Don't think Larry Bird is Top-5 All-Time? His overall skill set gets him there.

For those skeptics who feel Larry Bird should not be rated Top-5 All-Time, I present the following from September 20, 2020 (per The Sacramento Bee's Joe Davidson):

OUR ALL-TIME NBA STARTING 5, PLUS A FEW MORE

If I’m picking an all-time NBA starting lineup, here’s who I hit the floor with:

Point guard: Magic Johnson — The ultimate floor leader, ball handler, passer, leader, personality and champion. Magic led the Lakers to nine NBA Finals, winning five. He could play any position.

Shooting guard: Michael Jordan — Relentless in scoring, in defending, in leadership and winning. Jordan and the Chicago Bulls went 6-0 in the NBA Finals while owning the 1990s.

Small forward: LeBron James — Ageless, timeless, relentless. James at 35 can score inside and out, handle the ball, finish with the ball, and has his third team in the Finals.

Power forward: Larry Bird — Yes, he could also play small forward, and James would be seamless at power forward, but in this game, just unleash your five best and go with it. The former Boston Celtics star’s overall skill set and drive is as good as anyone has ever witnessed.

Center: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — Graceful and skilled, Kareem could run, rebound, set off the break with outlet passes and he could score. Man, could he score, finishing as the NBA’s all-time most prolific performer, punctuated by the never-duplicated hook shot.

Sixth man: Tim Duncan — Smooth, efficient, effective, bright. The Big Fundamental, who led the San Antonio Spurs to five titles, would fit in nicely here.

And one more: Dennis Rodman — Never mind the antics. Every team needs a ferocious stopper and rebounder. The Worm qualifies.

Despite the omission of Bill Russell for the top center spot, I really can't argue with any of this. You may hate Lebron James as a person, but he belongs here. Magic and MJ ate "givens" in the back court, and I have no argument with Tim Duncan as sixth man.

Dennis Rodman? Does he belong here? Maybe not, but he was such a pest as a Celtics opponent, I have to give this some credibility. What do our readers think.

Oh, and Larry? "Overall skill set and drive is as good as anyone has ever witnessed." What did Red Auerbach think of his 6'9" power forward?

“Plays all parts of the game better than anyone who ever lived.”

That's good enough for me!

Comments

The Elm Street Nightmare

A true-and-suspenseful horror tale of haunting, homicides and the hunt for triple-murderer, Daniel Laplante - as told by the cops that were there By Lt. Thomas Lane (Ret.) Daniel Laplante - cold, calm, clever, calculating- Photo: YouTube Elm Street surfaces on four occasions in the Laplante saga: 1.) He resided on Elm Street in Townsend, Massachusetts 2.) He kidnapped a woman at gunpoint on Elm Street, Pepperell , Massachusetts 3.) He was arrested and transported to Massachusetts State Police Barracks on Elm Street in Concord . 3.) He was tried, convicted and sentenced for the murders at Superior Court , corner of Elm Stree t and Gorham Street, Lowell, Massachusetts. When evil and cleverness reside in the same mind, the stage is often set for true horror. Such was the case with triple-murderer, Daniel Laplante . As a 16-year old , he quickly transitioned from: Minor thefts and breaking into homes To: Taunting and threatening a father and his two daughters as an unseen

Rules of survival: When search-and-rescue turns into body recovery

How the Hell did this happen? Two days after 19-year-old Emily Sotelo was supposedly dropped off in Franconia Notch (NH) at roughly 5:00 AM ET, Sunday, November 20, 2022 by her mother, to hike several mountains alone, the search continues for the young lady. Photo by Linda Lane The information from news agencies indicated that Emily started hiking the trails while it was still dark. She was supposedly wearing only sneakers, a coat and workout pants. I can persona;ly attest that the weather in the area was very cold with high wind speeds, and gaining elevation on the trails would only add to the horrendous conditions. Ms. Sotelo was reportedly a seasoned hiker, but had little or no experience hiking in winter. At the peaks, temperatures on that Sunday dropped to zero degrees with a wind chill of minus-30 degrees. It is beyond my comprehension to imagine a hiker-of-experience tackling that kind of travel - in extreme weather - with only basic clothes and few (or no) supplies. I have hik

Nik Stauskas adds "shooting with size" voiced by Brad Stevens

As a 6'6" shooting guard, 28-year-old Nik Stauskas adds that shooting with size sorely needed by the Boston Celtics. Drafted 8th-overall by the Sacramento Kings in 2014, Stauskas has bounced around to various teams since then. Nik Stauskas' deal with the Boston Celtics includes non-guaranteed salary for the second season in 2022-23, a source tells @celticsblog . — Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) March 4, 2022 Nik has never averaged more than 9.5 points per game in the NBA, but Boston is most likely counting on his production for Grand Rapids in the G League as the incentive to sign him. In 17 games thus far, he has averaged 24.7 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 4.8 APG - while shooting 50% on field goals and 45% on treys. Nik Stauskas is signing a two-year deal with the Boston Celtics, his agents Mark Bartelstein and Andy Shiffman of @PrioritySports tell ESPN. Stauskas had an historic week, scoring 100 points on 57 and 43 point performances in back-to-back games for Grand Rapids. — Adrian Wo

Celtics ☘️ Sentinel

Search This Blog