If Giannis Defeats the Celtics Without Khris Middleton....

[Foster5k]

https://i.ibb.co/CWsqT7p/im-372588.jpg


Where does he rank all time?

All I've been hearing is how good this years Celtics team is. How they are possibly the best defense in NBA history and how Tatum is emerging as the best player in the league. Oh, and they swept the Nets with KD and Kyrie.

If this team is such an all time great team, surely they should defeat the Bucks without Khris Middleton.

If they don't, Giannis has to move up on the all time list. He would have single handedly defeated an all time great team the '22 Boston Celtics.

[SATAN]

This thread is stupid.

[AlternativeAcc.]

His team is insanely nice even without Middleton. I wouldn't move him up at all personally.

[GrayGoat]

His team is stacked. Op you are a dumbass

[k0kakw0rld]

He needs to reach the finals which he won't.
By the way OP Heat > Celtics make no mistake about that.

[SouBeachTalents]

You don't move up the all time rankings for winning a 2nd round series.

[Wally450]

This is the real ECF.

Winner of this series goes to the Finals imo.

[k0kakw0rld]

This is the real ECF.

Winner of this series goes to the Finals imo.
Heat > Celtics

[hold this L]

Who moves up an all time rank for beating a team in a semi final of a conference? Such a stupid ****ing topic.

[ImKobe]

It would be a great accomplishment, but anything short of a Finals appearance does nothing for Giannis' all-time ranking.

Calling the Celtics' D "the best in NBA history" is a massive stretch IMO. They're really good but they can be beat on the boards and in the paint, especially with Milwaukee's size in the front court.

They shut down KD for the most part, but the Nets still had a 117 ORTG against that D with a struggling Durant.

[FultzNationRISE]

I love how nobody seems to think it even matters how he actually performs with regards to the series’ effect on his “ranking”, just if the team he’s on is better than the other team and how much weight a division round series should have.

[Kawhi_Why_Not]

And then goes on to win the title?

I think that would already put him in top 5 and projected as #1 or #2 by career end

This guy is a f'n monster. Shaq offense with KG defense

[plowking]

If Giannis wins it all this year - he is top 10 already.

[CelticBaller]

Giannis would be top 10

[r0drig0lac]

https://i.ibb.co/CWsqT7p/im-372588.jpg


Where does he rank all time?

All I've been hearing is how good this years Celtics team is. How they are possibly the best defense in NBA history and how Tatum is emerging as the best player in the league. Oh, and they swept the Nets with KD and Kyrie.

If this team is such an all time great team, surely they should defeat the Bucks without Khris Middleton.

If they don't, Giannis has to move up on the all time list. He would have single handedly defeated an all time great team the '22 Boston Celtics.

nah

[Kblaze8855]

His team is insanely nice even without Middleton. I wouldn't move him up at all personally.

Insane is way too strong a word for a supporting cast of Holiday and a gang of role players led by Portis. Playing well together and being insanely nice from a talent perspective are incredibly different things.

[Kawhi_Why_Not]

nah

#1 SRS team reg season

Shut down durant, swept him and dropped 30/5/7 on 62% TS

That's definitely the actions of the best in the world. We will just see how it plays out.

[tontoz]

Not a big fan is the all time ranking debate for a guy who is 27. He has already accomplished a lot and surely there is a lot more to come.

Having said that Middleton has been a big key to their success. Beating Boston without him would certainly be a noteworthy addition to Giannis' resume.

[RogueBorg]

If Giannis wins it all this year - he is top 10 already.

Who ya removing?

[Naero]

How much it'd boost his legacy depends on whether or not he wins it all. If this carry-job coalesced with another championship run, it would get much rosier hindsight; otherwise, I don't think most would catapult him with just this feat alone. Now that he's on the top-twenty-five cusp, it'll take more than just a single series to move through the thicket of ATGs ahead of him.

If he keeps playing at this level, however, I'm ready to add him somewhere in my top twenty regardless of the outcome. All he has left to prove to me as a player is to string together elite postseasons, proving last year wasn't an outlier. Many players have engineered singular runs for the ages like his 2021 postseason, but it's a much different animal sustaining it over time; it's also what he needs to cement himself as the (near-)unanimous BITW.

And now that he's facing an opponent who can viably construct the Giannis wall—still his kryptonite—his litmus test is just around the corner.

Winning against Boston without his costar will enhance his legacy either way, but the championship (or lack thereof) will determine if it's just a part of the bigger picture or a bigger part of the picture for his legacy.

[Mask the Embiid]

It would move him above kawhi....wherver you have kawhi on ur list giannis would then be above him...no matter where u have him at....Sameway most ppl got shaq over hakeen even though he beat him the one time he played him in the playoffs


Giannis rings would in totality be more impressive than kawhi....Giannis winning would be the only way this ring is not an asterik..if...and only if..... He beats boston, heat, and then warriors/grizzlies/utah/dallas/timberwolves/suns....if he does it in that order....and only that order.....it counts

If he does not play the heat in the 3rd round everything else is voided (embiid playing with only his left hand, FVV playing with only 1 leg)

[Bronbron23]

https://i.ibb.co/CWsqT7p/im-372588.jpg


Where does he rank all time?

All I've been hearing is how good this years Celtics team is. How they are possibly the best defense in NBA history and how Tatum is emerging as the best player in the league. Oh, and they swept the Nets with KD and Kyrie.

If this team is such an all time great team, surely they should defeat the Bucks without Khris Middleton.

If they don't, Giannis has to move up on the all time list. He would have single handedly defeated an all time great team the '22 Boston Celtics.

He won't dude

[E_Stamkos]

Have people actually argued that this version of the Celts is arguably the GOAT defensively? Just curious...

[Real Men Wear Green]

Have people actually argued that this version of the Celts is arguably the GOAT defensively? Just curious...
We think it's the best defense in the game today but most aren't trying to talk about any kind of All-Time rank.