During the heat of competition, the passion that courses through combatants can sometimes take a turn into uglier territory.

The brawl between Cincinnati and Xavier back on December 10 demonstrated an example of athletes allowing their pride and passion to overcome common sense and respect for the game, their organizations, their teammates and obviously, their opponents.

Photo by: Frank Victores | Presswire

Nine days later, Arizona State and Southern Miss had a skirmish between players on court – including a punch thrown – as a result of a battle for a rebound.

Sometimes, however, athletes and sports figures fight for the same reasons that anyone else fights – someone pissed them off or they don’t like someone.  Plenty of bad blood exists between players, coaches, commissioners and even officials, and while it doesn’t always end in fisticuffs, it can be very entertaining when it does.

Although it’s not very “Tebow” of me, I will admit that I treat fights – especially those between wealthy, famous people – like a car crash; I just can’t look away.

Here are some sports feuds that deserve to have a resolution, and I think that the most fascinating way for that resolution to come about is a pay-per-view style mixed martial arts event featuring all of the sports figures who despise each other.  In my dream fight scenario there would be a referee so that things would remain safe (for example, we wouldn’t want an enraged James Harrison to actually tear Roger Goodell’s head off were they to wage war in the octagon) and standard UFC non-title fight rules would apply (three 5-minute rounds).

Here are some battles I would definitely pay to see:

Yancy Gates vs. Kenny Frease (the rematch)

• Height: Gates – 6-9 / Frease – 7-0
• Weight: Gates – 260 / Frease – 275
• Age: Gates – 22 / Frease – 22 (Gates is 3 days older)

Since Gates landed sort of a sucker punch the first time, I’d like to see him face off against Frease again.

Both of these guys are huge, but Frease is truly a behemoth.  Gates obviously has knockout power, however, as we saw during the infamous brawl on December 10.  It would be interesting to see if he can go all LeGarrette Blount on Frease without the distraction of a benches-clearing brawl interfering.

Rex Ryan vs. Brandon Jacobs

• Height: Ryan – 6-3 / Jacobs – 6-4
• Weight: Ryan – A LOT / Jacobs – 264
• Age: Ryan – 49 / Jacobs – 29

Following the Giants’ 29-14 thrashing of Ryan’s Jets on Christmas Eve, Brandon Jacobs had some words for Ryan.

Of course Ryan is no stranger to trash talking, whether it be about football or fighting.  He famously taunted former Dolphins linebacker Channing Crowder in the media, and he is known for his boastful declarations about the Jets’ on-field prospects.

Jacobs may be much younger, but I have a feeling that Rex’s mouth has gotten him into plenty of brawls before, and he seems like a pretty confident fella.

 Nyjer Morgan vs. Chris Carpenter

• Height: Morgan – 6-0 / Carpenter – 6-6
• Weight: Morgan – 175 / Carpenter – 230
• Age: Morgan – 31 / Carpenter – 36

T-Plush and Carpenter had a dust-up back in September as the NL Central race was heating up.  Plenty of trash talking from Morgan and Carpenter ensued, and since-departed Cardinals Albert Pujols and Tony LaRussa even got involved.

Morgan and his flamboyant alter-ego Tony Plush did little to squelch the flames of the rivalry, taunting the Cardinals by bragging over the Brewers’ standing atop the division, but the Cards ended up with the last laugh by improbably winning the World Series a few weeks later.

Baseball feuds can run for years, so it will be interesting to see if 2012 delivers another chapter in this feud.  For now I can only wish for a score-settling face off between the smaller, quicker Morgan, and the towering Carpenter.

Kyle Busch vs. Kevin Harvick

• Height: Busch – 6-1 / Harvick – 5-10
• Weight: Busch – 160 / Harvick – 175
• Age: Busch – 26 / Harvick – 36

When NASCAR VP of competition Robin Pemberton issued the statement “Boys, have at it” in 2010, fans of old-school contact racing and the fisticuffs that sometimes follow were elated.

In May 2011 at Darlington, Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick’s growing feud came to a head, with Harvick throwing a punch at Busch after what he deemed over-zealous driving by Kyle.  Later, Harvick’s car owner, Richard Childress, reportedly tried to physically fight Busch as well.

Harvick is known as an instigator, and over the past few years he has been involved in incidents and trash-talking with Carl Edwards, Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, Busch and others.  But given how close Harvick and Busch always seem to run, the potential for an explosive fight is always present.

Shaquille O’Neal vs. Kobe Bryant

• Height: Shaq – 7-1 / Kobe – 6-6
• Weight: Shaq – 325 / Kobe – 205
• Age: Shaq – 39 / Kobe – 33

What can I say about this feud that hasn’t already been said?

Shaq and Kobe feuded publicly for years, and even though they have played nice on camera in recent years, there is no doubt that some lingering animosity is shared by both.  Their sparring was so prevalent that there is an entire Wikipedia page dedicated to the feud.

I would imagine Shaq would be a difficult guy to beat up no matter who you are, but if anyone has the tenacity and killer instinct to do so, it is Kobe.  To see Shaq come into the octagon joking and playing around, maybe rapping “Kobe tell me how my ass tastes,” only to see Kobe enter with that scowl of his would be magical.

Would’s O’Neal’s “Shaq-Fu” be enough to take down the “Black Mamba?”  We’ll probably never know, but I would pay a decent chunk of money to know for sure.

Roger Goodell vs. James Harrison

• Height: Goodell – 6-0 (est.) / Harrison – 6-0
• Weight: Goodell – unknown / Harrison – 242
• Age: Goodell – 52 / Harrison – 33

I hinted at it in the opening, but this fight would definitely need to be governed by strict UFC-style rules.

The size differential isn’t alarming, but one would have to figure that Harrison is the stronger man.  Still, l can’t help wishing that the NFL head honcho, who also performs duties of judge, jury, and executioner in all things disciplinary for the league, would agree to physically brawl with his most troublesome employee.

And who knows?  Maybe Goodell is some sort of secret martial artist, and his whole reign of tyranny over the NFL is unimpeded because most players, coaches, and executives are terrified of him.  If that is the case (and I certainly hope it is), then I would love to see him go at it with this guy:

Mike Piazza vs. Roger Clemens

• Height: Piazza – 6-3 / Clemens – 6-4
• Weight: Piazza – 200 / Clemens – 205
• Age: Piazza – 43 / Clemens – 49

No catcher ever hit for power like Mike Piazza, and few pitchers during the era spanning the 1980s-2000s instilled as much fear in opposing hitters as Roger Clemens.

The two became enemies when Clemens drilled Piazza in the head with a pitch in an interleague game in 2000.  Later that year, in the 2000 “Subway” World Series, Piazza broke his bat while hitting a grounder off of Clemens, and in a bizarre sequence, Clemens picked up the splintered bat and threw it back in the direction of Piazza, who had begun running the bases.

Four years later, Piazza caught for Clemens during the first inning on the All-Star game, and Clemens allowed six runs.  It was alleged that Piazza was tipping Clemens’ pitches to American League batters as a way of retaliating for the previous incidents.

I would like to see these two settle their old score, and just in case, I’ll allow PEDs for these two fighters only.  You know, just for old times’ sake.

Jim Harbaugh vs. Jim Schwartz

• Height: Harbaugh – 6-3 / Schwartz – 6-0 (est.)
• Weight: Harbaugh – 215 / Schwartz – unknown
• Age: Harbaugh – 48 / Schwartz – 45

Back in October, head coaches and Jims Harbaugh (49ers) and Schwartz (Lions) got into a bit of a scuffle following the 49ers win in Detroit.

Harbaugh’s exuberance in the aftermath led to some (probably) over-enthusiastic celebrating and a pretty firm handshake with Schwartz.  Schwartz, obviously upset about losing the game, became enraged by the handshake, and chased Harbaugh down, yelling at him all the way.  Schwartz had to be restrained by players and team personnel.

Since these two teams could meet again in the postseason, we can only hope for more fireworks, but what I truly hope for is being able to watch them compete in an actual fight.

Tim Duncan vs. Joey Crawford

• Height: Duncan – 6-11 / Crawford – 5-8 (est.)
• Weight: Duncan – 255 / Crawford – unknown
• Age: Duncan – 35 / Crawford – 60

Duncan and Crawford have some history, most notably in 2007 when Crawford ejected Duncan for laughing at a call from the bench.  As ridiculous as the ejection was, things became even more strange when the typically reserved Duncan said Crawford challenged him to a fight, and different accounts reported that the two exchanged profanities.  Crawford was suspended for the remainder of the season and the playoffs (breaking a 21-year streak of working NBA Finals games), and Duncan was also fined.

As any avid NBA fan knows, Crawford is a particularly animated referee, and he has been criticized (by me and others) for being too showy while making calls and for being contentious with players.

I would like to see this fight for a number of reasons, chief among them the hilarious spectacle that the age and size differentials would create and the fact that Crawford deserves some comeuppance for his antics over the years.

Reggie Bush vs. Miles Austin vs. Kris Humphries with Special Guest Referee Ray J.

• Height: Bush – 6-0 / Austin – 6-2 / Humphries – 6-9
• Weight: Bush – 203 / Austin -215 / Humphries – 235
• Age: Bush – 26 / Austin – 27 / Humphries – 26

As far as I know, none of these guys has any problem with the others.  But the fact is that they are all jilted exes of one Kim Kardashian.  So what would be more fun than a three-way dance in which the winner gets to reclaim Kim’s heart?

Since Ray J. is the co-star of a certain X-rated home video that broke Kim’s career, he can officiate the brawl.  Given the Kardashian clan’s penchant for cashing in on ill-advised television programs, this would seem to be right up their alley.  Of course, given the success that Bush, Austin and Humphries have experienced, they might not be too excited about this.

This one might have to wait until they are all retired.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao

• Height: Mayweather – 5-8 / Pacquiao – 5-6.5
• Weight: Mayweather – varies / Pacquiao – varies
• Age: Mayweather – 34 / Pacquiao – 33

While we’re on the subject of dream fights that will probably never happen, we might as well throw in the boxing superfight that everyone seems to want except the two guys who would be fighting.

Pac-Man v Mayweather has been speculated about for years, but as of now there are no indications that they will fight any time soon.  I would surely pay for this fight, as I’m sure millions of other sports fans would, so hopefully they find a way to make it happen before the two fighters get much older and have their substantial skills deteriorate.

What sports figures would you like to see fight each other?  List them in the comments below!

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Follow me on Twitter @keithmullett

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Image Credits: usatoday.com, blitzsportsnetwork.com, sportsgrid.com, sbnation.com, nydailynews.com, nbaloud.com, hiphophoney.com

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.

Through it all, Harbaugh earned the nickname of “Captain Comeback” and became my favorite football player. For several years, I thought he was the greatest player of all time. Why? Because I felt like I shared something special with him. I grew up with him. I liked him. I wanted him to be the best.

It wasn’t until I got a little older and started comparing him to other players that I realized what he was: an inspiring player, but a mediocre one at that.

Life is like that sometimes.

When we like a guy, he holds a higher place in our hearts, regardless of anything else that happens. No matter who else comes along — for me, it was Peyton Manning…who I wanted to trade halfway through his rookie year — that new player will never be as good as the guy we grew up with.

All that to say, 98% of you are not going to like what I have to say in this post.

That’s fine. I realize that while you read this, you will feel like I’m making a personal attack on you. It will seem like I’m criticizing someone that you shared something with, someone who was special to you.

Most likely, I will not change anyone’s mind. That’s the beauty of sports – we all have our opinions, and it takes a lot to change them. It won’t bother me in the least bit if you read through this column and disagree with me. Honestly, I’m not one of those writers who writes controversial pieces just to drive cheap traffic…after all, I spent two months researching a 2700-word piece about college sports that had 18 footnotes and almost nobody read. You don’t have to agree with me, or even like me, but just remember I’m not flooding your inbox or twitter account with death threats, insults, and meaningless hyperboles.

So let’s just get to it. Let’s rank the twenty greatest NBA Players of all time.

The Context

A few quick but important notes:

I will be ranking this as if I were a GM creating a team. Knowing everything that we know, who would I draft to start my team? This has two huge ramifications.

A) Peak matters, but so does longevity.

Bill Walton may have had the greatest individual season a center has ever had; the guy missed 24 games in 1978, and was still voted that season’s MVP. You could make a very compelling argument that his peak was greater than any other center’s peak. However, he was really only healthy for 2 1/2 years. Knowing all of this, would you draft him #1 in a fantasy draft? Absolutely not. Would you hope and pray that he slid to the 5th or 6th round and you could post some amazing stats for a short period of time? Of course. But you just need more from a guy you are building your team around. (Remember this when you are beating your face on the table while reading who I had at #3).

We will also have to extrapolate a little bit with some of the current stars. Of course, this is very subjective and impossible to do, but I will try to be as conservative as possible with the predictions.

B) Era matters.

You will see that my list is heavily weighted towards the current era.

I’m not trying to disrespect the older players, but please understand…how good would Bill Russell, an incredibly smart and athletic 6’9” center with a limited offensive game REALLY be in today’s NBA? I’m just not sure. At the end of the day, he has to make the list because of his competitive fire (maybe the greatest competitor ever), his number of rings (simply staggering), and his defensive abilities. But let’s just be honest: we are all mildly terrified that Dwight Howard would pick Russell up, shove him in his pocket, and run all over the court with him. Plus, Russell was playing in a league that was mainly white. Wouldn’t Zach Randolph average like 50 points a game in Europe? Let’s just move on before I start offending people.

Again, none of this is meant as an insult to the old generation. Many of these players accomplished a lot against their peers. Unfortunately, I just don’t know how many of them would be successful if you dropped them into another era.

C) Rings matter…but are not necessarily the ultimate trump card.

Basketball is a team sport. It either takes two superstars, or one superduperstar and great role players, to win a championship. Just because a guy like Charles Barkley never won a ring doesn’t mean he can’t make our top 20. His best teammate during his prime was Kevin Johnson. KEVIN JOHNSON!!!! Let’s give the guy a little bit of a break.

The Close-But-Nos

Players who didn’t make the list:

Karl Malone

The classic “very very very very good but never great” basketball player. Just look at his playoff record sometime before 1997 when all of the other good teams in the Western Conference were gone. Pretty lackluster. He almost makes the list because of his incredible longevity…but to me, you aren’t winning a championship with him as your best player.

David Robinson

Good at basketball, but cared more about being good at life. And that’s cool. I think he’s happy with how it all turned out for him.

Bill Walton

Not enough longevity.

Rick Barry

Maybe the worst teammate of all time. Go ahead and find one complimentary statement made about him from one of his peers. I dare you.

John Stockton

Maybe the most overrated player of all time. Switch him out with Derrick Rose on the Bulls this year. So they win 60 games? 50? 45? Are they a playoff team?

Bob Petit

How good would he be today? Would he even be Tyler Hansbrough? Maybe. We just can’t be sure.

Bob Cousy

He revolutionized the PG position, and we should all be grateful. But see Petit, Bob.

Chris Paul

Probably shouldn’t even be on this list, but I’ve never seen anyone play the point guard position as well, and if his knee isn’t permanently screwed up, he will most definitely crack this list.

Julius Erving

Played too much of his prime in the ABA against players that weren’t allowed to play defense on him because he was too valuable. Only won one ring in the NBA, and he wasn’t his team’s best player.

Elgin Baylor

The hardest guy to leave off this list. Unfortunately, he never won a ring, and may have just played at the wrong time.

John Havlichek

One of the greatest competitors of all time – it’s just hard to project wing players that don’t really shoot into the league right now. Would he be an outstanding defender? Yes. Would he be a team leader? Of course. Maybe he’s Shawn Marion, maybe he’s pre-crazy Ron Artest. I’m not sure.

And now onto the top 20.

The Top 20 NBA Players of All-Tme

#20 Dwyane Wade

We have no idea how Wade’s career will go from this point on. In my opinion, he is the fourth greatest shooting guard of all time behind Jordan, Bryant, and Jerry West. To be honest, his ranking on this list will ultimately come down to longevity.

His 2006 Finals ranks among the greatest performances in history. He is clutch. He’s a great defender. He’s a fantastic finisher at the rim. Even if he only plays for another five seasons, he will have played for 13 years, with 12 of them being quality.

He will have had the skill, the competitive fire, the ring(s), and longevity you want from your shooting guard.

With any luck, he will pass up the Logo and finish as the third greatest SG of all time.

#19 Kevin Garnett

His career will forever be hard to truly evaluate because he was stuck on incredibly awful teams for so long in Minnesota. Regardless, he goes down in history as one of the greatest defenders of all time, one of the best passers for his position, and an awesome teammate.

You could probably make the case that he was better suited to be a second banana as opposed to the main guy. This all comes back to his willingness to settle for jumpers instead of going to the basket late in games.

However, he finishes ahead of Malone because of his championship in 2008, and ahead of Baylor because of his longevity (13 quality years and counting compared to just 10 for Elgin).

#18 LeBron James

I’ll keep this quick.

There has never been a better time to hate on LeBron, and much of what you say could be correct. However, no one on this list has more upside (and really, it’s incredible that we can still say that, 8 years into a guy’s career) and even if he plays just another six years, he will finish with some of the greatest stats of all time (and most likely, at least one ring).

Obviously, if he never wins a ring, things will change. But even so, you will be hard-pressed to find a player that does more things well than King James.

#17 Charles Barkley

I’ll just leave this anecdote from Sir Charles himself, courtesy of the B.S. Report from May 19.

“Until Game 2 of 1993, I thought I was better than Michael Jordan. We lost Game 1 because we were scared of the moment, but I went home after that night and told my daughter that we were going to win Game 2 because her father was the greatest basketball player in the world. I went out that night and scored like 47 points, but Jordan scored 53 and beat us.

“That night, I went home, and my daughter was crying. She asked me what happened, and I realized at that point, that Michael Jordan was just better than me.”

So sad. But sometimes, those are just the breaks. Unfortunately for Charles, he played against one of the greatest players of ever, who also happened to have Scottie Pippen on his team.

Fortunately for us, we had the privilege of watching the greatest rebounder ever (pound for pound), one of the most exciting players in the open court, and #17 on our list of all-time greats.

Full Disclosure: Was this pick perhaps slightly influenced by the fact that Barkley is the greatest color commentator in NBA history? Possibly. I’m ok with that.

#16 Scottie Pippen

I know what most of you are thinking:

“The guy rode Jordan’s coattails for his entire career.”
“He cried on the bench while Toni Kukoc made the winning shot in a playoff game.”
“This guy’s an idiot…he doesn’t even like John Stockton!”

Here’s what I know.

• Michael Jordan didn’t win a single playoff series until Scottie Pippen arrived in Chicago.
• Pippen is the greatest wing defender of all-time (I will argue this to the death…he could defend and shut down four positions, and the Bulls would have lost the 1991 Finals if he hadn’t switched over to guard Magic).
• Until LeBron accomplished it in 2010, Scottie was the only player ever to lead his team in points, rebounds, assists, blocks, and steals for an entire season in 1994.
• Chuck Daly called Pippen the second best player on the Dream Team…behind you know who. By the way, that team included Magic, Bird, Clyde, Malone, Barkley, Robinson, Ewing, and Mullin. Pretty nice compliment if you ask me.
• After the Bulls won the title in 1993 and Jordan left to play baseball, Pippen played out of his mind and the net effect on the team was a swing of two games. Be honest, that stunned you. You would have thought the loss of Jordan would have affected the Bulls a lot more, right?

Michael Jordan was easily the best guard of the 90s, but to be fair, Scottie was pretty easily the second best. Of course, Scottie benefited from Jordan, but you could make just as compelling of a case that Jordan would not be who he was without Scottie.

I’ll just let long-time teammate Ron Harper finish this point for me.

“Everybody talks about MJ first, but Pip had a more all-around game. Defense, offensive rebounds, and defensive boards: Pip made the game easier for all of us to play.”

#15 Dirk Nowitzki

My, how the tables have turned. Dirk has gone from “soft European star” to “America’s favorite golden boy.”

It’s hard to really pinpoint where Dirk deserves to be on this list. But at this point, he deserves to be ahead of Barkley, Malone, Garnett, and all of the other PFs not named Tim Duncan for the following reasons:

• His fadeaway is the second most unstoppable move of all-time (behind the Sky Hook).
• Not many other players have been unstoppable in crunch time as Dirk, and he cemented this for us in the 2011 Playoffs.
• Offensively, he simply has no holes. He’s a willing passer, incredibly unselfish, and not only the best shooting 7-footer of all time, but one of the best five shooters of all time.
• He’s led the Mavericks to the playoffs nearly every year since he’s been there, and deep into the playoffs consistently as well. While battling against Kobe, KG, Duncan, and Shaq (four of the other guys in our top 20), he’s more than held his own. Quite frankly, he’s a winner.

At this point, he’s played for 13 years, and 11 of them have been quality. A player like Dirk could easily play another five to seven years, even if he was just a rich man’s Sam Perkins late in his career. Give me a minimum 13 great years from a 7-footer who just wins any day of the week.

#14  Moses Malone

Even though he couldn’t speak English (Fo-fo-fo), Moses was probably the greatest rebounder of all-time.  Maybe he only did one thing really well, but he did that one thing better than most other players did any one thing.

In a league that had Kareem and Magic, as well as Larry, McHale, and Parish on the same teams in their primes, Moses led his team to a title…convincingly.  He comes in at Fo-teen on our list, and might even wear the title as most underrated player of all-time.

#13  Oscar Robertson

I’m torn on the Big O.  He averaged a triple-double for an entire season.  But how many 6’5, athletic guards would have done the same thing in a league that had the unspoken rule of “only two black players are allowed on each team?”  Would a healthy Brandon Roy have done that?  Would Jordan have averaged 70 points?  What could Vince Carter have accomplished?  Ok…I won’t get carried away.

Robertson makes it to #13 based on reputation, but to be honest, I would have had no problems leaving him off this list entirely.

#12  Isiah Thomas

You probably think Isiah is too high for one of three reasons:  A: You don’t like him as a person (he was probably the most unlikeable star of the 80s);  B: You remember his career after he stopped playing (he was probably the worst GM/Coach of all time); or C: You just forgot about him.

Again, let’s look at some of the things that we do know.

• In 1990, this was the argument: Who is better, Magic, Bird, or Isiah?  To be honest, Michael Jordan wasn’t even in the conversation yet.
• At 6’1” (if he was lucky), Isiah is easily the smallest person on our list, and yet he won two titles in the most competitive era of basketball in NBA history.
• He beat Bird, McHale, Parrish, and Dennis Johnson, as well as Magic, Kareem, and Worthy while they were in their primes.  Michael and Scottie cannot make that claim.
• He goes down as the greatest pure point guard of all time – a guy who could get his entire team involved for 44 minutes, and then take over the last 4.

Sure, he is an unlikeable guy, and he was a terrible GM.  But Isiah Thomas could ball, and that’s what we are drafting for our team: the player, not the retired legend.

#11 Wilt Chamberlain

The hardest guy on this list to place.  He put up the most mind-boggling stats in NBA history, but again, wouldn’t D-Howard, Shaq, Hakeem, Robinson, etc. put up equal stats in a league that was small and white?

In the end, Wilt just doesn’t seem like he was a winner.  He only won two championships, and only one of those came on a team where he was the best player.

#10  Shaquille O’Neal

When he wanted it, he was the most dominant player I have ever seen.  Unfortunately, he only wanted it for like two and a half seasons.  Fortunately for him, he was still good enough to win four titles, even though he wasn’t really giving 100% for two of those teams.

I take him over Wilt because of his four rings, humorous personality, and sweet nicknames.  If he had ever worked for it, he could have been a top 3 player of all time.  I think Shaq is ok with how it all turned out though.  He will have to settle for being #10 and the most likeable superstar of the 00s.

#9 Hakeem Olajuwan

I have four reasons for why Hakeem should be ranked ahead of Wilt and Shaq.

1. “The Dream Shake.”  Nobody has ever been smoother at the center position, and we will probably never see another player like him.
2. He absolutely dismantled all of his rivals in the 90s – Robinson, Ewing, and Baby Shaq.  Shaq couldn’t do that, and Wilt definitely didn’t do that.
3. “Stocks.”  Bill Simmons blew this out in his book, but if you combined steals and blocks into one category called “stocks,” nobody has ever come close to the crazy stats the Dream put up.  Only one player in history has over 5900 stocks, and it’s the Dream at 5992.  Oh, and nobody else has more than 5500…or 5000…or 4500.  Yep, nobody has ever come close to Hakeem’s unbelievable defensive numbers.
4. He played for 18 years, and 14 of them were quality.  His longevity is, simply, unmatched when it comes to franchise centers.

This is getting a little tedious, so let’s just bang out the next few guys with one or two sentences.

#8 Jerry West

The Logo is still the only player in NBA History to be voted the NBA Finals MVP on a losing team.  Dude could ball, and if he was a Celtic instead of a Laker, he would probably be higher on this list.

#7 Tim Duncan

The greatest power forward of all time won as many rings as Shaq, and was a more complete player for the entirety of his career.

#6  Bill Russell

See my previous thoughts on Russell. To be honest, I’m not sure I would really draft him ahead of Tim Duncan for my team in today’s world, but the guy deserves to at least be ranked as high as his number.

#5  Larry Bird

Larry Legend was the most intelligent player in NBA History, as well as one of its fiercest competitors and most clutch finishers.  Plus, he’s from Indiana; he has to be this high.

#4  Magic Johnson

Finishes ahead of Larry because of the number of rings (5 to 3) and his longevity (12 quality years compared to 10).

#3 Michael Jordan

#2 Kobe Bryant

#1 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Please let me give my reasons before you flood my (and my editor’s) inbox with rude comments.

First of all,

Michael Jordan is easily the most universally liked person of the three.  According to most people, Kareem was “some Muslim activist” and Kobe is a “6 for 24 shooting adulterer.”

Personally, I have no idea why Jordan is universally loved more than the other guys.  The guy is addicted to gambling, has had more affairs than any other athlete not named Tiger Woods, and allegedly punched teammates in practice for not trying hard enough.  He gave a nearly hour long, vindictive Hall of Fame speech where he basically admitted that he had respect for nobody, and he even told his son he felt bad for him because he could never live up to his old man.  Michael Jordan is not a good guy by any definition…but everyone loves him anyway.  That’s fine.

Let’s try to put aside personalities for a minute though and really judge these guys as players.

Secondly,

Jordan won all of his titles from 1991 to 1998, the second weakest era in NBA History.

The weakest era coincided with the ABA, when all the good players were split in half, making both leagues weaker. But 1991 to 1998 was almost equally as poor. Don’t believe me? Let me throw this at you.

From 1991 to 1998, Michael Jordan only beat ONE team that had another top 20 player in his prime – the 1993 Phoenix Suns.  Past that, he only beat one other team that had another top 20 player at all…the 1991 Lakers.  When you take into account the fact that Jordan was also playing with Scottie Pippen (maybe he’s not #15 on your list, but you can’t argue that there was another guard as good in the decade), it’s not surprising in the least bit that Jordan won six rings.  Looking back on it now, the Knicks were overrated (Ewing was soft, and who was guarding Jordan…6’2” John Starks?  Please), the Lakers were old, the Blazers, Suns, and Sonics were just not as good, and the Jazz excelled at choking.

So who did Jordan really beat during that time?

Expansion had weakened the NBA to a certain extent.  Magic, Bird, Isiah, Kareem, and Moses were all washed up.  The “too much too soon” era was also in full force, as guys like Glenn Robinson, Chris Webber, Derrick Coleman, and others were given unbelievably bogus contracts that caused them to stop working and waste their potential.  Shaq and Penny were too young and immature.  Payton and Kemp only got along for like one year.  Hakeem didn’t have good enough players outside of ’94-’95.  Jordan only really had to beat three peers: Clyde, Barkley, and Malone.  And none of their second best players even came close to Scottie Pippen.  In fact, none of them really compared to Scottie.

On the other hand, Kobe had to battle against Duncan, Dirk, and KG every single season in his own conference! Meanwhile, Kareem had to beat individual teams that had Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parrish, Bill Walton, Dennis Johnson, and Danny Ainge on them.

Listen, I’m not going to sit here and make comments like, “Jordan never would have won anything unless all the other greats retired and the league wasn’t so weak.”  But the fact is that Jordan never DID win anything until all the other greats retired and the league was weaker.

You can argue that Jordan would have been great in any era, and that he was so competitive he would have won championships against anyone.  The fact is, though, that he didn’t.

Thirdly,

Of the three players, Jordan by far had the shortest reign.

If you take out 1986 (the year he got hurt), ’94 and ’95 (the years he played baseball), and everything after 1998, that leaves us with a total of eleven quality years of basketball for Air Jordan.  Now I will be the first to admit that those eleven years may be better than Kobe’s best eleven years, or Kareem’s best eleven years.  But when it comes to an entire career, those eleven years better be enough better to overcome the longevity of the other two.

I just don’t think that’s true in this scenario.

Kareem played for a startling 20 seasons, and was an All-Star for 15 of those years.  He won six rings, just like Jordan, and in the words of Bill Simmons, nobody in NBA History can approach the next two lines:

Kareem, 1971: 27-19-3, 61% FG, Finals MVP

Kareem, 1985: 26-9-5, 61% FG, Finals MVP

If I’m building a team, I would take 20 years of a 7’3” big man with the most unstoppable scoring move of all time over 11 transcendent years from a SG who never actually beat anyone of note.

Photo source: RHF Collective

As for Kobe, the argument is a little tougher, but I stand by it.

Jordan’s stats are a little better.  While the caliber of athlete he was playing against was laughable compared to Kobe’s era (just imagine how many points Kobe would score if he was guarded by Jeff Hornacek in back-to-back NBA Finals’), Kobe’s era is much more conducive to scoring (just imagine how many points Jordan would score in a league that’s not allowed to hand check), so nobody really had a clear advantage, and Jordan wins the stats argument.

At this point, Kobe’s played for 15 years (just like Jordan), but 14 of them have been quality.  It’s hard to say how many he has left, but at 33, he could easily have anywhere from 2 to 5 more seasons left with 2 or 3 of them being quality.  He’s won one less ring, but he’s had to beat at least one of the guys on this list in every single one of his championship seasons.

It’s an incredibly tough choice.  Do I take the guy with a slightly higher peak, or the guy that gives me greatness for a longer stretch of time?  In the end, I would take Kobe’s career over Jordan’s peak.

Obviously, you would be happy to have any of the guys in the top three.  All three guys lucked out with teammates to a certain extent.  Kareem had Magic – the best teammate of the three – for five of his titles, but he also beat teams that were much more stacked than Kobe and Jordan.  Kobe had Shaq and then Pau for his five rings.  And Jordan had Scottie for all six of his.

However, because Kareem and Kobe had to do it against harder competition, and because their careers were longer than Jordan’s, they finish ahead of Air…even if I’m the only guy who thinks so.

Commence vitriolic anger…NOW!

The comment section awaits.

**********

Seriously, I’d love to hash this out further with anyone that’s interested. If you prefer to express your opinions privately, you’re welcome to e-mail me directly at jwtwitch@gmail.com, though we encourage you to comment publicly so everyone can enjoy the debate.

* – Jim Harbaugh photo source: My350Z.com

* – Scottie Pippen photo source: NBA.com

* – Hakeem Olajuwon photo source: Ultimate Youth Basketball Guide

* – Michael Jordan photo source: Promethean Times

* – Kobe Bryant photo credit: Getty Images via Zimbio

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.

In no logical order:

Michael Jordan

Any all-time list has to start with Jordan, for better or for worse. It is incredibly hackneyed, yes, but I make my choice having seen Jordan take down two very good Utah Jazz teams, walk away from the NBA for a second time, then make a much hyped and ultimately unfulfilling comeback with the Washington Wizards.

I went to college in DC and I can tell you that Wizards fans still speak in hushed tones about the time they saw Jordan striding through the halls of the then-MCI Center. Even at 70%, Jordan was still the best of all time, and everyone knew it – remember Vince Carter giving up his starting spot on the 2003 All Star squad?

Vince Carter

Speaking of Vince, would any other player have really given up a starting spot on the All Star team for an aging legend? That act seems to encapsulate Carter’s career: he just didn’t care enough to be a winner. He attended UNC graduation the morning of Game 7 of the 2001 Eastern Conference Semifinals against the 76ers and then missed a shot at the buzzer that would have sent the Raptors to the Conference Finals.

We as sports fans love to make assumptions about players character or mental makeup, especially for guys that just don’t seem to care that much. It is maybe the most frustrating ascribed personality trait, since fans care so much about sports that they simply cannot fathom a player not giving 100 percent every time they hit the floor.

But damn it if Vince couldn’t dunk with the best of them.

Allen Iverson

Question: who was the player burning up Vince Carter’s Raptors during the 2001 Eastern Conference Semifinals? Answer: The Answer.

I remember rocking the Reebok I3 sneakers while trying out for my middle school basketball team, trying to cross over just like Iverson. Definitely the coolest NBA player of the last few decades. If you look at Iverson in a vacuum, without the off the court stuff, the tattoos, the “practice?!” incredulity, he may be the best high volume scorer of the last 20 years. He took a lot of shots to get his points, but he was a warrior and played much bigger than his size.

Now he’s trying to come back to the NBA. Please, no one give him a shot. Let us keep the memories, AI.

Chris Webber

This is one of those subjective picks. For whatever reason, I loved Chris Webber. I would stay up late to watch Kings games from the West Coast and always picked the Kings in NBA 2k for Dreamcast. He was such a good passer, such a silky shooter, and such a waste of immense talent. Another career seemingly cut short by injuries and maybe just not caring enough.

Gary Payton

I had a weird thing for Seattle teams as a kid, mostly because I loved Ken Griffey Jr, and I loved the nickname The Glove. Payton was an unstoppable defender and a legendary trash talker – in the same way Michael Jordan always had his tongue out, it seemed Payton’s mouth never closed. Also, those Sonics teams with Payton, Shawn Kemp and Detlef Schrempf were absolutely unstoppable in NBA Jam.

(On a related note, it is incredibly satisfying to see Schrempf cameo on Parks and Recreation every once in a while.)

Tracy McGrady

Vince Carter’s cousin in game and in spirit. McGrady looks like he is sleeping through games because of his droopy eyes, and it can be very infuriating. But he may have had the most unique skill set of anyone on this list – it seemed like he could score from anywhere at any time.

Remember his 13 points in 33 seconds? A legendary scoring binge.

Ray Allen

I debated putting Reggie Miller here, but I hate Reggie Miller and this is my list. T-Mac’s 13 in 33 is the best scoring binge of all time, because 8 in 18 NEVER HAPPENED.  But while Miller is probably the best outside shooter of the last 20 years, Ray Allen is the better all-around player. He has really had quite the career, from superstar to trade bait to a resurgence on the other side of 30 as a contributor for a championship squad.

Kevin Garnett

Maybe the scariest player I’ve ever seen. The opposite of Vince Carter. He would run through a brick wall. Not for anything, just for fun.

Jason Kidd

Hanging on forever, finally earning his first ring, and seemingly always in the right place at the right time. An appallingly bad shooter for most of his career, and yet a guy you would never want to see on the other team.

Tim Duncan

Could you put together a YouTube video of Duncan highlights that won’t put you to sleep? Probably, but I will mostly remember Duncan for being great and awful to watch and bugging his eyes out at every chance.

Shaquille O’Neal

I have written about Shaq before but it bears repeating that he could have won the MVP every single season during his prime and it still would not have been enough.

Kobe Bryant

Oddly enough, the closest thing we will ever get to Michael Jordan in the immediate future. He is constantly evolving and adapting his game from a high flyer as a kid (below) to a beefed up slasher to a deadly shooter. And probably the undisputed king of the twisting, spinning circus shot.

Dwyane Wade

Unless it’s this guy.

LeBron James

I really, truly hope he comes back next season with a vengeance. He’s entering that Shaq phase of his prime in that he probably deserved the MVP award this year, and will probably deserve it every year for a while. Ultimately will be judged by championships. Most hated, but also the top selling jersey in the NBA. Hmmm…

Dirk Nowitzki

His game is like a trapeze act – your heart drops every time he spins and launches a high arcing shot, and you think there is no way he can land it. And almost every time, like clockwork, bottom of the bucket.

Steve Nash

Dirk’s former running mate and probably the most fun player in the NBA. He just seems like a cool guy, right? With the hair flopping and the shots that always fall, a real treasure. I really hope the Knicks don’t trade for him and his creaky back.

Chris Paul

However, I DO hope the Knicks get him and his balky knees.

Amar’e Stoudemire

Speaking of balky knees. A veritable Six-Million Dollar man and a marvel of medical science. The fact that this guy can still dunk like a beast makes absolutely no sense, and makes me want to transport his surgeon back 10 years to save Chris Webber’s career too.

Carmelo Anthony

I am so excited for the 2011 Knicks, in case you haven’t figured that out yet.

Kevin Durant

I don’t really know what will happen with Durant. It seemed like he poised for a transcendent season, and basically hit a plateau at very very very good. But besides the crazy beautiful shooting stroke, he can dunk like very few others.

Blake Griffin

Finally, the one guy who can absolutely shut down the internet like a Blake Lively sexting mishap. There are basically two schools of thought on Blake Griffin:

1. HOLY CRAP!!!
2. What if he develops a jump shot HOLY CRAP!!!

There have been a lot of incredible players in NBA history, but guys like Griffin and Derrick Rose and Deron Williams and Stephon Curry and Kevin Love and Russell Westbrook around, there is a talent glut like never before in my lifetime.

Until the lockout ruins it all.

“The Diesel” has been a special player since the moment he entered the NBA. He made an immediate impact, averaging 23 and 14 his rookie season, earning Rookie of the Year honors, and he was named an All-Star starter — the first to do so as a rookie since Jordan.

His dominance revolutionized the position of center, unlike anyone before or since.

Shaq was different than Chamberlain, Russell, and Kareem. Sure, they could drop 100 in a game or win close to a dozen titles or sky hook their way into the record books, but Shaq played with power. He didn’t go over people with finesse, he powered through them with a two-handed throw down. He also was athletic enough to lead a fast break and skilled enough to defend just about any big guy (struggling only with Hakeem, but Olajuwon was an all-time great in his own right).

The thing is, he could have been even better.

I think Shaq was fortunate that his body held up as long as it did, but I cannot help thinking that there is really no reason why he should not have been dominant well into the late 2000s even after his Laker and Heat days were over. There simply was no other big man that could contend with him, save for perhaps Dwight Howard, when Shaq was feeling right. And that was true even into this year with the Celtics. Unfortunately, O’Neal struggled to stay healthy the last few years, in large part, many suspect, due to a lack of consistent physical conditioning.

But he was so much more than just a dominant player on the court. He was a personality. He was also intelligent, so when he spoke he actually knew what the hell he was talking about. You obviously took notice of his stature on the court, but he was perhaps even more difficult to ignore off the court.

His smile endeared him to fans at every stop along the way, from Orlando to LA to Miami and then to Phoenix, Cleveland and Boston after that. His personality earned him fortunes in endorsement deals from Pepsi and Reebok, amongst others. He made the job of the media pretty easy too, as he was always good for a quote or the debut of a new nickname, from “The Diesel” to “Shaq Fu” to “The Big Baryshnikov” to “Shaqtus” and finally “The Big Shamrock”, with plenty more in between.

Sure he feuded with Kobe, mocked Yao Ming (and Chinese people in general), and couldn’t hit a free throw to save his soul, but he was hard not to love. He also made Kazaam, which is an awful movie, but awesome in its own way as well. He could rap (kind of) and tried being a cop, things that not too many others could pull off. He might not have been your favorite athlete, but you’d be hard pressed to find someone who truly disliked the Big Aristotle. (Other than Kobe, but that was just spite.)

He announced his retirement Wednesday, but I highly doubt he’ll be taking his four rings and riding into the sunset. He will still be around, probably on television, perhaps even pairing with Charles Barkley to form the greatest team of analysts in the history of television.

Shaq has been omnipresent for as long as I can remember watching basketball; and luckily for all of us, I don’t think we’ll stop seeing him anytime soon.

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

10. MJ & The Shrug (1992 Finals):

9. Shaq cements the Lakers three-peat (2002 Finals):

8. Shaq dominates the Pacers (2000 Finals):

7. Michael Jordan shakes the Lakers (1991 Finals):

6. Magic Johnson puts on a show (1987 Finals):

5. Hakeem Olajuwon carries Rockets past Knicks (1994 Finals):

4. Michael Jordan’s Flu Game (1997 NBA Finals):

3. Tim Duncan’s near quadruple-double (2003 Finals):

2. Michael’s Last Shot (1998 Finals):

1. Dwyane Wade brings the Heat back: (2006 Finals):

Hope you enjoyed people! Be sure to follow me on twitter!

Dirk Nowitzki’s fadeaway is the single most unstoppable individual move since The Sky Hook.

Now before you get carried away, just listen to the qualifications. I’m talking about a single, individual move that is just impossible to stop.

Obviously, there have been much better scorers. When Jordan got the ball on the wing, he could do any one of eight different things — and do all of them well — in order to get points for his team.

Kevin McHale may have had more post moves than anyone in history. His combination of jab steps, head fakes, and duck-unders was nearly unguardable when he had his jump shot going.

But there have been a few guys in history that had a go-to move that you just couldn’t stop – even when you knew it was coming.

Obviously, I’m going to miss some people. Unfortunately, I haven’t been alive long enough to see moves like Wilt’s fadeaway, Elvin Hayes’ fadeaway, George Gervin’s finger roll, Clyde Frazier’s post up, etc. But let’s go ahead and rank the best seven INDIVIDUAL moves in basketball history. And let’s make the time frame the last thirty years…just to be safe.

Please feel free to comment about anyone you felt unfairly missed the cut. Also, remember to vote in the poll at the bottom, so we can really determine who had the greatest signature move of all time.

First, a few notable moves that DIDN’T make the cut:

The Stockton/Malone Pick and Roll

Unstoppable, but you can’t really call it an individual move. Malone could fade for the jumper, roll to the basket, or punch Stockton’s man in the face. Stockton could drop back for the jumper, pull up for the mid-range, pass to Malone any time, or even go to the basket. Obviously, this was unstoppable…for a long time. But they had too many options, so it doesn’t make THIS list.

Iverson’s Crossover

Just as unstoppable, and I will add that it was beautifully breathtaking. However, he could finish the move in a variety of ways: Jumper, pull up, floater, spectacular layup, etc. Plus, while Iverson may have had the BEST crossover, guys like Tim Hardaway are screaming that theirs were just as good — so we will just leave Iverson in the Honorable Mention category.

James Worthy’s Spin Move

Big Game James loved to post his guy up and then beautifully spin off his defender as soon as his man’s forearm came up. Incredible move. But it wasn’t necessarily unguardable, and technically, it came off of another move.

Now onto the top 7:

#7. Ray Allen coming off screens in the Regular Season/Reggie Miller off screens in the Playoffs

I respect Bill Simmons, so let’s just make this compromise: Ray Allen is the best three-point shooter of all time. He owns the all-time record, and he has been unbelievably prolific in the regular season. He is a more complete player than Reggie because he’s more athletic and a better penetrator than Reggie ever was. Also, he has the sweetest looking jumper of all time.

However, Reggie was MUCH better in the post-season. There really is no argument there. After all, does Ray Allen have enough playoff highlights to fill up a Top Ten segment on SportsCenter? No. So we have to put them both on this list.

Watching Ray/Reggie run marathons all over the court, night in and night out, was both breathtaking and exhausting. They literally wore their defenders down. There is a reason they both shined in the fourth quarter, and why so many Pacers’ fans referred to the end of the game as “Miller Time.”

Now you might be thinking that these guys shouldn’t be on this list. After all, they only shot 40% from three-point range over their careers. How could a 4 out of 10 success rate be one of the best individual moves of all time?

The answer is because YOU KNEW it was coming. Neither Reggie nor Ray ever really had an Option 2, other than maybe getting to the free throw line. Every night, you knew they would be running all over the floor, dodging in and out of screens, shooting off-balance three-pointers, and wearing you out. Yet, nobody could stop it. That’s why they are on this list. Unfortunately, they couldn’t really create their own shot, and they had to have a good point guard to get them the ball. That’s why they are no higher than seventh.

#6. Duncan’s Bankshot circa 2004

The Big Fundamental singlehandedly made the bank shot cool again. We can all see it in our minds right now. Duncan sets the screen, then flairs out to the elbow – about 18 feet from the basket; he catches the ball, turns, jab steps once, pauses, jab steps again, and then banks in the jumper. You saw it coming. We ALL saw it coming. But it was money, every time.

#5. The Dream Shake circa 1994

In my mind, this is the prettiest move on our list. I REALLY REALLY wanted to put it higher, but unfortunately for Hakeem, the other four moves were just a little more unstoppable.

Really, you have to see this move to believe it. The guy was SEVEN FEET TALL! Seriously, if you watched highlights of The Dream and you didn’t know anything about him, you’d assume he was a shooting guard. He was that smooth.

Well, the “Dream Shake” happened to be his best move. We’ll never see another big man like him.

#4. Shaq’s Baby Hook circa 2001

Ugly and boring? Yes. Effective? Absolutely.

One of the greatest defenders ever, Dikembe Mutombo, was helpless against the move. When Shaq was young, healthy, and motivated, he was the most dominant player I’ve ever seen. If he got good position on the low post, it was over. Really, he had several moves on the block, a lot more than people who just complained that “he was too big” give him credit for. But his best move was the drop-step baby-hook from 5 feet.

In 2000, these three facts ruled sports: the Red Sox would never win a World Series; Jordan was the greatest basketball player of all time, and went out on top; and if Shaq got the ball on the block, it was an automatic two points.

Unfortunately, all of these “facts” ended up not being true. The Red Sox exorcised their demons; Jordan came back with the Wizards; and people figured out a way to stop Shaq: the horrible Hack-a-Shaq.

Oh well. For one or two years, Shaq was unguardable…and the baby hook was his best move.

#3. Jordan’s Fadeaway Circa ’97

Old Jordan could still rise up…at times. He often saved his dunks and acrobatics for important moments – kind of the way Kobe did this year.

But it didn’t matter, because Old Jordan developed the move that would end up being just as much of his signature as his famous Jumpman: The fadeaway.

Earlier in his career, he would post up players quite a bit. But he always had the threat of spinning by them for a dunk to keep them guessing. But in the late 90s, Jordan had one move that he did, over and over and over again.

He would set up about fifteen feet from the basket, whichever side didn’t really matter. Once he got the ball, he would palm it defiantly in one hand while he felt his opponent out. Maybe he would turn and face for a second before resuming his post position. Then it came. Shoulder dip one way, fade the other. Nothing but net. Every time. About as unstoppable as it gets.

#2. Dirk’s Fadeaway

But honestly, not as unstoppable as THIS guy’s fadeaway.

Now I know people are freaking out right now. “This guy is saying that Dirk is better than Jordan?!?!? WHAT AN IDIOT!!!! I’m gonna write his editor right now and complain!” (Yes, I’m talking to you, Bulls fans…)

In no way, shape, or form will Dirk ever be half the player that MJ was. However, his fallaway is just better.

First of all, he’s just a better shooter. Does anyone else get the feeling that free throws are just like layups to him? He is one of only three guys in HISTORY to shoot 50/40/90 from the field, three point range, and the foul line.

Not only is Dirk the best shooting 7-footer of all time; he’s one of the best SHOOTERS of all time.

But then you add in the fact that he’s SEVEN FEET TALL, it’s literally impossible to bother his jumper…especially when he fades away and his body is practically parallel to the floor.

Watching him last night was breathtaking. He would set up on the left block, and everyone in the building knew exactly what was coming. Even Serge Ibaka, the most athletic big man in the game today, was rendered a hapless bystander. It’s unblockable. It’s unguardable. It’s unstoppable.

It’s just dirty…just like Dirk.

#1. The Sky Hook

The most automatic two points of all time. Without Question.

[Editor's note: You may notice an obvious similarity between Jon's analysis here and another article posted on MSF today. Amazingly, the two posts were submitted simultaneously and the authors did on confer at all before submitting. Must have just been in the air this morning...]

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Here are the raw numbers: 48 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 blocks in 41 minutes. As impressive as those numbers are by themselves, they do not even begin to tell the story of just how close to perfect a basketball game Dirk played last night.

Here are the most impressive numbers: 12-15 from the field, 24-24 from the free throw line. Feel free to re-read those numbers a few times to ensure that they sink in.

As Bill Simmons tweeted: “48 points, 3 missed shots total (FG + FT). We need a stat like ‘points per miss’ to see if that’s a record for a 40+ point game.”

For the evening, Dirk’s “points per miss” (or PPM as we’ll refer to it henceforth) was 16. 16! 16 points for every missed shot. That is astounding, and it is a terrific way to appreciate what was one of the best single-night shooting performances on any level of basketball ever.

And as I went to bed last night, Simmons’ tweet had me thinking. Just how useful of a stat would PPM be? So I decided to get up this morning and investigate it a little further.

Image source: AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez via ESPN.com

Points Per Miss (PPM)

First off, let’s assess what we’d hope to ascertain by comparing players’ PPM values.

By analyzing the number of points a player is able to score for every shoot he misses, we are assessing one component of his offensive efficiency. There are a number of ways to do this already, and PPM would simply add another layer to how we view a player’s worth to his team.

Specifically, because a missed shot equates to a missed scoring opportunity that could have perhaps been capitalized on by another player, PPM should give us some measure how efficient a player turns the shooting opportunities he takes for his team into points.

Points per game is an oft-cited stat, but it provides little in the way of efficiency. A player could score 40 points per game and lead the league, but if he just does it because he chucks up half of his team’s shots, his team probably is not very good or balanced on offense. Another player who scores only 25 points per game but who is highly efficient at turning shooting opportunities into points is maximizing his own scoring chances while, theoretically, not wasting his team’s scoring opportunities shooting lower percentage shots (by comparison) than what his teammates could get.

Obviously it is all relative, and the composition of a team goes a long way to determining who should be shooting and how often, so in no way am I positing that PPM can be anything close to a be-all, end-all comparative stat. But I do think it can be both fun and illustrative, especially at the superstar level, so let’s dig into the numbers.

Plus, looking at the average PPM numbers for the greatest players in history of the game will give you even more of an appreciation for last night’s ridirkulous performance in Dallas.

PPM in 2010-11

Here are the top 23 scorers in the NBA this season (based on total points scored during the regular season) ranked in order of their PPM:

As you can see, Dirk’s performance last night should not come as a complete surprise considering that he led the top scorers in the NBA in points per miss. More on the big German in a minute.

First, a few observations about the above chart:

• Paul Pierce is much higher than I thought he would be, and this makes me appreciate his game more. Pierce took almost 300 3-pointers this season, but still managed to shoot almost 50% from the field while shooting 86% from the line. Not only does this show how well-rounded Pierce’s game is, it also shows the impact that a balanced offense and a good, pass-first point guard can have. The Celtics have many good players, so one player does not have to chuck up shot after shot for them to have a chance to score. Instead, the C’s can work the ball to get good, high percentage shots, and Pierce took great advantage of this. Ray Allen was not among the league’s top 23 scorers, but his surprisingly high PPM (2.521) for a guy who shoots a lot of threes is a testament to the Celtics stars’ shooting ability and keen shot selection.
• Kobe Bryant is below Al Jefferson. That’s not good. It is illustrative, I think, not only of Kobe’s modus operandi as a high volume shooter but also his declining skill set and athletic ability. His inability to get to the basket and get easy shots, most notable during the sweep against Dallas, results in him taking more difficult jumpers and therefore missing more shots than he used to. For comparative purposes, Kobe’s career PPM is 2.140.
• Some (though certainly not all) of the guys near the top of the list are older vets while the guys at the bottom of the list are younger players. This suggests to me that PPM is a decent indicator of a players’ relative strengths in the area shot selection, which is partly a function of experience. At the top of lists are vets like Dirk and Pierce while young guys like Blake Griffin and Monta Ellis are at the bottom of list. I’m not saying it’s a perfect indicator of shot selection, but it’s in the stew, so to speak.

Now back to Dirk.

A big part of Dirk’s offensive efficiency is his superb free throw shooting, which this PPM stat takes into account*. Dirk is an 87.7% free throw shooter for his career, which is outstanding, especially for a guy who stands 7-feet tall. And free throw efficiency should play a part in telling the story of a player’s overall offensive efficiency, which is one reason I like this stat.

* – I should mention at this point that I realize for this stat to be better there should probably be some kind of weighted adjustment to more accurately incorporate field goal attempts, worth two or three points, and free throw attempts, worth one point, into the same stat. I’m not smart enough to figure out exactly how that should go to make this stat more accurate, but I’m open to anyone’s ideas in the comment section.

UPDATE: After taking into account the bevy of excellent reader comments below, we have updated the PPM formula.

Let’s take a guy like Shaquille O’Neal. He was clearly a very efficient offensive player, but think how much more efficient he would have been had he converted just 60-65% of his free throw attempts, or if he had never been fouled in the first place and could have instead had more non-free throw attempts at the basket. Shaq getting fouled and going to the line for two shots resulted in at least one missed shot almost half the time. A guy like Dirk, on the other hand, has no shooting black holes like Shaq. Therefore, his efficiency at turning scoring chances into points is even better than a guy like Shaq’s because Dirk has no weakness that consistently turns into missed shots and, most likely, into the other team’s possession.

For his career, Shaq averaged 23.7 points per game. Dirk averages 23.0 points per game. Yet Dirk has a 2.386 career PPM while Shaq has a 2.127 career PPM. The difference in their case is mostly due to free throw shooting.

PPM and the All-Time Greats

And while we’re on the subject of all-time greats, which certainly both Dirk and Shaq are, how do their career PPM numbers stack up against the best scorers in the history of the game? Here are a handful of the best players ever and their career PPMs.

Update: I should explained this better when I originally posted. The above list is not top 10 all-time or anything close to it; I just chose a handful of players that I thought would make for interesting comparisons. I need to expand this list to be more inclusive of all NBA greats when I have a bit more time. For example, as a commenter points out, Magic Johnson’s career PPM is actually 2.671, higher than both Kareem’s and Dirk’s, and is yet another measure of just how incredible Magic was.

What is interesting about the table above is that Dirk comes in ahead of Bird, Jordan, and so many others. Does this mean Dirk is a better player than Jordan or Bird? Of course not. But it does mean that he is as efficient a scorer as those two were, if not better. Scoring efficiency only tells one part of the story on one side of the floor, which is why PPM can only be considered a small piece of the puzzle when comparing players, but it is a good way to give one of the most unique scoring talents in NBA history is due.

Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said last week that Dirk was one of the ten best players of all-time. Most people disagree with this assessment, and I do to. However, had Carlisle instead said that Dirk is one of the ten most efficient offensive players of all-time, I don’t think anyone could argue.

Something else I also found interesting is that the only player of those I analyzed that is above Dirk is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Update: and Magic), the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. This is interesting to me because while Dirk and Kareem are different in so many obvious ways, there is one way in which they are very much alike, and it is the reason why they both have such highly efficient offensive games: their go-to shot could not/cannot be guarded.

Dirk Nowitzki’s step-back jump shot is simply unguardable; heck, in many ways any Dirk shot is unguaradable because of his size, high release, and ability to make shots at weird angles. The turnaround or step-back shot is especially tough because Dirk becomes even more unguardable by creating additional space. And he is such a good shooter that he rarely misses. The same was true of Kareem and his sky hook. There was no way to defend it.

Few players in NBA history have go-to moves that literally could not be stopped. This is why Kareem is always someone I think of when trying to compare Dirk’s game to someone else in the NBA history. The truth is that there isn’t anyone in NBA history that I consider to be a lot like Dirk (no, not even Bird), and we should all appreciate his unique greatness now while it is at its peak.

Final Thought on PPM

To wrap up this relatively brief but hopefully fun look at this Bill Simmons-suggested stat, my final thought is that I like PPM, I think it’s fun, and it seems to do a good job of organizing players in terms of their abilities in this specific area, but it faces that same limitations that most single statistics do. It only tells us one aspect of one part of the story, so no argument should begin or end with PPM.

Mostly though, it illustrates just how incredible Dirk Nowitzki’s performance last night was. The guy renowned by almost everyone as the greatest basketball player ever, Michael Jordan, had a career PPM of 2.342. Last night, in one of the biggest games he’s ever played in, Dirk Nowitzki’s was 16.

As I said in my tweet last night: un-fucking-believable.

What do you think of Points Per Miss as a stat? Is it useful? Can it be improved? What does it suggest to you about a player’s abilities?

Chime in below.

(Also, if anyone wants to take Simmons up on researching the top single-game, 40-point PPMs in NBA history, go right ahead. Email me and we’ll post it. I didn’t have enough time so I made my analysis more general.)

Update: Andy Bailey tackled Simmons’ specific question. Not surprisingly, Dirk’s game is head and shoulders above any other high scoring game in playoff history. (Though I think MJ’s 63 against the Celtics is missing.)

I don’t know why, but for some reason this morning I decided to do a Google Image Search for Phil Jackson, formerly of my (then) beloved Chicago Bulls and now the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Not surprisingly, the one word that popped into my head while browsing through pictures of the Zen Master was evolve.

Since there are no Midwest teams left in the NBA Playoffs and the White Sox putrid start to the season has left me completely unmotivated to post about baseball, and because Tyler already has the Stanley Cup Finals covered, this seemed like a great morning to have a little photo fun.

So enjoy the evolution of Phil Jackson.

We start with an old, old picture of Phil from his North Dakota days. Killer tube socks dude. (Anyone else see a young Colin Cowherd here? Anyone?)

Image source: Farther off the Wall

After leaving North Dakota, Jackson became a New York Knick and also grew a sweet beard. Based on biographies I’ve read of Jackson, he also dabbled in some of the finer things in life during this time in New York: drugs, women, and short shorts.

And hey? Why not? He’s Phil Jackson, bitch.

Image source: Dick Raphael/NBAE/Getty Images via ESPN.com

And here he is a little bit older in New Jersey. As you can see, his wrist bands, tube socks, and the side of his jersey took some of his acid before the game.

Image source: SI Vault

Once his playing career ended, Jackson got into coaching. He started out in the CBA before ultimately being hired by the Chicago Bulls once Doug Collins proved to be an abject failure (a neat lesson for all those who say that anyone could have won six titles with Michael Jordan).

Upon reaching Chicago, Jackson swapped short shorts and bushy beards for suits, bow ties, the occasional Indian head dress, and a killer donmattingly on his upper lip. He also demanded that his players call him Professor Selleck.

Image source: NBA.com

Phil Jackson ultimately left the Bulls after winning six championships, but he was not done coaching. Not by a longshot.

Jackson ended up in LA with the Lakers, coaching Kobe and Shaq, and leading the two stars to a three-peat of championships by doing sideline disco with O’Neal (which they reportedly referred to as “kazaaming”) and a hell of a lot of pointing, which took on progressively demonic tones (look at the eyes on the last two; where’s the Zen bro?).

Image source: John W. McDonough/SI via SI Vault

Image source: Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY via USAToday.com

Image source: Farther of the Wall

Image source: The Arena

Image source: The Evolution of Michael Jordan

All of the angry staring and pointing, of course, makes a Zen Master feel empty inside. Luckily Southern California provides the perfect antidote, what with its beaches and hot owner’s daughters.

Image source: That’s A Lot of Balls

Image source: John W. McDonough/SI via SI Vault

Jackson became so at peace in LA after winning his fourth title with Lakers, and 10th overall (most in history), that he began to take an active role in promoting social justice. Thus, he began wearing Malcolm X hats and granting interviews to annoying, overrated minority ESPN anchors like Stuart Scott (BOO-YEAH!).

Image source: Just a Memo

The evolution of Phil Jackson has brought us to today, which sees the great Zen Master going for his 11th NBA championship ring. No one is quite sure what continues to motivate Jackson, but he apparently desires to wear jewelry on his feet. Or, as some have suggested, Jackson is still coaching because he enjoys using practice time learning how to juggle.

Image source: Esquire.com

One thing is for sure: the evolution of Phil Jackson from skinny North Dakota nobody to Supreme Sultan of the Soul Patch is now nearly complete and it truly has been fascinating to watch.

Now beam him up Scottie…

Image source: HoopsHype.com

WTF?

Perhaps not so coincidentally, the three letters above represent the same WTF number of shots LeBron James made last night.

Really, WTF doesn’t even describe last night’s game. Cleveland and LeBron pretty much rolled over, on their home floor, in a must win game, in a performance that even the Atlanta Hawks would have considered soft.

Every sports news outlet from Bristol to Bangkok will be dissecting LeBron’s poor play last night and assessing what it may or may not mean for his future in Cleveland. I thought I’d throw my two cents in as well, although with a little bit of a difference perspective.

So, since everyone is reacting to last night’s “LeBracle” that made all of Quicken Loans Arena groan, boo, and exit early, we’re counting down the top 10 reactions for you this morning.

Here they are, along with a hastily made photo collage that I think pretty much sums up last night. (Memo to Mike Brown: when Jose Mesa is trying to kick you in the face – with the full support of the city of Cleveland, I might add – you know you have problems.)

Top 10 Reactions to the Quicken Groans LeBracle:

10. Even former Browns QB Derek Anderson thinks the Cleveland faithful deserved better and were justified in booing.

9. Kentucky coach John Calipari was apparently in the arena last night. After the game, not even Worldwide Wes himself could convince Calipari to add LeBron to his next recruiting class at Kentucky.

8. After the game John Starks called LeBron. He requested royalties the next time LeBron decides to imitate him in a big game. (Note: Legally, LeBron would not be required to pay John Starks royalties because he did not completely infringe on Starks’ patented big stage collapse. Starks, you see, at least went down shooting.)

7. While waddling dejectedly to their cars, multitudes of Cleveland fans sought solace by reminiscing about the less painful and crushing memories of Earnest Byner and Jose Mesa.

6. At halftime, Cleveland native Brady Quinn implored his new teammate Tim Tebow to use his powers of divine intervention to compel a Cavs comeback. Tebow responded that he would, as long as the Cavs showed up to play the second half. They never did.

5. Lost in all the disappointment and finger pointing over Prince James’ woefully underwhelming 3-14 shooting performance and overall lackluster play is the fact that LeBron did actually accomplish something amazing: he made Skip Bayless more impressed with himself.

4. Mike Brown was left speechless for the second time this series…

…wait, never mind, based on the sideline shots of Mike Brown, he is always speechless.

3. The game hasn’t even been over for 12 hours and already LeBron’s elbow is getting sick and tired of answering questions about LeBron. LeBron’s elbow even said that now his kids are asking him “what’s wrong with LeBron?”

The fact of the matter is that LeBron’s elbow said an MRI that had been scheduled for LeBron will no longer be necessary. So see? Nothing to worry about. (LeBron and the rest of the Cavs will, however, be undergoing EKG assessments at the behest of owner Dan Gilbert. He wants to make sure his players still have normal heart activity since they showed none on the floor last night.)

2. We now know why Jay-Z included these lyrics in his epic song “Empire State of Mind”:

Me I gotta plug a special and I got it made,
If Jesus payin LeBron, I’m paying Dwayne Wade,

Although I’m not sure Tim Tebow really wants LeBron on his team after last night’s performance, we can certainly understand why Jay-Z would rather have Wade and his ring. (Hey, DWade may have received a huge assist from the refs in getting his one ring, but at least he attacked the basket and took control of the game to put the refs in a position to hand him a title.)

And finally, the #1 reaction to last night’s Quicken Groans LeBracle:

1. All those New York fans clamoring for LeBron James to come to the Big Apple? They just had a harrowing realization: they already have LeBron, and his name is Javy Vazquez.

Don’t believe me? Read this quote:

“I just want him to be aggressive…knock somebody on their butt…You have to be mean. Go out there and show them we show up to play, show up to kick your guys’ [butts]. And believe me, that will take care of itself.”

No, that was not Mike Brown describing LeBron James after Game 5. That was White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen talking about Javy Vazquez when he pitched in Chicago. After failing under the pressure of the Windy City, then succeeding in the obscurity and absence of pressure in Atlanta last year, Vazquez is now back in New York shrinking on the big stage.

Is LeBron much better at basketball than Javy Vazquez is at baseball? Sure. But could you compare LeBron’s Game 5 performance to a typical Javy Vazquez big game start? Unfortunately, you absolutely can.

Sure you need another Javy, New York? Just sayin’…

(Deep breath.)

(Deep breath.)

(Deep breath.)

Okay.

Now that I have that out of my system, let me close with a little perspective.

Last night’s game was awful. In fact, it was beyond awful. If you’re a Cleveland fan, there is not one positive that you can take from last night’s game other than the knowledge that Shaq can still dunk when left wide open. Hooray.

But…

As bad as last night was, and as epically bad as LeBron James was in a really big spot, the series is not over yet.

Cleveland has already beaten Boston once in the Garden. And LeBron, despite how badly he played last night, has shown us in the past that he is capable of virtuoso performances in big spots. Remember his epic 4th quarter against Detroit a few years back? Remember his tremendous performance as recently as Game 3 in this series?

Though it doesn’t seem like it after last night, LeBron and the Cavs are still very capable of winning Game 6 and forcing a Game 7, although the championship experience, maturity, and momentum of the Celtics certainly will make it extremely difficult.

Difficult…but not impossible.

The unfortunate truth of the matter if you understand the sad history of sports in Cleveland is that if Game 5 does end up being LeBron’s final home game in his hometown, it ended about how it “should” have: in crushing disappointment.

In fact, because such a cursed, downtrodden city has placed so many hopes on this one person to deliver them from sports purgatory, it is almost cravenly predestined that it would end with those same cursed, downtrodden fans booing the man who was supposed to be their sports savior. I really hope that’s not the case, but still less than 12 hours removed from the filth I watched last night from the Cavs, it is really hard to see the silver lining right now.

On Thursday night it will be up to LeBron and the Cavs to burst through the storm clouds hovering over the city and their season to give fans a reason to keep hope alive.

Otherwise, another era of Cleveland sports will be doing its best Cuyahoga River impression…by going up in flames.

**********

Full Disclosure: I unfortunately listened to Mike & Mike this morning, and Mike Greenberg read something by someone that described last night’s game as a “LeBacle”. I thought “LeBracle” actually sounded better. I’d like to give credit where it is due for coining the idea for that phrase, but I’m not sure where it came from first. If you know, let me know so I can provide a link. Thanks.

Update: I think this was the article. And it’s a good one too, by John Hollinger.

* – LeBron James photo credit: David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images via ESPN.com

* – Javier Vazquez photo credit: Hawk Fantasy Sports

* – Skip Bayless photo credit: ImageShack

* – Mike Brown photo credit: BareNucks.com

* – Kevin Garnett photo credit: FunFunNewsNews.com

* – Earnest Byner photo credit: NYTimes.com

* – Jose Mesa photo credit: DayLife.com

* – LeBron James chalk photo credit: Free-Extras.com

And yes, he dominated in college and in the NBA, but can you imagine if he had stayed in decent shape as he got older?

My goodness. This has to be one of the most impressive high school reels ever.

Just want…and marvel.

Despite Lebron James sitting on the bench for his second straight game (due to a sprained left ankle) and Shaquille O’Neal recovering from surgery on his right thumb, the Cleveland Cavaliers still found a way to beat the Spurs 97-95, in a Quicken Loans Arena nail bitter.

The Cavs took on their former 2007 nemesis (who swept them in the Franchise’s first NBA Finals appearance), and fought hard for the victory without the help of two of their starters.

Many Cavs fans brought tickets in advance, and traveled from out of town, to receive their Hardwood Classic (Brad Daugherty Era) T-Shirt –which staff handed out at the entrances, and to see Cleveland’s dynamic Lebron and Shaq duo perform on the court.

Although they were happy for the win, many were somewhat disappointed because neither Superstar played in the match.

Both Antawn Jamison and Mo Williams led the Cavs in scoring with 17 points each. Delonte West had 16 points, Jawad Williams added 13, JJ Hickson had 12, and Andy Varejao scored 11. Following a three-game absence, due to the birth of his son, proud new dad Daniel Gibson returned to the team and added 3 points.

The entire arena held its collective breath, when Cavs Guard Anthony Parker left the game with a dislocated finger (but later returned to action), and  newly acquired All Star forward Antawn Jamison  left the game in the third quarter, with stiffness in his left knee.

Although Spurs Superstar Tony Parker was out with a broken hand, Guard Manu Ginobili took up the slack and scored 38 points–but it wasn’t quite enough. The injury plagued Cavaliers became the first team in the NBA, this season, to win its 50^th game.

***********

* – Antawn Jamison photo credit: AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack via Examiner.com

The nationally televised Marquee game, hyped the return of Shaquille O’Neal to a city in which he won three of his four NBA titles, and showcased the extraordinary basketball talents of Back-to-Back MVP winners Lebron James (2008-2009 winner) and Kobe Bryant (2007-2008 winner), as well as their latest Nike Puppet commercials.

“Celebrity Row” was filled with Courtside Attendees, which included: Rapper Snoop Dogg, Andy Garcia, Danny DeVito, and Sylvester Stallone. However Avid Lakers fans Jack Nicholson and Dyan Cannon were noticeably absent.

Both MVP’s delivered stellar performances and Cavs fans were not disappointed. In the Finals-caliber match, fans were treated to lots of steals, lots of slam dunks, and lots of player intensity. The Lakers received four of the five technical fouls that were handed out. Center Lamar Odom was tossed out of the game (after receiving his second) with only a few minutes remaining to play. Also, Ron Artest fouled out, late in the game.

Although Kobe scored 35 points, had 9 rebounds and 8 assists, it wasn’t enough in the 102-87 loss to the Cavaliers. Angry Lakers fans publicly expressed their displeasure for the game (and the officiating), as they lost their composure, booed and threw water bottles and Foam Fingers onto the court. Being the team leader that he is, especially in hostile territory, Lebron signaled for his teammates to gather around him and could be heard through the airwaves saying this: “Play the game and everything will take care of itself.”

Everything took care of itself, indeed, as the Cavs were poised and they outplayed the Lakers on both ends of the court. Lebron scored 26 pts, had 4 rebounds, and 9 assists. Mo Williams scored 28 pts, had 6 rebounds, and 7 assists. Shaq added 11 pts and 7 rebounds. Coming off the bench, Delonte West scored 7pts, had 2 rebounds and 4 assists. And Jamario Moon had another impressive game, adding 13 pts.(off the bench) and getting 1 rebound.

Yes, the Lakers were 2009 NBA Champions as they finished off the Orlando Magic in 5 games. What an incredible season.

A season that included LeBron finally being able to crown himself the best in the 08-09 season with a much deserved MVP award. A season where Dwight Howard showed us REALLY how to play defense, as he stole the 08-09 season’s Defensive Player of the Year. A season where Dwyane Wade put on a show nearly every night in Miami.

Yes, the season was great even for Knicks, Jazz, Hornets and all NBA fans alike…because regardless of how your teams performed, the individual performances were spectacular.

But that season is over.

Then came the 09 NBA Draft, which included numerous potential future stars such as Blake Briffin (1st overall pick), Ricky Rubio (In spain… dammit)  and Taj Gibson (to Chicago).

Then onto the FA signing period, which turned out to be a bonanza (but will be nothing compared to the ’10 off-season). Ron Artest moved to LA hopeing he can help the Lakers go back to back. Rasheed Wallace went to Boston, adding a great, versatile big man to the rotation. Then came one of the most lopsided trades, like Shaquille O’neal to the Cavs for Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic.

Then came training camp, then the pre-season, where all the young rooks were able to show off their much worked on game.

Yes, that is all over now. The rosters are set, and the players are quenching for a new season just as us fans are. No doubt this will be an incredible year, but will it be one of the greatest of all-time? Well, let me introduce you to my opening article on the NBA’s opening week.

Opening Week

You’re not going to get too many great games like this, as the Cleveland Cavaliers play host to the Boston Celtics. This was the same opening game last year, but this one will be much more “fluffed”. Meaning this game will have much more to offer. Such as:

• Will the Cavs be able to show us they are still the best home team in the NBA?
• How will the three headed monster of LeBron, Mo and Shaq work together?
• Will the newly acquired Anthony Parker show us he can still be good enough to help Cleveland in the post-season?
• How will the duo of Rasheed and KG work out?
• Are Paul, and Ray still going to be as dynamic as we’ve seen in past years?
• Have Rondo and Perkins brought more to the table?

No doubt, this game will be a much watched game. I mean, cmon. It’s LeBron vs Boston. Period.

Boston-Cleveland game time: 7:35 PM ET/ TNT on Tuesday, 10/27

Then there’s game two of opening night, as the two Staples Center teams battle it out.

Los Angeles Lakers vs Los Angeles Clippers.

This is a very intriguing game to me as well. Not only do we get to see Ron Ron, but we get to see the number 1 overall pick play as well. [Editor's note: Oops...not so much on the #1 pick. Late breaking news last night has Blake Griffin out for six weeks with a broken kneecap.]

Here’s a few things to look out for:

• How will Artest handle the pressure under the big lights of LA?
• How will he show he is good enough to play with the defending champions?
• Will Kobe show any signs of rusting?
• How are Bynum’s knees?
• What will Blake Griffin bring to the table for the Clips’? [Editor's note: not much tonight.]
• How will Baron Davis react to the franchise this year?

Another great game. I mean, it may not be as competitive as the first, but Blake Griffin has [Editor's note: well, at least he would have had] the opportunity to play his first ever NBA game against one of the Top-10 Greatest of All Time (And yes, Kobe is Top 1o All-Time).

Clippers-Lakers game time: 10:00 PM ET/ TNT on Tuesday, 10/27

A great set of games to watch for any basketball fan.

Kobe and LeBron. Nuff said.

Then the less “bigger games,” as some may call them. But heck, I’m really psyched to see Washington take on Dallas in Dallas.

I’ve heard a lot about Dirk this off-season. Supposedly he’s developed a near impossible shot to defend. Some sort of a sky hook or whatever. Should be a dandy to watch. Here’s a few things to look for:

• How will Sean Marion play alongside Kidd, and Dirk?
• Can Erik Dampier give us more now, due to the fact that Brandon Bass is gone to Orlando?
• Will Kidd showing any signs of aging?
• How will Gilbert Arenas fare in a long awaited season-opener?
• How will Foye and Miller compliment the trio Washington already has?

Good game. These teams are pretty close when it comes to skill sets, even though I give the advantage to Dallas.

Dallas-Washington game time: 8:30 PM ET on Tuesday, 10/27

Here’s another good game for you NBA heads. The Utah Jazz pay a visit to the Denver Nuggets. Should be a good Western Conference match up to watch. Look for:

• Will Melo bring more to the table this year? (like he hasn’t brought enough)
• Does Chauncey still have the legs to run an offense?
• How will Denver show us some improvements from last season?
• Will Carlos Boozer be a distraction for Utah?
• What’s Deron Williams improved on?

I like this game, as it is a battle of the PG’s. The young gun vs the old chap.

Utah-Denver game time: 10:30 PM ET/ESPN on Wednesday, 10/28

Here’s a game that features a title contender. The San Antonio Spurs take their new look team to Chicago against the Bulls. I personally love the Chicago Bulls. They are energetic, youthful, and have a strong young leader in Derrick Rose. But on the other hand, Richard Jefferson will be able to showcase to SA fans how he can help in a possible Finals run. Here’s what to look for:

• How will Jefferson look with Timmy, Manu and TP on the court?
• Will McDeyess be able to overcome his age?
• Is Tim Duncan still as dominant?
• How has Derrick Rose improved?
• What can Taj Gibson bring to Chicago?
• How will Chicago fair without Ben Gordon?

Great game to watch, even though this is pretty much a lob sided game, I love to watch Rose, and can’t wait to see what RJ can do for San Antonio

Spurs-Bulls game time: 8:00 PM ET/ESPN on Thursday, 10/29

Here’s a game of mediocre teams, but great headlines, as the Oklahoma City Thunder take it to Motown to take on Detroit. Kevin Durant has to show us who he is, and what he will be. Then on the other hand, Charlie V. and Ben Gordon try to reverse Detroit’s recent problems. Take a look:

• Will Kevin Durant show us more?
• How will James Harden fit in with Oklahoma City?
• What about Russel Westbrook?
• Will the back court of  Hamilton, Stuckey and Ben Gordon work?
• What will Villanueva bring to Detroit?

Great game for those of you who just want to kick back, and watch two teams battle it out!

Pistons-Thunder game time: 8:00 PM ET on Saturday, 10/31

Welcome back Hedo, or well welcome to Toronto, Magic! Hedo Turkoglu faces off against his former team, the Magic. This should be an awesome game to watch. I, as well as many others are excited to watch the Bosh-Hedo combo. Not only that, have the Magic downgraded, or are they ready to take on the best in the league again? Let’s take a look:

• How will Hedo and Bosh work out?
• Will Dwight be even more of a monster?
• Will Bosh be as committed this year as the rest?
• How will Carter fair with the Magic’s offensive style?

I’m really looking forward to watching Hedo with Bosh. Also Vincanity playing alongside Nelson, Howard and Lewis.

Magic-Raptors game time: 1:00 PM ET on Sunday, 11/1

Without a doubt, this NBA season is already revving me up. Especially this first week (even though my Finals picks Cleveland and LA won’t play eachother). I’m ready for this season to begin. The only question remaining is:

• Are you?

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* – Shaq and LeBron image credit: Zuma Press via EveryJoe.com

None were disappointed, as they caught a preview of the new Cavs Opening, broadcast in High Definition on the Q-Tube Jumbatron. And fans danced and sang along as they listened to Jay Z’s “D.O.A. (Death Of Autotune)” Rap, which the Cavs adopted as their new 2009-2010 Theme Song.  

James scored 15 points (5 of 7), during his 14 minutes of playing time. And Shaq added 6 points, made 3 rebounds, and had 1 block in his 15 minutes. Along with the Dynamic Duo, the other three Starters were: Anthony Parker, Mo Williams, and Anderson Varejao.

The Second Squad consisted of: JJ Hickson, Daniel Gibson, Jamario Moon, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, and Rookie Danny Green. And others Cavs who rounded out the Third Squad were: Darnell Jackson, Coby Karl, Aundre Barrett, Rob Kurz, Rookie Luke Nevill, Jawad Williams, and Rookie Russell Robinson.

I believe that before season’s end, the Cavaliers will have a new power forward, with Zyrdunas Ilguaskas being the most likely to go.

With the acquistion of Shaquille O’Neal, Big Z just doesn’t seem to fit anymore. Some argue that he has been through so much over the years that he has become an integral member of this team.

My answer: This is a business.

The front office will do whatever it takes to win a championship. There’s no feelings or emotions involved.

Back to the point, the Cavs have one of the oldest, if not the oldest, frontcourts in the NBA. The Cavs have to be thinking about bringing some more youth onto this team, and it’s a good thing they have Ilgauskas’s $11 million contract to toy with, especially with the huge free agent summer coming up.

Many teams will be looking to clear up cap space by February (trade deadline) and will be willing to take on that contract.

Some possible suitors for the power forward position could be David West, Troy Murphy, Boris Diaw, or Al Harrington, with the team looking to add some shooters to stretch the floor for LeBron and Shaq.

Make the right move Mr. Ferry.