For starters, do stats measure the type of team Iverson had offensively? Iverson is coming off cuts, screens, flares, pin downs, exerting immense energy into getting open.
We never think about that, though. Expectations were for Iverson to create on just about every possession, with little regard for his fatigue, pain tolerance, etc. More nights than not, he delivered. Find a stat that compares to that. Should he have an off-night which he a good amount of in the Finals , he could rely on Shaquille O'Neal and Pau Gasol on a nightly basis to help.
This isn't to throw Iverson's off-nights under the rug, for he had a number of them as well. To go further into detail with that, take a look at the NBA Finals.
To be clear, I am not stating this in a knock to either of Wade or Bryant, two of the game's most fierce competitors, but this is made to combat the debates of who is better between Wade, Bryant, or Iverson.
Remember, the media went after Iverson, even after winning the MVP. In his situation, he consistently had to take over games each and every night, knowing the negatives that'd come along with an off-night. One thing that I don't believe that Iverson gets credit for is his ability to impact games in other ways, which you'll see below. For his 6'0 stature, he was a strong rebounder, an underrated passer, and a decent defender.
Wade is often pegged as the third-best SG, but Iverson separates himself in a vast array of categories. Longevity is the first worth pointing out.
By age 32, Iverson was averaging By age 32, Wade was averaging Wade was regarded as on the verge of "washed up", injury prone, and a borderline elite SG.
Iverson was still at the tail end of dominance after just as gruesome injuries, and while Wade was a sensational talent, he stacks up a tier below "The Answer. The whole "who has more rings" argument is only used when convenient to the cause. Here's what they often say next:. One is a team who blew a lead, and lost to an 8th-seed the very next year. With a single All-Star.
The other is the second most dominant team in NBA Playoff history with a handful of Hall of Famers, arguably the greatest coach of all-time, and the game's greatest role players. Take a look at the following sample, in which each player is in their prime in 8-year windows. Jordan had Pippen, Rodman, Kukoc, and some of the game's greatest role players. These guys are insanely underrated to their contributions, something only the eye-test does them justice for, but they simply don't stack up to the other casts, especially as injured as they were in say, All of these guys have similar usage rates, but when you consider the Hall of Famers these guys got to pass to, it's apples to oranges.
Women lie, men lie, common sense doesn't. Now, let's take a look at that series with Bryant, as part of the inevitable Iverson vs. Kobe debate. People love to point at the fortunes of Bryant's career, which guided him towards five championships.
The help provided to Kobe and Wade, in comparison to Iverson's aren't even close. I despise the lack of respect Iverson's core gets, but if you put Iverson and Shaq on the same team I don't think I really have to finish that sentence for you to understand. Bryant would need to set record level futility to even have a chance of losing with the most dominant player of that generation by his side.
Certainly, I'll give Bryant the benefit of the doubt - the chaotic atmosphere that surrounded Bryant, be it the criminal case and the teammate chemistry or lack thereof , it's understandable. The thing is, Iverson isn't given the benefit of the doubt, for whatever reason. He's never had a player that could provide a series at his side. I didn't know Kobe like that, but as a basketball player, Kobe was the most vicious. Those three guys, along with Shaq, are like basketball royalty to me.
Iverson is confident MJ is the best player of all time. He doesn't throw shade to anybody; instead, he praises big players like Kobe or LeBron but making it clear that nobody is greater than 'Black Jesus'. MJ earned that reputation with his feats on the court, he is widely considered the greatest player of all time and none of what will change soon. We've seen great players before, during, and after his era, but there is no doubt that Jordan's impact on the game will be unmatched.
Fadeaway World. NBA Media. Out of all the players that played with him, I averaged the most points. It was an honor to play with him. Webber got traded to the Sixers during the season, forming a star duo with Iverson. After a season and a half, Webber would get traded again, this time to the Pistons, ending their short time together. Iverson in his prime was one of the most dominant players in NBA history.
He had the uncanny ability to turn offense into defense. For his career, he averaged 2. He is ninth on the all-time list in terms of steals per game. One ability that Iverson had that nobody talks about was his ability to not get tired. Iverson is fourth all-time in terms of minutes per game with Those players were guys that played years before him. Iverson has been retired for 10 years and nobody has been able to pass him. Iverson was a four-time scoring champ.
His first title was his third year in the league in , the second one was when he won the MVP award, the third was the next year and the fourth was
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