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What position(s) is more important to win an NBA Championship? PG or PF/C

Discussion in 'NBA Dish' started by ebatinga, Oct 15, 2010.

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  1. ebatinga

    ebatinga Member

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    Let me begin by saying I did not include SG or SF in my question just because I know how important that position is to win (aka Kobe, Jordan) and while I'm not discounting the importance of the wing position, I was wondering what position would be MORE important when comparing the point guard position and the big man position (power forward and/or center).

    I thought to myself, when was the last time a GREAT point guard actually led his team to a championship in recent since the early 1990's and I can't think of one point guard who actually led his team to a championship (NOTE: my discussion does not include wing players). Sure you could say that Tony Parker helped with SA, but he had Duncan (and wing player Manu), Rajon with Boston, but he had Garnett (and Pierce) and Chauncy with Detroit, but he had Rip and Prince.

    If you were to look at it (I don't have statistics, so I'm basing my assumption off what I've seen and some logic) I don't think a lot of those teams (Not including the Bulls w/ Jordan) and (Kobe with the Lakers), that the big man appears to be more important.

    Even with Kobe, the first set of championships, he had Shaq and the recent ones, he has Pau. I'm not discounting that Kobe is not great because he can arguably go down as the best player not named Jordan, but you have to think of how the big man in Shaq and Pau made things so much easier for him to score and take over big games. Even when Wade won, he had Shaq making things easier for him.

    That's why I think the big man is more important than the pg in terms of a potential championship. I know there are exceptions to the rule, but I'm talking about from a general standpoint.

    Thoughts?
     
    #1 ebatinga, Oct 15, 2010
    1 person likes this.
  2. ebatinga

    ebatinga Member

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    FIXED: I don't think a lot of those teams would have been as successful in winning a champions(Not including the Bulls w/ Jordan) and (Kobe with the Lakers), so it seems that.....
     
    #2 ebatinga, Oct 15, 2010
  3. BrooksBall

    BrooksBall Contributing Member

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    I created a very similar topic a few months ago but included the wing positions and phrased my question differently.

    http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?t=185946

    I very much agree with your theory. I think that the importance of the PG position is vastly overrated by a lot of fans, even with the current set of defensive rules.
     
    #3 BrooksBall, Oct 15, 2010
  4. rockets934life

    rockets934life Contributing Member

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    Power Foward/Center...the only team that has been able to win a title without a dominant big man in the last 20 years were the Bulls and well...they had the greatest of all time at the SG position.

    Rox - Dream
    Spurs - Duncan/Robinson
    Lakers - Shaq/Gasol/Healthy Bynum
    Pistons - Rasheed/Ben
    Heat - Shaq
    Celtics - Garnett
     
    #4 rockets934life, Oct 15, 2010
  5. johnstarks

    johnstarks Member

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    This is it. You need a two way low post presence to win if you don't have the services of the GOAT. End discussion. Lock this thread up...
     
    #5 johnstarks, Oct 15, 2010
  6. Steve_Francis_rules

    Steve_Francis_rules Member

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    Who is the last point guard to lead a team to a championship? Isiah Thomas?

    I think this is a pretty easy question.
     
    #6 Steve_Francis_rules, Oct 15, 2010
  7. MiracleShot

    MiracleShot Member

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    Fixed :grin: :grin:
     
    #7 MiracleShot, Oct 15, 2010
  8. RV6

    RV6 Contributing Member

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    PF/C, because these guys do a lot more to contribute and it's hard for other positions to pick up the slack in these areas( mainly rebounding/blocks), if their PF/C sucks.

    At the PG position, you can definitely make up for ther scoring, rebounding, shooting, steals, etc....the assists part is the hard one, but is easier to replace with a good offense or a Kobe/MJ who your offense is running through.
     
    #8 RV6, Oct 15, 2010
  9. DaDakota

    DaDakota If you want to know, just ask!

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    I don't think it matters.

    Magic and Isaih led from the PG spot.
    MJ led from the SG spot
    Bird led from the SF/PF spot
    Hakeem led from the C spot.

    There is more than one way to skin a cat.

    Now that being said, I think the new rules favor the perimeter players....so....maybe it has skewed more towards PG and SG/SF.

    DD
     
    #9 DaDakota, Oct 15, 2010
  10. YaoZow

    YaoZow Member

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    I think it's about talent more than anything about a specific position.

    You have to have serviceable players at all positions to win.

    Like you can say Kobe is winning now because he has Pau. But you could also say Kobe was losing before because Kwame Brown, Smush Parker & Luke Walton were starters. Only Lamar Odom was a decent player outside of Kobe. You can't win with that.

    Celtics of 2008 had 3 All Stars +1 Rondo + 1 Perkins

    Spurs had Duncan, Manu, Tony Parker, so they had it fully covered.

    Detroit Pistons had 4 All Stars.

    3 Peat Lakers had two legit Superstars (Shaq/Kobe)

    Jordan had crappy Centers (Wennington, Longley), but great dudes at the other positions (Rodman, Kukoc, Pippen, Kerr)

    Hakeem had an A Lister in Clyde + solid dudes like Kenny, Horry, Cassell
     
    #10 YaoZow, Oct 15, 2010
  11. Francis 4 ever

    Francis 4 ever Member

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    The scoring can come from anywhere, but the a interrior defensive player is a must. I can't think of a single champion without a dominant force down low defensively.


    Hell I'm hard pressed to think of a conference champ without one. maybe that dallas team
     
    #11 Francis 4 ever, Oct 15, 2010
  12. REEKO_HTOWN

    REEKO_HTOWN I'm Rich Biiiiaaatch!

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    Big men win rings.

    Kobe had a ton of help from Gasol.

    Garnett, Shaq, Duncan.

    The playoff become a half court game and Big Men rule the half court.
     
    #12 REEKO_HTOWN, Oct 15, 2010
  13. JayGoogle

    JayGoogle Member

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    Pretty much. No one way to win a title.

    Also how can we say big men only win titles? Duncan had Parker and Manu. WE can't just toss them aside.

    Also Billups was a big reason for his championship in Detroit.

    It's really more about how much talent you have on top of team chemistry.
     
    #13 JayGoogle, Oct 15, 2010
  14. rockets934life

    rockets934life Contributing Member

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    Duncan/Robinson won a title without Manu/Parker, until those two win it without Duncan...

    The Pistons were nice but didn't become legit till they traded for Rasheed.

    Shaq left the Lakers and they became also rans and the Heat won a title with a healthy Shaq, they were 1st rd poop without him being healthy.

    Kobe was, as mentioned above, an also ran till Gasol and then Bynum came aboard.
     
    #14 rockets934life, Oct 15, 2010
  15. txppratt

    txppratt Contributing Member

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    like DD said, you can win with all different kinds of team. in the past, players from every position have led their team to an NBA championship.

    having said that... i agree with you that skilled big men are harder to come by than a PG. i would say having an excellent PF/C gives you a greater edge overall in the NBA.

    the taller and more skilled you are, the more rare your talent is... and the greater the advantage for the team you are on.
     
    #15 txppratt, Oct 16, 2010
  16. TriumVirate

    TriumVirate Member

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    Bill Russell.
     
    #16 TriumVirate, Oct 16, 2010
  17. Dave_78

    Dave_78 Member

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    PF/Center mostly for defensive reasons.
     
    #17 Dave_78, Oct 16, 2010
  18. napalm06

    napalm06 Huge Flopping Fan

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    Every team that has ever won a championship has had players playing all 5 positions.
     
    #18 napalm06, Oct 16, 2010
  19. Lynus302

    Lynus302 Contributing Member

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    You cannot discount the importance of Ho Grant and Rodman to the Bulls two three-peats.

    The "Bad Boy" Pistons had Rodman and Bill Laimbeer.

    Even PG Magic Johnson jumped center his rookie year in the finals (Kareem was hurt) and dumped 40+ on whoever it was they were playing.

    Point is: you don't win without a big man, period.
     
    #19 Lynus302, Oct 16, 2010
  20. danoman

    danoman Contributing Member

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    Quality big men
     
    #20 danoman, Oct 16, 2010
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