The 10 Best (And 3 Worst) Super Bowl Commercials of All-Time

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Everyone knows that the Super Bowl has the largest television audience each year; but the question remains, do more people watch it for the football, or for the commercials?

And the next day, which subject occupies more talk around the water cooler?

Either way, the Super Bowl has become, well, the Super Bowl of all advertising days. Brands can gain momentum or suffer major damage. And careers on Madison Avenue can soar or be reduced to writing screenplays, like George Costanza, off, off-broadway.

With stakes so high, it seems worthy to take a look back at some of the best, and a few of the worst, commercials that have ever paid those premium dollars for a coveted Super Bowl slot.

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Tim Tebow, Michael Jordan, and the Will To Win

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Scroll to the bottom of this post in order to enter this week’s contest to not only win the exciting opportunity to see Cam Newton live at Lucas Oil Field, but also receive a FREE Droid Bionic from Verizon!!!  All you have to do is comment below.

I guess it’s human nature, but it seems that the grass is always greener somewhere else.

Why does the guy with the super hot girlfriend always end up cheating?

Why does the rich business man get busted for fraud when he already had more money than he could ever spend?

Why is it so easy to ignore all of the good things in your life and instead focus on few flaws?

It’s about time to stop looking at what Tim Tebow can’t do, and appreciate what he can do.

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Commercial Grade: NBA 2K12 featuring Michael Jordan, Drake and Brian Wilson

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NBA 2K has built such a strong following that sports game giant EA Sports hasn’t even bothered to release a pro basketball game since 2009.  When I was a kid, NBA Live distracted me to the point that I basically turned into the South Park kids when they were addicted to World of Warcraft.

Nowadays I play the 2K series for my basketball fix, although without the extreme tenacity that I once devoted to gaming.  Even though the real life NBA is embroiled in a bitter labor dispute, that can’t stop me from enjoying going 80-2 while averaging a triple-double in “My Player” mode.

The main gimmick of this year’s game, in lieu of any relevant basketball happenings in the real world, is the “NBA’s Greatest” mode, where one can play as any of a large group of historical teams and players.  As such, the commercial released a couple weeks ago focuses on the argument of who is the greatest team ever assembled.

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Remarkable Picture of Gliding Clyde Drexler at Dunk Contest

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@SI_Vault is hands down one of my favorite Twitter accounts. So before you enjoy the remarkable picture below, click here and follow Andy Gray. He regularly tweets out incredible images from Sports Illustrated’s vast vault of sports photographs, and they are always worth the click.

Now to the business at hand. Clyde “The Glyde” Drexler.

I tweeted this picture out early this morning, but I had to post it as well. As @Rev215 tweeted me: “been staring at that pic for 10 minutes.” I had the same reaction.

Check it out for yourself:

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Who is on your Personal Sports Mount Rushmore?

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I tweet. A lot. 28,038 tweets as of writing this sentence, in fact, and I’m sure a few will be added to it before I hit “publish” on this post. (Though not an ideal practice, I tend to social media-multitask.)

Some people say that this tweeting is pointless and a waste of time other than when I post links to my site that drive traffic. I disagree. Strongly. Twitter has now become the breeding and testing ground for most of my blog post ideas. It allows me to test out an idea before committing the time necessary to turn it into a full article. Ask any blogger and they’ll tell you that is invaluable.

Case in point: today.

On a whim, I tweeted the following:

May turn this into a post. What is your personal sports Mount Rushmore?Clarification: personal sports Mount Rushmore is favorite, most beloved players, not necessarily best.

Immediately, responses starting pouring in. Clearly, this was a question that had gotten people thinking and that people were excited about sharing their two cents to answer.

Ding! Ding! Ding! I knew right then and there that I needed to turn it into a blog post.

So, now that this impromptu Twitter tip is complete — use Twitter to get, test, and develop your blog post ideas! — it is time to share my Personal Sports Mount Rushmore (PSMR) and then open the comment section for yours – the real fun of this.

I will warn everyone though: the greatest possible answer has already been given by @bschultzy, who said that his PSMR would just be “4 Ditkas.” Can’t top that.

And a quick note on criteria as you think about your own PSMR: there really is none. This is your Personal Sports Mount Rushmore. For me, that means weighing memories and personal feelings more than strictly accomplishments. For you it might mean something else. As the commercials say: no rules, just right.

Here is my Personal Sports Mount Rushmore:

Calbert Cheaney

There is no question who is #1 on my PSMR. It’s IU legend Calbert Cheaney, still the Big Ten’s all-time leading scorer with 2,613 career points (a record he just may hold forever; I’m not kidding), a former National Player of the Year, and currently the new Director of Operations for the Indiana basketball program.

Obviously there are many IU basketball players I could have chosen. Reading Steve Alford’s book Playing for Knight is was inspired me to work hard to become a good basketball player, but I was five years old in 1987 when Alford was a senior. AJ Moye played when I went to IU, and and there were few moments more exciting than being part of a packed Assembly Hall chanting “A-J Mo-ye” after #2 did something badass. Greg Graham, DJ White, Brian Evans, and others all are personal IU favorites of mine.

calbert-cheaneyBut no one comes close to Calbert.

I saw almost every home game he played during his four years at IU, and the 1992-93 Indiana team is my favorite sports team of all-time. They unfortunately fell short of a title, but to paraphrase Coach Norman Dale, they’ll always be winners in my book.

Calbert was as deadly efficient a scorer as there has ever been in the Big Ten. For the conference’s all-time leading scorer to be a wing player who had a career field goal percentage of .559 is astounding. That’s not a misprint. Calbert made almost 56% of his shots as a Hoosier. He was a complete player too. He averaged more than five rebounds a game, played defense, and was a leader on one of Bob Knight’s most deep and complete teams.

Calbert was also well-spoken, a good student, and a class act. To 12-year old me in 1993, Calbert he was the quintessential example of what an IU basketball player should be, and at that time in my life I did not think human beings got a whole lot more special than those who wore the Cream & Crimson and the candy-striped warm-up pants.

And then there are the memories. His surprising scoring from Day 1 after being one of the more unheralded members of the super 1989 recruiting class. His battles with the Big Dog and the Fab 5, which the Hoosiers usually won. The Final 4 in 1992. The 17-1 conference mark in 1993, including the electric game against Northwestern when his baseline jumper broke the Big Ten scoring record. Coach Knight even stopped the game to honor Calbert, something I’d never seen him do before. It was a testament to how much he thought of his humble, superlative senior.

Yes, on my Personal Sports Mount Rushmore, Calbert’s face is the one being carved first. And it’s not a debate. His greatness coincided with the time in my life when I was the most innocently and genuinely in love with sports, and I got to see so many of his great moments live. No one will ever supplant him.

Anthony Thompson

If I had been a little older when A.T. was running roughshod over the Big Ten, he might be able to give Calbert a run for his money. But I was just a little sprite back then, with Anthony’s incredible college career in Bloomington spanning my fourth through eighth years on this earth.

anthony-thompsonImage source: ESPN

And while I still remember how genuinely nice Anthony was to me when I’d tag along with my dad to practice and games, and while I have mementos like the picture hanging in my parents’ house from the cover of the Herald-Times sports page of me and Anthony from Picture Day, I was too young to truly appreciate his greatness like I could Calbert’s.

Here is one of the best examples of Anthony’s prowess, the day he scampered for 377 yards (then an NCAA record) against Wisconsin.

I have said many times before, and I’ll continue to say it probably forever, that Anthony Thompson is the most underrated player in Big Ten football history. I’m sure that good arguments could be made for many others in this regard, but I just cannot see anyone having a more underappreciated career of consistent greatness than A.T.

Remember folks, in 1987 Indiana was ranked #7 in the country at one point! Indiana! And who was the straw that stirred the drink? Anthony. He’s an icon in Bloomington and he should be an icon in the Big Ten in general. He was that good.

And he’s the second obvious, no-debate-required person I’d place on my Personal Sports Mount Rushmore.

Michael Jordan

When I originally tweeted this PSMR question out, I had Dan Marino listed as being one of my four, but I’ve thought better of that. I loved Marino, but I was three years in 1984 when he burst onto the scene, so I didn’t really appreciate Marino at his best.

But Michael Jordan, oh boy did I get to appreciate him at his best; and it’s the best I’ve ever seen an athlete be, and perhaps the best any athlete ever has been.

Michael-JordanImage source: Life-Fashion.com

I don’t follow the Bulls much anymore, but when I was younger I loved the Bulls. Certainly, I was not alone. Michael and Scottie were just fascinating to watch play basketball together, and they just seemed to get better and better together every year. And once they started winning championships in the early 90s, and then didn’t stop, it was impossible for me not to become completely swept up in the Cult of Jordan. (You know, when Jordan would do something remarkable and you’d say “Holy crap, Jordan is God!” and only be half joking.)

No, I didn’t put Jordan on my list initially, but when I sat down and thought about it, I realized I was underestimating just how Jordan-crazy I was back then. I watched every game of his I could, my dad and I took a few trips up to Chicago for events Jordan would be at, and I had all the shirts and hats and books and Nike Jordan gear I could handle.

When I add up the memories and the adoration, MJ comes out way ahead of Marino, so substituting him was an easy decision.

By the way, it is no coincidence that the first three choices all were at their peak before I could drive. Unbridled and innocent sports enthusiasm was possible back then, where it’s really not now. I certainly love my teams, and I’m a big fan of certain players nowadays, but it’s just not the same as it was back then; and I doubt it ever will be.

Mark Buehrle

mark-buehrleBut here is a guy from my older years who does get the a spot on the mountain. It was a tough choice, but Buehrle gets it for several reasons:

  • He has produced spectacular memories like the no-hitter, the perfect game, and his career-best 2005 season that culminated in a World Series title.
  • I still remember when Buehrle first came up and have these random but fun memories like when fellow White Sox fanatic KVB and I were at our digital animator’s parents’ house talking at length about this new guy named Buehrle who was having great start after great start. That may not sound like much, but it’s a fun memory for a whole host of reasons, none of which would make sense if I tried to explain them.
  • Like Anthony Thompson, I fear that Buehrle is destined to go down as severely underrated, and I feel invested in stating his case to the masses. I know that his career ERA and WHIP are never going to knock anyone’s socks off, but look at his year-by-year totals. He starts 30+ games every year, he pitches 200+ innings every year, and he wins 10+ games every year. That kind of consistency is a very underrated quality for a starting pitcher.
  • I don’t know how much the numbers back this up, but my visceral feeling any time Buehrle steps on the mound in a big spot is that he is going to deliver. We all have those athletes that we just believe in, perhaps even a bit irrationally. Mark Buehrle is that guy for me. I know he’s had his share of stinker games over the years, but in the ’05 playoffs he was outstanding, and against AL Central opponents he always seems to step up.

Plus, I need a player from the White Sox. Frank Thomas was the easy choice, but I always felt like my appreciation and love for The Big Hurt was a bit arm’s length. I respected him and his contributions more than I just loved him as a player.

Paul Konerko is another obvious candidate, but when I was faced with the decision a couple years ago of getting a White Sox jersey, and the decision came down to Buehrle or Konerko, I went with Buehrle. That had to mean something, right? I used it as my tie-breaker, so Mark and his rubber arm got the nod.

So there it is, my Personal Sports Mount Rushmore:

  • Calbert Cheaney
  • Anthony Thompson
  • Michael Jordan
  • Mark Buehrle

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But the fun only just now beginning, because now the comment section is open to you.

Who is on your Personal Sports Mount Rushmore, and why?

I can’t wait to see your responses.

**********

* – Calbert Cheaney photo credit: Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images via Life.com

Kobe First, Then Jordan

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After I submitted my Top 20 NBA Players list to Jerod on Monday night, I braced for the fallout. To my surprise, it wasn’t nearly as bad as I had predicted.

On the one hand, almost nobody objected to Kareem being #1. I did my list a little differently, pretending like I was a GM that was drafting a player for his entire career. I think most people understood that, and the argument of “20 years (16 quality) is better than 15 years (11 quality)” seemed to fly pretty well.

On the other hand, there’s the whole “Michael Jordan” thing.

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Dr. Twitch’s Top 20 NBA Players of All-Time (including his shocking and ‘sacrilegious’ top 3)

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Editor’s note: Since the NBA Finals ended, MSF writers have been submitting and defending their top 20 NBA players of all-time. You can see the aggregate list here. The goal was to see where Dirk fell, or if he fell, among the top 20 players ever after his sterling playoff run this year.

Below are the thoughts of Jon Washburn, who does include Dirk among his top 20 players ever. He also has the most unique top 3 of anyone who submitted a list, which is why I asked him to provide a detailed description of his top 20. And boy did he. Enjoy.

When I was a kid, Jim Harbaugh was the quarterback of my beloved Indianapolis Colts. One season, we started out 4-0 (we were the last team to lose a game that year) and ended up making the playoffs as a wild card. We went into San Diego and beat the defending AFC champs before going to Arrowhead Stadium and beating the 13-3 Kansas City Chiefs. We ended up losing to the Steelers in the famous “Hail Mary” game, and I cried for what seemed like an eternity.

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The Official MSF List of the Top 20 NBA Players Ever (and where Dirk Nowitzki falls among the game’s all-time greats)

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During this past NBA season’s playoffs, a topic that gained steam with each successive round was where Dirk Nowitzki ranks among the all-time greats.

Before this season, Dirk was considered “too soft” or too much of a “loser” to be included among the upper tier NBA greats. Yet, as Dirk carried his Mavs from one round to the next, vanquishing favored foes and outdated opinions every step of the way, his place in NBA history seemed to skyrocket upwards.

Off site, several MSF writers began debating where Dirk placed among the top 20 NBA players of all-time. We decided that there was only one fair way to determine it: have everyone in the debate submit their top 20 players of all-time, and let’s see what the aggregate opinion turned out to be.

Here are the results:

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My Top 20 NBA Players of All-Time

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Editor’s note: We are currently preparing an article that analyzes the best of the best in NBA history, based on the thoughts and feelings of our staff here at MSF. The original goal was to see where Dirk falls in our top 20, or if he even makes it at all.

Earlier this week, Evan regaled you with his personal top 20 players from the last 15 years. Today, Brandon widens the scope a little bit and provides his personal top 20 of all-time, with explanation for each choice.

After hearing countless opinions about Dirk Nowitizki all-time ranking from NBA personnel, MSF writer Josh Tinley wanted to know where the MSF staff would rank Dirk among the all-time greats.  I thought this was a great idea and I decided to jump at the opportunity.

So, here is my list of the top twenty players in NBA history, revealed in reverse order.  Feel free to post a comment telling me what you think.

20. Scottie Pippen

I might have Scottie ranked higher than most people, but his terrific defense, constant offense, championship rings, and being the best second fiddle of all-time set him apart from someone like Julius Erving or David Robinson.

I know you might be saying, “Whoa, wait, how could a sec0nd fiddle be better than Dr. J and David Robinson? During their primes they were top 5 players in the NBA and the best players on their respective teams.  Scottie was only the best player on his team when Jordan left.” Fair point, but when Erving and Robinson won championships they were second fiddles too!  On that ’83 Sixers team Moses Malone was their best player and in ’99 and ’03 Tim Duncan was the best player on the Spurs.

Another reason why Scottie cracks my top twenty list is that he might be the best small forward defender ever.  If you had an all-time defensive starting lineup he would be your small forward hands down.  He was also one of the most complete players ever.  He brought offense, defense, rebounding, passing, and even became a better three-point shooter later in his career.  Plus, in the ’93-’94 season without Jordan he came in 3rd in MVP voting, made 1st team All-NBA, 1st team All-Defense, and led a Bulls team to 55 wins when their three next best players were Horace Grant, B.J Armstrong, and Toni Kukoc.  Seems worthy of being in the top twenty in my book.

19. Charles Barkley

19th?!? Who was the knucklehead who made up list?

Charles was a one of kind player.  We will probably never see another 6-5 power forward dominate like he did.  He was surprisingly quick for his size and was a superb rebounder.  In the open floor Chuck was impossible to stop; his  combination of size and power and the willingness to throw it down on any opponent was amazing to watch.  Although Chuck never won a ring, at least he had the killer instinct that some stars like Chris Webber didn’t have.

The biggest reason why Charles isn’t ranked higher is because he somewhat wasted his talent by constantly being overweight and out of shape later in his career, which led to many of his injuries.  If Chuck wanted a ring so badly he should have spent his offseasons in the gym instead of the Las Vegas buffet lines.

18. Isiah Thomas

Isiah Thomas could do everything you want your point guard to do: get everyone involved, dribble well, drive to the hole, be a great defender, be a leader, be mentally and phsycially tough. The only flaw in his game was that he was a poor shooter and took to many threes.  The reason why I put Isiah ahead of Barkley and Pippen is because he was the best player on a championship team twice.

17. Karl Malone

Karl Malone was one of the best regular season players ever, but not in the postseason, where the Mailman didn’t always deliver.  In Game 1 of the 1997 NBA Finals Malone missed two huge free throws that would have given Utah the lead, and in Game 6 of the 1998 Finals he had the infamous turnover that led to Jordan’s famous shot over Bryon Russell.

But even though Karl struggled in the postseason, you have to give Malone some credit for being one of the best regular season players ever.  He was a two-time MVP, he had 11 straight years when he scored more than 2,000 points, was a three-time 1st team All-Defense selection, and he had great work ethic.  Karl was always in shape throughout his career, which was why he only missed five games from his rookie season in 1985 to 1998.

16. Elgin Baylor

Elgin was one of the greatest forwards of all-time.  He was a great scorer and rebounder and was probably the best athlete throughout the 60s.  Also, because Elgin was one of the early great black players, he had to deal with so much racism and ridicule from fans, which no one today would be able to relate to.  But the reason why he doesn’t crack the top 15 is he never won a title.

15. Dirk Nowitzki

After this year’s postseason, Dirk has increased his all-time ranking by leaps and bounds.  He had a bad reputation as a soft player who folded at crunch time, but not anymore.   

Over the pass few seasons Dirk has gotten much tougher in the paint and has proven he’s uber-clutch too.  People think when Dirk shoots an 8-15 foot fade way he is being soft, but I disagree.  He has a better chance of make an 8-15 foot step back then lowering his shoulder and trying to drive through his defender.  So why risk injuries and getting beaten up in the post when he doesn’t have to?

As most of you saw in this year’s NBA Finals, Dirk got it done in big moments while LeBron James and Dwyane Wade didn’t.  He also proved his toughness by grabbing some tough rebounds at the end of games too.

Other reasons why Dirk should be rank this high is he is the best shooting power forward ever and he might be one of the top 5 most unguardable players also.  He has one of the most unblockable and unguardable shots too, MSF writer Jon Washburn said Dirk fade away is the second most unstoppable shot and I totally agree.  Good news for Dirk is he has a great chance of increasing his all-time rank if he keeps up his incredible play.

14. Moses Malone

Moses Malone was one of the greatest rebounders ever and certainly the greatest offensive rebounder ever.  Moses led the NBA in offensive rebounds eight times during his career and averaged seven offensive boards a game twice during his career.  People forget how crucial and momentum shifting offensive rebounds can be.  Remember in Game 6 of the 2011 Finals when Dallas seemed to get every offensive rebound in the last five minutes?  That really helped the Mavs clinch the series.  Moses also scored over 29,000 points and grabbed over 17,500 rebounds during his career.

13. John Havlicek

John Havlicek is probably one of the most underrated players of all-time.  He was 8-0 in the NBA Finals, played his best during the biggest moments, great on offense and defense, and played an incredible amount of minutes.  He twice led the NBA in minutes played and in those two seasons he averaged 45 minutes a game!  Plus during the 1969 playoffs, he average 47.2 minutes a game throughout 18 postseason games.  Great scorer, superb defender, played huge minutes, clutch, and most importantly a champion.  Yeah, John Havlicek could do it all.

12. Jerry West

Zeke from Cabin Creek comes in twelfth on my list.  West had one of the prettiest jumpers the league has ever seen and was a very fundamental player.  Unfortunately Jerry West had some bad luck throughout his career.  He was constantly matched up against the great Celtics teams in the NBA Finals so he never won multiple titles.

11. Oscar Robertson

You can make a case that West is better than Robertson and vice versa but I am going with Robertson over West mainly because his statistics are much better than West’s.  He scored more points than West; he had more boards and assist than West too.  Plus, as all of you know in the 61-62 season he averaged a triple double.  Yes, I understand that Oscar played in an era which shots and rebounds were much more frequent in the NBA than they are now but still averaging a triple double is still remarkable.  In my opinion Oscar was a more complete player then West.

10. Shaquille O’Neal

One of the most dominating presences the NBA has ever seen on and off the court.  Shaq’s huge body and great touch around the basket made him a impossible match up for any team.  And his hilarious quotes and hi-jinks made him a fan favorite.

The problem with Shaq that most people forget was drama always seem to follow him whenever another superstar on his team threaten to steal his spot as the team’s best player.  He had issues with Penny Hardaway in Orlando, everyone knows he and Kobe had their problems, and he didn’t leave Miami on the best of terms.  But, off the court issues shouldn’t take away from how great a player he was.

It’s unfortunate that he couldn’t put that petty stuff behind him because the Lakers would have won more titles and we would be debating if the Kobe/Shaq Lakers dynasty was better than Jordan’s Bulls and Russell’s Celtics.

9. Hakeem Olajuwon

Hakeem had some of the best low post moves of any center of all-time.  Very few 7 footers had the tremendous footwork and athleticism that Hakeem had.  He was also a great shot blocker; he is first in career blocks with 3,830.

Hakeem’s Rockets won the NBA Finals in 94 and 95.  Now some people think that these titles weren’t as special because Jordan wasn’t in the league to face them in the Finals.  As many of you know in ’94 Jordan was out of the league and in ’95 Jordan only played 17 regular season games and was still shaking the baseball rust during the playoffs.  But, I disagree with that idea because during ’94 to ’95 people knew Michael was struggling at baseball and he would eventually return to the NBA.  Hakeem took advantage of this chance to win two titles when Jordan was out of the league while other ring less superstars like Malone, Stockton, Barkley, Robinson, Ewing, and Miller lost their best opportunity to grab their ring.

The reason why I have Hakeem over Shaq is because Hakeem had a much worst supporting cast than Shaq.  Hakeem never played with anyone as good as Kobe Bryant or Dywane Wade.  Who was the best player that Hakeem played with during his career?  Fat Charles Barkley? Just past-his-prime Clyde Drexler? Kenny Smith? Ralph Sampson?  Also, during that 94-95 span Hakeem beat Barkley, Malone, Ewing, Malone (again), Barkley (again), murdered Robinson, and Shaq.  While from 00-02 and 06 Shaq lucked out and faced past his prime Rik Smits, Mutombo, Todd MacCulloch, and Erick Dampier.  Hakeem had a lot less than Shaq. but did almost as much.

8. Tim Duncan

The two times NBA MVP comes in eighth on my list.  Tim Duncan had a very simple repertoire of post moves that consisted of jump hooks, up and unders, and bank shots.  Although boring and basic they were very effective

Tim’s career is pretty similar to Hakeem’s.  Both where very durable players, both were skilled on offense and defense, and both never had great teammates.  Sure, Manu and Tony are good but their not Hall of Famers and although David Robinson was great, he was past his prime when Tim got there.  Tim gets the upper hand over Hakeem because he has won more titles and more MVPs.

7. Kobe Bryant

After watching this year’s Playoffs it appears that Kobe Bryant might be slowing down.  He doesn’t have the quickness he used to have and he is relying on his jumper to score more of his points instead of driving to the basket like he used too.  He’s only averaged 22 points this season, his lowest average since the 2000 postseason.

Kobe has all the accolades for a top ten player; he has won five NBA Finals and is a NBA MVP.  Fans and analyst don’t always like his bad-tempered attitude to teammates and coaches, but I kind of like it.  Sure his douchy attitude caused Shaq to leave.  But, Kobe is the leader on his team and if that means being a dick to his teammates so he can get them to play better then so be it.  He’s there to win basketball games not make friends.

6. Wilt Chamberlain

It was to bad that Wilt never grasped the idea of being a team player because he would of won more titles, beaten Russell more often, and perhaps basketball experts would call him a better player than Russell.  Wilt, by most accounts was more talented than Russell, but Russell wanted it more and did a better job playing with his teammates.

Even though Wilt had some troubles with his teammates and coaches on the court his stats are still astounding.  He was the NBA’s all-time leading scorer before Kareem dethroned him, everyone knows that he once scored 100 points in a game, and in the 1961-1962 season he averaged 50 points and 25 boards.  

5. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

The NBA’s all-time leading scorer comes in fifth on my list.  Blessed with an unstoppable sky hook, Kareem was able to score massive points and play till he was 41.  Kareem also was a good defender, he led the NBA in blocks four times and he made the NBA’s first All-Defensive team five times.  He was a six time champion and he was willing to pass the torch to Magic when he started to become the alpha-dog on the Lakers.  Also, he had one of the funniest scene in the movie Airplane!

4. Larry Bird

Larry could shoot the ball from anywhere on the court, he was an excellent passer, he was a great rebounder even though he couldn’t jump, and he could pass too.  Larry also won three MVP’s and was a three time NBA Finals champion.  Bird was also a solid defender before he got to old.

3. Magic Johnson

I went with Magic over Bird because Magic was slight better at getting his teammates involved than Bird and he won more titles than Bird.  Although, Larry was a better scorer than Magic I am still sticking with Magic.

Magic was the best passer the NBA has ever seen.  Magic was a master showman and nobody ran the fastbreak better than Magic.  Magic won four NBA titles during his career, beating Bird’s Celtics twice.  He was a three time MVP and in the 1981-1982 season he nearly finished with a triple-double (18.6-9.6-9.5).

2. Bill Russell

Eleven time NBA Finals champion Bill Russell comes in second on my list.  Bill Russell was the leader of the Celtics dynasty during the the 60′s.  During that time Russell constantly beat all-time greats like Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, and Bob Pettit  in the postseason. That’s why he is ranked above all of those players on my list

Back when Russell played they didn’t keep track blocks so we will never know how shots that Russell swatted.  But everyone knows that he was a feared defender throughout his career.  Russell also was a team player and gave everything he had every game.

1. Michael Jordan

Michael was simply the best. Fans and experts are better debating who would come in second.

Top 20 NBA Ballers of My Lifetime

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Editor’s note: We are currently preparing an article in which a number of MSF writers submitted their top 20 NBA players of all-time. The goal is to see where Dirk falls in the top 20, or if he even makes it at all. Evan decided to narrow his scope a bit and go with the top 20 players of his lifetime. So we are posting his article first, with the mega top 20 article to come. Stay tuned…

Also note that Evan is 22 and says that he really started watching the NBA during the 1997-98 season.

It’s top-20 NBA Players mania around here right now, all thanks to Dirk Nowitzki’s superstar performance in earning his first ring this month. Everyone from announcers to journalists to bloggers are saying Dirk has hit legendary status, maybe even top 20 of all time. I think that sounds a tad high for Dirk, but he now has some serious hardware to reasonably back up the claim to a top-20 spot.

For my own part, I have always thought that the NBA MVP award was the most meaningful of any of the four major sports. Scan the list and you’ll notice every single winner is a Hall of Famer or well on his way to being enshrined. Dirk has his MVP award, he has his Finals MVP award, and most importantly he has his ring.

But is he on par with Larry Bird? Or is that just the most racially convenient historical comparison bandied by most experts?

Honestly, I don’t really know because I never actually saw Larry Bird play. But I have seen plenty of other great players, so for my Top-20 NBA Players list, I decided to restrict myself to those guys I’ve actually seen play. Here is my list with some highly subjective choices, some no doubters, and perhaps one begrudgingly included sharpshooter who burned my New York Knicks many years ago.

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Hey, remember when people compared LeBron to MJ?

michael jordan laughing gifGIF source: Here via Reddit

I know, right?

 

From the Rafters: A Look at Retired Numbers in the NBA

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Less than 24 hours after Shaq tweeted his intentions to retire, one of his former teams announced a retirement of another kind. The Lakers said that they will retire Shaq’s #34 jersey, and #34 will join #13, #22, #25, #32, #33, #42, and #44 in the Staples Center rafters.

(Bonus points if you can name the Lakers player who wore each of those numbers.*)

Retiring numbers is by no means limited to the NBA, but the ritual is especially meaningful in basketball because a) an individual player can have a bigger impact on his franchise in basketball than in any other team sport, and b) basketball arenas are ideal for hanging banners. When you peruse the banners hanging from rafters around the league, you discover all sorts of interesting things.

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The first number retired by the Miami Heat was…who? WTF?

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This morning on The Ticket here in Dallas, Craig “Junior” Miller led off a conversation by discussing a picture he tweeted last night from the American Airlines Arena in Miami.

The picture shows the rafters at the AAA, and it can only be described as WTF.

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Top 10 Individual NBA Finals Performances of All Time

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Game 1 of the 2011 NBA Finals is only hours away my friends. This is where legends are made, champions are born, and dreams are broken.

Also be sure to check out my NBA Finals preview!

With a series destined to provide us with star power, amazing play, and two teams full of players who are dying to win a ring, I would like to toss out a little treat to whet your appetite.

Before we become engrossed in this year’s memorable Finals performances, let’s relive 10 of the all-time best individual performances from NBA Finals past

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It’s time to cut the NBA’s superstar young pups some slack

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Things were getting desperate in my household a few months ago. My sister was pregnant and getting ready to have a baby. My wife was starting to get that same itch…

So I pulled out the only trick I could think of: I bought her a puppy.

Now that the desire for something small to love was gone, my wife and I began to try and learn how to raise the little guy. The first day, little Figo (Italian for “cool”) ate some food, drank some water, and then used our kitchen floor as a toilet. A few hours later, he did the same thing in our living room. If you have ever had a puppy, you know this became a common occurrence over the next few weeks.

Every time the little guy did it, I wanted to get angry. But I couldn’t. Why? Because as my father once told me, “You can’t get mad at puppies for acting like dogs.”

Another way of putting would be that “You can’t expect a puppy to behave and obey like his older, more experienced counterparts.”

I have been thinking about this a lot during the NBA Playoffs.

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