What's the toughest GAUNTLET a superstar has gone through?

[MadDog]

95 Hakeem faced:
Malone & Stockton's Jazz
Robinson's Spurs
Barkley's Suns.
Shaq/Penny Magic

93 Duncan faced:
Sheed's Blazers
Kobe and Shaq Lakers
Dirk and Nash's Mavs
JKidd's Nets (this team is one of the worst finalists though)

11 Dirk faced:
LMA and Roy's Blazers
Kobe and Pau's Lakers (defending champs)
OKC with Durant/Westbrook/Harden
Wade/Bosh/LeBron

Feel free disagree or add more. :confusedshrug: Thought about adding Kawhi, but he faced an average first round opponent - and a depleted Warriors team.

[RRR3]

It’s Dirk.

[Stephonit]

The regular season isn't part of the gauntlet?

[ralph_i_el]

Dirk's was the toughest that I am old enough to remember. SWEEPING the two time defending champs, then beating a team of 3 future MVP's and HoF players (who made the finals the next season), and THEN taking out the upcoming dynasty big 3 Heat. Mind blowing.

[SouBeachTalents]

1995 Hakeem. Dirk’s gets slightly overrated when you add the context of LeBron & Kobe having the worst series of their primes against him

[MadDog]

Dirk's was the toughest that I am old enough to remember. SWEEPING the two time defending champs, then beating a team of 3 future MVP's and HoF players (who made the finals the next season), and THEN taking out the upcoming dynasty big 3 Heat. Mind blowing.

That's true. Fans call the Thunder "babies" but as a trio, they ruled the West in 2011 and 2012. :confusedshrug:


1995 Hakeem. Dirk’s gets slightly overrated when you add the context of LeBron & Kobe having the worst series of their primes against him

I probably should have added KJ with Barkley & Rodman with Robinson. For those that watched the games, though, its probably common knowledge. Good call on Kobe playing bad, but especially LeBron. If LeBron plays even decent, Wade has his second FMVP (historically he would be looked at very differently).

[DoctorP]

Dirk.

His teammates were all role players. No other legit superstar/all-stars among them. Duncan's Spurs were a wee bit more stacked with has-beens and a young Parker.

[ShawkFactory]

The regular season isn't part of the gauntlet?

Everyone in question played in the regular season

[tpols]

Dirk got hurt in the 2003 WCFs and missed most of the series. How can that possibly be left out?

Feel like as time goes on context is lost....

Its easily Dirks title. 1994 Hakeem faced Ewing whose 2nd option in the series was plucked out of the checkout aisle of a random grocery store. 1995 Hakeem had Clyde who is a top 5 SG of all time and had a dominant clutch playoff run that year,

[DoctorP]

Dirk got hurt in the 2003 WCFs and missed most of the series. How can that possibly be left out?

Feel like as time goes on context is lost....

Its easily Dirks title. 1994 Hakeem faced Ewing whose 2nd option in the series was plucked out of the checkout aisle of a random grocery store. 1995 Hakeem had Clyde who is a top 5 SG of all time and had a dominant clutch playoff run that year,

Starks was a legit player. There was no development league/g-league, etc back then like these spoiled cLints have it today.

[MadDog]

Dirk got hurt in the 2003 WCFs and missed most of the series. How can that possibly be left out?

Feel like as time goes on context is lost....

Its easily Dirks title. Hakeem faced Ewing whose 2nd option in the series was plucked out of the checkout aisle of a random grocery store.

Had Dirk been healthy, is it likely the Mavs win it all? Sure, but its still a hypothetical. :confusedshrug: To eliminate the what-if stuff, I went with bonafide champs. By the way, Hakeem faced the Knicks in 94. Not 95

[SouBeachTalents]

Dirk got hurt in the 2003 WCFs and missed most of the series. How can that possibly be left out?

Feel like as time goes on context is lost....

Its easily Dirks title. 1994 Hakeem faced Ewing whose 2nd option in the series was plucked out of the checkout aisle of a random grocery store. 1995 Hakeem had Clyde who is a top 5 SG of all time and had a dominant clutch playoff run that year,
You really overrate Drexler's playoff run that year. He put up first 3peat Pippen production and you consistently shit on Pip. And not to derail the thread, and as much as everybody hates him, Harden would at worst make half of people's top 5 SG list at this point. Plus his all time standing is frankly irrelevant in the context of performance. Wade had a consensus top 5 GOAT in 2011, doesn't mean he played well :lol

[tpols]

You really overrate Drexler's playoff run that year. He put up first 3peat Pippen production and you consistently shit on Pip. And not to derail the thread, and as much as everybody hates him, Harden would at worst make half of people's top 5 SG list at this point

No he didn't... Clyde produced on 120 ORTG with clutch moments. And he was also a great athlete who played defense. Pippen never had that total package.


https://youtu.be/eywwdbDB1hE

Watch the documentary and read the comments. Clyde was dominant in that playoff run. And he's literally a top 5 SG of all time.

Pippen put up similar volume stats on far worse per possession rate of success. And with zero clutch.

[8Ball]

No trolling aside its Dirk.

Went through defending champions.
Went through a OKC.
Went through miami.

[Axe]

The regular season isn't part of the gauntlet?
Is it the only time where your hero frequently shines and flourish against tanking teams during garbage time? Well, that puts things into perspective at least.

[TheCorporation]

73 wins

[97 bulls]

The 91 Bulls beat the Bad Boy Pistons and the Showtime Lakers in their playoff run.

[MadDog]

The 91 Bulls beat the Bad Boy Pistons and the Showtime Lakers in their playoff run.

You saying MJ had the toughest gauntlet? Lol good point either way.

[97 bulls]

You saying MJ had the toughest gauntlet? Lol good point either way.

I don't see why that playoff run doesnt get more respect. Other than its Jordan and the Bulls.

[Stephonit]

Is it the only time where your hero frequently shines and flourish against tanking teams during garbage time? Well, that puts things into perspective at least.

Yes that's why Curry made it to five straight finals and won in three of them which neither Hakeem nor Dirk came close to doing. If that makes Curry a playoffs underperformer compared to his regular seasons then it just puts into context how spectacular Curry's regular seasons have been.

A complete season? Curry.

Finished first in the regular season with 67 wins. Then in the playoffs faced and eliminated each All-NBA First Team player aside from himself on a path that had the highest seeds possible. Curry did this with a team that had the longest odds at the beginning of a season for any team that won a championship in the past 35 years.

[kuniva_dAMiGhTy]

Dirk's run was toughest, I think.