Basketball News Blog
 

3 is magic number

In the second part of our look at Big Threes in NBA history that have preceded LeBron, Wade and Bosh, we challenge Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson?s contention they wouldn?t have joined up with their rivals/peers. The Dream Team was one place where Jordan, Bird, and Magic played together, and if Bird?s back wasn?t failing him, Magic wasn?t about to battle for his life with A.I.D.s who knows where their conversations might have led during their all night poker games in Spain. Maybe they too would have conspired like the Redeem Team did in China. Afterall, the convergence of Bosh, LeBron, and Wade was inspired by playing together for a common goal.

Clearly, the Dream Team also could have seen fromthe cards spread before them in those much talked about late night post-game poker sessions, the hands that took down the pots, full houses, and three of a kind were better than pairs or a single high card. They also learned the value of each other as competitors and strategiests. On the other hand maybe, Jordan won too much from his colleagues at poker for them to ever play together and Texas Hold’em was their undoing.

Magic saying he wouldn?t join up with other superstars is a bit pointless, as we pointed out they were already his teammates (Jabar and Worthy). Bird played in Magic?s era, and they were rivals since college but Larry also played with two other top 50 players, in McHale and Parrish. The big threes or the magic numbers, were already there for both of them. That?s not to mention Bill Walton, also a NBA top 50 recognized player, joined Bird on the Celtics, and Magic Johnson also had Bob McAdoo regarded alongside Dominique Wilkins as the most worthy omissions from the top 50 list.

The fact that any of their supporting cast could have been, and in some cases were, stars elsewhere skews the argument. Lebron played on a Cleveland Roster that welcomed a Shaquille O?Neal farther along in his decline than either Parrish or Jabbar. And that was LeBron?s high point of second fiddles in terms of name recognition. Guys like Antwan Jamison won?t make the top 50 of the second 50 years anytime soon despite being serviceable.

The other guys on Magic and Bird?s rosters weren?t chopped liver either. Perhaps, the savviest of the three in player evaluation and development as a GM, Larry Bird has been noticeably quiet in weighing in on the rival issue because maybe he realizes just how loaded his teams were. Parrish and McHale were stellar players that complemented Bird immeasurably. Paired with a backcourt of Denis Johnson and Danny Ainge the Celtics were loaded 1 through 5 and into their bench.

In the NBA?s rankings of the top 10 teams of all time, done in 1997, at the same time as their top 50 list, Magic, Bird, and Jordan?s best teams all made the list. Even with LeBron joining Bosh, and Wade the Heat will struggle to make such lofty company. Simply, put the fourth and fifth guys won?t be as good as Larry or Magic?s.

When Jordan entered the league Bird and Magic were the benchmarks but they were also a few years ahead of him. When Chicago built an NBA championship team they did it around Michael and they recruited, drafted, and traded players that filled niches. None, moreso than Scottie Pippen, whose versatility enabled Jordan the freedom to be the greatest player ever and to be a winner. The process in Chicago stands in stark contrast to the series of fits and starts in Cleveland concerning roster building that Lebron was burdened with.

To be continued?

Recovering from the glory days


The so called three peats is now almost going to be a thing of the past The NBA Basketball league is becoming competitive and I am absolutely delighted about it. The dominance of any particular team or sets of teams is not good for the sport. If there is a limit on what the different teams can do then we are not encouraging them to fight. There is no point in fighting if you know that your achievements have a glass ceiling. Chicago is interested in winning and they certainly want to prove LeBron that he did not make a good deal away from their team. Why is it imperative to have competition in the teams?

People play NBA Basketball with the aim of winning. They have to have a realistic chance of winning before they will commit to the play. If it is quite clear that a few teams are going to dominate for the foreseeable future then there is no point in going after the play. Moreover we also have to think about the people that have had to pay their good money to see a great contest. It is unfair to them if it is quite clear that there is a team that is destined not to win the game. That is when it will be very difficult to rationalize the decisions and feelings of the people that deal with the elements in terms of the NBA Basketball fixtures.

It is always exciting when we have upsets in the NBA Basketball. This is not a sadistic desire to see people lose but rather the need to get the upcoming teams to perform on the high levels. A truly good game is where the opponents are evenly matched and they play with different tactics. People will enjoy the changes in pace and emphasis whereas a predetermined response will not be desirable. This is the sort of tradeoff that we have to deal with on a regular basis. The good thing is that we can always keep the competition going by supporting our local teams.

A last difficult step to make


The teams that have been closely involved in the NBA Basketball games will want to make it to the finals and they will put in place all sorts of tactics to ensure that they are ready to take on the qualification rounds so that they can enjoy the glory of being in the finals. This is the challenge and reward of the game. If you work hard at the NBA Basketball games then you will be in the final and you might just take the trophy with you. Let us take into consideration the desire by the Boston Big Three to hold all the cards in the finals. They would not want the trophy to go East on such an occasion. These are the kinds of rivalries that make no sense to the people that are outside the sport yet they are absolutely crucial to the fans of NBA Basketball. They define the impetus which people have to work hard and deliver those results that get to the glory table.

The reductive theories might not have a place in NBA Basketball because they tend to achieve equality of output when really what we want is the great rivalries of the century. The team that wins the NBA Basketball will be ecstatic with joy while the losers will be in utter despair. The fans might mirror the feelings of the main players in the mix but at the heart of it will be the mangers. Ultimately the managers are answerable to the share holders and the fans that support the team. They have to bring in the results when it matters. It really does matter in the NBA Basketball finals. Therefore these are things that cannot be ignored.

The finals have been created as the final destination for the teams that have worked hard throughout the season and especially during the qualifying rounds. They will put in the work and then expect the results to come their way in due course. That is the challenge and opportunity that comes with a sport such as NBA Basketball.

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