If [player] added [singular attribute] to his game, he'd have been the GOAT

[Ainosterhaspie]

Is there a player you think would have been considered the greatest ever if they added just one missing piece to their game?

Examples.

If Shaq had better free throw shooting...
If Curry was three inches taller (therefore a better defender)...
If Wade had healthy knees...

[Ghost1]

Ben Simmons and Giannis Antetokounmpo - KD's jumpshot

[MrFonzworth]

If LeBron had McConnell

Or vice versa.

[superduper]

Larry Bird, today's nutrition and load management.

[Ainosterhaspie]

Nutrition and load management isnt going to stop him from blowing out his back paving a driveway.

[superduper]

Nutrition and load management isnt going to stop him from blowing out his back paving a driveway.

So you used absolutely zero logic in that post?

[Hittin_Shots]

Lebron James, finals winning.

[kentatm]

So you used absolutely zero logic in that post?

:biggums:

Larry Bird's back was wrecked b/c his dumb country ass refused to hire a person to build his mother's driveway and tried to do it himself. There is nothing load management and nutrition could to to fix that.

[Gotterdammerung]

If Wilt Chamberlain hit his free throws at a decent rate, say 70%, he would have more rings than Bill Russell.

If Elgin Baylor didn't blow out his knee in the 1965 playoffs, he would have legitimate ring(s).

If Charles Barkley had a work ethic, or at least moderated his binge drinking habits....

If Hakeem Olajuwon was drafted to a solid playoff caliber franchise that wasn't riddled with drug addicts...

If Shaq focused on basketball and nothing else, he would have 3 to 4 more championships.

If Bryant didn't blow out his Achilles tendon in 2013...
:kobe:

[JEFFERSON MONEY]

Shaq with a consistent jumper.

[aj1987]

So you used absolutely zero logic in that post?

:facepalm

How are you this dumb?


My answer would be Shaq with Curry's shooting ability. No one would even come close. 10+ rings, MVP's, and FMVP's.

[Uncle Drew]

So you used absolutely zero logic in that post?

:roll:

So retarded.

[Phoenix]

If Shaq shot even 70% free throws, it's a different conversation.

[brutalBBQ]

if Karl Malone had three point shot ability

Dennis Rodman was clean

[Manny98]

Giannis - LeBrons passing ability and court vision

LeBron - 80% free throw shooter

[SouBeachTalents]

If Shaq focused on basketball and nothing else, he would have 3 to 4 more championships.

If Bryant didn't blow out his Achilles tendon in 2013...
:kobe:
So Shaq would be at 8 championships, that's fcking absurd :lol He lost in overwhelming fashion so many times in his prime, I seriously doubt that would've made much of a difference

And even if Kobe had stayed healthy after 2013, what is he realistically doing to be considered the GOAT at that point in his career? Even that final season he was healthy the Lakers BARELY made the playoffs

The one who definitely left the most opportunities on the table was Wilt. I don't fault him for losing to Boston early in his career, but from 68-70 he had three golden opportunities to win additional titles; up 3-1 in the '68 ECF and making it to Game 7 of the Finals in '69 & '70. He walked away with ZERO titles during that time span, losing in a Game 7 3 seasons in a row, twice in Game 7 of the Finals

[SouBeachTalents]

Even after 5 titles, Duncan also left several additional potential titles on the table

Losing on the Fisher shot in '04

Losing on the Dirk 3 point play in '06

Up 2-0 in the 2012 WCF

2013 Finals

Hell, even 2015 iirc they lost on the final night of the season, dropping them from the 2 seed to the 6th, ending up losing on the CP3 GW in Game 7

[sd3035]

Shaq with Curry's shooting abilitty

Curry without a glass body and the same ref help as other superstars got

[Gotterdammerung]

Might've exaggerated, but Shaq should've destroyed Hakeem in the 1995 Finals. Even then he was easily the bigger and stronger guy. But he was still in awe of the Dream, and played like it. In 1996, the Magic still could've beaten the Bulls if Shaq had a different attitude. Instead he was polite to Jordan and the Bulls in between plays. Etc.

Kobe had a shot at the very GOAT title had he stayed healthy (that Achilles injury started a chain reaction with his health) just by extending that late-career peak play from 2013 a few more season, catch Abdul-Jabbar in points, etc.

Good call on Duncan. He was just as unlucky as he was lucky to be drafted by the Spurs.
:kobe:

[SouBeachTalents]

Might've exaggerated, but Shaq should've destroyed Hakeem in the 1995 Finals. Even then he was easily the bigger and stronger guy. But he was still in awe of the Dream, and played like it. In 1996, the Magic still could've beaten the Bulls if Shaq had a different attitude. Instead he was polite to Jordan and the Bulls in between plays. Etc.

Kobe had a shot at the very GOAT title had he stayed healthy (that Achilles injury started a chain reaction with his health) just by extending that late-career peak play from 2013 a few more season, catch Abdul-Jabbar in points, etc.

Good call on Duncan. He was just as unlucky as he was lucky to be drafted by the Spurs.
:kobe:
But Hakeem was destroying EVERYBODY then. He did so to Ewing in the Finals the year before, and was just coming off one of the greatest individual beatdowns in playoff history the series before against Robinson. Shaq put up by FAR the best effort against Hakeem those two years, and he was just a 23 year old kid going up against a seasoned vet. No shame in getting outplayed by a guy playing at a GOAT level like Hakeem was in the mid 90's

And I just disagree about Kobe. He could've definitely enhanced his individual resume, maybe moved up on the all time list had he stayed elite another 2-3 years. But adding a couple All-NBA selections, scoring a few more career points while playing on a mediocre team would not be nearly enough to move Kobe into legitimate GOAT conversations. If anything, the CP3 veto hurt him significantly more than the Achilles injury did

[Phoenix]

Hakeem outplaying Shaq wasn't the biggest difference in that 95 finals. It's a bit overblown to be honest. Shaq played him much closer than any of the other elite centers during that run. Ewing was well subpar in 94, not only worse than Hakeem but worse than his typical standard. Really Shaq and Penny for the most part held their own against Hakeem/Drexler. It was from man 3-7 where the Rockets had the biggest edge in play and to quote Skip, Nick Anderson's free throw meltdown really shot Orlando in the heart. Up 3 with ten seconds left to go, and 4 free throws to put the game out of reach? Making 2 would have sealed the deal barring a miracle.

[Gileraracer]

MJ with MJs defense would be GOAT


oh wait

[SpaceJam2]

If Jordan had Pippen


We saw his 1-9 without :eek:

[warriorfan]

LeBron without a small D

He would have the confidence to close out games and not be a team hopping quitter

[BarberSchool]

If Michael Jordan had done less than he did in his career, he would still be the GOAT.

[BarberSchool]

If Gregg Popavich’s mind could have demonically possessed Vince Carter’s body, he would have been the goat.

If Javale McGee’s mother didn’t drink during her pregnancy, and Javale had a fully developed brain, he could have been the goat C.

If Kobe Bryant had a career FG% 9-percent higher than he did, he could have been the goat.

If Bruce Bowen didn’t a sociopathic inclination to lower jump shooters percentages by forcing them to contort their bodies mid-air to avoid season ending ankle injuries, he wouldn’t have been the WOAT.

[Uncle Drew]

If Kobe Bryant had a career FG% 9-percent higher than he did, he could have been the goat.
That’s not a singular attribute.