What is the best ALL TIME NBA Starting 5? Here's Mine......

There are two GIMMES in this question............. Unless you are a F*$%&% Neophyte!

The first is.............

MICHAEL JORDAN

The first answer out of anyone's mouth should be Michael Jordan. New school basketball fans should still realize that he is basically the best to ever play, no matter what stats seem to arise in comparison. MJ is a no-brainer, and I will not waste any more typing on explaining. DONE.

The second is..............

EARVIN "MAGIC" JOHNSON

Magic Johnson, to put it in easy terms, was a 6 foot 9 PASSING FIRST, scoring, driving, physical legend of a basketball player. The man IS the best point guard I've ever seen. Chris Paul is today's closest thing to being what Magic was when he was ballin'. If Paul continues to play like he has, then we might have a debate later down the pipeline. But for know, this is a lock. Other names that might come up for BEST POINT GUARD would be John Stockton, Oscar Robertson, Bob Cousy, Pete Maravich, Jason Kidd even. But Magic's SHOWTIME in LA was simply awesome!

DONE.......... NEXT........

Now is when it gets tricky and very debatable, just depending on which person, or NBA analyst (If you will) you are speaking with. BUT...................... Here's what I'm saying.......

This might either shock you, or you might be on the same page........

KOBE BRYANT

This is a tough one, but then again I know I can't be going to far astray from a good and logical choice. I had thought about Larry Bird at this spot, but I feel that Kobe is an all around better player, basically because I think Bird is pretty much all offense, and not enough TOUGH D. Kobe is very much like MJ in the fact that both are prolific scorers, great last second clutch shooters, and both play gritty tough defense. Jordan's D is better, but Kobe plays hard nose respectable D, and I just never saw Bird show me that quality. Kobe is almost Michael, period.

MOVING ON........

This is more predictable, and I think most would agree............

"THE MAILMAN"

KARL MALONE

I think most basketball experts would agree that Malone is A BEAST! At his peak, Malone was a not only a physical force, but a polished low post player. He could even defend Centers if need be. His strength was unmatched. Some others I had considered in this spot would be Charles Barkley, Tim Duncan, Bill Russell, Elvin Hayes, and maybe even throw Kevin Garnett's name in there. To be quite honest, I think Duncan is a very, very close second. And I will admit that Duncan NBA titles make me want to put Duncan here, but I still in my gut think Malone is the guy. Again, this is why the 3 positions other than MJ and Magic are up in the air a little bit.

Anyhew, ...........NEXT

This is really HARD for the Center position...............

BUT............ I think I've gotta go with the man that is more of a physical specimen and has more titles in his trophy room.

And he is............

SHAQUILLE O'NEAL

Shaq is a tough choice to make out of about 4 guys. The others being Hakeem Olajuwon, Wilt Chamberlain, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. We'll also have to see how Dwight Howard is doing 10 years down the line, but that is a real long shot. Shaq is just a physical FREAK. That's all. He does not have great shooting skills, but his size and quickness make him impossible to keep off the rim. At his peak, it was a joke to try and stop him from going to the rim and giving any defender a facial. I'll admit, Olajuwon and Kareem are better pure skill players, but Shaq could not be stopped when he was dominating the NBA with the Lakers. 3-peat sound familiar? Chamberlain rolled the same way, but even still he did not have the same freakish body and quickness that Shaq had at his peak. So to conclude on Shaq: Not a lot of skill, but the Biggest guy in the game that could MOVE!



And NOW............to give a brief second team..............

No comments, I'm just throwing out of a team that would give my first team a nice challenge..........

LEBRON JAMES

OSCAR ROBERTSON

LARRY BIRD

TIM DUNCAN

WILT CHAMBERLAIN

That would be a nice exhibition to see.........

Too bad it'll never happen, except for maybe on a cool video game I don't even know about yet.......

AnyHOW...........

GOOD TALK, and until next post.............

BOOM GOES THE DYNAMITE...........