Post#38 » by wutevahung » Wed Aug 14, 2019 7:40 pm
My Top 3
1. Kobe
To me, Kobe is the only person in the history of the game to have mastered every single moves in the books, no matter if it's pull up, cross over, PNR, triple threat, high post, low post, fade away, step through, up and under, reverse pivot. He might not be as efficient as the best of the best, but to me, there was nothing more fun to watch Kobe imposing his sheer will on on the other team through the combination of his moves. It also helps that he sometimes can outscore an entire team by himself. Regardless you like him or not, his dedication to the craft should be appreciated by any fan, especially now he has retired.
2. Curry
Besides being a threat literally 3 steps after half court, Curry has some of the best handles and finishes in the entire NBA, which is shadowed by the fact that he is the GOAT shooter. The touches that he has on some of his lay ups are even more unbelievable to me than his pull up 3s from 30ft. He also does the little things that benefit the team a lot of superstars won't do, such as setting good screens, off ball movements, or being an underrated rebounders, those are the small nuances that makes this beautiful game perfect to me.
3. Play off LeBron after 2015
Though always a willing passer, the young LeBron had a more slice and dice game which relied more on his athleticism, not the current LeBron, who can punish defenses when the oppositions take 1 step too far by threading a bullet pass from across the floor. He now plays the game like a chess match and is ready to expose every mistake, and you can see how he is prepared to make the best play for every single double, every single PNR coverage, and any defense that you throw at him. Players like Kobe and Curry sometimes can be render ineffective by simply not making shots, but not the play off LeBron, who was always ready to bring the best out of his teammates.
honorable mention- Manu Ginobili
When I watch other players highlights, I am marveled at the difficulties of certain moves, but when I watch Manu's I am often simply confused, then have to pause and rewind to see what exactly has happened, because of his magician like ability with the ball in his hand. His imagination and creativity with the balls are already rare to find, but combine that with his ferocity and tenacity, we get one of the most entertaining of all time. No matter if it's game winning 3, game winning assist, euro-step, between your leg pass, behind the head pass, game winning block, or straight up dunking in your face during transition in the finals (sorry Ray Allen) , you know Manu will never be afraid of a big moment, and he was always willing to spice it up by going beyond what we thought is imaginable.