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Payton : "Stockton is the hardest person I ever had to guard"

Discussion in 'NBA Dish' started by RV6, Sep 3, 2013.

  1. sugrlndkid

    sugrlndkid Member

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    Considering that Stockton played against the Glove 4 times a season and MJ mightve played GP only twice, i dont think it is a stretch to say that the Glove didnt have as many games heads-up vs MJ. Stockton was terrific ball handler, and really knew how to keep the dribble alive.

    I think Stockton was a great, even though i hate his guts as a Rockets fan...but Come on man...

    MJ offensive ability >>>>>> Stockton
     
  2. SF3isBack!!

    SF3isBack!! Member

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    You know the world has gone to hell, when Lady Gaga is complaining about Miley Cirus being unclassy and there is a serious discussion about John Stockton being harder to guard than Michael Jordan. Someone suggested that Stockton was even "Smarter" than Jordan and that Jordan was just a "Flashy" player. People have lost there ever loving minds. If you think that this wasn't something to take one last dig at a guy who destryed almost everyone's hopes for a title in the 90's during there prime, you are insane. Im a Rockets fan and I didn't even like the Bulls then but I have eyes.
     
  3. Shaud

    Shaud Member

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    It's not rally crazy and it's his opinion on who was harder for HIM to guard. Considering you're not Gary Payton you can't even prove him wrong.
     
  4. AXG

    AXG Member

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    Stockton was difficult to guard because he'd flop and annoy the heck out of everyone
     
  5. ILoveWhiteGirls

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    [​IMG]
     
  6. JBar

    JBar Rookie

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    Look, I think MJ was the better offensive player. But was it absolutely insane of the Glove as a point guard to say that? Jordan has the 14th highest career offensive rating; Stockton has the fourth.
     
  7. heypartner

    heypartner Contributing Member

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    Yeah, and Kiki Vandeghe is #5 by that stat, too.

    I'm still trying to understand his comment. But, Payton did not say Stockton was a better offensive player. He said he was a tougher match-up for him personally, no?
     
  8. Dairy Ashford

    Dairy Ashford Member

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    Maybe it's like any old Run-N-Shoot articles where all the DBs said they hated covering it; but people like Belichick said "we just found new ways to get to the quarterback." George Karl would probably provide contrasting views based on having to contain the Jazz altogether as opposed to just Stockton.
     
  9. PhiSlammaJamma

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    Hornacek was tougher to guard than Stockton. The glove has lost his mind. Jordan would light him up.
     
  10. Shaud

    Shaud Member

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    http://dimemag.com/2013/04/we-reminisce-when-gary-payton-put-the-clamps-on-michael-jordan-in-the-nba-finals/

    Karl gave Payton the 1on1 assignment on Jordan beginning Game 4. Jordan's production once guarded by Payton:

    Gm4: 6-19 FGs, 23 pts, 3 reb, 2 ast, 4 tos
    Gm5: 11-22 FGs, 26 pts, 4 reb, 1 ast, 2 tos
    Gm6: 5-19 FGs, 22 pts, 9 reb, 7 ast, 5 tos

    Saw this posted on Real Gm
     
  11. Dr of Dunk

    Dr of Dunk Clutch Crew

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    Payton is one of the most complete and underrated basketball players ever. He's basically Deron Williams with elite defense thrown in. Why he could get into other players' heads is basically because on the offensive end, he could score on you while talking trash and when you ran to the other end of the court looking for payback, he's still talking trash and shutting your game down. He'd destroy people mentally. It's one reason I'd cringe most of the time Kenny Smith played against elite defenders like Payton or Derek Harper.

    Stockton was great because, yeah, he was fundamentally sound, but that damn low dribble he was able to control the ball with was insane. He could shift directions at full-speed and be by you while you tried to think about how to get at the ball.

    I have to agree with Payton. Payton was the better all-around player athletically and possibly skill-wise, but for some reason Stockton was just the guy you couldn't stop from doing whatever he wanted offensively. If you designed a PG, Stockton was it. And I think Stockton, just like Payton, was underrated offensively. I really believe Stockton could've been a better offensive weapon if he wanted to be one, but he was the true "pure point guard".
     
  12. JBar

    JBar Rookie

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    I personally think MJ was the hardest person to guard ever. However, I think people don't truly understand how great an offensive player Stockton was. His true shooting percentage (career no. 10) was 39 points higher than Jordan's (both would have had much higher TS% playing with today's hand check rules), and he did that while leading the league in assist percentage almost every year he played (career no. 1) and still scoring 14.9 per 36. Both Jordan and Stockton were absolute offensive beasts.

    Someone said Hornachek was harder to guard. Now that truly was absurd.
     
  13. Ottomaton

    Ottomaton Contributing Member
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    Jordan was the best in the league because he was the best athlete in the league by a wide margin. Of course the other things going for him like a pathological need to compete and win, but the core of his greatness was his athleticism.

    Gary Payton was the closest thing out there to being Jordan's physical/athletic equal. That is why he can say this without sounding totally absurd.
     
  14. markusbrutus

    markusbrutus Member

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    IMO, All the glove was saying was that since MJ talked back, he could play mind games with him and sort of read MJ's next moves. It made his job a lot easier. This was not saying that he could have stopped MJ in every single play, again it's just that it just made his job EASIER.

    Stockton on the other hand just went about in his usual silence and did plays no matter what Gary did. Now, for a trash talker like Gary, this would be a hard hit on his ego.

    Trashtalking was really meant as a sort of mindgame/psy-war tactic for the trash talkers, but if you're trashtalking someone who doesn't react like Stockton and still did a good job, you'd be looking like a fool. It's like talking trash to a wall, and ramming your shoulders against it in the hopes of breaking it down. In the end, the wall is still up, you hurt your shoulders, and you wasted noting but your saliva talking trash.
     

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