2017 Isaiah Thomas is better than any version of Iverson.

[joeyAdaMan]

:lol: this thread made 37 pages

young people man...smh

[JJ_PR]

I'm surprised this thread is on page 38 and counting.

For me it's not a debate. For the same reason I can't say LeBron is better than MJ; it's a different era.

To be honest, it's not even close. AI is in a league of his own. The best 6 footer to ever laze them up.

[BenSimmons4MVP]

Watch on YouTube

[infintybeyond]

How did it go 38 pages? Isaiah in the western conference isn't an All Star. In the east, he's an All Star. Same with Kyle Lowry. That's how **** that conference is. Both those guys were role players in the west and now eastern conference All stars. So, in what world would he ever be better than Allen Iverson?

[DROB27]

This thread... lol I guarantee most of this board just started watching ball a couple years ago

[RCM88x]

How did it go 38 pages? Isaiah in the western conference isn't an All Star. In the east, he's an All Star. Same with Kyle Lowry. That's how **** that conference is. Both those guys were role players in the west and now eastern conference All stars. So, in what world would he ever be better than Allen Iverson?

1. You realize players can improve over time and in different situations right? Not like guys are the same players the day they are drafted throughout their careers.

2. You realize AI played and peaked in what was the weakest conference of all time? The East from 1999-2003 was far worse than the East is today.

[Infinite Llamas]

Iverson will greatly be remembered for that Finals run and taking a game from the Lakers in the Finals...but I guarantee that AI never had to go through a team as well built as the modern day Cleveland team. Prime Iverson, as great as he was, couldn't have won this most recent ECF just like a healthy Isaiah couldn't.

I think people made too big a deal about this comparison. Honestly, if I was looking for somebody to compare Isaiah to, Iverson is a great start. There are a lot of similarities in their games. Iverson is HOF so I won't say that Isaiah is better, but I do think many might be romanticizing Iverson a bit. He was just as known for his horrible shot selection as he was his heart and willingness to attack the paint. There were holes in Iverson's game, just like there are holes in Isaiah's. At the end of the day, it's easy to look at the completed product of Iverson's career. But if Iverson's career is a full fledged novel, Isaiah's is merely a novella at this point...a story that is somewhat incomplete and is problematic when comparing it to a more lauded story.

[kingofthecourt67]

The celtics are literally going to draft a player that is going to take over his role while he is in his prime. That should pretty much say that all that needs to be said about comparing him to a hall-of-famer. He had a great season, but this comparison is just whack.

[FlatearthZorro]

How did it go 38 pages? Isaiah in the western conference isn't an All Star. In the east, he's an All Star. Same with Kyle Lowry. That's how **** that conference is. Both those guys were role players in the west and now eastern conference All stars. So, in what world would he ever be better than Allen Iverson?

1. You realize players can improve over time and in different situations right? Not like guys are the same players the day they are drafted throughout their careers.

2. You realize AI played and peaked in what was the weakest conference of all time? The East from 1999-2003 was far worse than the East is today.

This. People can'r realize even when stats are thrown at them that IT is way, and I mean way more efficient than Iverson. IT just had one of the more efficient seasons ever for a guy scoring ~30. Iverson for all his marbles was a career .420 from the field shooter. AI played in a much, much worse Eastern conference where the best team after his 6ers was the bucks? With Ray?

Anyhow one thing is to play the Bucks and reach the Finals and it's another thing to have to beat a stacked up team with a top 5-8 player all-time in his prime.

[infintybeyond]

How did it go 38 pages? Isaiah in the western conference isn't an All Star. In the east, he's an All Star. Same with Kyle Lowry. That's how **** that conference is. Both those guys were role players in the west and now eastern conference All stars. So, in what world would he ever be better than Allen Iverson?

1. You realize players can improve over time and in different situations right? Not like guys are the same players the day they are drafted throughout their careers.

2. You realize AI played and peaked in what was the weakest conference of all time? The East from 1999-2003 was far worse than the East is today.

1. You realize Isaiah Thomas and Kyle Lowry still wouldn't make this years Western Conference All Star team. Who would they replace Steph, Klay, Harden, or Westbrook? They would still be competing against Chris Paul, Dame Lillard, Mike Conley, and CJ McCollum. Even if they've improved, which they have, they still wouldn't make the West All Star team.

2. You realize AI also played in a more defensive era where more restrictive rules were in place to regulate guard play. They actually called palming the ball and traveling. The game was also slower too. Iverson also played against legit 7 foot rim protectors unlike today's game. Guys had trouble staying in front of him back then. They would have even more trouble staying in front of him in today's game where guards have all of the advantages. Isaiah greatly benefits from today's rules. AI would too if he played in today's game.

[infintybeyond]

How did it go 38 pages? Isaiah in the western conference isn't an All Star. In the east, he's an All Star. Same with Kyle Lowry. That's how **** that conference is. Both those guys were role players in the west and now eastern conference All stars. So, in what world would he ever be better than Allen Iverson?

1. You realize players can improve over time and in different situations right? Not like guys are the same players the day they are drafted throughout their careers.

2. You realize AI played and peaked in what was the weakest conference of all time? The East from 1999-2003 was far worse than the East is today.

This. People can'r realize even when stats are thrown at them that IT is way, and I mean way more efficient than Iverson. IT just had one of the more efficient seasons ever for a guy scoring ~30. Iverson for all his marbles was a career .420 from the field shooter. AI played in a much, much worse Eastern conference where the best team after his 6ers was the bucks? With Ray?

Anyhow one thing is to play the Bucks and reach the Finals and it's another thing to have to beat a stacked up team with a top 5-8 player all-time in his prime.

Let's just disregard all the rule changes that benefit guards now. There's a reason for the offensive outburst of today's guards. It's the rule changes. Iverson played in a different era. They were allowed to play defense back then. He got beat up when he went to the rim. You can't do that now; it would be a flagrant 1.

Who did AI face in the finals that year? Oh yeah, arguably the most dominant playoff team ever. The Shaq/Kobe Lakers that freakishly peaked in the playoffs. At least AI took a game from them. IT's team won without him playing. Lastly, those bucks had a "Big 3" of Sam Cassell, Ray Allen(All star), and Big Dog Glen Robinson (All star).

[John Murdoch]

This is Dookieguy level bad

[E-Balla]

How did it go 38 pages? Isaiah in the western conference isn't an All Star. In the east, he's an All Star. Same with Kyle Lowry. That's how **** that conference is. Both those guys were role players in the west and now eastern conference All stars. So, in what world would he ever be better than Allen Iverson?

1. You realize players can improve over time and in different situations right? Not like guys are the same players the day they are drafted throughout their careers.

2. You realize AI played and peaked in what was the weakest conference of all time? The East from 1999-2003 was far worse than the East is today.

AI won 56 games to get the first seed. IT got it with 53. The Celtics literally have the worst point differential of any first seed since the merger. Somehow the East was stronger back then. Plus the rules were different. I mean IT can't average 33/4/7 and AI averaged that at the end of his prime because of the rule changes.

[bluejerseyjinx]

Don't care if he is better or worse, I just want him out of Boston.

[JunkYardDog6ix]

LOL. OP unfortunately the problem with threads like this is it gets thrown back in your face if the player struggles like IT is now.

Which is why I'm letting it cool down. Already specified 14 times it was regular season comparison (considering I made this like 1 game into round 2 of the playoffs). I also made it clear I wasn't comparing careers or legacy, but rather one regular season. It's sad to watch it turn into something else entirely by literally EVERYBODY calling me out.

Yesterday I had a huge response lined up with data showing how Iverson had literally only 3 really good games in the 2001 playoffs, and got slaughtered every series besides Indiana by his counter part (Ray Allen, Vince Carter, Kobe), but then realized it would fall on deaf ears. People don't seem to want to look at the totality of a season. They'd rather say "told ya so" about a completely different criteria based on a small sample.

Please post your argument that you had lined up about the playoffs

[Big Mac Biyombo]

2. You realize AI also played in a more defensive era where more restrictive rules were in place to regulate guard play. They actually called palming the ball and traveling. The game was also slower too. Iverson also played against legit 7 foot rim protectors unlike today's game. Guys had trouble staying in front of him back then. They would have even more trouble staying in front of him in today's game where guards have all of the advantages. Isaiah greatly benefits from today's rules. AI would too if he played in today's game.

You're joking right? That era was even worse for carrying than today. Come on man.

I'm not disagreeing with your AI vs IT argument. But let's not get carried away here.

[infintybeyond]

2. You realize AI also played in a more defensive era where more restrictive rules were in place to regulate guard play. They actually called palming the ball and traveling. The game was also slower too. Iverson also played against legit 7 foot rim protectors unlike today's game. Guys had trouble staying in front of him back then. They would have even more trouble staying in front of him in today's game where guards have all of the advantages. Isaiah greatly benefits from today's rules. AI would too if he played in today's game.

You're joking right? That era was even worse for carrying than today. Come on man.

I'm not disagreeing with your AI vs IT argument. But let's not get carried away here.

I think you're joking. What was considered palming then is considered normal now. IT, KD, LBJ, DWade, CP3, JCrossover, and plenty of others get away with it all the time. It's considered normal dribbling now. They don't call palming anymore.

[Big Mac Biyombo]

2. You realize AI also played in a more defensive era where more restrictive rules were in place to regulate guard play. They actually called palming the ball and traveling. The game was also slower too. Iverson also played against legit 7 foot rim protectors unlike today's game. Guys had trouble staying in front of him back then. They would have even more trouble staying in front of him in today's game where guards have all of the advantages. Isaiah greatly benefits from today's rules. AI would too if he played in today's game.

You're joking right? That era was even worse for carrying than today. Come on man.

I'm not disagreeing with your AI vs IT argument. But let's not get carried away here.

I think you're joking. What was considered palming then is considered normal now. IT, KD, LBJ, DWade, CP3, JCrossover, and plenty of others get away with it all the time. It's considered normal dribbling now. They don't call palming anymore.

AI was getting away with carrying before IT was potty trained. If you don't think Iverson's crossover was a carry, you either never watched him play, or you have a misunderstanding of the rules. It's not just AI. That whole early 2000's was notorious for palming. The whole "And1" generation was guilty. Steve Nash could have carried the blocks that built the pyramids.

[NickAnderson]

Dude, someone get me the phone number to the kid that thinks AI is better than Wade. That's gotta be some good ass crack .

Edit. I am old enough to have watched both and with out question wade is better and I can't stand him and love iverson.


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[Dnt hate]

Back in 01 it wasn't even a question if iverson was better then kobe, a few years later people started saying kobe is better, now we have people saying wade was better than iverson like it's 100 percent true, gtfo man that's your opinion, wade had shaq and lebron and bosh and a possible fixed series with all the fouls he got, don't disrespect iverson because your too young to watch him or your just a hater