Peaks project update: #7

[ardee]

1.1993 Hakeem Olajuwon
2.1996 David Robinson
3.1965 Bill Russell

Care to expand? Robinson in the top 8 over Bird/Magic?

[Mavericksfan]

The evolutionary Russell. No weakness defensively, him and Robinson are the only ones to ever combine vertical and horizontal defense in the signature manner that Russell did.

The evolutionary Russell. No weakness defensively, him and Robinson are the only ones to ever combine vertical and horizontal defense in the signature manner that Russell did.

Love the detail of the response. Just wanted to ask your opinion of peak Ben Wallace in that regard.

I think he's more of a traditional rim protector, wouldn't trust him to come out on PnRs as much and cover ground to help. That's KG's thing, but his rim protection was lacking.

Russell, Hakeem and Robinson are the only ones who were elite at both IMO.

Interesting. I only asked because I consider Ben the evolutionary Russell(at his peak at least. Longevity wise obviously Robinson and Hakeem are better). He started as wing and had exceptional perimeter defense as well. Teams routinely avoided even running pick and rolls at him or trying to attack him on switches.

If you’re interested here’s game 7 of the 05 Finals. Spurs are a heavy pick and roll team but you can see them try their hardest to keep Ben out of the action. The few times he is involved he effortless contains the drive and recovers which resets the defense without a hiccup.

Watch on YouTube

;app=desktop

[ardee]

The evolutionary Russell. No weakness defensively, him and Robinson are the only ones to ever combine vertical and horizontal defense in the signature manner that Russell did.

Love the detail of the response. Just wanted to ask your opinion of peak Ben Wallace in that regard.

I think he's more of a traditional rim protector, wouldn't trust him to come out on PnRs as much and cover ground to help. That's KG's thing, but his rim protection was lacking.

Russell, Hakeem and Robinson are the only ones who were elite at both IMO.

Interesting. I only asked because I consider Ben the evolutionary Russell(at his peak at least. Longevity wise obviously Robinson and Hakeem are better). He started as wing and had exceptional perimeter defense as well. Teams routinely avoided even running pick and rolls at him or trying to attack him on switches.

If you’re interested here’s game 7 of the 05 Finals. Spurs are a heavy pick and roll team but you can see them try their hardest to keep Ben out of the action. The few times he is involved he effortless contains the drive and recovers which resets the defense without a hiccup.

Watch on YouTube

;app=desktop

Fair, I will give that a watch. I became an avid basketball fan in '07-'08 and have watched a good number of games from before then but the Pistons were not a team I have cared to watch too much for obvious reasons (along with most of the 1990-2007 Eastern Conference sans the Jordan Bulls). Most of what I've seen of Wallace was past his peak with the exception of the '04 Finals and the '06 ECF, and I didn't see that same horizontal defense that people ascribe to KG, I saw him more as a Deke type of player who specialized in rim protection.

But I will give this a watch, even if a Spurs-Pistons series in the handcheck era will make me grimace (once again, like most of the 90s Eastern conference games haha).

[Mavericksfan]

I think he's more of a traditional rim protector, wouldn't trust him to come out on PnRs as much and cover ground to help. That's KG's thing, but his rim protection was lacking.

Russell, Hakeem and Robinson are the only ones who were elite at both IMO.

Interesting. I only asked because I consider Ben the evolutionary Russell(at his peak at least. Longevity wise obviously Robinson and Hakeem are better). He started as wing and had exceptional perimeter defense as well. Teams routinely avoided even running pick and rolls at him or trying to attack him on switches.

If you’re interested here’s game 7 of the 05 Finals. Spurs are a heavy pick and roll team but you can see them try their hardest to keep Ben out of the action. The few times he is involved he effortless contains the drive and recovers which resets the defense without a hiccup.

Watch on YouTube

;app=desktop

Fair, I will give that a watch. I became an avid basketball fan in '07-'08 and have watched a good number of games from before then but the Pistons were not a team I have cared to watch too much for obvious reasons (along with most of the 1990-2007 Eastern Conference sans the Jordan Bulls). Most of what I've seen of Wallace was past his peak with the exception of the '04 Finals and the '06 ECF, and I didn't see that same horizontal defense that people ascribe to KG, I saw him more as a Deke type of player who specialized in rim protection.

But I will give this a watch, even if a Spurs-Pistons series in the handcheck era will make me grimace (once again, like most of the 90s Eastern conference games haha).

Those were both against Shaq right? Yeah he couldnt really display his roaming ability due to focusing on denying Shaq. Same thing happened to Russell against Wilt a lot of the time.

The defense is definitey suffocating. Teams used to run two centers so the paint would be congested.

[Bel]

1. 86 Bird
2. 64 Russell
3. 87 Magic

Bird and Russell really could go either way: both made their teammates far better, both dominated their era, both team's fell off a cliff without them before and after, even in their weaker seasons. What pushed me over the edge though were Red Auerbach's views on Bird over Russell. Bird in 86 was also getting significant traction as the GOAT; some of this was surely recency bias, but it was also in an era where there was no e$pn frothing at the mouth to overhype contemporary players for money. https://www.si.com/vault/1988/03/21/117339/a-player-for-the-ages-bostons-larry-bird-in-what-may-be-his-finest-season-gets-red-auerbachs-vote----over-bill-russell----as-the-best-ever

Interesting SI article from 86 extolling Bird and how his impact goes far beyond his stats. https://www.si.com/nba/2015/08/18/larry-bird-boston-celtics-magic-johnson-indiana-french-lick

[LA Bird]

I suppose I'll take over again since we are a day past the voting deadline and lebron3-14-3 hasn't been active for a while.
Final totals as at the deadline are:

1) 86 Bird = 26.5 points
2) 94 Hakeem = 23.5 points
T3) 64 Russell = 22.5 points
T3) 65 Russell = 22.5 points
5) 93 Hakeem = 17.5 points

Bel's vote, if counted, would have only extended Bird's lead. 1986 Bird wins this round.