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This one is a super tossup.

I don't think there is a Center in history with the Gravity of Shaq.

And at the same time I don't think maybeee aside from MJ, a Non Post Big man than Lebron.

Lebron in his prime was unstoppable to the whole. I always thought Lebron and Curry would be a Match made in heaven. Their games compliment each other to perfection.

LeBron's FG% at the basket is not too far off of Shaq's and he gives the added ability of pick and pop as he is also a decent shooter away from there plus the additional playmaking to either reverse the pick and roll or as a playmaker in a short roll situation if the defense traps Curry.

Defenses would be more static with Shaq/Curry. I'd take an outside-in threat with James - more dynamic and unpredictable. James is much better in transition as well which is buckets on the table.

mdonnelly1989 wrote:This one is a super tossup.

I don't think there is a Center in history with the Gravity of Shaq.

And at the same time I don't think maybeee aside from MJ, a Non Post Big man than Lebron.

Lebron in his prime was unstoppable to the whole. I always thought Lebron and Curry would be a Match made in heaven. Their games compliment each other to perfection.

Curry Shaq lol

I like the Curry and bron combo more but purely gravity Curry shaq

LeBron Curry is better but Shaq Curry has more gravity and will create more open shots for others just because you have to guard or double Shaq so close to the basket and you have to guard Curry so far away from the basket.

LeBron Curry is better but Shaq Curry has more gravity and will create more open shots for others just because you have to guard or double Shaq so close to the basket and you have to guard Curry so far away from the basket.

I picked Curry/Shaq but I've changed my mind.

Look at the difference between Curry's efficiency with and without Draymond. It's clear that Draymond's passing unlocks another level of Curry's gravity. Curry is obviously great off-ball even without Draymond but what you really need to maximize a player's off-ball impact is passing. And LeBron is just a much better passer than Draymond.

Now, obviously, Shaq has more gravity in the paint than LeBron but the difference might not be as significant as you would assume at first glance. Because of LeBron's passing, he cannot be doubled in the paint; he will simply find the open man.

This play in the 2020 Finals is a perfect example of what I mean:



This open shot for Danny Green was created by LeBron's gravity. Furthermore, LeBron's gravity is probably as inelastic as Shaqs, i.e, LeBron's gravity cannot be taken away. Going back to 2020 again the Lakers were bottom 10 in both 3PA and 3P%. Yet in the 2020 playoffs, LeBron took 39.3% of his shots inside 3ft and shot 78.7%.

So, LeBron's passing probably both unlocks another level of Curry's gravity and keeps his gravity inside the paint competitive with Shaq's.

You could argue LeBron's offball interior gravity is less "dense" than Shaq's, but LeBron's range of offball gravitational pull is definitely broader as it extends through the midrange (albeit with diminishing force) and out to the 3pt line. Meanwhile Shaq actually has anti-gravity outside of what, 8 feet?

LeBron also possesses an even broader (and non-diminishing) sphere of dynamic onball gravity with both scoring and (especially) playmaking dimensions which simply don't exist with Shaq. LeBron with the ball in his hands anywhere on the floor is able to manipulate entire team defenses by leveraging his dual playmaking/scoring threat, and this directly enhances Steph's offball lethality in a way that only an onball creator can provide

Curry/LeBron is the better combo but I'd rather watch Curry/Shaq. I'd love to see how teams dealt with the insane inside/outside gravity.

BenoUdrihFTL wrote:You could argue LeBron's offball interior gravity is less "dense" than Shaq's, but LeBron's range of offball gravitational pull is definitely broader as it extends through the midrange (albeit with diminishing force) and out to the 3pt line. Meanwhile Shaq actually has anti-gravity outside of what, 8 feet?

LeBron also possesses an even broader (and non-diminishing) sphere of dynamic onball gravity with both scoring and (especially) playmaking dimensions which simply don't exist with Shaq. LeBron with the ball in his hands anywhere on the floor is able to manipulate entire team defenses by leveraging his dual playmaking/scoring threat, and this directly enhances Steph's offball lethality in a way that only an onball creator can provide

I maybe "cheated" a little on the poll. Strictly in terms of gravity only, I think it might be Shaq/Curry (close though). But the gravity with Lebron/Curry is at least very very close, AND Lebron's playmaking allows for them to better take advantage of the gravity that exists. Above post sums it up pretty concisely, imo.

Shaq's gravity is cancelling Curry's a bit so this is LeBron/Curry easily.

Mazter wrote:Shaq's gravity is cancelling Curry's a bit so this is LeBron/Curry easily.

Could also argue that LeBron's ball-dominance cancels Curry's somewhat, with the added factor that when Curry has the ball, LeBron's value drops dramatically since LeBron's off-ball impact is so much lower than Shaq's.

Even though the combination of Shaq's inside gravity and Curry's outside gravity is really attractive, I'd probably go with LeBron/Curry in this comparison, but my point is to push back against the "easily" in your post. This is really close, and you can make valid arguments for both.

It’s not which combo you’d take it’s which one has more gravity

I dont see how lebron + Curry has more gravity at all lol

Outside wrote:

Mazter wrote:Shaq's gravity is cancelling Curry's a bit so this is LeBron/Curry easily.

Could also argue that LeBron's ball-dominance cancels Curry's somewhat, with the added factor that when Curry has the ball, LeBron's value drops dramatically since LeBron's off-ball impact is so much lower than Shaq's.

Even though the combination of Shaq's inside gravity and Curry's outside gravity is really attractive, I'd probably go with LeBron/Curry in this comparison, but my point is to push back against the "easily" in your post. This is really close, and you can make valid arguments for both.

LeBron is ball dominant and likes to handle the ball in the same places Curry does. Shaq is a better compliment to Curry as both an on ball and off ball player.

Shaq + Curry is the most lethal big man and guard of all time.

Mazter wrote:Shaq's gravity is cancelling Curry's a bit so this is LeBron/Curry easily.

Why do you think that?

MyUniBroDavis wrote:It’s not which combo you’d take it’s which one has more gravity

I dont see how lebron + Curry has more gravity at all lol

Given that it's about which would have greater gravity rather than the usual pick-em comparison, yeah, it has to be GOAT (or GOAT-adjacent) interior gravity Shaq + GOAT perimeter gravity Steph.

I'm glad that most recognize that this was/is a very close. And that the poll suggests that.

Its interesting given how close it is, given the vast difference in dynamics between Lebron and Shaq and their weakenesses and strengths.

Assuming none of these guys has the ball in his hands, in what order would you sag a defender off of them? Therein lies your answer. I agree it is somewhat close but also clear IMO.

mdonnelly1989 wrote:I'm glad that most recognize that this was/is a very close. And that the poll suggests that.

Its interesting given how close it is, given the vast difference in dynamics between Lebron and Shaq and their weakenesses and strengths.

I can’t lie I think people are just picking bron and Curry cuz they think that’s a better combo, which is valid tbf

These differences shouldn’t matter much if we’re talking about gravity

Solely based on gravity I think it has to be shaq and curry though I think Lebron is the better duo. You can’t guard shaq with a single player and you can’t guard curry with a single player. You probably need 2 bigs on the floor to stop shaq but having 2 bigs on the floor against curry is just a death sentence.