Good post. GP was a stud on both sides of the court, AI carried his team to the Finals and KJ could hit you for 40 while still getting 10 a game. Too bad he ran into MJ and Dream. Although I hate Stockton please never compare Nash to him. Nash plays no D. Stockton is the all-time leader in assista and steals.
he is equal to mark price but not up to KJ nash hasn't even made a finals appearance and should not be mentioned with Magic,stockton,kidd, gary payton...their primes were longer and were not defensive liabilities.
First of all, I'll be SHOCKED if Kobe doesn't win MVP. That 81 point game should have clenched it. I don't see Nash winning another MVP this year. Second, I put Nash well behind Stockton. WELL BEHIND. In fact, I even put him behind Gary Payton and perhaps even Jason Kidd. You just can't crack the list of all-time greats with a couple great seasons. If that were the case, guys like David Thompson or Shawn Kemp would be among the all-time greats. Remember, Ken Caminiti once won MVP of the national league. Where is his place in baseball history now? It takes a full career. Not just a season or two.
Wonder what Payton, KJ, Stockton, etc. would look like with no hand-checking. I think the combination of new rules and a Loyola Marymount-style offense has really helped his game. Career averages of 13 points and 7 assists just aren't that good.
Also guys like Rod Strickland and Tim Hardaway, as well as KJ, could get to the basket at will in their day. Wonder what they would be like today.
You will be shocked if a guy on a 7th or 8th place team doesn't win the MVP? Really? I would be shocked if Kobe was in the top three in MVP voting. When was the last time the MVP didn't come from a team that was at least 2nd in their division? Has it ever happened?
Yes, I will, because if he wasn't on the team they'd likely be in dead last. Before the season, most people didn't think the Lakers stood any chance of making the playoffs with their current squad. Kobe is taking them there. Well, it definitely hasn't happened since I've been watching basketball, but Moses Malone did win the MVP in 81-82 when the Rockets barely squeaked into the playoffs. (they were actually tied for second in their division) But my question is when was the last time somebody scored 81 points in a single game? We all know the answer because it's only been done once before, when Wilt Chamberlain went for 100. As much as I hate Kobe Bryant, I can't overlook the fact he's carrying one of the worst squads in professional basketball to the playoffs and breaking record after record along the way.
Well, I suppose the 81 points doesn't constitute a record since it isn't the highest, unless we invent a record like "Most points scored by a guard", but nonetheless it's the second most points scored in a game in NBA history. I also seem to remember hearing that he broke the record for consecutive 40 point games this season, but that's from my memory and could be wrong. But even if I'm ENTIRELY wrong and he hasn't broken a single record this season, he's still doing things even Michael Jordan never did.
in the mavericks game where he scored 62, he was possibly the first person to ever outscore an entire team for 3 quarters. i've never heard it confirmed, but considering scoring back in the day, and the fact no one brought up a time it happened recently, it's probably true. not really a record, but something never done before. it would be like kenny smith guarding him every game.
Wilt did not win the MVP that year either, Bill Russell did with his team in first and the Stilt's team in second in the East and Wilt averaged 50 ppg that year, which Kobe won't sniff.
I was watching the NBA TV game night and they flashed the all-time assist per game average leaders, it was something like magic, stocton, isiah, then k.j., kidd may have been before k.j. I love what nash has done this year and last, he's fun to watch and if he had done it his entire career, he might be a hofer but he just hasn't done it long enough. funny this thread popped up when it did, Nash got blanked last night. I know I've never seen an mvp who could be held to blank in the scoring column.
We have a winner. I think he has a maximum of one more dorminant year left in him and that my friends is likely only good enough to be remembered as the greatest Canadian ever.... I do not see him winning any NBA championshion either unless he finishes his career as a Rocket as our 2nd or 3rd string PG after his Suns contract run out.
That's not true. A lot of people thought the Lakers would make the playoffs, with Phil Jackson returning as coach. Also, people forget, the Lakers were on pace to get into the playoffs through most of last season but were hit bad with injuries right after RudyT stepped down and then they fell a part. Really, the Lakers are not significantly improved over what they were doing last season when Rudy was coaching them (in terms of win/loss record, at least). So, no, I don't think they've overachieved at all. That's not to say that Kobe isn't play spectacular this season. He's arguably been the best player in the league, and certainly that was the case in January. He'll get some votes because of that, but he really has no realistic shot of actually winning the MVP. It looks like it will be Nash again, and Nowitzki, Billups, Wade, and LeBron will all probably finish ahead of Kobe in the voting.
Nash ~ Billups at worst or best. Though Billups was a bust as a celtic and Nugget, he righted the ship in Motown. He has enjoyed a descent average as a Piston including a ring and finals MVP.
