Old School Vs. Current Crew (BBall Related)
Rockadelic
Out Digging 13,993 Posts
Lebron JamesKobe BryantShaqKevin GarnettTim DuncanSteve NashBen WallaceDirk NowitzkiVS.MagicBirdKareemMJKarl MaloneHakeem OlajuwanIsaiah ThomasDr. JWho wins and why???
Comments
No squad in history, 50s, 60s, 70s or present is gonna top that Bird-Magic-Jordan dream team you listed above.
Magic
Bird
Kareem
MJ
Karl Malone
Hakeem Olajuwan
Isaiah Thomas
Dr. J
One word: Class
Old School
one word: matchups.
and as any real head knows, the pro game is all about matchups.
Lebron vs. MJ = even
Kobe vs. MJ = MJ
Shaq vs. Hakeem = Hakeem(only because shaq would get in foul trouble)
Garnett vs. Malone = Garnett
Duncan vs. Kareem = even
Nash vs. Isaiah = Isaiah
Wallace vs. Dr. J = come on, does Wallace warrant being on this list?
Dirk vs. Bird = Dirk
so, 4 vs. 2 to the old school.
R**h, $700 in the first three days of opening the store. I need your records. I'm trying to get N***h*n a gig down here in the next two weeks so he can bring his records. Would you be open to giving yours to him? Would save me a trip to DFW. Let me know.
AI?? d-wade?? Charles Barkley????
i dont think Lebron is ready for Jordan yet defensively. young MJ was quick and the old MJ was just too cerebral. kobe has taken a step back in my book for his 0/4 second half in a GAME 7 thingy. not even the Wizards jordan would have laid down like that. 35ppg/$137 mill. you have to shoot.
COSIGN TO THE HIGHEST DEGREE.
Bird was too intelligent of a plyer to let Dirk get the best of him.
Magic
Bird
Kareem
MJ
Karl Malone
Hakeem Olajuwan
Isaiah Thomas
Dr. J
VS.
Wilt
Bill Russell
Elgin Baylor
Jerry West
Oscar Robertson
Elvin Hayes
Bob Cousy
Rick Barry
This is a joke right?
Here's my take(aka: my attempt to liven up this thread)
Wilt just destroys Hakeem. Chamberlain is probably the only player in NBA history that could truly push Shaq around. He was incredibly strong and possible one of the 5 greatest athletes of the last 100 years. Advantage 50's/60's.
Bill Russell vs. Kareem is a very interesting match-up. The unstoppable offense vs. the games best all-time defender. Russell is fundamentally sound and as methodical as Tim Duncan is today. He was the only one that could stop Wilt but the sky-hook may have been unstoppable. Advantage 70's/80's
Elgin Baylor vs. Dr J. This match-up totally depends on what rules we're gonna use. If we use Pre-Dr. J rules where they actually would call a player for taking two steps then Elgin kicks Julius's ass in every facet of the game. If Doc can travel as they let him do in the ABA(and later in the NBA which they needed to build up the leagues popularity)then Advantage Erving.
Jerry West vs. Magic Jerry West was a great player. Clutch like a mofo and smarter than most folks who have ever played the game. But Magic's height and talent win this match-up hands down. Advantage 70's/80's.
Oscar Robertson vs. Michael Jordan This may be the toughest match-up of all. MJ may be the greatest under 6:9 player ever......The Big "O" may be second. Robertson actually AVERAGED a triple double for an entire season...not once but 3 times!!! In the '61-'62 season his numbers were 12.4 Rebounds, 11.3 Assists and 30.1 Points a game. Truly mind-boggling. And this was before the 3-pointer existed. I'm gonna give the advantage to MJ but it's not by a landslide like a lot of people might think.
Elvin Hayes vs. Karl Malone - Hayes was much more athletic and his offense was more well rounded. Malone averaged 25Pts and 10 Rbs while The Big E went for 21 Pts and 12.5 Rebounds. If I had picked Moses malone for this team instead of Karl I would give it to Moses, but this match-up goes to Elvin.
Bob Cousy vs. Isaiah Thomas - Cousy played so long ago that very few people remember him or saw him play as NBA didn't really make it big on TV until the mid-late 60's. Cousy was the prototype for Pete Maravich. He basically invented the behind the back and no-look passes. Didn't play during the real athletic days of the NBA but one of the few from that era that could play in todays NBA. Isaiah was good and could score 20 in a quarter like few others but this one goes to the under-rated white boy.
Rick Barry vs. Larry Bird....Both good shooters and both deadly at the free throw line. Bird was by far the better all around player and his brain outplayed his limited athletic abilities. Bird would beat you any way possible, Barry would bitch to the refs. Advantage 70's/80's
OK so who wins.....
Pretty simple...
If we have the 3-Point line and the refs call the game via post 1978 rules the 70's/80's team wins.
If there is no 3 Point line and the refs call the game via 50's/60's rules then Wilt and the Boys kick ass and take numbers.
but many (not all) old school players have the fundamentals game on lock.
generally speaking, i'd say:
individually = new school
collectively = old school
Where most player's and analyst's focus is on:
"We shot 50% and had only six turnovers in the first half and were down 21. It's hard to explain that." -Lebron James after 113-86 loss to Detroit
stop trying to be a basketball expert!
There is no question that when it comes to athleticism and spectacular plays in the NBA, right now is the GOLDEN AGE. You've got some of the greatest one-on-one players, dunkers, leapers, etc. of all time playing the game right now. You've got some great fundamentally sound and cerebral players right now too, with Tim Duncan leading the pack in that regard I'd say. But to me, those Olympic losses illustrates so plainly what's wrong with today's NBA players, as talented as they may be. That last Olympic squad had WAAAAAAAAAAAY more natural talent than any of those other countries, yet they got their asses handed to them. Same thing would happen if you put that '92 Dream Team up against ANY team of today's top stars you want to throw together. It's all up here...
no doubt. Barcelona was the only real "Dream Team" cuz you basically had a hall-of-fame starting lineup, that would distribute the rock amongst themselves, and a hall-of-fame bench. by any generation's standards. I mean they'd DESTROY opponents by 50-60 pts in the prelims, then win it in the championship game by like 25.
ever since i started watching closely since the early 90s, the game has definitely changed. i get the impression that a lot of players now though are looking for $$$$$ first and foremost (boost your stats, get a fatter paycheck), before glory. i don't blame 'em, but the games have definitely changed. look at all the sponsors, endorsement deals, and all the other perks that come along with being a professional in one of the fastest growing sports in the world!
some years ago, i was actually CRUSHED when Phoenix lost a game 7 to Chicago. when paxson hit a three in the closing seconds, and grant got a block against kevin johnson, i remember that shit like it was yesterday. hahahaha. but i NEVER hated the Bulls either.
i got sidetracked there, down memory lane, but you get the point. i was young, i enjoyed the game not for the players but for the GAME ITSELF.
As usual, Phill, you said it all!!!!
Peace,
Big Stacks from Kakalak
That being said, it is impossible to say how someone like Wilt Chamberlain would fair against today's ballers. Wilt was soo dominant in his day, but his opponents didn't approach the athleticism of shaq and duncan. Still, who knows? The jordan v. lebron comparison is interesting, but its too early. Lebron is stronger than jordan but will NEVER be as graceful. Kobe v. jordan is more of a better match. They have similar games and kobe is killin em with his jordan turnaround.