What are some unpopular basketball beliefs that you have?

[SouBeachTalents]

It’s called a unpopular opinion, not a ridiculous statement that has no fundamental place even existing in the game.

Yea let’s make basketball a different sport. UNPOPULAR!

I genuinely can't tell if he's a troll or not, he constantly makes the absolute dumbest posts

[Tavr]

I genuinely can't tell if he's a troll or not, he constantly makes the absolute dumbest posts

I'm pretty open minded when it comes to basketball, but ya those posts were crazy lol

[L.Kizzle]

Pretty sure Harden ran point a couple of years in Houston

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/...ouston-rockets
https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/wha...ay-point-guard

His numbers being inflated and/or overrated isn't exactly an unpopular opinion.

Damn, forget he coached the Rockets and I'm here in Houston lol.

[Xiao Yao You]

What about before All-Star Break?
Robert Horry has hit only 3 clutch shots in his career. Big Shot Bob is pretty mutch exaggerated.
One in Houston vs Spurs
Lakers vs Kings
Spurs vs Pistons

Robert Horry was the main piece in the Barkley to Houston trade and stunk up the joint for half a season. Was so bad in Phoenix they asked for Ced Ceballos back lol.

Didnt come to play until after the all star break. Sounds like a hofer to me

[L.Kizzle]

Didnt come to play until after the all star break. Sounds like a hofer to me

Put in Steve Kerr and Tayshaun Prince the Hall as well. Bruce Bowen, Vinnie Johnson.

[Phoenix]

Does Horace Grant leave if MJ never retires? Assuming Chicago has him for 95 it would have definitely made a difference versus Shaq and Orlando. Ditto against Houston. If not though? Then I really don't see how they overcome Orlando's frontline, but if they happened to, its just to meet Houston and overcome theirs. Tall task. Like you also mentioned, its pretty difficult to imagine a reality where Chicago isnt exhausted and running on fumes.

Assuming MJ never retired, I wouldn't bank on them making it all the way to 98. Much less winning it all (as they were constructed).

Even with Grant in 95 I just don't think they beat Houston ( maybe they squeeze past Orlando). You're talking a team that pretty much would have had 6 deep playoff runs by then (assuming they win in 94, the 91-93 titles, and back to back ECFs in 89 and 90). But I'm figuring Grant staying around also means they don't land Rodman in 96, and he was a crucial part of that 96 run ( especially since he could play Shaq straight up for large stretches so Chicago could stay home on Orlando's shooters, and of course he was huge in the finals against Seattle).

[L.Kizzle]

Sam Jones doesn't get enough recognition for the Celtics Dynasty. Was probably the 2nd most important player after Russell. They didn't miss a beat after Cousy retired.

[GOBB]

I'll start.

- Shawn Kemp was the best defender on the '96 Sonics, even over Gary Payton who won DPOY that season.

Bwahahahahahaha let me guess. Can I? Can I? Ok here i go…

Def rtg! DEF RTG DEF RTG DEF RTG!!!


smh

[GOBB]

Lue made what I think is a great point regarding the infamous AI stepover. He calls him Doug Collins by mistake, but if Marv Albert doesnt have his emphatic "Then steps OVER Tyronn Lue" call, you could make a valid argument that play doesn't become nearly as iconic as it did.

Yeah no. The world is watching this series and saw AI step over Lue after Lue was guarding AI rather tightly which was noticeable to anyone who saw the matchup. No one even mentions the call. The optics is what everyone remembers. The still photo.

[warriorfan]

I find it crazy how the two bad calls that went against Utah are never brought up when discussing Game 6

Titles/team results are very overrated when evaluating players

Iggy was the most deserving choice for FMVP

Dirk's 2011 title run is very overrated

Giannis had a top 10 peak of all time

I think that's how most people felt at the time. As the years have gone by, people who never watched or forgot details of that series just assume Iggy shouldn't have won it because they look at the raw stats in that series. I remember Curry getting clamped by Dellavedova at certain points, Warriors were struggling. The moment Iggy got into the starting lineup it changed everything.

It's genuinely the biggest revisionist history of a subject I can remember. You go back to any thread at the time and Iggy was getting majority support for FMVP over Curry. Now people look at the boxscore and act like that was some complete robbery, that series is a very good example of when stats can be deceptive, or don't tell the whole story.

This is mental illness.

[Baller234]

I don't think that's an unpopular take, or at least not a controversial one. Frankly he ticks all the boxes but for whatever reason when people talk about all-time peaks, I never see his name mentioned. But just look at his first 6-7 years. Dude was like an MVP level, all-NBA performer out the gate and winning titles from his 2nd year. One could argue his prime coinciding with the Shaq/Kobe Lakers probably cost him 2 titles.

His lack of flash and understated personality have unfairly cost him legacy points, because frankly he SHOULD be top 5. Like his career wasn't any worse than someone like Bird or Magic, but he doesn't get the 'they saved the NBA' boost that those two gate( which is not to say they're undeserving, just that Duncan rightly belongs in that class of player in terms of floor impact, individual and team accolades).

Duncan doesn't get mentioned in the pantheon discussions because he wasn't always the go-to guy offensively. He COULD be the guy on any given and definitely WAS the guy for a lot of it... but for some of those championship runs you also remember Parker and Manu being the guy.

Fair or not fair, it's held against him. Especially when he's being compared to players who were "the guy" every time they were on the floor.

[Phoenix]

Duncan doesn't get mentioned in the pantheon discussions because he wasn't always the go-to guy offensively. He COULD be the guy on any given and definitely WAS the guy for a lot of it... but for some of those championship runs you also remember Parker and Manu being the guy.

Fair or not fair, it's held against him. Especially when he's being compared to players who were "the guy" every time they were on the floor.

That doesn't seem to held against Magic, who was the main offensive guy for 2 of his 5 runs( and even by the time Kareem got old, Worthy had several series of being the leading scorer even after Magic became 'the guy'), or Bill Russell who was primarily defensive-oriented and wasn't 'the guy' offensively, and at some point people understood that while he warrants a place in the pantheons, 11 titles is such an era-specific thing that it would be impossible to duplicate( like Wilt scoring 500ppg) and needs to be contextualized. Kevin Mchale had a few playoff series where he led the team in scoring or he was damn near equal to Bird's output. Frankly, MJ is the only player in the generally recognized top 10 who led his team's scoring in every single playoff series.

That's just not a talking point that should carry any serious weight with Duncan. He shouldn't be perceived as less deserving of that status because he adjusted his game to let others shine. He probably could have forced always being the leading scorer if his ego required it, and if he was blessed with the foreknowledge that ceding a bit of scoring to teammates would have taken him out of these pantheon conversations years later ( and may have even lost them a title or two but hey, he scored more than anything else while losing!). Even in a year like 2007, Duncan was still the leading scorer for the season and playoffs for that run. Tony Parker doesn't end up in the position to win finals MVP if Duncan isn't there anchoring the entire thing. I mean the guy carried the team's scoring AND defense for pretty much a decade. Anyone saying 'well he wasn't always the go to guy' on the back-nine, especially when you look at the totality of his career, frankly shouldn't be discussing basketball.

[rmt]

Duncan doesn't get mentioned in the pantheon discussions because he wasn't always the go-to guy offensively. He COULD be the guy on any given and definitely WAS the guy for a lot of it... but for some of those championship runs you also remember Parker and Manu being the guy.

Fair or not fair, it's held against him. Especially when he's being compared to players who were "the guy" every time they were on the floor.

IMO, your memory is faulty. Duncan was the main offensive player for 4 of the Spurs' 5 rings - and had they won in 2013, he would have picked up another FMVP.

2005 RS
Duncan 20.3 pts 11.1 rebs 49.6%FG
Parker 16.4 pts 6.1 assts 48.2%FG
Manu 16 pts 3.9 assts 47.1%FG

2005 Playoffs
Duncan 23.6 pts 12.4 rebs 46.4%FG
Parker 17.2 pts 4.3 asst 45.4%FG
Manu 20.8 pts 4.2 asst 50.7%FG

2007 RS
Duncan 20 pts 10.6 rebs 54.6%FG
Manu 16.5 pts 3.5 asst 46.4%FG
Parker 18.6 pts 5.5 asst 52%FG

2007 Playoffs
Duncan 22.2 pts 11.5 rebs 52.1%FG
Manu 16.7 pts 3.7 asst 40.1%FG
Parker 20.8 pts 5.8 asst 48%FG

2013 NBA Finals
Duncan 18.9 pts 12.1 rebs
Parker 15.7 pts 6.4 asst
Kawhi 14.6 pts 11.1 rebs
Manu 11.6 pts 4.3 asst

[LAL]

Who were some of his PGs besides Nash?

Harden wasn't playing the same way for Mchale before D'antoni. He loved playing for him, did miracles for his numbers.

And Jeremy Lin had no chance of getting in the nba but was lucky the knicks were desperate enough to give him a 10day and even luckier it was Mike D'antoni and they had no point guards and injuries. Even Chris Duhon would get a triple double here and there.

Steve Nash would've been Dallas Steve Nash without D'antoni. We know he was a great shooter and incredible passer in transition but very slow, not the greatest handles, bad defender etc.. nowhere near the greatest pg's, Mark Price level if it wasn't for D'antoni. Dude was a 14ppg 11apg type player, couldn't win and only gets praised as if he made shawn marion and stoudamire all stars.. Marbury did that and he was actually better but that's life.

[dankok8]

I'll start.

- Shawn Kemp was the best defender on the '96 Sonics, even over Gary Payton who won DPOY that season.

Actually the best defender on those Sonics teams may have been Nate McMillan.