I'd like to think I have a pretty solid record myself.. I guess I'll start keeping count after tonight. I have Heat, Denver, and Rockets
Do you really believe Isiah Thomas or Iverson thought they were the toughest guys on their teams??? Most gifted, talented, and best... no doubt, toughest? really? With teammates like Rick Mahorn, Rodman, Laimbeer, Dumars, Sally, Dantly, Aaron Mckie, Dikembe Mutombo, Eric Snow Raja Bell etc?
Should never doubt LeBron. Always coasts until it starts getting out of hand. Then he'll put up monster stats.
Depends what you mean by toughest. I'm not talking about "in a fight". Thomas and Iverson were two of the toughest guys when it came to taking hits, playing through injuries, and giving it all to win. Chris Paul is the same way.
I meant it in the way Charles Barkley referenced it, which was what you yourself was replying to. And to be clear, that is in terms of, playing rough, intimidation, taking and dishing out hits, enforcing the game physically mentally, backing up teammates and if it comes to it, fighting.
Did you just say Chris Paul takes hits? Chris Paul? the human flop machine Chris Paul? No one here would ever accuse Harden of being "tough", Chris Paul is an amazing player, but tough he is not.
Also I disagree with Barkley about his CP3 comment, not saying he's totally wrong, but that in todays NBA, it just isn't as important and also that having CP3 as your toughest guy isnt that bad, as he is one tough minded individual.
Well that doesn't make any sense because that doesn't describe Paul at all. He is mentally tough and fearless attacking (just like Iverson and Isiah), but he's not dishing out hits or fighting.
Look at the difference between how we played Paul and how the Heat are playing him. They are aggressively doubling him. McHale expected Lin to defend Paul by himself.
I actually think it describes him well. When i watch the clippers, the CP3 is the player thats in the face of the opponent, the one talking trash, the one yelling at the opponent as well as his teammates, hes the one "getting into it". IMO cp3 is definitely the toughest, most confrontational, bulldog player on the clippers. Those are all good traits to me.
And all I'm saying is that two time champion Isiah Thomas was the same exact player as Paul. He was the undisputed vocal leader of the Pistons and absolutely fearless. That he had tough guys backing him up doesn't change a thing, because Thomas was the toughest (in the basketball sense) player on those teams.
I think teams need to defend CP3 like how Detroit/Spurs use to defend Prime MVP Nash. First by guarding him with a bigger/athletic player, then more importantly, by going to hard traps in the 4th quarter or end of quarters.
