That's a valid point. I like ALL the players from the time when I was in high school and college. There is something about becoming a fan of a player at the same time you are becoming a fan of the game that can amplify your perception. Still, true greatness like Magic's shines through. Kobe (who picked Magic as one of his top 5 players), Shaq, Tim Duncan, Lebron - all those guys hit their career strides after work and life obligations made me tone down my fandom, after "my formative years" as you put it. But their greatness is still obvious, no matter what your favorite era.
Paul is a great point guard Magic is a legend Not a slight to Paul...he is a phenomenal point guard, but Magic is the GOAT at that position
CP3's advanced stats are INSANE. I understand the love for Zeke, but there really is no statistical comparison between them, at all. The only PGs who come close to CP3 are Stockton and Nash, each of whom had the bizarre ability like CP3 to be one of the league leaders in TS% despite being a PG. These are the only PGs who have ever been able to do that. CP3 is comparable to Stockton in steals, equal to Stockton and Nash in passing, and then far far better in creating his own shot. Zeke could create a shot too but he just didn't shoot as well as CP3. That being said, Magic is obviously better. CP3 is the best pure PG of all time. But Magic transcended positions.
How can you say CP3 is more of a pure PG than Magic. Magic averages 11 assists per game for a career and has every single game assist record imaginable. Magic directed traffic better than anyone. BTW, Magic had a better TS% than Paul and averaged more assists with half the usage and assist percentage. In other words, Magic did what he did without dominating the ball. Paul's numbers are crazy inflated because he has the ball in his hands 80 percent of the time.
Ok I forgot Magic also had an awesome TS%. I don't think it's fair to compare raw assist numbers. It was a much much faster game in the 80s. IMO a better gauge is A/TO ratio. Magic was at nearly 3:1 for his career. But Paul is over 4:1. That is ludicrous. In fact it's even more difficult when you dominate the ball like Paul does. Virtually every high usage player has a diminished A/TO player because defenses key in on them. But Paul has the best A/TO in history despite this. But let me repeat, of course I would take Magic over Paul. He is an impossible matchup that contributed in every facet of the game. Paul is great, but he is too small to contribute to the tasks of the big fellas.
Ask me again when Paul can carry his team to championship without having the ball in his hand for over 80% of the game. There is just no way anyone can choose CP3 if they have watched Magic played.
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Great question! I'm scratching my head wondering why Magic didn't get 100%. Chris Paul is a great point guard, but he's no Magic Johnson.
I'm 22 so its not like I watched Magic play live. But its the same way i got used to Hakeem, watching hardwood classics and clips on NBAtv. I can even admit that the greatest era of basketball was one I never saw, the 80s. The league is like charmin soft compared to those days, the Pistons were a group of Ron Artest badboys and the Celtics, Lakers, and sixers were no laughing matter either.
The ruthless defensive oriented NBA of the 80's where teams averaged 120 points a night (without taking many 3's) and the best era-defining defensive teams put up numbers that would make Tom Thibodeaux piss his pants with laughter (true story - Tom Thibodeaux hasn't laughed or urinated since 1977). I hear it was legal to murder a man on defense back then, which is why there were so many fast breaks!
