a better NBA that was less about hype and more about the game. James signed a 90 million dollar deal before playing a single game, and the NBA [and espn, and fox sports, and…] shoves him down our throats at every possible moment. You remember the “crab dribble”? That was a fucking travel and he got called for it. The fact that it got called blew James’ mind 'cause he’s gotten away with whatever he wanted so far and he couldn’t understand how the ref got it right. James can play, and so can Wade, but the NBA’s pushing them so hard 'cause the league took a huge hit in the early 2000’s with the “thugification” of basketball, and these two seemingly wholesome guys can help redeem it. Anyone really think Miami beat Dallas that year, or that Wade really got fouled enough to go to the line more than an entire team? O how about James? This past first round he had shot more ft’s by himself than the Pistons had the entire series. If you can’t see that there’s something shady going on you’re blind.

Jordan fouled Russell for that final shot nobody called shit, the old Pistons got away with a ton of shit. You need to stop being a conspiracy theorist and appreciate the modern game you sound like some old fart who thinks everything old is awesome.[/quote]

Dude, I watched that game live and have see the replay literally a hundred times. Jordan gave Russell a little forearm shiver to create space. Happens 20 times a game in the NBA. When I said “thugification” I was referring to Stern having Iversons tattoees airbrushed off and the league dress code, things of that nature. You need to watch the game and understand what’s really going on. For the record I’m 27 and still play occasionally with current and ex- NBA players.

87

[quote]malonetd wrote:
WhiteFlash wrote:

I see what you’re saying, and pretty much agree aside from I just don’t see the fire necessary to reach that level in James. As you pointed out he has time on his side, just think that “fire” is something you’re born with, and no amount of time will get you it if you weren’t.

On the topic of fire, Jordan’s speech is all about his fire. MJ thought he was the greatest all along. So, any time, anyone doubted him, slighted him, or dissed him, he used that as fuel. He was on a mission to prove those people wrong and show he was the greatest.

Lebron, on the other hand, didn’t have anyone to prove wrong. And he didn’t have to think he was the greatest, everybody already told him he was. He came into the league – a league searching for the “next Jordan” by the way – hailed as the greatest. It was said that he could have been the number one pick after his sophomore year of high school. Meanwhile, MJ isn’t even varsity as a sophomore. Nor was Jordan even the number one, or number two, pick.

I think these things go along way to show the difference in the mental ferocity and drive between Jordan and Lebron. I don’t think the ingredients were there for Lebron to build the same kind of fire Jordan had.[/quote]

Exactly. Had anything happened differently to Jordan he wouldn’t be the player we know. He had a book come out shortly after his retirement from the Bulls where he said" I always felt like I’ve followed a preditemined path, like a mystic road" or something similar. LeBron James can probably make a similar claim, but their paths are very different. I gotta go look for that book. It had some of the coolest pics and stories. Some of the stuff he talked about in the book he mentioned in his acceptance speech, like the tylenol/cyanide analogy. I knew what he was talking about before he finished, haha. I’m a basketball nerd.

88

I know my ball and know what you meant the Thugification, but it had nothing to do with actual play it was all image. The dress code, NBA cares etc… You keep your whacky conspiracy ideas though. I;m sure David Stern was like Hey refs let Lebrin and D wade travel i’m trying to promote an image here.

89

[quote]drewh wrote:
I know my ball and know what you meant the Thugification, but it had nothing to do with actual play it was all image. The dress code, NBA cares etc… You keep your whacky conspiracy ideas though. I;m sure David Stern was like Hey refs let Lebrin and D wade travel i’m trying to promote an image here.[/quote]

That might actually be exactly what he said.Say what you will, the NBA is a business and like any business it cares about money more than anything. During the late 90’s-mid00’s the NBA was losing a lot of money and viewers. Stern felt his league was losing touch with their target consumer. The people who actually go to the games and buy all of the paraphanalia weren’t spending their money as freely during those years, and things like the lockout and offseason trouble with the law further showed how distant the relationship was between player and consumer. Stern wanted to clean up the leagues image. This isn’t conspiracy theories man, Stern has said most of this himself.

90

[quote]WhiteFlash wrote:
Dabba wrote:
Airtruth wrote:
Aragorn wrote:
Reef wrote:
Nikiforos wrote:
waldo21212 wrote:
Michael Jordan = most famous athlete to ever walk the face of the earth. And I liked his speech.

No, not really… one or two soccer players have been more famous if we talk globally IMO. But I would say MJ is the -best- athlete to ever walk the face of the earth.

Mohammad Ali?

Pele, Ali, Jordan. Those are the 3 universal athletes I can think of, although Ali may or may not make the cut in certain parts of the world (SE Asia)

Jordan in his prime was the most famous ever. Sorry but America counts, and pele could’ walked around in many cities in america without getting noticed. Jordan was noticed everywhere when Team USA was big. Ali would’ve been the most famous ever if they had better media, in his prime he is only second to MJ, but half of it is because the muslim community heavily embraced him and is the biggest religion world wide I believe. At least at that time.

Kobe the best one on one player ever??? Get the fuck outta here, Paul Pierce AND Raja Bell proved that theory wrong. Take the blinders off.

Does he have the most offensive weaponry… YES. In terms of the number of moves, YES. Ball handling is not all that but good for a shooting guard, Shot is water except under extreme pressure from taller quicker guys, but shear number of moves probably most ever or tied with Oscar Robertson. One on one, Jordan’s one turn around fade away move way more dependable then all of Kobe’s together.

In Jordan era from '89 to '99 he was the most dominant player. Kobe has NEVER been the most dominant player. Shaq was able to take 3 different teams to the finals he was the most dominant player in the league.

Comparing first 5 years Lebron is having twice as much success as Jordan did, he has the POTENTIAL to be the best ever. How can you question the mental toughness of somebody doing all he’s doing without a pippen. His team would be trash with someone else.

Dwayne wade doesn’t have a chance he’s too short has to play too hard leading to injuries later, but he will be hall of fame.

Ah, so many fallacies in this post…where to begin… Kobe is definitely the best SCORER and offensive player of all time. At least in terms of being able to go on an unstoppable streak. Jordan is an overall better player(as was mentioned), but not even he went on multiple games scoring 50+ points or whatever Kobe did. Kobe HAS been the most dominant player in the league in the past 2-3 years, no doubt. He proved that by winning a championship without Shaq finally. As for LeBron, he is probably the most dominant player physically in the history of the league (besides Shaq…maybe), but in terms of skill he is nowhere near the level of a Jordan or even Kobe right now for that matter. He will get better, but I don’t think his ceiling is limitless like some seem to believe. He has already shown that he doesn’t have the maturity of someone like MJ, but only time will tell how good he will be. Top 10 all time for sure either way. And finally, Dwyane Wade IMO has the best combination of skills, athleticism, leadership, and clutch ability in the league right now. I thought he was on his way to becoming something truly special, but the way he packed it in in the playoffs made me very dissapointed. His size is not an issue because of his wingspan and athletic ability. I have never seen a guard dominate physically the way he does like that ever before. Either way he’ll probably be top 10 IMO. These three guys ARE all that good. They are the Magic, Bird, and MJ of our time and will go down as some of the greatest.

Wade won’t be anywhere near top 10, in my opinion. His long arms and big hands make him appear more athletic than he really is, not to mention the 2 or 3 extra steps he’s allowed… Same goes for James about the steps., and they both can’t get looked at by another player without being sent to the line. When you take someone with James physical gifts and the allow him to make a mockery of the rules you’re basiclly giving him a game genie while everyone else has a regular control-

[/quote]

One thing about Wade that’s different from LeBron is he is actually good at stealing the ball without actually committing a foul. Though he definitely gets away with a lot of stuff, I don’t think he gets nearly as much treatment from the refs as LeBron does. And he’s the most clutch player in the league IMO. That is a key difference between him and LeBron/Kobe.

91

[quote]Dabba wrote:
WhiteFlash wrote:
Dabba wrote:
Airtruth wrote:
Aragorn wrote:
Reef wrote:
Nikiforos wrote:
waldo21212 wrote:
Michael Jordan = most famous athlete to ever walk the face of the earth. And I liked his speech.

No, not really… one or two soccer players have been more famous if we talk globally IMO. But I would say MJ is the -best- athlete to ever walk the face of the earth.

Mohammad Ali?

Pele, Ali, Jordan. Those are the 3 universal athletes I can think of, although Ali may or may not make the cut in certain parts of the world (SE Asia)

Jordan in his prime was the most famous ever. Sorry but America counts, and pele could’ walked around in many cities in america without getting noticed. Jordan was noticed everywhere when Team USA was big. Ali would’ve been the most famous ever if they had better media, in his prime he is only second to MJ, but half of it is because the muslim community heavily embraced him and is the biggest religion world wide I believe. At least at that time.

Kobe the best one on one player ever??? Get the fuck outta here, Paul Pierce AND Raja Bell proved that theory wrong. Take the blinders off.

Does he have the most offensive weaponry… YES. In terms of the number of moves, YES. Ball handling is not all that but good for a shooting guard, Shot is water except under extreme pressure from taller quicker guys, but shear number of moves probably most ever or tied with Oscar Robertson. One on one, Jordan’s one turn around fade away move way more dependable then all of Kobe’s together.

In Jordan era from '89 to '99 he was the most dominant player. Kobe has NEVER been the most dominant player. Shaq was able to take 3 different teams to the finals he was the most dominant player in the league.

Comparing first 5 years Lebron is having twice as much success as Jordan did, he has the POTENTIAL to be the best ever. How can you question the mental toughness of somebody doing all he’s doing without a pippen. His team would be trash with someone else.

Dwayne wade doesn’t have a chance he’s too short has to play too hard leading to injuries later, but he will be hall of fame.

Ah, so many fallacies in this post…where to begin… Kobe is definitely the best SCORER and offensive player of all time. At least in terms of being able to go on an unstoppable streak. Jordan is an overall better player(as was mentioned), but not even he went on multiple games scoring 50+ points or whatever Kobe did. Kobe HAS been the most dominant player in the league in the past 2-3 years, no doubt. He proved that by winning a championship without Shaq finally. As for LeBron, he is probably the most dominant player physically in the history of the league (besides Shaq…maybe), but in terms of skill he is nowhere near the level of a Jordan or even Kobe right now for that matter. He will get better, but I don’t think his ceiling is limitless like some seem to believe. He has already shown that he doesn’t have the maturity of someone like MJ, but only time will tell how good he will be. Top 10 all time for sure either way. And finally, Dwyane Wade IMO has the best combination of skills, athleticism, leadership, and clutch ability in the league right now. I thought he was on his way to becoming something truly special, but the way he packed it in in the playoffs made me very dissapointed. His size is not an issue because of his wingspan and athletic ability. I have never seen a guard dominate physically the way he does like that ever before. Either way he’ll probably be top 10 IMO. These three guys ARE all that good. They are the Magic, Bird, and MJ of our time and will go down as some of the greatest.

Wade won’t be anywhere near top 10, in my opinion. His long arms and big hands make him appear more athletic than he really is, not to mention the 2 or 3 extra steps he’s allowed… Same goes for James about the steps., and they both can’t get looked at by another player without being sent to the line. When you take someone with James physical gifts and the allow him to make a mockery of the rules you’re basiclly giving him a game genie while everyone else has a regular control-

One thing about Wade that’s different from LeBron is he is actually good at stealing the ball without actually committing a foul. Though he definitely gets away with a lot of stuff, I don’t think he gets nearly as much treatment from the refs as LeBron does. And he’s the most clutch player in the league IMO. That is a key difference between him and LeBron/Kobe.[/quote]

Are you kidding me? Wade is definitely clutch, but there’s no one playing basketball anywhere that I’d want with the ball in his hands at the end of the game other than Bryant.

92

In America its all about individualism. The remember the garbage on ESPN this year in the playoffs where Stu Scott and the NBA crew would just go on and on about LeBron James. When he sunk that last second shot in one of the games against the Magic they couldn’t help saying how “dominant” and “great” he was.

Then, when the Cavs lost to the Magic they didn’t know what to say. Their next move was Dwight vs. Kobe; OMG. Dwight is a low post presence, Dwight is this, Dwight is that. How do ‘they’ stop Kobe, double team, Lewis or the dude with the face mask?

Fuck, basketball is a team sport. The thing about the NBA is that its all about marketing now and creating new brands like LeBron, like Wade. The last glimmer of team emphasis is the Big 3 in San Antonio and the rat pack in Boston. There ain’t even anymore duos. Its gotta be that one guy taking “HIS” team to the finals. Euro ball, its a bit different, although they are trying to commercialize that market with individual superstars now too.

The European style was emphasized when the USA was getting fucked the last couple of years at the World Champs and Olympics. And it wins championships. Look the Spurs over the decade and the Celtics last year. Basically GMs have to build the team not get that single player. The sports media, for all they are worth should analyze the team game 'cuse thats y basketball is beautiful.

93

Man, I know this thread is about Jordan but I just remembered that my friend pisses me off with his Dirk Nowitzki nuthuggery; of course, he is from Texas. Motherfucker claims that Dirk is one of the best in the league. Next time he says that I will deck him.

94

Touche whiteflash, touche: on the lebron mockery and the wadeathon from a couple of years back, absolutely correct. With that said, lebron and wade are definitely good players, but nobody does it “legitimately” like jordan and Kobe.

95

I liked his speech. When you’re that good, you get to say whatever you want.

On the other hand, I could probably argue with him about nutrition…

96

MJ changed the way the game was played. That is the mark of greatness in any sport. He changed the way the game was played.

Detroit had the Jordan Rules. Basically: Every guard MJ. Don’t let him get the ball, make a shot, make a lay up. Just stop him !

On a personal note, I was going through some really bad shit during his early championship years with the Bulls. I used to watch him play ball and this helped me escape from the nonsense happening in my life at the time. Michael Jordan, Basketball and the Iron all helped me get through the hardest period of my life.

A great speech from a great great man.

97

[quote]PonceDeLeon wrote:
Man, I know this thread is about Jordan but I just remembered that my friend pisses me off with his Dirk Nowitzki nuthuggery; of course, he is from Texas. Motherfucker claims that Dirk is one of the best in the league. Next time he says that I will deck him.[/quote]

I’d say he is, but not quite on that elite level. He’s on the second tier of greats in the game today. If he had more heart he’d be better.

98

[quote]belligerent wrote:
I liked his speech. When you’re that good, you get to say whatever you want.

On the other hand, I could probably argue with him about nutrition…

- YouTube [/quote]

WTF? Don’t be a douche. He said eat a lot. What is there to add?

99

and the fighter ron artest said the best player he has played against is brandon roy…

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[quote]Dabba wrote:
Airtruth wrote:
Aragorn wrote:
Reef wrote:
Nikiforos wrote:
waldo21212 wrote:
Michael Jordan = most famous athlete to ever walk the face of the earth. And I liked his speech.

No, not really… one or two soccer players have been more famous if we talk globally IMO. But I would say MJ is the -best- athlete to ever walk the face of the earth.

Mohammad Ali?

Pele, Ali, Jordan. Those are the 3 universal athletes I can think of, although Ali may or may not make the cut in certain parts of the world (SE Asia)

Jordan in his prime was the most famous ever. Sorry but America counts, and pele could’ walked around in many cities in america without getting noticed. Jordan was noticed everywhere when Team USA was big. Ali would’ve been the most famous ever if they had better media, in his prime he is only second to MJ, but half of it is because the muslim community heavily embraced him and is the biggest religion world wide I believe. At least at that time.

Kobe the best one on one player ever??? Get the fuck outta here, Paul Pierce AND Raja Bell proved that theory wrong. Take the blinders off.

Does he have the most offensive weaponry… YES. In terms of the number of moves, YES. Ball handling is not all that but good for a shooting guard, Shot is water except under extreme pressure from taller quicker guys, but shear number of moves probably most ever or tied with Oscar Robertson. One on one, Jordan’s one turn around fade away move way more dependable then all of Kobe’s together.

In Jordan era from '89 to '99 he was the most dominant player. Kobe has NEVER been the most dominant player. Shaq was able to take 3 different teams to the finals he was the most dominant player in the league.

Comparing first 5 years Lebron is having twice as much success as Jordan did, he has the POTENTIAL to be the best ever. How can you question the mental toughness of somebody doing all he’s doing without a pippen. His team would be trash with someone else.

Dwayne wade doesn’t have a chance he’s too short has to play too hard leading to injuries later, but he will be hall of fame.

Ah, so many fallacies in this post…where to begin… Kobe is definitely the best SCORER and offensive player of all time. At least in terms of being able to go on an unstoppable streak. Jordan is an overall better player(as was mentioned), but not even he went on multiple games scoring 50+ points or whatever Kobe did. Kobe HAS been the most dominant player in the league in the past 2-3 years, no doubt. He proved that by winning a championship without Shaq finally. As for LeBron, he is probably the most dominant player physically in the history of the league (besides Shaq…maybe), but in terms of skill he is nowhere near the level of a Jordan or even Kobe right now for that matter. He will get better, but I don’t think his ceiling is limitless like some seem to believe. He has already shown that he doesn’t have the maturity of someone like MJ, but only time will tell how good he will be. Top 10 all time for sure either way. And finally, Dwyane Wade IMO has the best combination of skills, athleticism, leadership, and clutch ability in the league right now. I thought he was on his way to becoming something truly special, but the way he packed it in in the playoffs made me very dissapointed. His size is not an issue because of his wingspan and athletic ability. I have never seen a guard dominate physically the way he does like that ever before. Either way he’ll probably be top 10 IMO. These three guys ARE all that good. They are the Magic, Bird, and MJ of our time and will go down as some of the greatest.
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Are you and whiteflash fucking kidding me? When you score you get something called a point. This issue is solved pretty fucking easy, Jordan averaged 37. points for an ENTIRE YEAR. Kobe never has and never will accomplish that. Jordan did it when hand checking was allowed and fights were 1 game suspensions. How is someone a better scorer when they can’t even get within 7 points a game of his average.

Flash Kobe got ONE ring in the last 3 years how the fuck is he the most dominant in the last 2-3 years? what kind of math is 1 = 2?

Big O did it for 10 years, go look at the avg height of the NBA back then and tell me if it was 5’10. The info is everywhere, saying Kobe is the best scorer is like comparing your favorite color to stats.