Shaq 1998-2003

[34Dayz]

I didn't know being 6,10 and black meant your a good center. -.-

and btw that was obvious sarcasm mocking what regular said I know Wilt had his fair share of decent opponents and that he wasnt just playing against tiny white guys.

[34Dayz]

If you don't know the history of the game

If I don't know the history of the game. This is downright comical.

Apparently you don't since you seem to lack any awareness of the great post players of the 90's and 00's or the good defensive teams from that era.

[NO-KG-AI]

It doesn't, it just shows how stupid somebody looks because saying Wilt was against "6' white guys" is about the same as saying it for Shaq in 2000, since there were plenty of 6'10 black guys, but none of them that Shaq faced were really any good.

[34Dayz]

Shaq's competition was just as good as Wilts if not better so I don't see your point.

Please list all these 6,10 black guys who are better then a pair of centers like
Prime TDuncan/Drob or KG or the Wallace Twins or DPOY Mutumbo
or that whole Portland defense + Sabonis.
or lets forget the fact that basically every team in the league was gearing their defenses towards stopping Oneal back in the early 00's.

[ThaRegul8r]

btw that was obvious sarcasm mocking what regular said

Less sarcasm and more facts would do you well. You talk about "logical," when I point out to everyone that everything I have said has been toward the discussion at hand. Yet you focus on the poster (me), with pejoratives, and questioning my knowledge of the history of the game, which is a joke. And if you knew anything about logic, you would know what's wrong with that. It's basic logic.

You posted 1998-2003. The beginning of the period you specified, Shaq made First Team All-NBA for the first time in his career. Coincidentally, Hakeem Olajuwon was 35, David Robinson was 32, and Patrick Ewing was 35. As was referenced with the "aging generation of great centers" who are no longer a factor. See the difference? I am not making any attacks toward you, nor "assuming" anything about you, but limiting my talk to the discussion and presenting the facts. Since you delineated the time period beginning in '98, what happened in the 90s is irrelevant, since there are only two years left of them in your time period, and all the great centers had passed their prime.

Not to mention the fact that in the '90s, when Olajuwon, Robinson and Ewing were in their heyday, Shaq was the third or fourth best center in the league. In '94-95 he was Second Team, but other than that, he was typically Third Team. Top 3 center in the league. Not a bum or anything, but it's not like he separated himself from his competition and was this dominant force when you had other great centers around. There was no talk about "MDE" at this time, or having one of the greatest peaks in NBA history. That didn't happen until the '00s, after which point the aforementioned great centers were gone or no longer what they once were. This is not being a "hater," nor having an "agenda," but the facts. You're obviously too emotionally invested to see the other side, hence your ad hominem attacks (so you don't have to bother wondering what was wrong with what you did) rather than having an intelligent discussion. No sarcasm either. Just the facts.

(P.S. I've deen discussing NBA history longer than you've been alive, hence the comic factor of your statement. Not that that has anything to do with the discussion, but I find it amusing when people make ignorant comments.)

[FuShengTHEGreat]

Like SKip Bayless said, Prime Shaq was the best Center head to head of all-time. Nobody would stop him.

Real funny considering there's a select few of guys Shaq wouldn't be able to stop either head to head. "Prime Shaq" is THE most overexaggerated player I've ever seen. Where were these dominating invincible performances when Hakeem and Mailman sent teams he led packing in the playoffs?

It was a lot easier to have these overrated MDE performances against second and third tier nineties leftovers head to head than it was vs. teams spearheaded by great HOF interior led teams.

[34Dayz]

Rookie and Young Shaq outplayed DRob and dominated Ewing and this was before he was anywhere near his Prime years and he posted better numbers then Hakeem in the 94 Finals despite his team losing. All-NBA teams just like All Defense teams are a joke and have been for many years usually being given to players off of reputation and not actual play so that means nothing.

I dont see how its a Knock on Shaqs dominance and overall play that as a youngin he was able to lead an expansion team to the Finals and lost to Prime Hakeem despite putting up better numbers in that series.

The fact that Young Shaq was able to outplay most of the best centers of that decade despite their vastly superior experience just shows how amazing he really was.

@ThaRegular i've always proven that the competition Shaq faced in the 00's was very good when compared to other GOAT centers so I don't see how you have any leverage in this discussion.

Lets say his competition started out at a 10 and ended up around 6.5-8 While the average goat level center was usually going against competition in the range of 5-7 so yea.. he had it harder then most and still dominated.

[ahonui06]

Shaq's peak in those years was great.

I still think 84-86 Bird and 91-93 Jordan had greater ones.

[ThaRegul8r]

Rookie and Young Shaq outplayed DRob and dominated Ewing

Substantiation please. Though Ewing I will give you. Shaq averaged 27.6 points on 58.0 percent shooting, 12.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 3 blocked shots in 41 minutes against Ewing in the ’93-94 season, and 40.3 points on 62.9 percent shooting and 63.4 percent true shooting and 13 rebounds in 41 minutes in ’94-95. This is pre-decline Ewing. Though you would have been better served to know this yourself rather than simply spouting off claims you haven't proven. That would have actually been proof, since your merely saying it proves nothing. But since I am only interested in truth, I will say that you are correct about Ewing (despite the fact that I had to provide the evidence). Perhaps you can prove you assertion regarding Robinson seeing as how I've already helped you out regarding Ewing. (Though re-reading, I'll have to see what rookie Shaq did against Ewing, since you made a point to say "rookie" Shaq and not leave it at "young.")

[ThaRegul8r]

@ThaRegular i've always proven that the competition Shaq faced in the 00's was very good when compared to other GOAT centers so I don't see how you have any leverage in this discussion.

You've yet to "prove" anything. Your simply saying something proves nothing. I gave you an example of what "proof" is when I helped you out about Ewing, since you didn't actually provide any hard evidence.

[34Dayz]

Young Shaq did not dominate DRob but he did outplay him and it was clear who was the better player when they went H2H.

Hakeem was the only one good enough to give young Shaq a run for his money and given how great Hakeem was in his Prime its not a black mark on Oneal.

Please tell me which Centers Wilt and Jabbar went against that were better then Prime Hakeem.

[chefy]

MJ is not from this planet

[MF Doom]

I'll take Jordan's peak over Shaq's.