Top 4 4 season peaks in nba history

[Colbinii]

Jordan
Wilt
Kareem
Shaq

It was VERY hard not to include Bird in this. I'm surprised that he hasn't gotten a mention. He was such a dynamic player and freakish scorer.

I include Bird in mine, quite easily.

LeBron
Bird
Pippen
Rodman

[70sFan]

I think 1980 was his best overall playoff run considering level of play, and the title. I probably shouldn’t have made it plural.

Honestly though i’m surprised i’m being given so much flack for saying Shaq was better, and a better playoff performer in his extended peak.

In those years I mentioned, Shaq averaged roughly 29 ppg 15 rpg, 29.5 PER 56.4 ts% and a 7.1 BPM. Kareem’s had some great runs here and there but I don’t he’s been so consecutively dominant multiple years in a row.

He was basically as dominant as Shaq in 1977-80 period, he just didn't have good enough team to win a title. He also lost two prime postseasons in weak teams (1975 and 1976), Shaq always played in playoffs team even when he missed over 30 games.

I'd say that 1977 and 1974 runs are better than 1980 one, but still these three are just as good as the three best Shaq runs.

Numbers aside, i think Shaq’s were just more impressive considering the teams and defenses he was going against. He had to go against the twin towers nearly annually, he went against the Blazers and their tough defense, he went against DPOY Mutumbo and tore him a new one, etc.

Kareem had to go through Thurmond and Wilt in 3 seasons in a row. He had to play against Walton Blazers, Cowens Celtics and Unseld Bullets. I don't think the competition factor is deciding here. Besides, Shaq didn't really played his most dominant basketball against Spurs or Blazers. He had poor series in 2002 and he looked the least dominant against Blazers in the whole 2000 playoffs.

I think that people believe that Shaq was more dominant mostly due to his style of play. Kareem doesn't look as unstoppable, but he produced the same results.

[LA Bird]

1. 88~91 Jordan. Highest peak and was near peak form throughout entire 4 year period
2. 09~12 LeBron. 2011 season (even before finals choke) was a let down offensively
3. 71~74 Kareem. His defense in Milwaukee is overlooked. Kareem had some elite 2 way seasons early in his career
4. 62~65 Russell. Not the best peak but very consistent, which is better than having some GOAT seasons and some ok ones (Wilt)

HM: I have 84~87 Bird only slightly behind Russell. 15~18 Curry could have made the list as well if not for missed time.

[penbeast0]

Stop trolling.

Why do you call that trolling? Because he's high on in-era dominance (the only measurable way to judge players)?

No it was because he admitted to causing trouble, but i shouldn’t have said anything all it will do is get myself in trouble.

I had no problem with it; I'm a mod here and yet I posted a post that I knew would stir the pot. I do believe that Russell probably has a couple of seasons that would qualify, I see him as that overwhelmingly dominant (generally appreciably more than Wilt, possibly even more than Wilt in 67); not as sure about Mikan but don't like him being ignored.

[trex_8063]

If it has to be 4 consecutive seasons, I'd probably go with (cheating a bit to include five, but I honestly have trouble deciding):

1. Michael Jordan '89-'92 (could maybe see '90-'93 as an alternate, or maybe even '88-'91)
2. Lebron James '10-'13 (could maybe see a case for a different stretch, such as '12-'15 or '13-'16, in order to exclude '11)
3a. Wilt Chamberlain '64-'67
3b. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar '71-'74 (could maybe see going with '74-'77, too, depending on just how much you hold Kareem's '73 playoff performance against him, or how high you are on '71 and '72).
3c. Shaquille O'Neal '00-'03 (or potentially '99-'02)

HM: Hakeem Olajuwon '93-'96 (or '92-'95 perhaps) certainly worth consideration, too. Maybe Tim Duncan '02-'05, too.


If I'm not constrained to four consecutive seasons, it might be marginally different, at least in my HM's:

1. Michael Jordan '91, '90, '89, '93
2. Lebron James '13, '12, '09, '10
3. Wilt Chamberlain '67, '64, '66, '62
4. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar '77, '71, '72, '74

My top HM's are again those four consecutive years of Shaq ('00-'03) and Hakeem ('86, '93-'95). Also shout out to Kevin Garnett ('03-'05, '08) and again to Tim Duncan ('02-'05).

[Narigo]

Jordan(88-91)
LeBron(09-10,12-13)
Kareem(71-72, 76-77)
Wilt(64, 66-68)

[bledredwine]

Jordan
Wilt
Kareem
Shaq

It was VERY hard not to include Bird in this. I'm surprised that he hasn't gotten a mention. He was such a dynamic player and freakish scorer.

I include Bird in mine, quite easily.

LeBron
Bird
Pippen
Rodman

Interesting Rodman pick. But Detroit Rodman was a heck of a player.

What about 2011’ish Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh?
Ray Allen?
Jason Terry?
DIrk?
Or Kevin Durant?

I don’t know about you but Durant’s sweep in last year’s finals was impressive. He was so dominant.

[ardee]

Jordan '90-'93
LeBron '10-'13 ('16-'19 may have a case)
Wilt '65-'68
Russell '62-'65

Sent from my SM-G615F using RealGM mobile app

[homecourtloss]

Jordan
Wilt
Kareem
Shaq

It was VERY hard not to include Bird in this. I'm surprised that he hasn't gotten a mention. He was such a dynamic player and freakish scorer.

of course

[JordansBulls]

Bird ‘84-‘88

Once you lose with HCA you don't have the best peak nor career.

[Parasite]

Bird ‘84-‘88

Once you lose with HCA you don't have the best peak nor career.

Peak is an individual, not team accomplishment. Bird ‘84-‘88 is right up there.

[70sFan]

If it has to be 4 consecutive seasons, I'd probably go with (cheating a bit to include five, but I honestly have trouble deciding):

1. Michael Jordan '89-'92 (could maybe see '90-'93 as an alternate, or maybe even '88-'91)
2. Lebron James '10-'13 (could maybe see a case for a different stretch, such as '12-'15 or '13-'16, in order to exclude '11)
3a. Wilt Chamberlain '64-'67
3b. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar '71-'74 (could maybe see going with '74-'77, too, depending on just how much you hold Kareem's '73 playoff performance against him, or how high you are on '71 and '72).
3c. Shaquille O'Neal '00-'03 (or potentially '99-'02)

HM: Hakeem Olajuwon '93-'96 (or '92-'95 perhaps) certainly worth consideration, too. Maybe Tim Duncan '02-'05, too.


If I'm not constrained to four consecutive seasons, it might be marginally different, at least in my HM's:

1. Michael Jordan '91, '90, '89, '93
2. Lebron James '13, '12, '09, '10
3. Wilt Chamberlain '67, '64, '66, '62
4. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar '77, '71, '72, '74

My top HM's are again those four consecutive years of Shaq ('00-'03) and Hakeem ('86, '93-'95). Also shout out to Kevin Garnett ('03-'05, '08) and again to Tim Duncan ('02-'05).

You're not quite as high on 1968 Wilt as me, can you explain why?

Also, don't even you consider Bill Russell here? 1962-65 period is extremely consistent and dominant for him.

[bledredwine]

Jordan
Wilt
Kareem
Shaq

It was VERY hard not to include Bird in this. I'm surprised that he hasn't gotten a mention. He was such a dynamic player and freakish scorer.

of course

It never ceases to amaze me how insecure some of you are. (Spoiler- someone cliche will quote this statement with the illusion that they’re being clever and will achieve nothing by doing so).

Let me clarify my thought process since you care so much! Here is who I considered immediately - jordan, Kareem, Shaq, Wilt, Magic, Lebron, Hakeem, Bird.

All of whomever have awesome peaks. Shaq Wilt jordan Kareem were obviously the most dominant and the next tier was Magic Lebron Hakeem Bird. Sorry I didn’t name your favorite player, but I find the ones I named better, period. It’s actually a disgrace for some of you to act like he’s clearly better than any of the names I’ve mentioned. Let’s not sit here and act like there aren’t any glaring holes and complete chokes in Lebron’s career. Though he’s one of the best, like Kobe, when it comes to all-time greats, I’m not nearly as impressed with him as many of his fans. This may blow your mind, but there were other great players that came before Lebron.

Since you guys seem clueless, I’ll spell it out for you- at his best, Bird was a better scorer, rebounder, clutch player and also passed beautifully. Sorry

I get it- Lebron is the best player today (maybe) and fans like to conform in praising/over-hyping the current best thing. If Bird was playing, you’d be crapping your pants as well. And I’ve pulled plenty of your heart strings with my points about Lebron’s vulnerabilities, midrange game, why he can’t close out against a superior midrange player in Durant, and so on. But you guys better start giving substance to your “lol” replies, because otherwise, they sure look pointless and stupid.

[Owly]

Why do you call that trolling? Because he's high on in-era dominance (the only measurable way to judge players)?

No it was because he admitted to causing trouble, but i shouldn’t have said anything all it will do is get myself in trouble.

I had no problem with it; I'm a mod here and yet I posted a post that I knew would stir the pot. I do believe that Russell probably has a couple of seasons that would qualify, I see him as that overwhelmingly dominant (generally appreciably more than Wilt, possibly even more than Wilt in 67); not as sure about Mikan but don't like him being ignored.

It's fairly plausible to me that Mikan was the most impactful player in terms of moving title probability in the history of the game.

He arrives on the Gears for the '46-'47 NBL campaign. They had had a -3.2 points differential the previous year. He misses six weeks of that season because the Gears seemingly tried to pay him less than he was guaranteed in his contract. At the point of his arrival they were below .500. With Mikan (and fellow addition Bobby McDermott) Chicago take 17 of their last 23 games and end up with a +4.1 points differential overall (2nd only to the Royals at +6.4).

In '47 because the Gear owner tried (and failed) to set up his own league, his rights are randomly distributed and he goes to what is effectively an expansion franchise (the Detroit Gems who had been terrible the prior season seem to have sold their spot in league - the thing they had of value - to the Minneapolis Lakers). The Lakers, with Mikan and Jim Pollard win the title.

In '48 the Lakers, with the Royals and two others, move over to the BAA and they win another two in a row. In '51 Mikan plays through a fractured leg wearing a plate and they fall to the Royals. Then they win three more straight.

Mikan retires. Lovellette takes many of those minutes. Pollard, Mikkelsen and Martin also remain. The Lakers are above average but not great.

It's not a given, you'd have to look a lot more carefully at the numbers and then think about how to fairly compare impact in a lower possession, lower scoring game. But in terms of what you want? He's got great boxscore numbers. Elite playoff numbers. Elite team success (flawless team playoff record when healthy in the main body of his career*). Evidence of impact on arrival (less so when he goes, though Lovellette is a good replacement).

Mentioning him, though thought perhaps to be controversial, isn't "trolling". Even if one ultimately either discounts the era or simply finds it impossible to meaningfully and fairly compare with later eras (or even just finds him less impactful), it seems right that Mikan is raised and considered for discussion.

*= It is only fair to mention that Mikan's team didn't win in '56, when he came back (though I seem to recall hearing, contrary to what I had generally heard [i.e. the comeback was a failure] that he improved the team quite a bit - maybe I should look this up properly sometime). Also though it wasn't the NBL playoffs (won by Rochester Royals) in 1946 after the NBL season the Gears with Mikan just signed did take part in a single elimination "World Tournament" that they didn't win (the NBL's Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons did) though he was tournament MVP and on the All-Tournament First Team.

[Reservoirdawgs]

No mention of Steph Curry? From 2015-18, he averaged the following:

PPG: 26.4
TS% - 65.2
3P%: 43.3 (on almost 10 attempts per game!)
eFG%: 60.6
ORtg: 122.8

I would encourage people to read Ben Taylor's (ElGee) writeup on Steph Curry during his Top 40 impressive career ranking. IN it, he mentioned that Curry's overall APM results were some of the greatest on record and that his impact metrics gave him a strong argument for a Top-5 peak in NBA history.

http://www.backpicks.com/2018/03/12/backpicks-goat-31-40/#Curry

[No-more-rings]

No mention of Steph Curry? From 2015-18, he averaged the following:

PPG: 26.4
TS% - 65.2
3P%: 43.3 (on almost 10 attempts per game!)
eFG%: 60.6
ORtg: 122.8

I would encourage people to read Ben Taylor's (ElGee) writeup on Steph Curry during his Top 40 impressive career ranking. IN it, he mentioned that Curry's overall APM results were some of the greatest on record and that his impact metrics gave him a strong argument for a Top-5 peak in NBA history.

http://www.backpicks.com/2018/03/12/backpicks-goat-31-40/#Curry

Curry just doesn’t belong imo.

I just can’t see one way players being in the top 4 for peak or prime. If they aren’t 2 way bigs they got to be highly effective defensive wings like Lebron, MJ. Like Curry’s probably as great as he can be for his size, but his stature is limited and that matters.

On top of that you can’t just sweep his injuries under the rug.

[trex_8063]

If it has to be 4 consecutive seasons, I'd probably go with (cheating a bit to include five, but I honestly have trouble deciding):

1. Michael Jordan '89-'92 (could maybe see '90-'93 as an alternate, or maybe even '88-'91)
2. Lebron James '10-'13 (could maybe see a case for a different stretch, such as '12-'15 or '13-'16, in order to exclude '11)
3a. Wilt Chamberlain '64-'67
3b. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar '71-'74 (could maybe see going with '74-'77, too, depending on just how much you hold Kareem's '73 playoff performance against him, or how high you are on '71 and '72).
3c. Shaquille O'Neal '00-'03 (or potentially '99-'02)

HM: Hakeem Olajuwon '93-'96 (or '92-'95 perhaps) certainly worth consideration, too. Maybe Tim Duncan '02-'05, too.


If I'm not constrained to four consecutive seasons, it might be marginally different, at least in my HM's:

1. Michael Jordan '91, '90, '89, '93
2. Lebron James '13, '12, '09, '10
3. Wilt Chamberlain '67, '64, '66, '62
4. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar '77, '71, '72, '74

My top HM's are again those four consecutive years of Shaq ('00-'03) and Hakeem ('86, '93-'95). Also shout out to Kevin Garnett ('03-'05, '08) and again to Tim Duncan ('02-'05).

You're not quite as high on 1968 Wilt as me, can you explain why?

Also, don't even you consider Bill Russell here? 1962-65 period is extremely consistent and dominant for him.

'68 Wilt is a good one, too. In the non-consecutive four years, I could see subbing it in instead of '62 (or maybe '66). For my four consecutive Wilt years, I'm still definitely going with '64-'67 though. '64 is almost like a "#1b" year for Wilt, imo.

And yeah, I considered Bill Russell (particularly for the consecutive year sample: '62-'65 is damn good). But I felt like if I mentioned him, I'd also have to mention Bird ('84-'87 or '85-'88), Magic ('87-'90), and Garnett ('02-'05)......so I felt like had to cut it off somewhere. fwiw, I do put peak (and probably 4-year prime) Hakeem [and likely Duncan] a little ahead of peak Russell. In a nut-shell I feel they're both only a little lesser than him defensively while being clearly superior offensive players.

[An Unbiased Fan]

KAJ 71-74
MJ 90-93
Kobe 06-09
Bird 84-87
Hakeem 92-95

[iggymcfrack]

1. Jordan '90-'93
2. Shaq '99-'02
3. LeBron '09-'12
4. LeBron '13-'16

[70sFan]

1. Jordan '90-'93
2. Shaq '99-'02
3. LeBron '09-'12
4. LeBron '13-'16

Nice try.