This thread is a great reason for the "tiered" structure employed by some.
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This thread is a great reason for the "tiered" structure employed by some.
The era he played in. Shaq would be god against those weaklings.
[QUOTE=Carbine]Duncan:
4 Titles
3 FMVPs
2 MVP
14 All-NBA Teams (1st-10, 2nd-3, 3rd-1)
14 All-NBA Defense (1st-8, 2nd-6)
Does Bird's prime and 1 more MVP make up for the difference of Duncans 1 more title, 1 FMVP, [B]4 All-NBA teams and 11 All-NBA Defense[/B]?
Not only make up for the difference, but push him ahead?[/QUOTE]
[B]Longevity[/B] and [B]defense[/B] are on Duncan's side. Also, Duncan had lesser team-mates (definitely in 03).
bird was just a bball genius, he wasnt as good as he was due to his height; his strengh; his body; or the ability to be more athletic, faster etc. than everyone with a similar body (like shaq and lebron), no he was just smarter than everyone and hustled more.
u dont see the things he did in nowadays nba - :( very sad that is
he was a bball genius - period
the only players that come to mind with similar abilities and impact on the game are mj and magic; in current nba maybe rondo and kobe to some extend
oh yea, u cant count those skillz, and they dont show up on stats sheets :biggums:
[QUOTE=TheBigVeto]Bird >>>>>>>>>>>>> Shaq because Bird didn't play for the Fakers, so his rings aren't tainted (David Stern given).
Bird > Duncan because Bird didn't have 2nd GOAT PF/C/SG/PG in his team. Duncan has 2nd GOAT SG in Manu.[/QUOTE]
Lol, Bird played with McHale, Parish, Dennis Johnson, Bill Walton, Danny Ainge, etc. So does he get a pass?
Bird had a clutch factor that was greater than those 2.... But other than that, he's not better than Shaq or Duncan
[QUOTE=kshutts1]This thread is a great reason for the "tiered" structure employed by some.[/QUOTE]
This
[QUOTE=Carbine]
Does Bird's prime and 1 more MVP make up for the difference of Duncans 1 more title, 1 FMVP, 4 All-NBA teams and 11 All-NBA Defense[/QUOTE]
To me, yes because I rank players primarily based on how good they were in their primes.
Timmy has better longevity and was a better defensive player but Larry had the better prime and peak.
To separate them people use titles, but that's pretty much it. If you're comparing their actual skills, it isn't even close. Bird was the better all around player.
If we are going to keep having these kinds of comparisons, the OP will have to be alot more specific about how they judge who is better.
If you are asking who has the better career? that is one question. It would involve accolades and career achievements.
If you are asking who had better bball skills? that is a different question where you would have to list the skills that you think are most important.
If you are asking who would be more valuable if they all were available at the same time? thats another question
I think Bird was a better shooter from range. He had the superior clutch factor, I give him the nod as a passer.
I think Shaq was the most dominant, he is a pretty good passer himself, and he would be the guy I choose if they were all in the same draft and I had a chance to pick any of the three.
I think Duncan has the best fundamentals, and he also was the most steady and consistent of the three throughout his career.
If you ask Who I choose if I had to pick them in order? Shaq>Duncan>Bird
I do that because the big men are more valuable to me, and Shaq gets the nod as the most valuable because he was a destroyer in his prime. totally warped defensive game-plans and threw everything out of whack. He was totally unstoppable